Thanks for that, I think meeting your Aunt Rose would be a fabulous experience, soo many stories and memories I'm sure - amazing that she remembers my grandparents, I have pictures of them from the early 1950's when they were living side by side at Eynsham Hall so would definitley like to show her those.
Also on the Eynsham Hall topic, I've also been in touch with a man called Malcolm Dyer who lived at Eynsham Hall as a young boy at the latter end of the war, his parents worked for the U.S.A.A.F & the American Red Cross.
Malcolm has been kind enough to share a some of his memories of that time.
Eynsham Hall, I do have one photo' taken during the war by the American Red Cross which they produced for the American servicemen who stayed at the hall as souvenirs, obviously in black and white. Personal photo's were out of the question as roll films for public consumption were almost non existent, but then in those days not too many of the proletariat owned cameras. I recall my parents had a red brownie box that they bought in India, but it was seldom used. I was amazed to learn that your g'parents and father lived in one of those Nissen huts, I had no idea that people lived in them after the war as almost immediately we moved back to London.
Unfortunately I cannot say exactly when they were constructed as they were in evidence when my parents and I arrived at the Hall with Barclays Bank D. C. & O. ( Dominion, Colonial & Overseas). The Bank had originally taken over a place called Nuneham House, In case they were bombed out of any of their branches, close to the village of Nuneham Courtenay, also Oxon, but then the Air Ministry moved them on as they required the House for other purposes. They then, I believe, found Eynsham Hall as a replacement for the Bank and that is how we came to be there. But this was a short lived occupation by the Bank as they once more requisitioned the Hall for the U.S.A.A.F. It had prior to the Bank being there been used as a maternity Nursing home (I believe for unmarried mothers, but don't quote me on that) who were subsequently moved into the Dower House close to Freeland. After the Bank vacated the Hall they no longer looked for any further accommodation, no doubt because they felt the initial threat was no longer as strong and the tide of war was turning in our favour.
Meanwhile, the Americans made a request to the bank to release my father so that he could take the post of Steward to supervise the dining room waitresses that served the Commissioned Aircrews who came for a weeks' R & R or in some bad cases 2 weeks. My mother was also taken on as Housekeeper and controlled the Girls that came in to clean and make beds etc. For me it was a heaven sent opportunity to enjoy all the sports and other goodies that followed the American Serviceman wherever he went and so gum and 'Candy' was never a problem, in fact I used to give my regular sweet ration to mates at school.
When we arrived, I first went Hailey Road School, failed my 11+ and my parents scraped enough money together to send me to the Grammar school where for 3 years I managed to muddle along until the war ended and we returned again to London where I joined Colfe's Grammar school housed in temporary accommodation between two Council school buildings until I left and joined Barclays Bank Ltd. The first occupier of the Camp was a small battery of Royal Artillery with 25 pounders and those odd shaped vehicles that towed them. They also had a small unit down in the Hall's stable area. They left fairly quickly after we arrived and the first contingent of American coloured troops arrived, I understand they were a Signals unit and that they went on to distinguish themselves throughout the remainder of the war erecting and maintaining lines of communication immediately behind and sometimes ahead of the front line.
Following on from them, a company of the American Medical Corps occupied the camp that was in my 12th year and it was during this time that I became friends with one young 19 year old in particular. He and I became close friends and kept in contact except for a short period when we lost touch, until his death in 1994, I still maintain contact with his widow to this day. We met again In Las Vegas when he and his wife flew to us and stand witness at our wedding in their equivalent of the Register Office. After that the camp was quiet for a while until it began to take shape as the POW camp to which you refer. The conversion work was undertaken by, I think Italian POW's, and then was, as you say, occupied by German POW's...Initially they were guarded by British troops, I think the Pioneer Corps, but after a very short time they mounted their own pickets armed with pickaxe handles. Can you believe that? And with Teutonic efficiency no one escaped.
They did, as you observed, construct replicas of what might have been Bavarian mountain villages from old tin cans and scraps of this and all that carefully painted.
A huge thankyou to Malcolm for sharing this fascinating and interesting insight into his memories of Eynsham Hall Park during WWII.
Hi Shane - again. Aut Rose could tell you quite a lot about the `life` of Eynsham Hall. She worked there until retirement. She headed all the cleaning Staff there.
Hi Shane, bearing in mind I must have been around 5 or 6 years old at the time of my stay at Eynsham Hall, yes, the hut does ring a bell. I remember most of the huts having little gardens out front. I think I told you I was out playing in a heap of sand in the garden, wearing a new dress (bought on clothing coupons) and I got told off by my Autine Rose Handland because I must have dribbled Lyons Golden Syrup down the front of the dress and the sand had stuck to it. Typical messy kid!
We used to go into the huts in the hall grounds from Freeland village. Cannot remember where though.
Auntie Rose will be 90 next Jan. but as bright as a button. She remembers your family. If you would like to contact her at any time - it could be arranged. She has grandchildren, born in Freeland, surname Lay. Eldest born in 1961.
