Skip to main content

War and the WVS


The drive to build village halls in rural areas in the 1930s soon turned out to have been a very good idea indeed. When World War Two was declared, gathering places such as these were vital. When there was a need for gas mask distribution, evacuee billeting and civil defence recruitment they were a natural built venue for it all to happen in. This plaque at the Cornmarket Hall in Kettering pays tribute to the WVS and their wartime activities, showing the continued use that these places were put to. Both civilians and members of the armed forces might find succour in the village hall.



In December 1939, The Times newspaper reported a happy use for the village hall. Thousands of evacuee children, living away from home in more rural districts, were treated to Christmas parties. The report reads:

“There have probably never before been such parties as there were held last weekend. Village halls, country houses, school rooms and private houses…were full of children…Hertfordshire, for example, which is full of London children, arranged splendid festivities in towns and villages.”

The WVS of course played a vital role in running these parties, apparently achieving “miracles of speed and efficiency” in Berkhamsted. Of course they did...who would expect anything else from the ladies in green?

From almost the beginning, these halls proved their worth. I wonder what stories those serving hatches could tell?

Read my stories inspired by Joyce Grenfell, friend to the WVS here...

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Woods Ware China at the Serving Hatch - The Book!

I have now put together a book to accompany this blog, featuring all the best bits and much more besides, about the development and use of village halls over the past century.  It costs £1.29 for a Kindle download and £3.99 for a printed version.  Here's the blurb: "Enter any village hall and look at the noticeboard. The range of activities taking place these days is enough to keep anyone entertained. Cinema evenings, keep fit classes, scouts, Women’s Institute, St John’s Ambulance, lunch clubs, support groups - all keeping the physical and spiritual on the straight and narrow. Where would we be without the village hall? What a marvellous innovation, and one that seems to grow in importance as we realise that we have lost sight of community somewhat, and need to nurse it back to life. You might, if you were in a particularly philosophical mood while hanging around the vestibule, wonder where and how it all began." English village halls have been a fixture of our lands...
Post a Comment
Read more

Bogarde's Beginnings

Village halls played a part in the early careers of many actors – some of them becoming world renowned. Who knows just how many household names first got a taste for the luvvie life at the local amateur dramatic society. Dirk Bogarde was certainly one of them, because he wrote about his experiences at Newick Village Hall, near Lewes. Dirk’s mother made the acquaintance of a Mrs Cox, whose husband was said to own the village hall. Dirk became good friends with the Coxs’ daughter and the family took to him, allowing him to indulge his teenage ambition of becoming a playwright. He wrote, and starred in “The Man on the Bench”, supported by Nerine Cox.   It was performed around the time that Nazi Germany had marched into Austria – but a sparse audience with a lot on their minds nevertheless received it well. Mr Cox offered Dirk his first leading role shortly afterwards with the Newick Amateur Drama Society – Raleigh in R.C. Sherriff’s “Journey’s End”. “It was a tremendous ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Dixon of Fingers Green

In what could be the script from a gentle BBC comedy of the 60s or 70s, the village policeman triumphed at the horticultural show in a small Kent village.  The local bobby walked away from the Village Hall with 11 out of 14 prizes. A cub reporter from the local rag dared to ask the green fingered P.C. if he talked to his blooms, to which the answer came: "No." He was encouraged to elaborate: "Talking to them, singing to them, music, that's all a lot of tripe. There's no substitute for hard work. You have to treat them like children, water them and care for them." I suppose he's right. There are similarities. Both flowers and children are prone to infestations of little creatures. And they never quite turn out how you expect, but sometimes you're lucky. Have a look at my novella for more vintage gardening fun
Post a Comment
Read more