
The background patchwork above is a photo of the original book cover
WARBOROUGH
AND
SHILLINGFORD
PATCHWORK
1939-1945

Compiled by the
Warborough & Shillingford
Women’s Institute
This village patchwork was compiled by the Warborough & Shillingford branch of the Women’s Institute immediately following the end of the Second World War and comprises accounts of life in the village during those fateful years.
In 1995 it was discovered in an attic in Suffolk when it was returned to the Women’s Institute.
Over the years the document had begun to deteriorate and in 2025, a decision was made to retype it and the Warborough & Shillingford Society undertook the task.
Displayed on the Society’s website and stored in the village archives it will ensure this valuable insight into life at the time is maintained.
FOREWORD
By a former President and Founder member of the Institute.
We of the Warborough & Shillingford W.I. are very glad we have the opportunity of compiling a Village book in which some of the wartime happenings in this Parish will be recorded.
All through these years of stress and strain, encouraged by the Oxfordshire Federation, we have done many things with profit and pleasure, which we believe to have helped forward in some small degree the cause of our country and her allies, and this book will put a finishing touch to our work.
With profit to ourselves and our country, we have at different times in the war, made special efforts to grow and preserve fruit, to save and collect things useful and valuable, to make the best of our garments in the days of clothing coupons, and so forth.
And we have cheered one another by our meetings, our cups of tea, in a way which made the many wartime worries more bearable.
Again, we remember how much we owe to the O.F.W.I. and the N.F.W.I in that we had speakers and demonstrators, to provide a core for our meetings.
Their cheerfulness and kindness have been at all times a help and encouragement to us, and our own Committee and officers have done us a service of incalculable value. May our W.I. and our village as a whole make the best use of the peace for which we all longed and prayed, and may this peace continue as the people of the world learn to live and work together without suspicion and fear.

Woodcut of St Laurence Church by Charles E Flower
PROLOGUE
OUR VILLAGE IN PEACE AND WAR
Warborough, with its streams flowing on either side of the long street and edging the Village Green, its gay gardens, its geraniums in the cottage windows, and its views of the Chilterns to the east and Wittenham Clumps to the west, is greatly beloved by all who live there. At the main Oxford-Henley Road it joins Shillingford, a pleasant riverside place.
Here is the Wharf, where the children love to paddle, and a little further downstream the beautifully proportioned Shillingford Bridge, and the Hotel with boats and punts for hire.
But the greatest pride of Warborough is the Green, left to the villagers at the time of the Enclosure Acts for their pleasure and recreation, and reputed to be the largest in Oxfordshire.
Before the war the cricket pitch was carefully tended, and on summer evenings and at the weekends the men in white flannels would stroll out of the Pavilion and the sound of the ball on the bat would be heard. On August Bank Holiday there was an all-day match and the spectators would pass from the neighbouring inns to the playing field with jugs of foaming beer.
On the Green, too, was held Warborough feast on the last Monday in August.
Caravans would begin arriving before dawn on the Sunday, then there was a lull, for none were allowed to arrive during Divine Service. In the evening there would be an open-air service on the Green for the fair people.
There were other customs and traditions associated with the church: the Service of blessing of the seed, also on the Green, and the ringing of the pudding-bell, after the Sunday morning service, to summon people to fetch their joints from the baker’s oven where they had been left to roast.
The war changed all this. The cricket pitch could no longer be weeded, rolled or mown, and the cricketers were dispersed. Instead, hay was made on the Green, and next to the Pavilion a large brick air-raid shelter was put up for the school children.
Warborough Feast could no longer be held, and has only returned in an attenuated form, as a sad reminder of its former joys and thrills. The Pudding-Bell vanished with the bellringers and has not yet been revived, though we hear the bells again on Sundays.
The Shillingford Bridge Hotel has been commandeered but presumably will soon re-open. Even the streams have dried up, for a short-sighted and niggardly Authority decided it would be too costly to have them cleared and the banks repaired, and instead excavated a new drain some distance away, which takes the surplus water from the fields to the Thames, but which deprive Warborough of its water supply in case of fire and was also of one of its most beautiful features.
In common with other villages throughout the country, the war brought Warborough & Shillingford new activities, and as the population is not very large, many of those who were not too occupied with their family duties found that they to fill in a number of functions.
Members of the Institute carried out many jobs, as members of the W.V.S., the A.R.P. service or as individuals. (Women’s Voluntary Service and Air Raid Precautions)
Evacuation brought the village a party of school children from London as soon as war broke out, many of whom however soon returned; more children came in June 1940, and a bus load of mothers and children from Ashford, Kent a little later. These were housed in Shillingford Court, then empty, but the provision of furniture and equipment was a difficulty only surmounted by heart-rending sacrifices on the part of generous householders.
Then there were the evacuees who did not arrive, perhaps the most trying of all — the feverish preparations made, the beds aired and laid out in the Greet Memorial Hall, the food prepared — and then the message that no one was coming after all.
Evacuation was one of the first problems to be dealt with, but even before the war, preparations for A.R.P. were made.
Later fire-watching was organised on a considerable scale, and a First-Aid point was manned.
Then there was the Home Guard, the Cadets, the Special Police.
The work arranging for Emergency Food Supplies, the Work Parties, The National Savings Campaign, The Red Cross 1d-a-week Fund, the distribution of Meat Pies, the call for blood-donors, and the flower selling and weekly whist drives to collect money for various good causes.
Members of the Institute took their part in all these activities, and the Institute’s special contributions were in jam-making, tomato-canning, the collection of rose-hips and the distribution of ration-books.
The people of Warborough & Shillingford feel that they have much to be thankful for. Not only was there comparative freedom from bombs, but life has been surprisingly normal. There has been no queuing at the two village shops, and every day, without exception, our newspapers have been delivered. For entertainment, the village has been thrown on its own resources.
The long-distance coaches to London ceased to run and the buses to Oxford, Wallingford and Reading have been too crowded and infrequent to encourage many excursions. After an outing to the crowded towns, the general feeling has been “Well, it’s nice to be home again”.
Local entertainments on the other hand have prospered. Fetes in aid of different causes – China, District Nursing, etc., have been most successful, dances have been crowded and whist drives flourished.
The monthly meetings of the Institute have provided a welcome opportunity for talk and discussion. Though there has been no cricket on the Green, we have watched baseball matches, and on one occasion posters announced a Football match: The Royal Navy v Warborough. We are glad to report that Warborough won.
The Villagers’ final party was the V.J. Party on the Green on the sunny Thursday, with a bonfire on the Green in the evening, and another at Shillingford. The Warborough & Shillingford Women’s Institute feel that the best way to give a picture of life in the village during the war is to let individuals and organisations speak for themselves in their own words, and so they present:–
“The Warborough & Shillingford Patchwork. 1939-1945”
IMPRESSIONS OF WARBOROUGH
By a War-time resident and W.I. Member
The first impression of our village is one of peace and beauty, and it is not long before inhabitants of long standing proudly endorse the observer’s view with the to-the-point evidence, saying with pride, “Well this is considered to be the most beautiful village in Oxfordshire” It is not difficult to believe. Warborough seems to have grown quite naturally, with no fuss or planning. The profusion of typical thatched English cottages would in itself commend the visitor or sightseer to some exclamation of pleasurable surprise.
To this lovely village came we, strangers from bomb-weary London. As Londoners, one of the little pleasures of village life we have grown to appreciate is the friendly greetings on passing along the main street or lanes. It doesn’t matter if the encounter is between total strangers, and, in the blackout, it was most rare to pass without a “Good Night”. These phantoms helped to weld us all together during those often-lonely nights when the sound of the enemy raiders was not far away, and we had our nights of fear too.
The thud of bombs around this quiet village sounded more terrifying and sinister than all the London horrors.
The cockney spirit of London during the blitz years are rivalled by the Warborough man whose cottage received the only direct hit the village suffered.
We were told that the first remark he made to anxious enquirers as to his sufferings, after half his cottage had been destroyed was “What about my taters, all ruined by –‘itler”.
The people of Warborough did all they could to help the war’s progress and when they were asked to volunteer for any effort, however small, they certainly did their best. I remember a time when a nearby factory badly wanted a job done in a hurry. This was messy and somewhat tedious work, the trimming of aluminium aircraft components, and the village got down to it with a will. For months the sofas, carpets, and even beds in houses both large and small were cluttered with metal shavings.
Although the life of this district, almost entirely surrounded with farms and produce growing, seemed little affected on the surface by the war, a great deal of worry and hard work, sacrifice of leisure was going on in every home behind the scenes.
The A.R.P. service was also a well conducted effort and although most fortunately its use was restricted by the infrequent visits of the enemy raider, had the need arise, Warborough would not have been found wanting.
The chief Warden in the early days of the war was not a little concerned about the level of the brook which winds its way all through the main street and beyond. We heard that may arguments took place between him and the farmers regarding this all-important emergency water supply. If the level fell to a trickle through the village, where was the water for outbreaks from fire bombs?
The farmers also needed the water to irrigate the land. Nowadays we have no water in the brook at all, and the stream is diverted across fields.
It is not often that a village can boast that one of its oldest inhabitants who is well over 80, is still singing in the church choir.
Our grand old man could write a history of all there is to know about Warborough during the last 70 years or so, but he could not be persuaded.
His anecdotes of village life would need a book of their own.
Let the casual visitor to the “Cricketers” take heed lest he does not make the same mistake that we did. Over a glass of beer, the old gentleman was well down to a war discussion in which the tactics of soldiering was the principal topic.
We thought we were getting along fine, when a chance remark from my companion put me wise to the fact that he was talking about the Crimean War.
Make sure of your battle ground when speaking of a fight with Warborough’s oldest inhabitant.
We have made many friends in this charming district in spite of the fact that one is still a “stranger” even suppose one has lived in Warborough for a number of years.
At the least my husband and I claim to be “Warborough Codgers” for we have both taken a fall into the brook in the black-out.
Where or how this name originated we could not find out. It was a well for us that the farmers did win their battle for the brook, or we should have more justly earned our title of “Codger”.
We owe our gratitude to it all and to the many friends we have made.
In the years to come, we shall always look back with nostalgic pleasure on our enforced stay in the village of Warborough, Oxon.

Quaker House, probably a Charles E Flower Woodcut
SHOPPING
Notes by a member of the W.I. Committee
The villagers can well be grateful to their local shopkeepers for their patience and untiring attention in dealing with rations.
Many of them had no holidays, except the usual Bank Holidays etc., for the whole of the war years. Not all customers are as accommodating.
But that word RATIONS – Will the day ever come when we forget it?
Counting the rashers, the chance of a cake, or shall we use the fat for the fruit pie?
And as to the points. We all agree with Mrs Arkub who answered her husband, when he said about something that there were a few points to be considered said “Points to be considered, why I spend all my life considering points!’
If housekeeping has become more and more difficult, well, all the more satisfaction when we look back on the fact, we have not missed breakfast, dinner, tea or supper any one day all the war years.
THE EVACUEES
Notes by a member of the W.I. Committee
Some of the stories of the evacuees were tragic and some were funny.
There was a little girl who fell out of a window and was killed.
Many people heard of the child who was so astonished when told the cow supplied the milk, and said in a very condescending way, “Oh we don’t get our milk like that in London, we get it in nice clean bottles”.
Also, the boy who carried home some potatoes to his foster mother, saying head found them growing wild in a field.
Not quite so easy to accommodate were two small boys who declined cocoa, saying they preferred beer.
While a small girl, when asked if she was not going to say her prayers said – “Why, is it Christmas?”.
EVACUATION TO WARBOROUGH
By the teacher in charge of St Thomas Rd School, Limehouse, Stepney, London.
On Saturday September 2nd, we knew that the war was inevitable, our week of waiting was over and the time for evacuation had come.
With our banner bearers marching proudly in front, and all the children following, carrying gas and haversacks, parents waving goodbye – “God bless their little hearts” and issuing final instructions – “Mind Evelyn and Leslie get put together, teacher, won’t you?” we were off.
Our great adventure had begun. Our destination was unknown. All the discomforts of the journey are past history: the green faces in the underground: the strings that came off the parcels: the heat: the dirt and above all the great thirst: children persistently asking, “When can we get a drink?”.
Eventually we found ourselves the first party at Oxford and boarded a bus. We asked the conductor “Where are we going?” his reply was “To Warborough, the loveliest village in Oxfordshire”.
It seemed to me that the whole village had turned out to welcome us (or was it to inspect us?) as our bus halted at the village school.
In a few moments we made the acquaintance of the Vicar, the school mistress, and the billeting officer, and her band of helpers, and before long the billeting business was under way.
We were taken into a charming garden for a cup of tea, the first in ten hours – small wonder it tasted like nectar!
When billets had been found for all, we went across the Green to the house which was to be our home for the coming year. We were now ‘the evacuees’.
During the weeks that followed we were very busy.
For most of the children, living in the country was a fresh and delightful experience. Their school was the cricket pavilion, their playground was the Village Green. They went blackberrying, carrying their gasmasks on their backs.
Instead of the “Pictures” they had fields, flowers, birds, trees, animals and all the novel delights of the country to interest them.
Of course there were adjustments to be made, some square pegs had to go into round holes.
There were some foster parents, but very few, who expected perfection, and were doomed to early disappointment.
There were boys who pulled up the rhubarb “just to see how the stalks started” and one lad who to the horror of the Parish Council, broke off a new planted tree because he thought it would make a good walking stick.
The boys who proved difficult to manage were “adopted” by the kindly and understanding hostess of the house on the hill, overlooking the river. What a grand time she gave them. They all adored her.
All over the village, in humble homes as well as large, the children found kindness, the many little nameless, unremembered acts which made life, away from their family and homes, pleasant and happy.
Often parents seemed to take this for granted and express very little appreciation for services rendered, but I think one good lady expressed the feelings of the housewives of Warborough when she said, “I’m only doing for these children what I hope any other woman would do for mine”.
On one occasion we passed a parent hurrying towards the London bus, accompanied by a weeping child. She replied in answer to our query, “She’s ‘owling because she don’t want to come home”.
A compliment indeed.
Time passed, winter brought lots of fun for the children, parties, snowball, and sliding on ice. Never in London had they seen snow in such quantity or beauty.
Spring saw “Sir” of the pavilion become “Sarge” of the Home Guard and summer brought fresh crowds of evacuees to be followed after the blitz by many of their parents. They all found homes, kindness and sympathy and peace while they stayed.
It was in that summer that we started our allotment, with boundless energy and enthusiasm, but very little knowledge. Our neighbours on the allotment soon became used to seeing small boys and girls digging, weeding and planting, while they talked and laughed and shouted at each other. They begged and borrowed tools all over the village, and then, when friends arrived at the weekend, took them on a conducted tour round our plot and presented them with some beans, carrots or a cabbage.
Their pastimes were many and varied and included delivery papers and helping the farmers. Two small girls, sent to place flowers on one grave in the church yard, stayed to tidy “All those that did not look very tidy” and put flowers on them all. Fortunately, their foster parent had plenty of flowers and was very generous.
It was the old vicar who started the children’s service for the evacuees, because they were accustomed to Sunday School in London. Attendance was optional but they responded splendidly.
It was the new vicar who invited the children to take part individually in the service, after it had been changed to Tuesday morning.
I well remember the first boy and girl chosen to read the lesson standing up in the chancel and reading slowly, clearly and reverently, one a lesson from the Old Testament and the other from the New.
We chose our favourite hymns and psalms and thoroughly enjoyed singing them, even when on occasions, we were deprived of the services of our excellent organist.
They were happy times indeed.
The war passed into the second and third year, and many of the children drifted home, some old enough to leave school and find jobs in London.
As the children went, it was inevitable that the teachers must follow.
But living in Warborough was a grand experience, something not quickly to be forgotten. Holidays usually find us back in this little village, our second home. We made many friends and came to like the good folks there.
For the last few years London teachers chatting in their school staff rooms invariably exchange evacuation experiences.
Some people were bored and lonely or unhappy. We always say – “We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, but then we went to WARBOROUGH”

The Cricketers’ Arms by Charles E Flower
WARTIME EXPERIENCES OF A W.I. MEMBER
Just a little story of some of the things I did during the war.
This is the third war I have seen, I was fifteen years old when the South African war was on, so you can guess what a difference I have seen in the three wars.
I have been a member of the W.I. since February 1st, 1922, and have been secretary for “Home & Country” in our village for some years, and during the war I have done a good deal of duty where I could help my country.
I took in two evacuee children, a boy and a girl, and after they went away, I was walking down the street one day and I found two women wandering about the street. They told me they had got nowhere to go; they were frightened out of London and came down here to see if they could get in anywhere.
They tried but could not get in anywhere so I took them in.
They were mother and daughter, and after they had been with me a week the daughter had to go back to war work. The mother was too frightened to go back, do I kept her and found her some housework in the village, but she slept and had food with me, so you see I was doing war work there, and every weekend her daughter came down from London and I looked after them.
I also had another evacuee, a boy of seven years’ old, and while he was with me his home was blitzed, and his mother was killed, and his brother and sister were buried. They had to be dug out. The father was out fire watching, and when he came back that is what he saw, all his home gone and what a sight. He grieved so much that in a few weeks he died. So, my poor little boy had no parents. He is now on a farm, the Y.M.C.A. have had to train him. He still writes to us as his Mum and Dad.
Then each year of the war, on May Day, I have got five little girls and dressed them up in pretty dresses, and we have gone to all the houses singing May songs. We have collected £10 each year, for the Save for China Fund.
I have also done a lot of knitting for different things. I have collected for the Red Cross Penny-a-week fund, for the Lifeboat Society, and for the Yearly Red Cross Day and many more, and I have sold Alexandra Roses and Armistice poppies.
I belong to the Rest Centre and help with the Village Forces Fund and help to collect hips for the W.I. I also helped to sell flowers for different things to help the war.
Now I must tell you this funny little thing that happened to me. I went to have my gas mask examined and had the misfortune to fall down and break my little finger. The A.R.P. gave me First Aid and when I went over to the Doctor in the next village, he praised the A.R.P. for their fine work. I can say I was the first casualty.
I have adopted two young men for years. They are both serving in the army.
One has been right through the war and has been wounded twice and is till in the mountains of Italy. The other has been through the Burma campaign. He has been wounded in both legs and is still serving in Medan, capital of Sumatra.
This is from a W.I. member who likes helping wherever she can.
– – – – – –
Limerick
To keep our Shillingford & Warborough free
They fight in air, on land, on sea
Those boys from our Village Green
While folks at home, like a fighting team
Standby to guard the children while they dream

Shillingford Farmhouse, probably a woodcut by Charles E Flower
WARBOROUGH & SHILLINGFORD HOME GUARD

Home Guard marching down Thame Road
When on May 14th, 1940, following the fall of France and the epic of Dunkirk, Mr Anthony Eden broadcast an appeal, asking all fit men not actually in the Services to enrol in a volunteer army.
There was formed the Warborough Section of the 5th Platoon of the End Company of the 4th Battalion of the Oxfordshire Home Guard, attached to the Oxford and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, and ably commanded by Lt. J.R. Warburton until January 27th, 1941.
Looking back upon those early days, it is impossible to refrain from humorous comment, despite the seriousness of the situation of that time.
The old soldiers among us spared themselves not at all in the training of raw recruits.
Evening parades and drills became the order of the day, and be it recorded, an absentee was a “rara avis”. If memory serves, we had about a dozen army rifles, several shot guns and 22’s among the over 40 men, and little more than one round per man of army ammunition. But what we lacked in weapons and ammo we made up for in tireless enthusiasm and hard graft. Of necessity, the only shooting practice took place on the .22 range.
There were, however, many urgent tasks to be performed.
Road blocks, hastily improvised, were set up at strategic points, and those, we felt sure would bend the vanguard of Hitler’s panzer divisions. Sandbags were filled, machine gun posts and slit trenches dug and Sunday morning “parades” were devoted to the manufacture of “Molotov cocktails” with which, it was said the heaviest tanks could be set on fire and stopped.
Our first O.P. (Observation Post) was a pig-hut set up, and carefully camouflaged, in a ditch in open country between Warborough and Benson, for it was surmised that this was the likely area for parachutists to be dropped on before attacking Benson aerodrome.
Each evening, an hour before dusk, a patrol of six or seven men set out for this O.P. remaining there till an hour after sunrise the next morning and maintaining a system of patrols throughout the night. The importance of these patrols, which continued until the end of the hostilities, cannot be over-rated.
No stranger could be abroad after dark without being stopped and his identity card carefully examined: no bombs (or parachutes) could be dropped without the location being determined by trained observers; no incident of any kind could occur without being seen and recorded by night patrols. Often enough men who worked hard all day put in two nights a week at O.P., sleeping rough on bales of straw between turns of duty, while those who found in the L.D.V. (Local Defence Volunteers) a source of amusement and criticism were able to sleep soundly in their beds.
During the course of the war, we had four “residential” O.P.’s – the pig-hut in Benson fields till 1940: a comfortable caravan (kindly lent by Mr Ray Kelsey): the rear portion of the Greet Memorial Barn: the bombed cottage, which was also, from September 1942 our H.Q. and stores.
It was when we moved from the fields into the Barn that street patrols commenced, and it may be worth recording, that shortly afterwards, one of a stick of three bombs dropped towards dawn, narrowly missed the barn and two men on patrol outside.
It is difficult to compress even a skeleton account of our progress, from May 14th, 1940, onwards, into the space at my disposal.
On August 15th, our arm bands were handed in and we were issued with denim overalls that made us resemble a working party of convicts, but of which we were both proud and self-conscious.
Issues of weapons, ammunitions, grenades and equipment trickled through, until in the last year of the war even the most nimble of minds and retentive memories were bemused by the detailed instructions on a dozen and more weapons – most of them in good supply – to say nothing of countless “drills” invented (and for ever changing) by some past master of refined torture sitting in a room in the highest headquarters of Home Guardom.
Once a month we visited the shooting range at Culham and enjoyed keen competition and instruction in shooting. On 27th January 1941, Sergeant S Hunt took over command of the Warborough Section and remained a popular and hard-working chief until March 1942, when he was forced to return to London, his mantle falling upon the able shoulders of Lt. S.E. Nudds.
On 16th February 1942, The Home Guard ceased to be an army and conscription was introduced.
Its announcement by the Government was a signal for much general criticism and not a little discontent. Those who had joined the L.D.V.’s voluntarily, and those who joined the Home Guard of their own accord as soon as they were of an age, or in a position to do so, resented being placed on the same footing as conscripts, while the unhappy conscripts naturally felt their own position keenly.
It is true that the spirit of patriotism that sent men off post-haste to enrol in the L.D.V. and the Home Guards was a little damped on the introduction of conscription, nor did it burn any brighter as enforced discipline and parades followed. Rather the reverse.
We had worked hard and conscientiously since May 1940. We had good attendance on parades, night patrols, lectures, and at weekend camps at Haseley, Watlington and Wheatley. We were well disciplined, well-drilled and prided ourselves that we shone in most respects over other and neighbouring Sections.
We had changed our denims for battle dress, we wore service chevrons and badges for efficiency, long and arduously trained for, and, quite candidly, we felt more than a little sore, particularly the N.C.O.’s (Non-commissioned Officer) that we must now absorb a number of “unwilling” recruits and spend long hours in training them up to our own standard.
Happily, this unfortunate phase quickly passed, and, though critical of conscripts inclined towards absenteeism, we all got along famously together, for the very great majority of those directed into the Home Guard showed great willingness to learn and to share in the trials and troubles of military operations.
There are many people to whom our local section owe a debt of gratitude – to those chosen to command it, for their tireless work in our interests, to those good ladies in the village who knitted comforts for us in the early days: to those who organised whist drives, dances and socials in aid of our funds, to those who entertained us at the three dinners we “threw” at the King’s Arms at Sandford, to all who gave freely of their help and expert advice, and to those who, seeing Home Guards about to go out on night patrol, did not hesitate to push out the boat.
One last word – That spirit with which the Home Guard (as the L.D.V.) was formed, and which persisted when the threat of invasion was very real, when few nights passed without the drone of enemy planes being heard in the night skies, and the detonation of bombs, and flak bespattering in the heavens, when we were all getting “browned off” with compulsory parades and ever changing drills – that spirit must not be allowed to die.
The British Legion has decided not to include us in its ranks, and I do not know whether an Old Home Guard Association will be founded, I very much doubt it. But at least once a year I should like our Warborough Section to hold a dinner, so that the spirit of comradeship will be kept alive, and the days of our country’s greatest danger never forgotten.

Home Guard – October 1940

Home Guard at St Laurence Church – September 1943
Limerick
To the village of Warborough (Ox)
The war has brought plenty of knocks
But, despite make-do fashions
And black-outs and rations
We’ve survived all the shivers and shocks.
VILLAGE ALPHABET
A stands for Air raids – we did have a few
B is the Bomb – that cut one house in two
C is for Civil Defence and its members
D if for D-Day – the whole world remembers
E if for Evacuees – all gone back now
F is for Farmer – still driving the plough
G is for Gasmasks – all put aside now
H is for Home Guard – our safeguard and pride
I is for Institute – well known to us all
J is for Jam – that we made in our Hall
K is for Knitting – for war comforts and
L for Land Army – redoubtable band!
M stands for Make Do and mend, we now learn
N’s National Savings – Invest what you earn
O stands for Orange Juice – One wartime blessing
P for the Points, which keep us all guessing
Q is for Queueing – we’re so tired of it
R is for Rations – that have kept us fit
S if for the Services – now coming home
T is for Thanksgiving – that they’ll no more roam
U is for Utility – fashions and fur
V – of course – Victory after long years
W’s for Women – their war work well done
X has me beaten – no word for this one
Y if for Youth – and peace in their time
Z’s for the Zeal – that has finished this rhyme.

Frosty Morning
WARBOROUGH SCHOOL IN WARTIME
The schools of the country were ‘in the war’ from the very start, because it was actually on Friday September 1st, 1939, the ‘Pied Piper’ (The signal for evacuation) led London school children into the country.
Here in Warborough, Committees had been busily preparing for their reception. Billets had been arranged for between 40 & 50 children, a master and two mistresses. At last, they were billeted in the homes of their kind hostesses. Then they must attend school.
Miss Rich, the headmistress, held her school in the morning, the London children attended the afternoon session. But this was not very satisfactory. It was therefore decided to teach the London children in the Pavilion on the Green, only the Infants joining up with the children of the village. At this time Miss Rich was preparing the school building as a Rest Centre.
The rooms were furnished with black curtains, the windows and partitions were covered with wire- netting. Stores began to arrive, but the school could not hold them all, blankets, food stuff, kitchen utensils etc. and so they were housed in private houses.
Miss Rich was also Chairman of the Warborough National Savings Committee and raised large sums for the national effort. The children were adding their savings. But the number of evacuees dwindled, and by June 1943 there were only two left, and the London teachers had to return to grapple new problems in their bombed schools.
They were sad to leave Warborough and have returned often enough since to spend part of their holidays in the village where they were welcomed in 1939.
The Pavilion was closed and the evacuees joined the village children in the school.
But still the war went on. We had occasional visits from Mr Pinsent, our A.R.P. chief, he very gently tried on all gas masks, reassuring the timid ones, chatting with those more confident and experienced.
Posters illustrating the latest enemy bombs appeared and children were told to look out for them but not to touch them.
I know Mr Pinsent had a very busy time following up several “wild goose chases” because there are truly wonderful things to be found if you really search in Warborough ditches.
Then there were Air Raid drills when we departed to the shelter in the vicarage orchard, and one rather frightening occasion in June 1944 when the sirens were heard and we went to the shelter and waited and waited. Flying bombs were then getting as near as 6 miles from us. But nothing happened and we sang songs and came out. That was the last occasion of a visit to the shelter.
In 1944 we had a visit from two U.S.A. Airmen stationed at Dorchester. They came to see us and tell us about their folks and homes, and schools and we had a very happy afternoon. Another day a U.S.A. Airman took photographs of Miss Kirby’s infants. That was very nice of him because we had no films.
In July 1944 our numbers had risen to 110.
The flying bomb attacks had started and we received 20 children into this school while the fury lasted.
I have forgotten to mention Oatlands, the hostel set up in 1943 by the Bullingdon Rural District Council for children still not returned to London and for some reason or other not suitable for billets. They came and they went, some docile, some very tough. The docile ones were taken back to London by their parents, the tough ones remained. They were billeted – gone, and in three weeks back again in school. It was with great relief at School that we heard Oatlands was to be closed, although during the two years they were with us the children were happy members of the school community.
And now the war is over and our numbers are normal. Our blackout is down.
Our school life has been much enriched by contact with children and teachers from other parts of the country, and we are very fortunate indeed to have lived through the war years in such a peaceful, beautiful village as Warborough.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE WARBOROUGH & SHILLINGFORD SPECIAL POLICE DURING THE WAR YEARS 1939 -1945
With the exception of one member of the Special Police, the late S/Inspector W.H. Baker, who was sworn in in 1921, most of the others were sworn in in September 1935, so that when war was declared they were able to commence duty right away.
Not only did they patrol the parish every night, regardless of the weather, but throughout the winter 1943-1944 they gave up their Sunday evenings to attend at Littlemore School for lectures on Police procedure which lasted from October to April. This was a very heavy strain on all concerned especially as it meant driving in the “Black out” and in some of the worst weather.
Naturally the Special Police assisted the regular Police whenever possible, and on several occasions helped in stopping all cars, cyclists etc and checking and taking all particulars. This usually took place during the night between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m.
On two occasions during the war German bombs were dropped in the surrounding fields, and had to be guarded to make sure the public did not go near until they were rendered harmless.
In 1943 a census was taken of all the cycles in the Parish. This proved a big task as it meant recording the make, number, model and owner, all particulars being filed at Headquarters to help in tracing stolen cycles.
When the regular Policeman was moved from Shillingford S/Sergeant F. Major was appointed a full time War Reserve Constable in September 1942. S/Constable F. G Bullock was promoted to S/Sergeant to take his place.
In June 1944 the Sandford Section of the Special Constabulary, of which Warborough & Shillingford is a Sub-section, suffered a severe loss in the death of S/Inspector W.H. Baker, who was always very much respected by all who were with him. The duties of S/Inspector were taken over by S/Sergeant. F.G. Bullock, and S/Constable W. Burns was made S/Sergeant.
For six years the Warborough & Shillingford Special Police carried on with their duties and patrolled the Parish every night to ensure that no untoward incident occurred if they could prevent it, and they feel sure that no ill feeling exists between the public and the Police, in spite of having to call attention to lights showing during the “Black out” and to cycles that had no lights, which after all was for their own safety.
It may be added here that compared with other villages, Warborough & Shillingford “Black out” was the best in the district.
The official “Stand down” for the Special Police took effect in September 1945, this relaxation being very much appreciated by the ten Special Police in the Parish, but should the regular Police still need their assistance, they would not hesitate to help whenever call upon.
The Special Police were
S/Inspector F G Bullock
S/Sergeant W. Burns
S/Constable A. Davis
S/Constable Goodenough
S/Constable F. Kent
S/Constable W. Kirby
S/Constable F. Major
S/Constable Norris
S/Constable F. Townsend
S/Constable A. Waters

Special Police
THE WORK OF AN AUXILIARY BREAD OFFICER
Among other activities carried on from the Village was the appointment by the Ministry of Food of Mr F.G. Bullock as one of two Auxiliary Bread Officers for the Bullingdon Area.
His duties consisted in visiting periodically the 27 bakers in the area, to ensure that the supplies needed for the baking of bread were getting through to them satisfactorily.
In the event of one of the bakers being blitzed, it was the duty of the Bread Officer to find a supply of bread for that baker’s customers until he was able to carry on from his own premises again.
Fortunately, this did not occur in the Bullingdon area but the Organisation was always ready to help if it was needed.
Poem
Our Institute holds a social half hour
with harmless mirth and fun.
Where friendship reigns, we’re just and kind
and evil speaks of none.
EMERGENCY FOOD SUPPLIES
Very efficient arrangements were made in 1942, by the Voluntary Food Officer, Mr Pinsent, for feeding the inhabitants of Warborough & Shillingford, in case the area was cut off by the invasion or by enemy action. Civilian Iron rations were stored rent free at Mr Hanson’s house for Warborough and Capt. Lyon-Campbell’s for Shillingford.
Almost 2 tons of food was stored at each of the above places, and every person in the village would have received an eight-day ration consisting of:
Biscuits – 7½ lbs per head (one 15lb tin for 2 persons)
Corned Beef – 24ozs per head (two 12oz tins per head)
Pork & Beans – 1lb tin per head
Sugar – 1lb packet per head
Condensed Milk – 7¼oz per head (one 14½oz tin for 2 people)
Margarine – 7ozs per head (one 2lb tin for 4 people)
Tea – 4ozs per head
Payment at 10/- per head would have been asked for, but the rations would have been given out if payment could not be made.
Each period ration weighed 13lbs-
A list of all 198 houses was prepared with the number of inhabitants in each house, and arrangements were made to distribute rations at the Greet Memorial Hall for Warborough, and at Capt. Lyon-Campbell’s for Shillingford.
Distributors were appointed for each different ration and plans were made so that distribution would have been completed in 5 hours. People would have entered the Greet Memorial Hall by the front door, with sacks, perambulators etc. to carry back their rations.
They would file past Mr Hanson, who would have a list of inhabitants of each house, and cards ready. He would put on the card the name of the head of the house and the number of rations to be given. They would file along tables and receive the correct amount for the household, each distributor dealing with one article only, having received the rations they would sign the card as a receipt, pay 10/- per ration and pass out by the Emergency door into Mr Hanson’s yard.
As the distribution was never needed, the food supplies were eventually taken away.
The biscuits went to Sicily and it is understood that the balance was sent to the troops in France.
In addition to the above, a considerable amount of food was stored at Mrs Ogilvy’s house for use by the Rest Centre as Evacuees had to be sent to this village, and there were additional goods stored at Shillingford House for the use of the children and staff there.
In case of graver emergencies, and as a last resort, the local food officer have power to requisition all food and livestock in the area, under proper safeguard for the owners. Such requisitioned foods would have been distributed by the local traders and retailers under a rationing system and the requisitioned articles would have been paid for by the Government.
WAR SAVINGS
£ s d
Year ending 31/3/41 574. 6. 6.
Year ending 31/3/42 1521. 8. 6.
Year ending 31/3/43 1473. 1. 6.
Year ending 31/3/44 1807. 2. 6.
Year ending 31/3/45 1324.12. 6.
Special Weeks
War Weapons. 31/5/41 3002. 5.6.
Warship 31/1/42 1096.14.0.
Wings for Victory 22/5/43 4721. 8.1.
Salute the Soldier 22/7/44 8076.15.9.
Thanksgiving 20/10/45 4668.13.0.
28,266. 7.0
Limerick
There is a dear lady called Balk,
Who on Monday’s ‘ll invariably talk
of National Savings
And other mad ravings
Till at last she exclaims “I’m off”
POTATO LIFTING IN WAR-TIME
On Goulds Grove front, the great Autumn offensive against the potatoes had begun.
The area to be liberated is extensive, and owing to lack of man power, and what man power is available being largely woman and child power the operation, although proceeding according to plan can hardly be described as being blitzkrieg class. Our forces are, however, only 5 yards short of the 4th telegraph post across the field, so a considerable advance has been made.
The morale of the troops is excellent, discipline is well maintained, and the child power is mostly under control. Some looting of nearby apple trees has unfortunately taken place, but it has not been on a large scale, as our machinery moves forward so rapidly that the infantry has not much time in which to divert its efforts.
Casualties have been lighter than might have been expected and none have been serious; a fly in the eye of one land girl held up operation for a short time today.
At one moment some anxiety was felt when trouble threatened to break out between the child-power and the Italian-prisoner power, with regard to the exact position of the boundary mark between their respective zones of influence.
The child-power accused the Italian- prisoner power of cheating. The Italian-prisoner power denied the accusation in English, Italian and Arabic.
The child-power then discharged a small volley of pig-potatoes and a nervous land girl was seen retreating towards the spinney. But before the retreat became a rout the situation was diplomatically handled by the officer in charge of operations, and complete order was restored.
Damage to property has been on a small scale; a few macintoshes have been harrowed up by Frank the Carter, who is engaged in mopping up operations behind the lines, and who mops up everything in his path with commendable zeal.
A staff car in which the C.O. was inspecting the front nearly had to be abandoned when it became embedded in the soil, and a considerable number of troops had to be deployed to disengage it.
The woman and the child power proved unequal to the task but re-enforcements were rushed up and it was finally released with the aid of our co-belligerent.
The question of supplies might have given rise to anxiety, had the organisation been less efficient owing to the length of our communications, the area under attack being at some distance from the base; but at no time has our effort been held up by lack of materials, and the number of potatoes taken has never exceeded the supply of bags in which to put them, although at one time some delay and local confusion was caused when some of the best potatoes were put into manure sacks by mistake. This however was soon remedied and those responsible severely reprimanded for negligence.
Transport was also efficiently provided for the exhausted troops, who, owing to stiffness of their joints, were unable to march back to the rest centre for the period allowed for dinner.
Standing room on the tractor was available, as well as a rather hot seat on the bonnet, and Frank could sometimes be prevailed upon to pick up stragglers on his wagon, drawn by an old mare.
Nothing can now stop the might onslaught.
It is considered at allied headquarters that the whole area will be liberated in about three weeks, provided favourable weather conditions continue, although guerrilla tactics of a somewhat tedious nature, known as “picking up the harrowing’s” may have to continue for a short time afterwards.
——-
Limerick
A lady from Warborough, Oxon
Was wearing silk stockings with clox on
Her beaux said, what ho,
That’s a jolly good show,
I’ve only utility sox on.
MEAT PIES
May 1942 – July 1945
Twice a week the pies (made by Mr Bullock) were sold in the school by Mrs Shirley King and then Miss F Harris.
About 150 pies a week were sold.
RED CROSS 1d. A WEEK FUND
May 1942 – June 1945
£311 11s 11½d was collected
Eight collectors went round from house to house.

Tomato Canning by the Women’s Institute at the Greet Hall
THE WARBOROUGH & SHILLINGFORD WORK PARTY
This started in October 1939 and continued its work until October 1945.
A fair number of members met every Thursday, and many did most valuable work at home.
Work was sone for many objects, the chief being the R.A.F. and The Royal Engineers, Aldershot Command. Others who benefited were the Red Cross, the W.V.S. per Mrs Case, Bullingdon Area, the Local Home Guard and Special Constables: Local men serving in the forces, the Mission to Seamen, Benson Aerodrome, Indian Comforts, Russian Comforts, Prisoners of War, Bombed out Children of London and Evacuee children at Oxford.
Our total number of garments etc, made during the six years was 3403
Poem
The members of our Institute,
Have certainly got very cute.
To classes many did attend,
And learnt how to MAKE DO & MEND
THE INN IN WARTIME
By a W.I. Member
When war was declared, I was living with friends on the outskirts of Aylesbury, Bucks.
I came home in February 1940 and started work in a nearby village. In those days I walked to work in the morning and home at night, it was rather a tiring day.
The following year my mother was taken ill and was kept in bed for nearly seven weeks. I had to be up then very early in the morning and clean up. (By the way I forgot to say we are living in a Public House, so any one can guess there is always plenty of work to be done)
I left home to get the bus, which passed on the main road through the village where I worked, now sometimes the bus was crowded and I could not get on, so I had to walk.
Now for a little of the village news.
From the corner of our village green, we could see the lights from the dreadful London fires knowing only too well that many innocent people were losing their lives; we could always hear the alerts sounding. Not many nights were free. One of the worst nights was when they were passing over to Coventry; they were in hundreds, that was for three nights running.
In October of 1941 we had a few bombs dropped in our village. One fell very near to a house, taking off the end, fortunately no one was hurt. The people lost a few tools etc, one bomb fell in a field of potatoes, scattering them around, they were dropped about 3.45 a.m.
In our house we all got up and had numerous cups of tea, we were all very glad when it got daylight. That was the only incident in our village.
Ours is a Public House, we had no queues though we ran short at times, the later comers were very dry, so we made orangeade, if we had any.
As soon as the barrels had run dry, you would see a sign No Beer, that was the sign in most places at the weekend.
Sometimes on the days we were sold out we all went out, perhaps to Reading.
The days rolled into weeks, then months and so the war years rolled on, till June 6th, 1944, my mother’s birthday, it was called D-Day.
Part of the war had come to an end. What rejoicing!
People went nearly mad with excitement, bells rang everywhere, we all drank and were merry
V J Day came on a Wednesday, a meeting was held in the afternoon to arrange a tea for the children; everyone got to work collecting things and money, making cakes etc, and on Thursday afternoon at 2.30, the village Green was a sight, people with bright and happy faces, and the laughter of little children. The weather was great and it had the feeling that peace had come. They were races until 4 o’clock, when a lovely tea was enjoyed by all. I have never seen so much food collected in so short a time, and everyone rationed, it was marvellous how everyone did a little. They finished the sports at 6 o’clock and then all went to the Greet Memorial Hall, where they had games and music, and each child received a money prize, what a night till midnight!
Peace had come, and the boys would be coming home, those that were spared. Everyone was thankful that the awful dread of bombs was over.
Spring’s floral beauty we did sell,
To help the Nation’s coffers swell.

Flowers were sold for different charities during the war.
CIVIL DEFENCE SERVICES IN WARBOROUGH PARISH
By the Senior Warden.
The Parish of Warborough, which includes the villages of Warborough & Shillingford, was fortunate in its war experience, and its story, apart from minor differences is the same as that of hundreds of other parishes in the quieter areas.
Though several bombs were dropped in the surrounding fields, only one was dropped on a house, causing damage of little importance and no casualties.
No incendiaries or anti-personnel bombs were ever seen. Considering that the parish lay between two airfields, it came off better than had been anticipated.
The enlistment, organisation and training of A.R.P. wardens was begun in the early days, under Government stimulus through the A.R.P Headquarters at Wheatley, before war eventually broke out.
The initiative at Warborough & Shillingford was taken by Mr. Harris, who, as senior warden, gathered together a group of volunteer wardens, worked out a scheme of action and organised the issue of gas masks.
Mr. Harris left the parish in the autumn of 1940 and his place was taken by Mr. Pinsent, who later added to his functions that of Senior Fire Guard, Chairman of the local invasion Committee and Assistant Voluntary Food Organiser.
Of wardens, there were seven, four men and three women.
The early days were the same here as in all areas judged to be of low priority, in that they contained little of value or importance to the nation effort.
The Government was much too busy to be ‘nursemaiding’ such communities in small detail. But on the spot, those who would have to act in case of war incidents felt the responsibility deeply, and there was inevitably some uncertainty and diffidence.
At the beginning too there was little equipment, and no uniforms to brace them up.
Good will, of which there was plenty, had to take the place of a feeling of efficiency, and comic mistakes were put up with indulgently.
The first alert (a false alarm apparently) will not be forgotten, with the senior warden, after the all-clear going round on his bicycle ringing the brass bell, with ribald cries of “dinner, dinner” from the inhabitants.
But we persevered and did what we could.
Good lecturers came to us to cover those subjects in which we felt weakest, and special courses were taken in firefighting and identifying unexploded bombs. No one in the country will forget the autumn and winter of 1940-41.
We had only the echo as it was, but the feat of what might come and the consequent tightening of the stomach muscles were there all the same.
Experience brought improvements to our routine, especially in fire-watching. Every village had its own methods, and we had ours. Sirens were one problem; there was no local siren, but three or four different ones, some in and some outside our official area, and we turned out for all of them – that is for those we could hear if the wind was in the right direction. This was uncertain and unsatisfactory, and sometimes unnecessary, so it was arranged with A.R.P Headquarters that we would only move on receiving their telephone call.
For fire watching there had been an excellent response to the call for volunteers, and we had about 100 in a community of 650.
The two villages stretch out to about a mile in length, with little width, so they were divided into three sections with a duty warden to take telephone calls, and a chain of patrols of two fire watchers at a time to each section. Each patrol had a short beat in the centre of its area so as to be in fairly quick reach of any point in case of an incident.
The patrol lasted two hours, and if the alert lasted longer the next patrol in turn was waked and given time to dress and then took over; and so on until the all-clear and the warden came out to release the last. This fairly distributed the burden all over the volunteers, and did not unduly spoil their night’s sleep.
The wardens who did the calling out and release of the patrols were such as could command their own time by day and rest, if need be, it was felt that those who had long working hours during the day should not be called upon for this duty.
Stirrup pumps there were plenty, eventually, some issued but mostly bought.
To mark their position, each house possessing one had a triangle painted red on to the gate. Curiosity prompted people to ask what these red triangles meant, so the position of pumps was soon known. A sign for ladders was also fixed up.
The First Aid party, led and encouraged by Mrs. Shirley King, and after her departure, by Mrs Wanstall, and the knowledge of their presence was an encouragement to the community.
The Fire Brigade too, with seven members and Mr F Bumpass at its head, was eventually brought up to standard. A two-man manual pump appeared, but no truck to move it about on, so a truck, painted bright red, was made in the village.
Regular practices were held, using the not very reliable water in Warborough ditches.
At intervals the Brigade moved to other places for group training and practice.
But water shortage was the problem here; the ditch was dry in summer, the wells had little water, and the Thames and the Thame were too far off. The chief hope would be in bucket chains from as many wells as possible.
The fortunately uninhabited end of an old cottage was blown off, leaving a full view of one of the bedrooms, with Mr Fred Tyler sitting up in bed with a square yard of ceiling plaster on his lap. He had lit a candle and was asking what had happened. “Put that light out!” was all the consolation he got.

Quarr Cottage
The road was blocked with debris, and the roof of Mr. Belcher’s house next door was perforated by a rain of falling stones, and the electric overhead wires were cut. A.R.P. Headquarters at Wheatley responded to our report by sending a rescue squad (who found little to do however) and calling for Electric Power Company. The road was cleared in no time at all.
Already next morning, through A.R.P. Headquarters, tarpaulins were stretched over Mr Belcher’s damaged roof and within a few days the roof was properly repaired. The end of the cottage was closed off later.
The Tylers had lost tools and furniture in the demolished part of the cottage, and a feeling ran through the community that it was unfair that chance should have picked them out to be the only ones to suffer. So, it was decided to raise a subscription to tide them over until official compensation was forthcoming.
Oh, those practices!
Bricks without straw, playing red Indians, one quarter fact and three quarters imagination.
When do you use the stirrup-pump jet and when the spray?
“That bit of red painted firewood lying on the roof and held by a string is an incendiary”
“She’s got a compound fracture of the femur, and has shock and is to be got out through the window”
You are to keep the stirrup-pumps going for half an hour without stopping, with your gas mask on please, the two-man manual pump has only been going for five minutes and the well has run dry
and so on and so on.
And the inspection of gas masks, especially during the first period when the children had to take them to school.
To these children they were very useful “blunt instruments” on occasions and once a boy was found fishing for newts with his. But we got through this.
Throughout the years of the war, good will was the note in Warborough Parish Civil Defence Services.
Through all the evil and fear of these, one good thing came out and that was the closer knitting together of all the diverse members of the community.

Wardens & Dispatch Rider

Fire Brigade
FIRST AID IN WARBOROUGH
By a former president of the W.I.
When the threat of war came so near in 1938, it was thought advisable for as many of us as possible in Warborough, to attend 1st Aid classes & Gas Lectures in order to be ready for any emergency – so the lectures were arranged and about 20 of us passed both exams.
The first aid was a preliminary course considered sufficient by St John’s Ambulance, for the time being, but later further courses of St John’s Ambulance lectures were arranged and most of us too the regulation 1st Aid exam.
When war was declared and we were told that Warborough had to have a 1st Aid Point, the Staff was ready, but the place where the point should be established presented many difficulties. It was suggested that the Greet Memorial Hall should be equipped and then the question of lighting, heating, blacking out arose and many other difficulties which seemed almost insurmountable.
Thanks, however, to the ingenuity of two members of the Committee, 2 dustbins were transformed into water tanks with taps – black out curtains were borrowed and hung – 2 stretchers were made and within a month the rest of the necessary equipment down to the last detail was given, either by the 1st Aid members themselves or residents in the village. I well remember the envious eyes we all cast at the 6 hot water bottles at a point in time when they were unobtainable in shops, and all our own had worn out.
For many months we met regularly at the Greet Memorial Hall and practised 1st Aid on one another until the cold weather and our fingers were too cold in this big unheated hall to do our bandaging.
Mr Hanson then came to our rescue and very public-spiritedly offered us the use of his drawing room which had been cleared of furniture and was centrally heated.
It was a delightful change from the 1st Aiders point of view, and we attacked our practices with renewed vigour.
At frequent intervals we had practice raid with the Air Raid Wardens and we were sent out in pairs from the F.A.P. (First Aid Party) to deal with labelled casualties placed all over the village.
On one occasion we had a big practice with the 1st Aiders from a neighbouring village who gave us some quite complicated cases to deal with
The last practice raid was at night with the Home Guard, and all our members had to make for a given spot in the dark, some on bicycles and some in our ambulance, which was the local baker’s van and which held 2 stretchers.
We had the distinction of being asked to give a demonstration in Stretcher drill to the Home Guard which was a proud moment.
All the members went through the tear gas van and we tried as far as possible to practise what we had learnt of the treatment of gas casualties. The point was only dismantled in 1945 and was open to inspection at any time by local doctors, who once reported it was the best equipped point in the district.
Although we were lucky enough never to have real casualties to deal with – in spite of many bombs which fell in and around the village – and though at times the practice meetings became boring and irksome, I am sure none of us will ever regret the time spent on 1st Aid and the friends we made through working together for a common cause.

The First Aiders 1943
L – R
Wanstall – Harris – Bailey – King – Walker – Nudds – Belcher – Bousfield – Gray – Balk – Bousfield – Bond – Entwistle.
IN & AROUND THE FARMHOUSE
By a farmer’s wife
Now that the war is over, these six years seem to have gone in a flash – I think the fact was that every day was so full, one hardly realised how time sped so fast. I often said and thought “What a blessing we have plenty to do”
Life on the farm went busily throughout those years and everyone did their very best for the war effort. There were many restrictions to be faced – rationing of cattle foods; rationing of milk; and orders to clean out ditches and plough up grasslands and plant so many acres with potatoes or wheat, besides numerous forms with sometimes 78 questions to answer.
The converting of grassland into market gardening crops made much more work – for onions, carrots, lettuces, parsnips, beet etc had to be hoed regularly, and consequently more hands were needed to help.
Hence land girls came and soon learnt their various jobs, and the two, Gladys and then Betty were soon part of the village.
Sometimes things got very hectic, imagine a housewife with no help, coping with the family wash, or turning out the bedrooms is called to the phone and the voice asks for tons of cabbages to be ready by 3p.m., or so many pots of broad beans to be picked by 7p.m and the family out till 1p.m. Of course, she looks for someone to take the message and failing that off she goes herself, for food was urgently needed. Then back to the job in hand and then probably out in the fields, giving a hand with cutting the cabbages or picking the beans, or driving the pony to card the loads to a waiting lorry etc. Yes, life was hectic at times, but it was a good life.
Even when the bombs fell, cows had to be milked, milk had to be delivered and meals had to be cooked.
In conclusion, a world of Topsy, our riding pony – she was broken into harness. Sometimes she took loads of vegetables into Wallingford and occasionally was put to horse-hoeing. But what she enjoyed most of all surely was giving the children rides and drives at the local fetes in aid of various war funds.
Yes, Topsy’s life was a full one too.


The Milk Round
Topsy
IN CONCLUSION
We have tried to describe in these pages, some of the more colourful pieces of our wartime patchwork.
But now we return again to peace.
Most of our service men and women and munition workers have come home, the Home Guard is disbanded, the last evacuees have gone home, A.R.P. and First Aid Centres closed.
Our thoughts and energies turn to the making of a brave new world.
A fresh pattern will be formed in our village patchwork, inspired, as in time of war, by our Institute.
THE FIGHTING SERVICES
A large proportion of the men and women of Warborough & Shillingford served in the forces.
KILLED ON ACTIVE SERVICE
Cpl. Bailey, Lawrence
F.O. Buswell, Hubert
Pte. Chainey, Gilbert
Pte. Kirby, Cyril
Pte. Witney, James