 |
 |
|
|
| |
| |
| |
|
Statistics |
| Unique Visitors: 0 |
| Total Unique Visitors: 5456 |
| Visitors Out: 1149 |
| Total Visitors Out: 1613 |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| 18th January 1941 |
| 2008-01-11 06:07:00 |
On 9th January I went to bed with a feverish chill, having over 102 for first week. During this week planes roared overhead every night and sirens sounded. Night before last at 11 p.m. I heard 3 bombs drop. It appears they fell near Exeter Hospital. Last night 3 more crashed down in Exmouth, these shook our bungalow at 1 p.m. About a dozen people were killed, including 2 sisters of our butcher and a family of 4, evacuees from London. Marion slept through it all, she had to go to bed on 16th January herself, with a chill. This forced me to get help and I was lucky to engage a London evacuee who has been here for 3 months with her little boy of 5. Before she came, the windows of her flat had been blown out and boarded up. Nevertheless, she intends returning there in February, to spend her hu...
|
| |
|
| 24th December 1940 |
| 2008-01-11 06:04:00 |
Over Xmas the sirens were silent, there was an air truce on both sides. Such a relief. I slept quietly in my own bed for 5 nights, although poor London got it again day after Boxing Day. Marion wanted to celebrate Xmas Eve so we did so, starting early, as we did not know there would be a truce, we lit the tree at 5.30. As usual Marion was wildly excited, especially over completing her "Alcott" collection with the book "Jack and Jill." Ann came in on Xmas morning and in the afternoon we had the Trumans to tea, while on Boxing Day we went to them. Both times we had great fun playing a card game called "Castles." Not hearing sirens is almost uncanny. I heard Gladys Carter had left her flat, as all windows had been blown out....
|
| |
|
| 22nd December 1940 |
| 2008-01-11 06:02:00 |
We had Dicky and Peter to tea this afternoon. At 6.45 sirens wailed, they waited until 9 p.m. with us, in the hopes of an all clear coming. Finally they left during a lull and just as they reached home, the next wave of planes came over and continued intermittently all night. Marion calls our new big sirens "Mariah", says it means like a big cat. The all clear Daddy christened "Xmas Bells"....
|
| |
|
| 21st December 1940 |
| 2008-01-11 05:58:00 |
At 8.30p.m. sirens, 9.00p.m. all clear. 1 o'clock sirens again, 7a.m. all clear, this time I went to bed with Marion and fell asleep after first wave droned over. Liverpool again.Recently we had a week free of alerts. After the big attack on Liverpool, people went about asking each other if they had had a pleasant night! One ARP warden, just started a Xmas pudding at 6 p.m., then sirens went, off she went to her post. At 7 with the all clear she started pudding again, at 8 more sirens and off she had to go again....
|
| |
|
| 20th December 1940 |
| 2008-01-11 05:57:00 |
We had an alert from 6-7, then again from 8-9.30. Marion and I went to bed, at 12 p.m. the sirens wailed again. I woke Daddy, then curled up on Marion's bed and counted 17 waves of bombers that went over. At 5 the all clear went. Poor Liverpool was the sufferer....
|
| |
|
| 29th November 1940 |
| 2008-01-11 05:56:00 |
At 9 p.m. Jerrys started to buzz overhead, Daddy saw them flashing a red light, then came 2 terrific bangs. At second explosion, Marion who was in bed with a cold, fairly leapt into the hall shelter and poor Wiggles dived under the buffet and stayed there almost an hour, panic stricken. After brandy and biscuits, milk for cat and hot water bottles, we returned to bed, half dressed. At 2.15 sirens sounded, then at 3 a.m. came the all clear. Next morning we heard two rows. Marion was very brave, after second bang she merely went as white as a sheet. Her chief concern was for Wiggy. When it was all over, she said "Mummy, cuddle me a bit". The noise must have been appalling for those near the explosion, it was bad enough here and we are nearly 3 miles from the spot....
|
| |
|
| 21st November 1940 |
| 2008-01-11 05:55:00 |
We both had colds and I had to turn my face to the wall, while Marion arranged the bridge table as a birthday table for me, while we were both in bed. Wiggy is 6 months old and has gained his freedom, returns very frequently to the house to Marion's great relief. We still keep him on a lead a little every day, so that he will not forget that quaint trick. He looks so cute, with his red lead, collar and bell. Anthea and Marion are making preparations for Xmas, a play is being rehearsed and Marion is to sing "When Knights were Bold"....
|
| |
|
| 9th November 1940 |
| 2008-01-11 05:54:00 |
Marion got her first grown up dress, as she calls it. Dark navy blue tight-fitting bodice, sleeves and flared skirt, with lace collar and bolero. One day when I was trying it on I said: "Is this your front (meaning middle of waist)"? Promptly came her reply: "Well, can't you tell by by my face!"...
|
| |
|
| 19th October 1940 |
| 2008-01-11 05:52:00 |
Marion had a Halloween party with Jack-o-Lantern made from 25 lb pumpkin Daddy grew. Peter and Ann came. Marion dressed up as a ghost and we hung apples in air-raid shelter and scared the children. Had fishing for gifts and balloon fight afterwards....
|
| |
|
| 8th November 1940 |
| 2008-01-11 05:52:00 |
Read in Daily Mail that ship from USA to repatriate Americans was not being sent over, as Germany had refused it a safe conduct. Thank goodness, as now Bertie cannot sail to USA....
|
| |
|
| 11th October 1940 |
| 2008-01-11 05:51:00 |
We went into Exeter, and had lunch, with music at Dellers. Every time we go into Exeter I wonder if we shall return, and should we return, if we will find bungalow and cat blown up by a bomb. Awful times to be living in....
|
| |
|
| 20th September 1940 |
| 2008-01-11 04:32:00 |
Had a letter from Rita saying Swan Court was blown up 10 days ago and nearly everything in her flat destroyed. She and her maid had a lucky escape, they had just left it and were downstairs. She is running a Red Cross Department in London, so is remaining. Anthea and family left for Bow London on 17th. On 16th had 2 air warnings, heard bombs at 2 p.m. Poor Wiggy [cat] is scared of aeroplanes....
|
| |
|
| 17th September 1940 |
| 2008-01-11 04:27:00 |
Had tea with Mitchells and played tricks on Daddy. 10 p.m. Heard bombs dropping on Exeter where 4 people were killed. We are busy collecting seeds from our garden for next year, in spite of the fact we may not be in existence any day... funny feeling that. No news from friends in London....
|
| |
|
| 12th September 1940 |
| 2007-06-21 10:19:00 |
We were all awakened with a big bang, next morning we heard from our milkman, a field with 20 cows which give us our milk, had been bombed, but without injury to the cows. Only casualty a tree! On another farm, quite near here, a crater 28 ft wide and 9 ft deep was made, also no casualties. A time bomb fell also in a big property. During afternoon, 4 bombs exploded in the distance. So we had a lively day. As Daddy says, "Every morning, when we get awake, one wonders if one has been killed". We take our baths in the morning now and go in with a prayer that we may get out before Jerry comes.For three nights we slept blissfully, while London was getting the brunt of it. The children are getting up a sale for hospitals and Marion has been given all the hemming of dusters to do, as she ...
|
| |
|
| 20th August 1938 |
| 2007-06-15 11:05:00 |
Marion started to learn the piano, her father is teaching her from "Smallwood's Tutor" book. In one month I taught her to play a little song called 'Robin' with both hands and by heart. For this achievement, I gave her a turquoise ring.She continues to write stories and has a book full. Cat stories, she makes up to read to her little English friend, Sheila. We sent one of her fairy-tales to her school in Baltimore, who replied that she had a very good command of English. Her descriptions, they said, showed excellent imaginative ability. She is also passionately fond of her drawing, of which her school remarked that she had a very good of form. She has never had any lessons at all in drawing....
|
| |
|
| 5th September 1940 |
| 2007-06-15 06:06:00 |
The general opinion is that 'we are on top' now and my husband and our neighbour say "Britain and US can lick the world" since British and US agreement over destroyers and bases.Our tomatoes ripened beautifully in our garage. As Daddy is American, he says he does not grow "tomatoes" but "tom-ate-oes"!Conversations between Anthea and Marion about Wiggles [cat] "Let us tie up Mrs Wiggles, she is eating the food out for the dolls". "Miss Wiggles", corrects Marion. 'How do you know'? "Well, she is not married!" "How do you know"? "Why she has not met any Mr Cats." "How do you know"? from Anthea again. "Except her brother" adds Marion. "Well, that does not matter", from Anthea. This was too much for Marion and subject was dropped. Next day Mrs Truman shoo-ed Sotty, a cousin of Wiggles...
|
| |
|
| 4th September 1940 |
| 2007-06-15 06:03:00 |
It is remarkable how we try and continue our usual routine of living, in spite of nightly raids. lst of this month 1 church, 4 thatched cottages burnt to the ground at 11.30 p.m., within view of Topsham and our fire brigade was sent for. Last night we saw flashes from a bomb falling on Exmouth. I have a cap of an incendiary bomb as a souvenir, rather a grim one, but everybody is collecting them, in the field. Today we are having whole Mitchell family to tea, 3 children will picnic on lawn, with Wiggles, under our big sun umbrella. No bread and butter, and saccharine instead of sugar, cannot use up our rations. Sirens are being used again.photo shows Peter Mitchell...
|
| |
|
| 1st September 1940 |
| 2007-06-15 05:40:00 |
We seem to be on Jerry's bus-route. Every night we hear them zooming around us. It is a strange feeling going to bed each night and wondering if 'you will be here the next day'. I now sleep on a camp bed in Marion's room and sleep better, being near her, in case of danger. We have put sheet iron trays, filled with sand, in attic over Marion's bed, as a protection against incendiary bombs and iron and sand bag protection at the windows. So now our bungalow is a little fortress! So we can only hope for the best....
|
| |
|
| 17th August 1940 |
| 2007-06-15 05:37:00 |
They have ceased giving air-raid warnings, so now it is a matter of chance when you hear the loud drone of German machines overhead....
|
| |
|
| 23rd August 1940 |
| 2007-06-15 05:37:00 |
They have started giving signals again for the raids. Bertie has built a shelter in our hall, into which we go and lie down, like rabbits when we hear the signal or the whoo-whoo of Jerry himself. We have a mattress on the floor, but it is jolly hard, and a tight squeeze for all three. I have decided not to wake Marion at night. Our kitten Wiggles is air-raid conscious, flies like the wind for shelter, even if only under a marrow leaf, when he hears the roar of planes. He is the one bright spot during a raid. Marion insists on having him with us in the shelter and puts his little red leash and collar on him, so he cannot bolt. After cutting capers for a while, he settles down between our feet and purrs so loud, we think he is a Jerry. We have made some silly mistakes such as missin...
|
| |
|
| 15th August 1940 |
| 2007-06-15 05:36:00 |
Sirens went off at 6 pm. and during night, at 3.30am bombs could be heard dropping. The noise woke Marion....
|
| |
|
| 13th August 1940 |
| 2007-06-15 05:34:00 |
Daddy went to Exeter to buy anti-blast for windows and at 4.30 air-raid sirens were heard. He went into air-raid shelter in Queen Street with several hundred people. Marion and I, with Wiggles, tied up with us, lay down in the hall. Half an hour later all clear sounded. We now have stirrup pump, against incendiary bombs. Marion says: 'I don't see what there is to worry about an air raid, either you get blown up, then you don't know anything more about it, or you don't and it is alright, so why make a fuss about it all.' She always goes and fixes pillows and eiderdowns and torch and the kitten, in the hall herself during a daylight raid. I have spent 3 nights sleeping on floor in Marion's room....
|
| |
|
| 8th August 1940 |
| 2007-06-15 05:33:00 |
A midnight air-raid. Bombs dropped in Exeter. After an hour and half the all clear signal was given. We lay down in the hall and Marion talked like a gramophone, but was not a bit scared....
|
| |
|
| 20th June 1940 |
| 2007-06-15 05:32:00 |
Grandma died after six weeks illness with prolapse of rectum....
|
| |
|
| 10th May 1940 |
| 2007-06-15 05:25:00 |
Hitler invaded Norway and on 10th May there was an invasion by Hitler of Holland and Belgium...
|
| |
|
| 22nd April 1940 |
| 2007-06-15 05:23:00 |
We gave a children's Easter party, inviting Peter, Mary and Anthea Pyne and Ann....
|
| |
|
| 19th march 1940 |
| 2007-06-15 05:20:00 |
Marion's birthday, there were 3 perfect rainbows, one in West and two in East. She got four books, Little Men and Little Women, Uncle Tom's Cabin, her Daddy made Marie Louise a pink bed. Just like her Mummy before her, she loves 'Little Women' and reads it over again almost daily. Her 11 year old criticism of it is that those writers wrote so much more naturally about real life, so different from present-day authors with their thrillers. She says she likes good books, not trash and her Mummy is gladof it....
|
| |
|
| 24th February 1940 |
| 2007-06-15 05:17:00 |
A storybook came to life for Marion, who had always led an indoor, hot house life. Anthea asked her to come over the fence and play in their field. 'Ihere were five of them and to Marion it was like a fairy tale, playing 'wild Indians', goats, bulls, etc.Tiddles the cat got a swollen eye and we did not hear his faint mew at kitchen door again until 28th. To our great sorrow we found he had lost the sight of one eye. We and the cat were all awfully glad to see each other again, although she could not tell us so in words....
|
| |
|
| 22nd February 1940 |
| 2007-06-15 04:41:00 |
Our plum tree was brought over from Pyne's orchard, together with currant bushes and Mummy's climbing roses, which are called "Say Lady", for training over the front door. The plum tree is "The Czar"....
|
| |
|
| 27th February 1940 |
| 2007-06-15 04:39:00 |
Finally, we heard of gas pokers, bought two and things went smoothly, for we were almost going crazy over the fires. In mother's bedroom we had installed a Cosy stove which heated very nicely, but hall and two other bedrooms were linke refrigerators. In the twm bungalow to ours live Mr and Mrs Truman, a childless couple, but they have a dog, Scamp, a cocker Spaniel and a car. On the other side Mrs Leigh lives, whose father owns large nurseries and fields all over Topsham. She has 3 children, Mary 14, Anthea 12, and Gilly, 4 years old. Next door to them is Anne Pyne 9,their cousin.In spite of severest winter for 50 years in Devon, thermometer at 16 below freezing point, some little white-headed, green petticoated snowdrops peeped out of the garden middle of January. Our first flowers ...
|
| |
|
| 16th January 1940 |
| 2007-06-15 04:38:00 |
Today came a severe frost which lasted for a fortnight and we had terrible trouble getting the fires to burn, as we knew nothing about lighting rules and forgot to buy pokers, shovels, brush and tongs....
|
| |
|
|
| 23rd December 1939 |
| 2007-06-15 04:33:00 |
To our surprise, Mark and Rowe brought our furniture to bungalow this afternoon. Floors had been painted and were still wet, so they had to return with it on 27th December. Our letters and those from Pitt & Scott telling of its arrival had crossed each other. After 27th we were terribly busy getting unpacked, which was very hard as everything could not possibly be put into the four roomed bungalow. Two huge Persian carpets could not be used, large mahogany writing desk, belonging to mahogany suite had to be put in garage, together with big round oak table, top of buffet, several chandeliers and three large armchairs. All this stuff was later sent to auction after Excise granted us permission to sell it, for it had been brought into the country free of duty as household goods....
|
| |
|
| 5th December 1939 |
| 2007-06-15 04:31:00 |
In the morning we went by taxi to Lloyds Bank, stopping on the way at Selfridges, where Marion went through Toyland and was given a present of Ludo by Father xmas himself. At 2 o'clock we left for Exeter, on 6th, arriving at 5.30 again in the black-out.Arrived in Exeter, we went to Westem Hotel for 3 days, then we moved nearer town to Hotel Osborne, which was very nice. We stayed here till 21st December, moving to Mrs Mitchell, in Topsham, as paying guests, so as to be near the bungalow we bought.We spent a very jolly Xmas, with Dickie (Hazel) and Peter Mitchell. Long table, in garlanded dining room, stockings hanging from mantelpiece. On christmas morning, turkey and plum pudding....
|
| |
|
| 4th December 1939 |
| 2007-06-15 04:26:00 |
The English visas came for Daddy and Marion, so we changed our plans and left for England. Very few people on board the Cross Channel steamer, Prince Charles. We had a first class cabin for mother, just opposite was Ambassador and his wife. One of the sailors asked Daddy: "Are you the Ambassador, Sir?" when we were going through boat drill. In case we struck a mine, we were shown lifeboat No. 2 on upper deck that we must go to. Our lifebelts were strapped on and worn during the whole trip. We remained close to French Coast as far as Cap Gris Nez which was silhouetted against a golden and glowing red sunset, as we passed. At this point, French destroyers came into view and close by two little fishing vessels. After dark we started to cross the Channel in a choppy sea, as a storm was...
|
| |
|
| 10th November 1939 |
| 2007-06-15 04:25:00 |
So to French Consul for visas for France as there is a scare in Belgium of a German invasion. Furniture packed and left the house on November 21st to entrain for France, we ourselves were going to follow on November 23rd....
|
| |
|
| 3rd September 1939 |
| 2007-06-15 04:24:00 |
England and France declare War on Germany. We have great difficulties about getting money sent over from England....
|
| |
|
| 19th March 1939 |
| 2007-06-15 04:21:00 |
Gave our first Belgian birthday party, guests were Jose, a Dutch girl who could hardly speak French, Georgette, the daughter of our Belgian proprietor, and Sheila Brown. Marion thought it a wonderful day and loved her presents, especially a Built-Rite cottage with furniture, we ordered from America.Marion saw one of my bank letters from Lloyds and read the headlines Cox and King's branch. So making a pun she quick as a flash said: "Oh, I did not know "Cocks sat on King's Branches"!...
|
| |
|
| 8th January 1939 |
| 2007-06-15 04:18:00 |
Marion, little monkey, came up behind me and put a mechanical toy Micky Mouse that somersaults into my hair, which I had taken down for a bath. The beastly thing somersaulted all the way up my head, winding my long hair tight ground its arms and legs. It took the combined efforts of my husband and Marion, with a lot of tugging and p@g, to disentangle him. I thought I should have to cut the hair off to get him out.Another day she outdid herself in silliness, by putting her father's gold ring (which she had taken off his finger and run away with) into an envelope and stuck it in our letter box in the entrance hall She felt rather small about it though when she saw what a stupid thing she had done....
|
| |
|
| 19th March 1938 |
| 2007-05-23 18:38:00 |
Marion celebrated her ninth birthday in Ostend and had her little friend, Sheila Browne to tea. Her father brought her secretaire in mahogany from Wiesbaden. She was delighted with this gift as it is 100 years old, and has a secret drawer. She also received two very good books on costumes through the ages. Anything old-fashioned gives her great pleasure. At the same time we brought a small piano and told her that was another birthday present. So she was well pleased with her first Belgian birthday....
|
| |
|
| |
 |
|
| |
| |
|
 |
