Alphington during the Second World War
Some stories both serious and funny
By Rowena Jay
The air raids
During the Second World War is was quite common for people from different families to gather in one persons house while the air raids were taking place. In one particular house the head of the household always sat under the stairs. He would never allow any one else there, not even the cat in case it purred and the gentleman mistook it for a German plane overhead. The rest of the people in the house had to shelter under a sturdy table. Incidentally, underneath this staircase there were jars and jars of pickled eggs all stacked neatly on shelves.
Firewatchers would gather in the area where Veitch Nurseries use to be situated. They were armed with stirrup pumps, which they used to put out the incendiary bombs.
The village Air Raid Patrol (ARP)
The ARP headquarters use to be in the village hall before they moved to the basement of The Lodge. In the group were: Mrs A. Tout, Mrs H. Brewer, Mrs E West, telephonists; Agnes Powlesland, casualty driver; Mrs E. Coles, ambulance attendant; Mr V. Sercombe ambulance driver of the laundry van.
When Mr Rossiter threw out an incendiary bomb that had landed on his cottage in Midway Terrace he burnt his hands. The van that took him to hospital lacked springs and Mrs Coles had to sit on end of his stretcher to keep it in place as they drove over the numerous hose pipes. Most of Exeter was alight that night.
One night Mrs Coles was going home from The Lodge in the snow. The all clear had sounded. She noticed footprints in the snow that stopped on the bridge over the Alphin Brook. She also saw camouflaged hats and wondered if she should go back to The Lodge and report it. Suddenly, she heard a voice shouting,
"Goodnight Mrs Coles".
It was Bill Burge's voice, he was part of the Home Guard that were patrolling Brook Lane that evening.
Alphington paid special thanks to Dr Foukes, Dr and Mrs Graig (The Lodge) for the lectures, the comforts of the offices and rest rooms. They also thanked Mr and Mrs Daw of Aldens Farm for all the cups of tea. No matter how many times the siren sounded and whether it was day or night Mrs and Mrs Daw were always there with a brew up.
The members of the ARP had to report for duty immediately the siren sounded warning every one of the approaching German bombers. One particular gentleman would cycle along the roads of the village shouting,
"Is that the siren I can hear".
The people standing outside their houses answered back,
"No, it is the all clear".
Apparently, he was always too late when reporting for duty.
Exercises, practices and working women
Rescue practices were held on Sundays and teams could keep up to date with the latest methods and equipment at Peamore House. When the weather was really cold the cylinders on the Fire Engines would freeze and crack.
Women were working on the land harvesting fruit and vegetables and also at local nurseries. Some of the workers were: Wills, Physick, Pike, Mitchells (the Canal banks) and Grimes. Jam making and fruit packing was carried out in the village hall.
A survey was made of the houses in the village in order to find suitable accommodation for the evacuees. Members of the WI cut out and made almost 100 nightdresses and pyjamas for the evacuees.
At one time during the War the Army were exercising in the village. They placed a large gun on the Green and fired a blank, all the windows in the old school situated opposite the Green shattered.
Prisoners of war
The garden of Osborne Cottage was large covering the site where a well-known supermarket stands today. During the War German prisoners worked in the grounds. One of them was a young chap called Hugo and they all came from a camp at Whitstone. One year the residents of Osborne Cottage invited these prisoners to Christmas dinner.