An Essex Family at War

Born in 1949, too late for the war, as a child with frequent trips through London’s East End, I bore witness to the fading blitz damage and the steady recovery of the city. My curiosity to the happenings of the war years was served by my parents’ vivid memories of that period.

My mother, Phyllis Winch had been brought up in the rural setting of North Stifford, Essex, not far from the River Thames. Her father James was a market gardener, owning one farm and renting another at Ockendon.

My mother now aged 90, still lives in Grays and her memories of this period remain sharp. This includes the ‘Battle of Britain’ and the air battles fought over the Thames and Essex, the arrest of suspected spies on farm land, the employment of German POW’s on the farm and the saving of my baby sister Susan’s life by one of these.

My father John Page had spent his childhood in the neighbouring village of North Stifford where his father was a carpenter. He married my mother in August 1939, a few weeks prior to the start of the War. By all accounts they had a wonderful wedding day and left early in the evening for their honeymoon at Newquay in Cornwall.

Their first home was in the Fairway at Grays Thurrock, where they lived until my father was conscripted in to the RAF in April 1941. Like most young ordinary airmen (Erks), his basic training was provided at Blackpool. My mother continued to live in the Fairway on her own through the war years until giving birth to a daughter (Susan) in November 1943. She spent much of her time between their new home and the family home Hill Farm, at South Ockendon. Prior to Sue’s birth she made her own contribution to the war effort by serving as a local ARP Warden.

Adjacent to Hill Farm on land rented by my grandfather at Buckles Lane Farm, prior to war being declared the War Office established the Buckles Lane Anti Aircraft artillery site.
This was served by 195 TA, 35th AA Brigade,a detachment from Finchley, manning a 4 x 3.7 inch gun battery. An acrimonious whisky fed meeting between my grandfather James Winch and a slightly arrogant Army Major from the WO, preceded the settlement of a compensation claim by my grandfather. Once the War Office had decided they required use of the land, they had instructed him to cease working the land immediately. Unfortunately the crops already growing were allowed to rot. In view of the fact that the country was about to go to war this appears a short sighted decision. My grandfather won the day and got his compensation.

A letter from my grandfather to my mother describes the events of the wedding day, the gifts and the new home that awaited their return from the honey moon, but ends on a more serious note. "Hill Farm Aug 25th 1939. My Dear Phillis and John, Twas more than pleased to hear from you and very glad that you are having a good time. I know you looked forward to your wedding day and I was just as proud as yourself. With everything, my only wish is that you and John will stick together and just think of one another. That is the main thing. You will find that sometimes that things won't go right, but must both give and take. Now everything went well after you had gone and I got the army away by goodluck [?] and everything was quite after everybody was gone home. The girls and men who work on the farm came at 6 o'clock and enjoyed themselves. The greatest wonder of the day was Auntie Martha, she had a wonderful day and has never left off talking about it. .... If war breaks out, come home at once, I know what I am talking about".

My grandfather wrote again on Aug 30th 1939.
" Dear Phyllis and John, I drove your mother and Blanche [their housekeeper] over to your house and took some of your presents. Your three piece suite has come and the chairs are [even]large enough for me. I think everything will be very nice indeed when it is all set out. .... Joan, [mums sister, who by then had decided to train as a nurse] I believe, is coming home if the war starts. My word, wou won't know the gun station when you see it again. They are all ready for them. Tons of shells, enough to blow up all Hill Farm. The men sleep with the guns all night. Don't tell anyone else about this, only John [!]. I am helping all I can, they got me to build a gun pit last Saturday. I was working till 9 o'clock at night, stayed in bed Sunday morning to make up for it. I do hope nothing comes of it, it will be a rough turn out.

An airman got killed with a Spitfire this dinner time. His machine dropped like a stone, he died at once. Nearly fell on the school in Nutbury road. His machine was smashed to pieces. [A local history book by R. Reynold and C. Catton records this as being flown by Sergeant Pilot Cyril Gower, aged 24, based at RAF Hornchurch which had been involved in a mid air collision]. .... Have finished the harvest today. Hope you are keeping fit. Best of luck, your old dad, JW ".

Following completion of his training in 1941, my father, then as LAC1095935 Page J, was initially posted to a local airfield at RAF Hornchurch. Here he commenced his military service as a Motor Transport Fitter. The relative nearness of the airfield enabled him to travel home frequently, when opportunity presented. Sometimes this involved dubious practices relating to smuggled petrol and his motorcycle, which was billeted at a private home not far from the airfield. However, this military honeymoon did not last long before he was despatched on a series of UK postings.

During the Blitz, Thurrock as well as being home to riverside industrial targets, was on the enemy flight paths to targets such as London and Hornchurch airfield, and saw intensive bomber and fighter activity overhead, often involving local anti aircraft batteries. The resulting battles saw many fallen aircraft of friend and foe alike, come to earth within the borough, as well as a considerable number of enemy bombs. In October 1940 five men of the Royal Engineers were injured, two fatally, whilst attempting to defuse an unexploded bomb that landed nearby at South Ockendon. My father recalled an enemy Junkers 88 bomber that fell near his home village of North Stifford later that same year, during December. The aircraft crashed to earth without survivors during the early hours of the morning, not far from his parents’ cottage.

By January 1942 the first American forces had arrived and following this American daylight air activity increased. On 26th September 1943 my father happened to be home on leave and with my mother was at Hill Farm in the early evening. They stood watching flights of American B-17 Flying Fortress bombers passing overhead. These were subsequently identified as from the 551st Bomber Squadron based at Great Ashfield in Suffolk. They were returning from an aborted raid on occupied Europe and were still carrying full bomb loads. Suddenly two of the aircraft moved closer together and collided, the wreckage of these unfortunates crashing to earth on farmland near West Horndon. Only one crewmember survived from both aircraft having been lucky enough to parachute from his stricken aircraft. My mother recalled that he may have been an Australian. My uncle Gerald Winch, leapt into his fathers’ car and contrary to restrictions at that time, sped to the crash sites.

As the war progressed, German prisoners of war were employed to assist with the growing at Hill Farm. Surprisingly a warm relationship developed between many of the POW workers and my grandfather James whom they respected, such that when he died in 1954, an ex-P.O.W. Josef Baedorf from Bonn, wrote to the Winch family testifying to their comradeship, the integrity of my grandfather, and the loss felt by him and his co-workers.

By the summer of 1943 dad was stationed with elements of 121 Wing ,2nd Tactical Air Force, at Westhampnett near Chichester. This unit operated Hawker Typhoons and represented part of the build up of the air support for the impeding invasion of Europe. Once the invasion got under way the tactical air forces would be dependent on highly mobile ground support. However, a letter from my mother to my father in early September of that year indicates that he was personally bored by the lack of activity. Dad remained at Westhampnett until the end of the year, although contemporary histories indicate aircraft from the Wing were operating from Holmsley South near the New Forest as early as April 1943. Dad followed to Homsley by the Spring of 1944. I can remember him telling me that the station was a good distance from the airfield and in common with other locations, you took any bike that was available when you left the airfield, and did the same on return when you arrived at the station. Although the railway at Holmsley is no more, the station building survives as a Café for tourists. Ironically the route of the railway line serves as a cycle way, along which traces of the old platform at Holmsley can still be found.

As a child I can recall with friends, playing in a very large overgrown crater near the village of North Stifford. My father told me that this was the site of a V1. When it had impacted and exploded it had loosened the soot in the overburdened chimney of the Page cottage, resulting in a surprised grandfather Page receiving a thorough dowsing.

Surviving letters from the war years include those sent by father whilst in Europe and the Far East. Extracts from these and other sources will subsequently be incorporated into these family memories.

During her years spent living and working at Hill Farm, Blanch Polly the family housekeeper, kept a journal which recorded daily life on the farm, including entries for the war years. My sister, has published some extracts from these, which can be viewed elsewhere on the BBC People's War website under the titles “Life at Hill Farm, South Ockendon, Essex” and “Life at Hill Farm”.

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