Evacuee Day, 2001

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From left to right: Dennis Galloway, Billy King (behind), Keith Pygas, Edith Burton (formerly Charlton), Hilda Duffy (formerly Dent, peeping through), Hilda Charlton, Lily Green (formerly Pay), John Pay, Freda Davidson (formerly Clint), Barry Trotter, Beaty Lee (formerly Coulman, in front), Audrey Grantham (formerly Gagen), Avril Brattan (formerly Gibson), Malcolm Taylor (behind), Margaret Galloway, Brian Wilkinson, Robert Wilkinson

In July 2000 the late Hilda Duffy visited Bishop Wilton where she had been evacuated to in September 1939 from Sunderland, as, although she had been back a couple of times over the years, the need to revisit this place of such powerful associations had been growing in her.

We heard of her presence from Bessy Fridlington, who had been her neighbour in the war years – and we immediately, and with some excitement, went to visit her at the Fleece where she was staying, inviting her to tell of her experiences as an evacuee. We had been exploring various fragments of the history of Bishop Wilton, and here, presented to us, was another aspect altogether.

One thing leads to another. We knew of an article that had appeared in “Around The Wolds” by another evacuee to Bishop Wilton, Barry Trotter. We made contact with him and then decided to advertise in the Hull Daily Mail for any other people who had been evacuated to Bishop Wilton – and thus we began a very exciting few months, which culminated in a reunion of former evacuees in the village, in July 2001.

As it was the time of the spread of Foot and Mouth Disease, the Bishop Wilton Show had been cancelled and the Evacuee Day filled the gap. Seventeen former evacuees from Sunderland and Hull (see photograph above) returned for a full day of entertainment which included reception and lunch at the Village Hall (where some of them had been schooled during the war), an exhibition, a musical re-enactment of war-time evacuation by the school children in St Edith's Church, with maypole dancing at the Village School as a finale.

Eleven of the returning evacuees were interviewed and their vivid memories were written up into an eighty-six page document.

Postscript: As well as those who turned up on the day and were photographed above, there are other evacuees we should mention: Harry Fussey, who was remembered by Billy King and Dennis Galloway, had a wedding to attend on the 21st and as things turned out he couldn't make it until the dance in the evening by which time almost all of the other evacuees had gone home. It was a pity but we were pleased to see him; by an amazing coincidence, Walter Johnson came to the village for a meal at the pub with two of his sisters on Sunday 22nd July. When he said that he had been an evacuee from Hull he was told that he was a day late! Nevertheless, he was able to see the display at Cliff Farm. Walter was evacuated with his sister Doreen and they stayed with the Bartons; after the press coverage in the Hull Daily Mail we heard from Sheila Hunt (now Mrs Austin) who came to the village in September 1940 with her brother, Tommy, and stayed for 3 years with Mrs Ellen Wilson. Also, Helena Oades* (now Mrs Cheney) got in touch. She stayed with Mr & Mrs Dring and their daughter, Hilda; lastly Jack Robinson visited the village after the event and shared some of his memories although it was a good job we didn't treat him as an evacuee! As his time in the village was privately arranged, he saw himself as a resident rather than an evacuee!

In 2005, we heard from Brenda Hill who came to the village in 1942 at the age of 4 as Brenda Joan Flounders with her brother who was 8, John Flounders. They stayed with Mr & Mrs Boyes. She remembers that Mrs Boyes had her father living with them, Mr Pinkney. John Flounder used to visit the Boyes family regularly after that, taking his wife and family with him. Brenda remembers having Yorkshire Pudding with gravy first, before the main meal, thinking that it was all she was getting to eat!

* Helena Cheney (nee Oades) said: "I could write a book about my travels and I think my memories would start from my Bishop Wilton days".