At about 11.15 tonight the whole town was shaken by a tremendous explosion. Doors and windows rattled, china jumped about. We were all sitting in the dining room, round the fire. Mother and Father were considerably startled. I looked outside but all was black as pitch, and nothing more could be heard. I expect it must be another explosion in a munitions works. Perhaps at Lt. Oakley or even Waltham Abbey.
See Eric's post on 1st May 1940 and 9th May 1940 for more information on this explosion.
28th April 1940
Suddenly decided to go over to Hadleigh to see Dr Taylor’s Memorial, in order to obtain details for a story with I have had in mind for some time now, and which one day I might write. Cycled off towards Nayland, and on the Boxted Road came upon Page, of the Treasurer’s Office. He is now in the Territorials and is at Newmarket. He did not seem very happy.
Went on by Langham to Thorington Street, passed Thorington Hall, looking as lovely as ever, but all closed up and shuttered. There were 3 Suffolk horses standing in the stream nearby, and the sun shone brightly. The farms looked good and well ploughed. I wonder if Penrose [the owner of Thorington Hall] will ever see the old Hall again? On up the little valley passed the old mill and so through lovely country to Hadleigh, beginning to feel very tired indeed. Went up to see the Monument, and found it just as it is always shown in pictures, although a hedge boundary now runs near it, and all the land is ploughed. In a little farmyard next the Monument field, a group of men were trying a beautiful grey cob under saddle. Overhead RAF planes soared towards the coast.
Hadleigh town itself does not look very war-like. There are a few sandbags round the police station and the Territorial Army HQ, but nothing else. Many old houses have been demolished in the last few years, leaving unsightly gaps in the streets.
Hadleigh’s Rector, Dr Rowland Taylor, was a religious martyr, burnt at the stake for his Protestant faith at nearby Aldham Common in 1555 during the reign of Mary I. The people of Hadleigh lined the streets in support of Dr Taylor as he rode to the place of execution. A memorial stone, erected in 1818, marks the place where he was burnt at the stake.
Professor Lionel Penrose owned Thorington Hall and gave it to the National Trust in 1940 after he had taken up a medical appointment in Canada.
Went on by Langham to Thorington Street, passed Thorington Hall, looking as lovely as ever, but all closed up and shuttered. There were 3 Suffolk horses standing in the stream nearby, and the sun shone brightly. The farms looked good and well ploughed. I wonder if Penrose [the owner of Thorington Hall] will ever see the old Hall again? On up the little valley passed the old mill and so through lovely country to Hadleigh, beginning to feel very tired indeed. Went up to see the Monument, and found it just as it is always shown in pictures, although a hedge boundary now runs near it, and all the land is ploughed. In a little farmyard next the Monument field, a group of men were trying a beautiful grey cob under saddle. Overhead RAF planes soared towards the coast.
Hadleigh town itself does not look very war-like. There are a few sandbags round the police station and the Territorial Army HQ, but nothing else. Many old houses have been demolished in the last few years, leaving unsightly gaps in the streets.
Hadleigh’s Rector, Dr Rowland Taylor, was a religious martyr, burnt at the stake for his Protestant faith at nearby Aldham Common in 1555 during the reign of Mary I. The people of Hadleigh lined the streets in support of Dr Taylor as he rode to the place of execution. A memorial stone, erected in 1818, marks the place where he was burnt at the stake.
Professor Lionel Penrose owned Thorington Hall and gave it to the National Trust in 1940 after he had taken up a medical appointment in Canada.
27th April 1940
Heard a cuckoo at Bourne Mill this morning. Men of 26 registered for military service today. The ginger-headed consciencious pacifist stood outside the Labour Exchange all day, holding up a pacifist placard. He is a brave man. Crowds in the Museums. It is pathetic to see the young lads in shorts cycling up to the Castle on Saturdays. I wonder how many are having their last holidays?
24th April 1940
Very wet and colder. Went to the Repertory Theatre tonight, to see “The Man who Changed his Name”, by Edgar Wallace. Quite amusing. Moon came out in late evening.
23rd April 1940
A Budget was announced today, with Income Tax at 7/6 in the pound. Who cares at £3 per week?
Eric was earning £3 a week as an Assistant Curator at Colchester Castle Museum - slightly under the average working man's wage of £3-9s in 1939.
Eric was earning £3 a week as an Assistant Curator at Colchester Castle Museum - slightly under the average working man's wage of £3-9s in 1939.
The Wartime Letters of J W N Broom
Readers of Eric's blog might be interested to learn of a new blog which posts wartime letters written by J W N Broom to his family, entitled: Onward Christian Soldier. Broom served with the Royal Army Medical Corps in the Second World War and his letters detail his experiences. Broom was born in Colchester in 1916, making him a near contemporary of Eric Rudsdale's and his letters provide an interesting parallel to Eric's blog, especially as they both shared a pacifist outlook.
John Broom, J W N Broom's son, has set up this blog and is preparing the letters for future publication. Thank you, John, for letting me know about your blog. CP
John Broom, J W N Broom's son, has set up this blog and is preparing the letters for future publication. Thank you, John, for letting me know about your blog. CP
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