END OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR
Celebrating the End of the War in Middleton
With VE Day on 8th May 1945, Tom Soanes allowed himself alcoholic celebrations. On 15th August 1945, following the surrender of Japan, the Yanks arrived in Middleton and were welcomed with Yorkshire tea. Hazel Brown recalls that there were eventually some 200 US army personnel housed in huts in the Hall grounds near to the wall adjoining the cemetery. They enjoyed very good supplies, even being able to show the latest films in the village hall. Hazel still possesses a basic mess spoon belonging to a soldier and often wonders what became of him.
Acts of Kindness
An unfortunate aspect of their stay was the discrimination prevalent at the time, shown against black personnel who spent a disproportionate amount of time on guard duty. Hazel recalls that her uncle Percy Dove, a veteran of the First World War, received a visit from the US Colonel who asked him none too politely to exclude black soldiers from the pub. Mr. Dove informed the Colonel that he would decide who used his pub and told the Colonel to absent himself. Hazel’s independently minded grandmother sympathised with the black soldiers and invited some to tea, exhausting her own meagre supplies.
Can you think of the exact words used when the landlord told the Colonel to ‘absent himself?’ Middleton village was a site of racial tension against black American Soldiers! Are you heartened to hear that Middleton had a grandmother with an heart of gold who overcame racial prejudices?
United Thanksgiving Service
The end of the war in Europe was marked in the village with a service in the church. The Driffield Times reads:
“On VE Day there was a United Thanksgiving service held in St. Andrew’s Church, conducted by the Rector. On Sunday evening the church was crowded, with all the various organizations in the village being represented. The service was conducted by the Rector and Mr. W Eastwood was at the organ. Before the service, a parade was held, attended by the Home Guard, Civil Defence personnel, NFS, Royal Observer Corps, WVS, Women’s Section of the British Legion, Guides and Brownies, Boy Scouts and Cubs, Middleton Girls’ Club. The collection was for the restoration of bombed churches in Europe.”
Source: Geoff Wisher Heritage Sheet 17
Post-War Adjustments
The explosion of the two atom bombs which ended the war in Japan heralded a new world order, potentially no more safe than in 1918. But this time, the government took agriculture more seriously. For those who had gone off to war, the return to civilian life could be more difficult than they imagined. The comradeship built up serving in the forces, together with shared experiences in different locations, meant that the world they had left behind seemed a little flat. Their homecoming was not helped by the austerity of the post-war world, although in the village, the basic food ration could be supplemented by local connections.
Source: Geoff Wisher Heritage Sheet 17
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