Category: World War 2

January 1, 1970

Crowle at War: Part 6. War Weapons Week, Rationing – submitted by Bill Goldthorp

War Weapons Week. The whole of Crowle, Catholics and Protestants, Women’s Institute, Men’s Clubs, Pubs, Political parties, Sports’ clubs all joined together in a special week dedicated to raising money for the war. The Crowle Show and Gymkhana occurred that week together with children’s sports day with fancy dress competitions etc, etc. All sorts of money raising activities were organised which not only raised cash […]

January 1, 1970

Crowle at War: Part 5. Entertainment, Fairs – submitted by Bill Goldthorp

Later in the war as Sandtoft became a training and then an active bomber aerodrome. Bomber crashes would occur in the surrounding area. The local lads were usually the first to reach a crash site if it was any where near Crowle. They were always efficient souvenir hunters. The day after the crash, the police sergeant, both constables and several specials arrived at the school. […]

January 1, 1970

Crowle at War: Part 4. Prisoners of War, School – submitted by Bill Goldthorp

Every body had a bicycle, even my mother. Wicks the Cycle shop sometimes had a new one but many second hand plus numerous spare parts. Inner tubes and tyres could be ordered probably with the area being rural the authorities were more generous with cycle parts than in the towns. Garages, barns, old farm buildings were searched and ancient thirty-year old cycles were resurrected or […]

January 1, 1970

Crowle at War: Part 3. Transport. – submitted by Bill Goldthorp

TRANSPORT. In 1939 very few people from Crowle worked at the steel works. There was no workmen’s bus; you had to have your own transport. My father had the Morris equivalent of The Austin 7. He was allowed a petrol ration to go to work and continue his agency supplying oil and grease to the local farmers. This of course meant he had permission to […]

January 1, 1970

Crowle at War Part 1. A schoolboys memories. – submitted by Bill Goldthorp

Crowle at War. A Schoolboy’s Memories – Part 1 By Bill (once known as Billy) Goldthorp. Background. My mother’s forebears, Tills, Everetts, Oates, etc. had been farmers in the Isle of Axholme for generations. For ten years prior to marriage Doris had been the primary school teacher at Eastoft. Boltgate my grandfather’s farm was a mile north of Eastoft. At that time when a woman […]