Operation Pied Piper
Belper acted as a haven to a large number of evacuees. At the beginning of the war in 1939 children came from Derby, these children did not stay long. This period of the war was often referred to as the 'phoney war' as the bombing and invasion that was expected did not initially happen. Children who had come to Belper to escape the expected bombing of Derby soon returned home.
Olive Burdekin (nee Trayler) remembers a little girl coming from Derby, called Greta. She remembers her mother having to cope with the little girl who was very afraid, had very poor clothes and did not want to be put in the bath. Her mother received this certificate from the Queen, as did many others.
Derek from Derby remembers arriving in Belper and following a lady with a clip board (along with lots of other children) knocking on doors and waiting for residents to come out and choose a child to house.
Eileen Hudson (nee Wagg) can remember her family's evacuee from Derby, Betty Chatwin. She is pictured below (sitting) along with Eileen. Eileen's mother made them both new dresses for church events, with matching ribbons.
"What it was really like to be an evacuee"
'Being an evacuee meant leaving your family, your home, your pets, your toys and everything with which you were familiar. It meant being taken to an unknown destination, where you would have to learn new ways and try to fit in.
Suddenly you had to be grown up and responsible for yourself and belongings. Somehow you had to hide your felings of homesickness and never talk about it.
The day you were evacuated changed your life forever, it would never be the same again....'
Extract from 'Send them to safety' by James Roffey, Evacuee
How the Westcliff boys spent their 'out of school' time!
Herbert Strutt and Westcliff school like many high schools of that time had very strict rules - no eating in the street, no talking to the opposite sex unless a brother or sister. Separate playgrounds and tough discipline. However young people still managed to meet; stories of learning to dance in front rooms while adults were out and hearing that someone thinks you have nice legs have quietly been told.
Gerry Crane and Jeanne Halifax had their first date in the town library, much to the horror of the Headmaster, but with the support of Jeanne's mother the couple continued their courting. This is a picture taken for their engagement by which time Gerry was in the Navy and Jeanne at college. Their picture is below and to the right.
If you look closely in the Memorial Gardens you will find a bench dedicated to Gerry by his family. |
Norman remembers picking up and bagging potatoes on the local farm, swimming at Matlock, bicycle rides up and down steep un-signposted roads. He became a railway enthusiast and remembers pestering the life out of the 'ladies at the library'. He also experienced going down a coal mine and often watched the planes flying over at night en route to the industral cities of the north. |
Ed remembers cleaning out cow
sheds,whitewashing the pig sty, long walks across the Derbyshire
countryside, picnics at Blackrock, rugby at Brettle's sports club and
surprisingly.....school dinners.
Rita Appleby remembers a snowy winter and with her sister, plotting to ambush the 'Westcliff boys' as they left school. Taken by surprise the boys were pelted with snowballs but soon gathered themselves together and fought back with some enthusiasm. We are not sure who won!
Rita Appleby remembers a snowy winter and with her sister, plotting to ambush the 'Westcliff boys' as they left school. Taken by surprise the boys were pelted with snowballs but soon gathered themselves together and fought back with some enthusiasm. We are not sure who won!
The Westcliff Boys
On a hot June day in 1940, over 500 boys from Westcliff High School left Southend station for a long journey northwards. Their destination was the Herbert Strutt school and a temporary home as an evacuee in Belper.
Norman Charles was 12 when he arrived on that hot June day. He remembers eventually settling down with a family whose father was a Boiler Maker for the locomotive works in Derby and travelling miles on biked with friends. He says " every local person I met up with went out of their way to be kind and helpful".
Ed Doughty remembers arriving as a 14 year old, and being billeted with three other boys in a house on Belper Lane, where they were looked after by a hard working lady called Mrs. Winton. Tin baths in front of the fire and freshly baked bread are just a few of Ed's fond memories. He can be seen in the picture to the left, the lad in the front row with his legs crossed.
How did they all fit into the school?
The Herbert Strutt Grammar School pupils would use the buildings in the mornings while the evacuees were using various church halls and then in the afternoon they would change over.
Lying on the grass in the midst of these local boys (picture left), Ed and Alec Burdekin, Maurice Fielding and Bob Yeomans, is Freda Davis the daughter of the Westcliff French teacher. The Davis family lived at Crossroads farm during the evacuation period, Mr Davis helping to grow vegetables when not teaching. Freda went to Long Row school.
Lying on the grass in the midst of these local boys (picture left), Ed and Alec Burdekin, Maurice Fielding and Bob Yeomans, is Freda Davis the daughter of the Westcliff French teacher. The Davis family lived at Crossroads farm during the evacuation period, Mr Davis helping to grow vegetables when not teaching. Freda went to Long Row school.