PLYMOUTH |
The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
|
|
1939 On Monday April 3rd 1939 thirteen Great Western Railway trucks arrived at the Sutton Harbour Goods Station, Sutton Road, loaded with nine tons of steel air-raid shelters. A team of around twelve men started to load them on to GWR road vehicles. The following morning the first one was delivered to a house in Mainstone Avenue, not far from the depot. It took six men to carry the parts for each one and they marched through the houses and deposited them against the walls of the back gardens. [1] The parts were [1]:
Each household had to construct its own shelter. Although all the shelters were being delivered to Sutton Harbour, many of the deliveries were expected to be made from Keyham, presumably Keyham Station. [1] Conscription was introduced by the Military Training Act which Parliament passed on Thursday April 27th 1939. Men of 20 and 21 years of age were required to undertake six months of military training. [2] Air Raid Precautions had already been set up by May 1939. Plympton become the headquarters of Devon County's 'H' Division, with Police Superintendent S F Smith in charge as Divisional Commandant. The Special Constabulary was under Mr S J Lawry; the assistant divisional commandant was Mr C H Crews; the area organiser was Major A G White; and the chief warden was Mr E Birch. [3] Mr William Cornish, the Head Master of Johnston Terrace School at Keyham, recorded in the school's log book that at five past four on the afternoon of Friday September 1st 1939 he received notice that owing to hostilities between Germany and Poland, all schools will be closed until further notice. They reopened about three weeks later. [4] Britain signed a treaty of mutual assistance with Poland on August 25th 1939 and German troops invaded Poland on September 1st 1939. As it was now clear that Britain was about to go to war, the evacuation of school children from London began on that same day. [2]
This is
what the centre of Plymouth looked like before
Great Britain and France jointly declared war on Germany on Sunday September 3rd 1939. [2] One of the immediate effects of the declaration was the suspension of pleasure boat trips on the River Tamar. The other was the closure of schools in Plymouth and throughout Cornwall so that officials could deal with allocating places to children being evacuated from London. Plymouth was seen as a safe place to send children at that time. [5] Indeed, the first train load had passed through Plymouth before War was declared, on Saturday September 2nd 1939, heading for St Austell [6]. A second train load arrived at North Road Station by Great Western Railway on the afternoon of September 3rd. Amongst the children were 241 girls from a high school; 270 boys from a grammar school; plus 238 girls and 60 boys from Roman Catholic schools. They were greeted at the Station by men and nurses from the St John Ambulance Brigade, under Mr H Miller, the Commissioner, and Mrs H Hastings, the Lady Corps Superintendent, policemen, railway employees and ordinary passengers, all of whom ran errands for the children purchasing chocolate, sweets and ice creams to help them on their way to the Camborne and Redruth area of Cornwall. It was reported that many of the adults declined to take the money off the children. [7] In addition to the school children were about 200 mothers and other children, the youngest of whom was Master Joseph Dickson, aged just three weeks. [7] The Great Western Railway provided a coach to act as a sick bay in case any of the young travellers were feeling the strain of travelling but it was not required. [7] On the day War broke out, Plymouth City Council advertised for contractors to erect 50 brick or concrete Air Raid Wardens' Posts while White's Naval Surplus Stores in Ebrington Street advertised 1,200 Government Surplus curtains, ready to hang, from 6d to 10d each; black lined fancy linen, from 1s 6d to 3s 6d each; and metal boxes suitable for storing food or the deeds to your house, for one to two shillings a time. The Millbay Laundry Company were advertising black-out curtains and Coster's had a plentiful supply of boys' suits (short trousers, of course) for 8s 11d, with cheaper quality ones available for as little as 6s 11d. Co-operative Red Label tea was 2s 8d per pound and steaks, chops, fish and grills 'of all descriptions' could be had in the Grill Room of the Royal Hotel. [8] Friday September 29th 1939 was National Registration Day. [2] Lord Astor was elected Lord Mayor of Plymouth on Thursday November 9th 1939. [9] On Wednesday December 13th 1939, during the so-called "Battle of the River Plate", the British cruiser HMS Exeter was damaged. The German pocket battleship The Admiral Graf Spee was scuttled on December 17th. [9] HM the King visited the Plymouth Command on Monday December 18th 1939, on the day that the first contingent of Canadian soldiers arrived in England. [9] On Boxing Day, Tuesday December 26th 1939 the first squadron of the Royal Australian Air Force arrived in England. [9] Sources:
|
