Wartime Malvern Memories

Born in 1932 in Hospital Bank, I remember a lot of houses were empty in Malvern after the Depression. In 1939, there were lots of evacuees arriving in the town and at that year's Carol Service, we only had paraffin lamps to see by and which had to have covers on them.

Rationing had come into effect and we all had gas masks. Although bread wasn't rationed at first, when my mother sent me to the bakers, I had to queue for ages. We kept two cockerels which my father fattened up for Christmas. Wash day was Monday and we had just one shirt to last us the week.

As a Scout in 1940/41, I remember walking the Malvern Hills with a bottle of water and a precious half bar of chocolate, and even saw the city of Coventry burning after it's blitz!

Before the ADRDE (Air Defence Research and Development Establishment) moved to Malvern, I remember steam powered excavators clearing some of the ground prior to its arrival and later, my mother worked there cooking breakfast. Billeting officers often came to our house looking for accommodation for ADRDE staff, but they did bring extra rations with them. One, a Warrant Officer, came with a hundredweight of coal, a hundredweight of potatoes and some beef! My mother welcomed him with open arms!

Later in the war, there was a first radar-assisted shoot down of an enemy aircraft by a Mosquito near Malvern. After school, my mother took me to view the wreckage guarded by just one soldier. Next day in class, there were three cannon shells on view! There were 48 children in my class and many of us were later caned after standing on our desks to look at another low-flying Mosquito.

In August 1945, I was camping with the Scouts and saw Avonmouth docks full of shipping. Around this time, I also remember swimming in Malvern Lido with wounded American servicemen from their nearby hospital. They would come down in dressing gowns, and those wearing read gowns were always escorted as they were suffering from shell shock.