MIDDLETON ON THE WOLDS HERITAGE

The War Intensifies

Military conscription was introduced from the beginning, but exemption was granted to key agricultural workers who were expected to perform Home Guard or other war duties. Jack Bentley was a member of the Warter Home Guard, commanded by Mr. Campbell, the estate manager. In Middleton, Harry Gee, the council roadman, was the Commander. As early as 8th February 1939, Tom Soanes recorded in his diary: “Went to ARP at Bainton (Air Raid Precautions).” This was quickly followed by further meetings and First Aid activities after war was declared. The first months following the declaration came to be known in Britain as the “Phoney War” due to the lack of military offensive. On 17th September 1939, Tom Soanes’ diary read: “Nice day. Russia walked into Poland,” thus completing the dismemberment of that country we had pledged to assist.

Source: Geoff Wisher Heritage Sheet 17 The 2nd World War

Did you realize that key agricultural workers were exempt from conscription to maintain our food supply? Does this remind you of Covid-19 key workers?

Air Raids Continue

The winter of 1939/40 was particularly severe. Tom Soanes’ diary records air raid warnings on 22nd October and 21st November, but normal routines were maintained with trips to Hull and visits to the cinema. On 4th April 1940, he recorded: “First meeting of Observer Corps,” a body he was associated with until 3rd June 1955, which had an observation point on the North Dalton road. His duties required knowledge of aircraft recognition, and on 22nd April, he recorded: “Heard guns firing at aircraft over Humber.” He was also the Parish Clerk. Bombing raids increased, and on 19th June 1940, he recorded: “Air Raid midnight – 4 am. Bombs falling at Bainton station etc.” On 15th August: “Large raid on Driffield Aerodrome. I saw it about 1.15pm.” On 7th and 8th May, his entry read: “Hull Blitz,” and on 9th May: “No eggs for Co-op. Hull a terrible mess!” These devastating raids, etched in the folk memories of the people of Hull, were witnessed from afar by Jack Bentley, who was working at Cobdale farm northwest of Warter, situated 195m above sea level. Enemy bombing continued throughout the war, and Tom Soanes’ diary contains various references to air activities: “11th February 1943 Aircraft crashed at North Dalton, 3rd November 1943 Aircraft crashed near Moneypot, 3rd March 1945 Jerry planes over.”

Source: Geoff Wisher Heritage Sheet 17

Kathleen’s Nostalgic Recollections

Listen to Kathleen Roes personal account Middleton Hall during the war as she speaks to K. Kaye and E. Naylor in 2025:

Transcript of the Audio –

Can you what else can you remember about the hall? I remember this about that my uncle Ted, he lived in Middleton on Front Street in Middleton near the Buchter shop, which I pointed out on our walk around. Now, Uncle Ted was a gardener up at the hall. I always remember it was always a garden up at the hall. And so even during the war, he must have tended to the gardens, because I recall after the war we were we went up the fountain. We went up, and my uncle showed us round, and the little privet hedges were like the little Victorian privet hedges, edging this, that and the other.

But most of all, I remember the greenhouses. They had peaches and great bunches of grapes hanging there in provision, in in profusion, because he was tending to them. And presumably, originally, they were set up for the owner, the Mars who owned the hall. And obviously they were, this is quite apart from tomatoes and people in the village could go up and buy I do remember this. Yes, yes, I do. My uncle had scales there and raffia and bags, and he would weigh out the tomatoes. I can see it now, yeah, and take money from militant people. I think it was a Sunday. This went on. I do think it was on a Sunday, and he will be there selling the produce from the hall. But I remember these delicious peaches. I truly do. I don’t know if you saw the vegetables, I would imagine that as well, but I can see, I can see in my mind’s eye, tomato on the scales and him weighing them out, where you put the weights on, and the produce at the other end, not on the ones with a clock, the original type of scales and the big weights. And yes, I can, I can, I can definitely remember that. Do you know what time that was, what year it was?

Just let me think, well, I was five in 1945 and the war finished then. So it’ll be after 45 six. So that will be 1946, 47 Yeah, wow. I would think yeah, on that time maybe a little bit later. Yeah, I do remember, and then once I remember this too as a bit of fun, but really it wasn’t funny. It was very naughty of my uncle TED to do it, but he set off the siren, because the siren was up at the hall to warn people the planes. Yeah, yeah, the air raid siren, yes. And he set it off, and it was deafening, absolutely, terribly deafening, because it was in the locality that we were in. I don’t mean it was in the greenhouses. I don’t mean that, but he must have popped off somewhere and just done it to tease us all. But it was frightening. I do recall that, but also deafening. We were literally in the area that it was and so I do remember that little antique of my uncle Ted, very naughty and very frightening show. So that’s another memoir. Thank you. Thank you. Lovely memoir. How things are.

Tanks Move Across the Wolds in Training Exercises

In Spring 1943, farmers were told that despite their key role in food production, the Wolds had to be used for training purposes, and all sheep were removed from the area north of the Market Weighton – Driffield road. Manoeuvres were carried out involving tanks, and maps of the area were produced in the French style so that troops would become accustomed to them in preparation for the real thing. This was training for what would become known as D-Day in June 1944. The area was considered similar to Normandy, where the landings were to take place. However, the hedges on the Wolds were lower than the “bocage” encountered in Normandy, which proved costly when the invasion took place. Cliff Pratt recalls the dangers of visiting the Wolds at that time in his book “Sixty-six years as a touring cyclist,” stating: “Tanks were liable to burst suddenly through the hedge – cross the road and disappear through the hedge opposite (more hedges existed in those days). One had to watch the hedgeside even more than the road.”

Can you imagine a tank bursting through one of our hedges? Cyclists beware!

Source: Geoff Wisher Heritage Sheet 17