War Time Experiences at Thornham

By

Henry Greef

I never knew of this document until a few weeks ago, yes it was my father that wrote it, he was 11 at the time.  As a lot of people in Thornham can still relate to what it was like during the war in the village, I thought it may be of interest to people.  It is typed exactly how it was written, which for an 11 year old is pretty good.

On Saturday 2^nd September 1939 we were taken to Brancaster Beach for the day, by the Strattens (visitors who stopped every year with us.) During the morning they listened to news on the wireless which didn’t give much hope of German troops leaving Poland, eventually they decided to take us home and return to their own home at Hendon. On Sunday 3^rd September the Church Service was postponed until the afternoon, to listen to Mr. Chamberlains announcement at 11 o’clock of declaration of war on Germany, during that day my Mother prepared a refuge room, criss-crossing the windows with tape, blocking the chimney, cracks in windows and doors against gas, as she expected Jerry to attack by air the next day, thankfully gas was never used.

As an eleven year old school boy I was marched with other children to the Drill Hall sometime before the declaration of war to receive our gas masks, these always had to accompany us everywhere under punishment of a fine after the outbreak of war.  Ration books and identity cards were also issued to the population.

Evacuees were billeted in the village from Tottenham; my Mother had the responsibility as Post Mistress for paying the sum of eight shillings per week per child to foster parents.  The first troops to arrive at Thornham were a detachment of the Royal Engineers with a Searchlight Battery which was situated on the green.  The Manor House (HQ) The Laurels, Marshlands and The Bay Tree Cottage (Officers Quarters) and York House (Canteen) were later requisitioned when in rotation the Norfolks, Pioneer Corps and South Staffordshire Regiment occupied these premises.

Not much action happened between September and May during the Phoney War.  As children we were very pleased when the evacuees arrived as they shared our school for the first few weeks until they used the Drill Hall which meant we only had half day of  lessons and had nature walks for the rest of the day.  During this time we dug a trench in the school pasture to take cover against air attack.  Anderson shelters where later distributed to some villages but not Thornham.   At the outbreak of war all windows had to be blacked out at night, if a small chink of light was see you soon had a shout from the Special Constable “ Put out that light,” wood shutters were made for the Post Office windows which had to be put up for 5 ½ years at dusk.

During the spring of 1940 the Germans Launched their offensive through the low countries and France culminating in the evacuation of allied forces at Dunkirk, 5 of our village lads who were members of the territorial’s were taken prisoner and one killed at St Valery en Caux.

The Country then had to prepare for invasion firstly a road barricade was made on the A149 road, mines were laid along the coast and Pill Boxes built, scaffold type poles were bolted together along the beaches to stop invading tanks.  Members of the public were not allowed on the beach.  Men between the age of 16 and 65 were called into the Home Guard, no church Bells were allowed to be rung as this was the warning of invasion.

We didn’t receive any damage from enemy bombing at Thornham, although many enemy aircraft flew over at night when attacking the Midlands.  Sometimes bombs would be dropped on the marshes upon returning home, a magnetic mine was dropped on a field at Choosely road which didn’t explode, nobody was allowed up that road until the mine was defused. A Heinkel III flew low over Thornham after dropping bombs at Hunstanton and bombing at Burnham Market, two Dorniers were also seen.  Two Hampdens, a Wellington and a Thunderbolt crashed on Thornham Fields.

During 1942 the Army decided to open an Artillery Range firing shells from 25 pounder and 100 pounder guns from Thornham Common the shells passing over the village to land on the beach if we were lucky, six shells dropped short on the village, one in particular was an air burst which smashed the Post Office window whilst I was behind the counter, an evacuee Mr Chart lived in Chequers cottage, he the husband fired the gun that nearly killed his wife.  The Church Tower was used as an observation post for guns.  About the same time a tank range opened at Titchwell and tanks used to come to Thornham Green to fire onto the marshes.  Ruby was called up into munitions and worked in a factory at Letchworth, Uncle Fred was called into the army and took part in the D Day landings on June 6^th 1944.

On December 7^th 1941 Japan launched their treacherous attack on the American Fleet at Pearl Harbour which brought the USA into the war, by 1942 detachments of the American Air Force began operating from East Anglian Airfields flying Liberators, Forterresses  Mustangs and Thunderbolts which we used to see forming up over Thornham for daylight raids on Germany.  In the evenings we used to see the RAF bombers flying from Lincolnshire bases to Germany.

A few days before D Day thousands of United States Army Vehicles passed through Thornham in an easterly direction.  At the age of 16 years all juveniles had to register for Youth Service, my turn came July 1944 when I joined 42F Squadron A.T.C. for 2 years prior to my RAF Service.  During the war I followed its progress with maps and flags, I went to camp at RAF Coltishall during the August and found my maps a long way out of date after the rapid Allied advance after the breakout of Normandy.

From September 1944 – November 1944very heavy explosions were heard in Thornham which we have since learned were V2 rockets.  Aunt Eva Greef and her husband were killed by a direct hit on Boxing Day 1944 in London.  A V1 was see flying over Thornham, luckily it kept flying westward.

So, the allied advance carried on and on 8^th May 1945 Germany surrendered.  We still had the Japanese to settle, but by August 15^th 1945  two atomic bombs were dropped on Japan and they surrendered.

Soon afterwards prisoners returned who had been so brutally treated by the Japanese, Cousin Jack Greef being amongst those taken prisoner at Singapore and forced to work on the railway of death.

THORNHAM SERVICE PEOPLE KILLED DURING THE WAR:-

MARY BUNKLE killer 1940 Chelsea Barracks Bombed

JOHN HUMPHREYS Killed 15.09.40 Crashed RAF Thornaby

DAVID DRUCE Killed 1941  Western Desert (RAF)

ERIC HOWLING Died 1945 After returning from P.O.W.

SAMUEL HEWITT Died 1945 of Polio in Singapore (RAF)

ERIC PORCHER (ARMY) Killed 1943  Scicily

DONALD WOODS (ARMY) Killed December 1944 Belgium