Extracts of VE Day Presentation to Box School: 80th Anniversary 2025
John Hunt May 2025
John Hunt May 2025
My twin brother David and I were born in 1938. Our father Jack was the manager of the firm Murray and Baldwin who manufactured tennis rackets in the Old Brewery premises in the Market Place. Our family lived at The Bassetts. These are my wartime memories.
Firefighters and search lights in the Bath Blitz (courtesy Eric Callaway)
Siren and Searchlight
I do not recall our lessons in Box School being interrupted by air raid sirens because most of the German raids were carried out at night. When the sirens were activated my brother and I would rush into the cellar of our house along with our mother whilst our father was on Home Guard duty. We would try to get some sleep and wait for the all clear to sound. At night there was always a search light swaying across the sky looking for enemy aircraft and tracking them as they flew.
I do not recall our lessons in Box School being interrupted by air raid sirens because most of the German raids were carried out at night. When the sirens were activated my brother and I would rush into the cellar of our house along with our mother whilst our father was on Home Guard duty. We would try to get some sleep and wait for the all clear to sound. At night there was always a search light swaying across the sky looking for enemy aircraft and tracking them as they flew.
Pillbox to protect Box Tunnel (courtesy Carol Payne)
One day mum was pushing us home on the way up to Box Hill in our twin pushchair. We were just past the Box Tunnel and the entrance to The Wharf, when mum suddenly pushed us into a garden, turned the pushchair upside down over us, and shouted at us to stay still. We could see her hiding behind a telegraph pole as a German plane flew very low overhead, which we later believed to be trying to reconnoitre and possibly attack the Tunnel.
Evacuee Christmas Concert 1939 (courtesy Genevieve Brunt)
As children, we just accepted that there were lots of our peers that we had never seen before. Some had strange accents but it was only later when we understood that these were evacuatees from other places that were suffering worse bombing than Box.
I remember vividly being fitted with a gas mask in the Methodist Hall at the start of the war. My brother had a thin face and got a special "Donald Duck mask" which made me very envious because mine was just a regular one. It was fitted to enclose the face with straps and the smell of rubber remained you you after it was taken off. We had to take the masks wherever we went, including to school every day during the early years of the war.
I remember vividly being fitted with a gas mask in the Methodist Hall at the start of the war. My brother had a thin face and got a special "Donald Duck mask" which made me very envious because mine was just a regular one. It was fitted to enclose the face with straps and the smell of rubber remained you you after it was taken off. We had to take the masks wherever we went, including to school every day during the early years of the war.
Bath Blitz, April 1942
The night the Germans bombed the city of Bath, mum took us out on the veranda our house. We had a clear view that night and could see the sky on fire in the direction of Bath. The following morning, mum took us to catch the train from Mill Lane Halt to Bath to check on our grandparents. Fortunately, they were alive after the air raid. As we stepped from the platform at Bath Station and down the stairs, I held one of mum’s hands and David held the other. Here we came across a man looking like Ali Baba, covered in a black gown and wearing shoes with turned-up toes. This sight was creating a lot of interest with passers-by but we just walked past. It was later confirmed that the man was King Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, who was living in Bath during the war. Coming from the railway station, we walked into Southgate Street where there was a lot of bomb damage with workers clearing building rubble and others putting up heavy shoring timbers against the buildings, Mum’s parents’ property had been bombed but the home of dad’s parents was intact.
The night the Germans bombed the city of Bath, mum took us out on the veranda our house. We had a clear view that night and could see the sky on fire in the direction of Bath. The following morning, mum took us to catch the train from Mill Lane Halt to Bath to check on our grandparents. Fortunately, they were alive after the air raid. As we stepped from the platform at Bath Station and down the stairs, I held one of mum’s hands and David held the other. Here we came across a man looking like Ali Baba, covered in a black gown and wearing shoes with turned-up toes. This sight was creating a lot of interest with passers-by but we just walked past. It was later confirmed that the man was King Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, who was living in Bath during the war. Coming from the railway station, we walked into Southgate Street where there was a lot of bomb damage with workers clearing building rubble and others putting up heavy shoring timbers against the buildings, Mum’s parents’ property had been bombed but the home of dad’s parents was intact.
The Box Home Guard including my father bottom right (courtesy Phil Martin)
Large local houses, like Fogleigh House where the Wills family lived on Box Hill, were requisitioned for war duty, often accommodation for personnel, by a government ministry. Some, including I believe Ashley House, were used as a convalescent home for war-injured servicemen.
Rationing
A huge number of items were rationed during the war and after but, as children, we just accepted that they were scarce.
There were virtually no bananas, oranges, jam or sugar. Other items, such as cheese, butter and meat, were limited. The rationing of sweets was seen as a great issue of us children. To buy them, you had to give the shopkeeper a voucher so No voucher, No sweets. New clothes were also limited and many children just has hand-me-downs from older siblings. My mother would unpick old jumpers (often when we had out-grown them) and re-use the wool to make a new one. If there wasn't enough of the same coloured wool, she would make a multi-coloured Fair Isle jumper.
When Bath was bombed, there was so much dust and debris that the authorities set up an emergency clothes washing service for locals who had no other alternative.
A huge number of items were rationed during the war and after but, as children, we just accepted that they were scarce.
There were virtually no bananas, oranges, jam or sugar. Other items, such as cheese, butter and meat, were limited. The rationing of sweets was seen as a great issue of us children. To buy them, you had to give the shopkeeper a voucher so No voucher, No sweets. New clothes were also limited and many children just has hand-me-downs from older siblings. My mother would unpick old jumpers (often when we had out-grown them) and re-use the wool to make a new one. If there wasn't enough of the same coloured wool, she would make a multi-coloured Fair Isle jumper.
When Bath was bombed, there was so much dust and debris that the authorities set up an emergency clothes washing service for locals who had no other alternative.
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Above Left: Clothing rationing continued after the war (courtesy Richard Hyde).
Above Right: Emergency services in Bath after the blitz (courtesy Eric Callaway)
Above Right: Emergency services in Bath after the blitz (courtesy Eric Callaway)
Peace and VE Day
When the war finally ended in 1945, Box organised a huge village party on The Rec with a large marquee along with any bunting they could find. Everybody was going absolutely mad and enjoying freedom now that the war was over. They just let their hair down because they had been held in a situation of depravation during the war with blackouts, candles, and rationing.
It was such a joyous moment that I remember it to this day.
When the war finally ended in 1945, Box organised a huge village party on The Rec with a large marquee along with any bunting they could find. Everybody was going absolutely mad and enjoying freedom now that the war was over. They just let their hair down because they had been held in a situation of depravation during the war with blackouts, candles, and rationing.
It was such a joyous moment that I remember it to this day.
Fancy dress parade on VE Day plus 1 (courtesy Anne Browning Pothecary)
We went to The Rec with mum and dad along with all the village families. There was a lot of celebrating, drinking beer and messing around. I remember someone putting a thunder flash in Fred Tatchel’s pocket. lt made a great hole in his jacket. One bungalow in The Bassets was decorated up with bunting with a welcome home sign to greet Michael Douglas’s father, one of the first servicemen who returned home.
Baby Boomers in Bonny Baby Contest 1946 (courtesy Genevieve Brunt)
People in Wartime
Ben Drew was often to be seen in his horse and cart bringing bread around the village. He used spare dough to make miniature loaves to give to children. My brother and I would run out of our house and call out to him to ask if he had any to spare.
There were many Italian prisoners-of-war living on Box Hill. They would march up the hill and give us apples. They were delighted to be out of the bloodshed and we were pleased to have some fresh fruit.
Ben Drew was often to be seen in his horse and cart bringing bread around the village. He used spare dough to make miniature loaves to give to children. My brother and I would run out of our house and call out to him to ask if he had any to spare.
There were many Italian prisoners-of-war living on Box Hill. They would march up the hill and give us apples. They were delighted to be out of the bloodshed and we were pleased to have some fresh fruit.
In addition to John Hunt's presentation to three classes at Box School, Claire Dimond-Mills has been working with some children to record an oral history of the memories of wartime residents. You can see all of these unique records at Claire's website: https://www.clairedimondmills.co.uk/ve-day-memories