Reminiscences
of John Crawford at Chappel during World
War 2
This year sees the 80th
Anniversary of the Battle of Britain and after the phoney war, it became a
reality for the people. Few remember first hand – but a visitor John Crawford spoke to me after an earlier Rail Experience day. He was a youngster then,
but he gives an account of life in the village at that time.
John Crawford was a boy during wartime at Chappel; he
remembers the station during WW2 was born at Trinity cottage in the village.
John lived in a house rented from a Mr Bird the landlord; he
was part of a growing family who eventually comprised 10 people. His family
moved to Lower Green council house. Schooling was in the village at Chappel at
primary level. For senior school he then used the bus, which were either owned
by Shelley’s of Eight Ash Green or Blackwell's. Latterly used a Ford van purchased
by the Taberner family who were the publicans of the Railway Tavern whose landlady
with Noreen.
At the beginning of the war the fear of aerial bombardment
was real, and a plan for a “Crash Evacuation” was prepared as Chappel was seen
as a safe location to send children. John would have been seen as lucky to live
in the rural area and not be subject to the distress of that process.
During the war a mosquito wooden bodied airframe crash
landed just missed the viaduct and landed in the field owned by the Pilgrim
family on the field on the Fordham side of the viaduct. The military kept people
away. American forces staffed the POL petroleum lubricants and Oil Depot.
Petrol trains run at night, and arrived early in the morning. Stationmaster was
Len Blackwell.
In the good shed - areas on the floor were allocated to traders so Ashbee’s had an area. Sent by railway, seeds of beetroot, wallflowers, runner beans and wheat - the railway was reliable but in time became redundant with increasing and cheaper road transport.
PC Beechcroft was the village copper who stopped young John
who said, “You are one of those Crawford boys” pulled up for not having a back
light on his bicycle, then clipped around the ear which was something of a
surprise. He said “you remember this” and John did that!
While the photo doesn’t depict PC Beechcroft, the photo
below shows the last village policeman PC Rowlands in 1965 with the POL tanks
visible in the background. Nurse Jackson lived next door to the village policeman.
John left school at 14 and worked for Ted Ashbee as he had
been tutored by his father and had an interest in agricultural work. John was
already used to feeding the chickens ducks and animals
After he left school he looked after the seed business of
Spurgeons farm. John looked after the seeds business sent from Spurgeons Farm,
often to Cullens of Witham by rail. John worked crushing machines to produce
cattle feed and buying wheat. He drove a Ferguson T20 tractor these are very
new at the time, but the farm still had to Suffolk punch horses.
John left to join the national service for two years, he
came to work back with Ashbee’s, but there was a need to earn more money, unfortunately
John left a job that he really enjoyed. He
dated and married Maisie, who was initially the ice cream Saturday girl; then he
started his married life together, moving to Brightlingsea.
Today John enjoys gardening, and has a lifelong interest in
aviation. He has flown in Concorde over the Bay Biscay and to America.
