Eton Wick History Group Talk - Basingstoke Canal with Roger Cansdale - 28th May 2025

 

This the third talk of the History Group's 2025 series of five. The talks schedule can be found by clicking on this link along with a list of all the talks since the foundation of the Group in 1992.

World War 2 Eighty Years On - Wednesday May 9th. Victory in Europe Day

Wednesday  May 9th.

Victory in Europe allowed many restrictions which had been necessary for the defence of Britain to be revoked. Those that remained controlled building, manufacture and rationing, the latter having the most immediate effect, when from May 22nd, the allowance of fats, bacon, meat and soap were reduced.

 

V.E. DAY 

I'm glad I lived through all those years of great and bitter war,

I saw a nation strive and pray like it never had before

Its youth shone forth with valour, every boy a man,

A unity between us, we fought as no other can.

We worked the fields together while they fought high in the sky,

We saw the hand of death, but with spirits ever high

Watched destruction to our land until nothing looked the same.

Gallant heroes dearly loved within the halls of fame

Gave their lives so freely. They only knew the Spring

Side by side we toiled, only labour could soon bring

An end to the fighting, an end to all the strife.

How the years dragged on taking precious days of life

But how we loved and shared our every hope and dream,

Devoted to our cause, all together as a team,

The ever tightening bond that joined each one of us

How we faced all dangers without fuss

Oh! yes I'm proud that I once saw the rising of this Nation.

by

         Jean Amor, Eton Wick.

 

This is an extract from Round and About Eton Wick: 1939 - 1945. The book was researched, written and published in 2001 by John Denham.

World War 2 Eighty Years On - Tuesday May 8th, 1945. Victory in Europe Day

 Tuesday. MAY 8th.   V.E.DAY.

With the declaration of a two day holiday the nation commenced its celebration with church services which many attended to give thanks for victory and deliverance from tyranny. Flags and bunting appeared on the Tuesday morning in Windsor and Slough giving the streets a look of carnival. Celebrations had started quietly in the early part of the day, the crowds gathering during the early afternoon after the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, had broadcast to the nation that all hostilities in Europe were at an end. Nightfall brought more people onto the streets to cheer and dance. Bonfires were lit at many places, with the Mayor of Windsor lighting a huge bonfire on Batchelors Acre, Windsor, the signal for the start of celebrations that went on into the early hours on Wednesday. Other hastily gathered bonfires appeared onto which went effigies of Hitler and his cronies. Eton College boys had commenced their celebration of victory on Monday evening when the first news of the surrender was heard.        

The use of buckets of water and stirrup pumps by the Boys did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of revellers who had to run the gauntlet along the long wall and Keate’s Lane. The next day they were given a holiday and immediately set about building a huge bonfire on Fellows Eyot which was lit in the evening. The scene was one of merriment with people dancing around the fire enthused with the excitement of the occasion.  As the fire died away many boys linked arms to make a triumphant march up Eton high street to Windsor where they met another joyous crowd coming from Windsor making their way to Slough.  Many of the boys carried on their celebrations with a triumphant march over Windsor bridge to Castle Hill. 

The Alma Road V.E Day party held at the Village Hall.

The local Windsor and Slough papers reporting on the Victory Revels said that a two day holiday was declared and the joyous population danced, sung, cheered and wept celebrating the news. Church Bells rang out from Saint Georges Chapel and from all the parish churches around. It was a beautiful warm day with the temperature much higher than the average for the time of year.  At nightfall the celebrations took off with a bang as rockets exploded in the sky. Men, women and children thronged the streets of Windsor, Eton and Slough in a night of sheer happiness that the war in Europe had ended. No more would there be anxious days when bomb or rocket would bring death and destruction. By late evening many of the pubs had run dry but the festivities continued to the early hours of Wednesday morning. No-one wanted to go home. The only floodlit building in Eton was the College Chapel but elsewhere floodlighting and fairy lights appeared. Among buildings lit were High Duty Alloys on the Trading Estate, Slough Town Hall  and the Windsor riverside with colourful fairy lights. Army searchlights added to the illuminations.  Villages around the district were also celebrating with bonfires and parties and impromptu dancing on the village greens and in the streets. The sky reflected the glow from the multitude of fires which in some villages were huge.  The very large bonfire on the village green at Datchet commenced a night of celebration which continued through until Wednesday night when there was the added attraction of dancing to the music of the Royal Artillery band from the local Ack - Ack batteries.  For many children this was the first time to see lights in shop windows and such an outburst of gaiety.  Informal street parties and celebration teas for the children took place with tables and chairs and often a piano being brought from the houses. Street parties at Brocas street and Tangier Lane were arranged for the children who in addition to the tea were given an orange and one shilling.   

V.E. Party held at Sommerville Road. Eton Wick

Mr Addaway, driver of the Blue Bus, had a very excited passenger on V.E. Day. Streaming two strong wartime toilet rolls, Mrs Downs, showing the joyfulness of the day, rode on the bonnet of the bus. Celebration parties at Eton Wick were quickly organized at Northfield Road, the Village Hall and on the common adjacent to the Greyhound public house. Precious tin food that had been purchased on points and stored for this day came from the cupboard. The Victory street party in  Northfield Road, organized by Mrs Harman and friends, entertained about twenty children and the same number of adults to a celebration tea with fruit salad from the Azores and a special iced cake in the shape of a victory "V". Private Mills, who was home on leave after three years overseas service, was guest of honour. After tea the children had dancing, races and games ending the day with three cheers for the boys still overseas and wishing them a speedy return.

This is an extract from Round and About Eton Wick: 1939 - 1945. The book was researched, written and published in 2001 by John Denham.

Photographic History of Eton Wick and Eton - Community Organisations and Social Life - Eton Fire Brigade 1920's

 

The Eton Fire Brigade was manned by local volunteers, most of them traders. 

The 'Merryweather' fire engine in the picture was named 'Princess Alice', and was 'christened' by Princess Alice in 1913, when it replaced the horse drawn pumps. The 'Princess Alice' can still be seen in the Vintage Vehicle Museum at Caister Castle, Great Yarmouth. Eton has not had its own brigade since WWII. In the front row of firemen 4th from the left is Fire Chief Fred Husted, and 2nd from left is James Dugan. James (Eton baker) had been the driver up to 1910; he then became chief engineer and driver and in later years the Brigade Chief Officer. His son (also James) served as a fireman before the 1939/45 conflict. 

This article was first published in A Pictorial History of Eton Wick & Eton.

C. A. CHEW - Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve

Clifford Archibald Chew A.F.C. (Flight Lieutenant) - 512 Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve

Clifford was born in 1917, the only son of Mr & Mrs A.B. Chew of "Bryanston" Moores Lane, Boveney Newtown. He had four sisters and like the rest of the family he a was a conscientious member of the Methodist Chapel. His Great Aunt, Mrs Annie Tough, was in fact the founder of the Alma Road Chapel in 1886. Clifford was a village lad who passed the entrance exam to Slough Secondary School where he completed his education, and he left the school when he was about 16 years old. He was always a keen sportsman and played rugby for Windsor Rugby Club and rowed with the Eton Excelsior Rowing Club.

When he left school he was employed by I.C.I. as a clerk in the distribution department at Slough, for a period of about two or three years, before transferring to the company's London depot. He became interested in flying and joined the R.A.F.V.R. which enabled him to undergo a course of flying instruction at White Waltham Airfield near Maidenhead. Being in the Volunteer Reserves he was called for immediate service when the 1939 threat of war became a reality. He was serving with Fighter Command and was a pilot with Spitfires throughout the Battle of Britain in 1940. He completed a full tour of duty and was commissioned in 1942.

In June 1944 he was captain of an aircraft engaged on an instructional series of flights requiring take-off from the airfield, flying circuits and landing. Four times he carried out this procedure, but on the fifth occasion the starboard engine developed a serious fault. Flight Lieutenant Chew took over the controls from the pilot under instruction and managed to gain height to an altitude of 800 feet, despite the fact that only the port engine was functioning. Violent vibrations made it impossible to maintain this height and the aeroplane lost the altitude just gained, with the starboard engine catching fire. The undercarriage failed to function and the situation became extremely hazardous. Clifford managed to avoid other aircraft as he successfully landed the blazing aeroplane on the runway. The entire crew were able to jump clear of the wreck without injury. He was subsequently awarded the Air Force Cross for his courageous action.

In March 1945 Clifford was serving in yet another capacity with 512 Squadron in support of the European offensive against Germany. On the 24th of March he was flying paratroopers across the Rhine when his aircraft was shot down. His mother received a letter from his squadron commander dated 27.3.45 notifying her of his "failure to return from the operation" and stating that any further information would be forwarded.

A newspaper reported a few days later under the heading:

Given a British Burial - Air Officer's Fate.

News of the death and burial in Germany of Flight Lieutenant A. Chew, A.EC, of Windsor, has reached his friends in Northern Ireland, where he was formerly stationed. FLT/LT. Chew was shot down while flying paratroopers across the Rhine. The other members of his crew managed to get clear of the aircraft but he was unable to bale out in time, and his body was afterwards recovered by British troops and given a fitting last honours. His mother Mrs D. Chew of "Bryanston", Eton Wick, Windsor has received news of his burial at Rees, a town on the Rhine situated between Emmerich and Wesel.

This gallant airman, who joined the R.A.F.V.R. in 1939, was awarded the A.EC. for outstanding skill and coolness in landing a burning aircraft. During his service in N. Ireland he was stationed at Nutts' Corner, Troome and at Ballymoney...

After the war Clifford's remains were taken from Rees and interred at Hotton War Cemetery in the Province of Luxembourg, 30 miles south west of Liege. Hotton Cemetery contains 666 burials: 340 from the army and 325 from the R.A.F., with one other grave.

Clifford was a single man and at the time of his death he was 27 years old. He was the only commissioned officer from Eton Wick to lose his life in either world war. His father, Archibald Chew, died in 1943 and after the war the family had electric lighting installed in the Methodist Chapel, Alma Road, in memory of the two men and a commemorative plaque placed the Chapel. He is commemorated on the Eton Wick Memorial in the church yard and on the Village Hall plaque. 

Clifford Chew's page on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website.

This is an extract from Their Names Shall Be Carved in Stone  

and published here with grateful thanks to the author Frank Bond.

World War 2 Eighty Years On - Planning for the End of the War part 2 - Housing - March 1945

 

The Prefabricated Houses in the 1960's

The acute shortage of accommodation in Eton and Eton Wick caused by the influx of people for war work and those who had sought refuge from the Blitz resulted in overcrowding, for which the council could do little. Building materials were in very short supply and those available were required to replace and repair bomb damaged homes. Among the families living in discomfort in Eton Wick were a husband and wife with their eight year old son living in one bedroom. Other cases reported to the Council, noted the plight of six adults with a child living and sleeping in one room, also a couple expecting their second child living in an upstairs room. One suggestion for relief of the problem was to erect Nissen Huts, this was thought unacceptable. After the war some local families did move into the vacated  Army Nissen huts at Dorney Camp although the huts had few facilities.  A successful application by the council to the Ministry of Health for twelve `Portal' prefabricated houses was granted providing an electric supply was available to the houses. Early objections by landowners over wayleave and the war had delayed the electric supply for fourteen years but the new housing and public demand achieved authority for the work to be done. The proposal to site the prefabs on the Wheatbutts, debated by the Council, was opposed by the Surveyor. He wished to make Wheatbutts an open space as an amenity for the village and not surrounded by a six foot fence. The use of Wheatbutts for housing was also turned down by the owners, Eton College.  Bells Field was then chosen as a suitable site for the twelve `Prefabs'.

Plans to build eighteen houses in the first year after the war and thirty to forty in the second year on Tilston Field also met opposition. The land was owned by Eton College and to purchase it, permission of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries had to be obtained. The release of this land was also subject to the terms of the University and College Estate Act of 1925.  Local opposition from allotment holders and their representatives who stated that there were ‘model allotments’ on Tilston was of no account. A suggestion to use other available land, such as the Eton or Eton Wick allotments or Lammas land, brought a sharp reply from the Chairman that nobody could build on Lammas land, be it King or Dustman. The meeting was assured that alternative allotment sites would be prepared by the Council but only Tilston was convenient for the maximum use of the main sewage system and the new electricity mains, for which the village had waited many years. Concern was expressed by the Eton Traders over the proposals, they feared a fall in trade as families were moved from the town.

This is an extract from Round and About Eton Wick: 1939 - 1945. The book was researched, written and published in 2001 by John Denham.

Photographic History of Eton Wick and Eton - Community Organisations and Social Life - Eton Church Lads Brigade

 

This photograph was taken c1928/30. The Eton Company of the Church Lads Brigade is assembled and ready to march off to the High Street to join the long parade of floats, fire brigades, and bands taking part in The Windsor Hospital Parade. The parade was held annually to collect funds for the hospital before the post war days of the N.H.S. The Church Lads Brigade was a fine and disciplined outlet for youths. It is believed that the Eton Company was formed in 1899. Between 1900 and 1902 attempts were made to raise an Eton Wick Company without success. 

The Sgt. Major in the photo is Bill Morris. The drummers in the front row are: Ernie Alder, unidentified, Albe Haverly, and Sgt. (?) Alder. The trumpeter is Tom Forman, George Birch has the big drum and the man with the medals is Fred Bosher. 

This article was first published in A Pictorial History of Eton Wick & Eton.