Papers and Journal of William Henry Burn (Jock) Mason

POLICE &

COURT

DOCUI.IEi']TAT I OI'J RELAT I 1\IG TO

,.C. 4,

REIGATE BOROUGH POLICE' H I LL I AH HENRY BURN IIASON

le crgenization a:rd admin'i"stratioa cf E13 Raid Frecauiions Ciiril O.:i'ence Anltul-an.le L7?s Cona:=i to th.: I{o1'nesdale }Iatural 1{is:criIrn Roa.-1, P.eigace, Surrey, follorring tlre 5 O iii IDaly-, r\7ll 1C;-I w?S CCmm3:lCfated On t:re 8tl of'lav F,

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PROLOGUE

The Air Raid Precautions Civil Dsfence Ambulance Service had to have

a rapid beginning.

In fiction iL is relatively easy, buL in Wartime it was a very cornplex matter, and I i,rish ta place on record the heroi-c efforts of the Ambulance Personnel who had Lo endure long hours of unnecessary hardships, due tc the supine attitude of the A.R. P. Emergency Coramittee set up by the R.ei.gaLe Borough Council. was only by the grace of God and the determination of Lhe Ambulance Personnel risking thei-r lives during Enemy Action Lhat Lhey lrere able to promptly attend each incident in order t,o convey the injured and dying to hospiLal.

It

fL is inceresting to nof,e chat despite their louch of confliet wiLh the AulhoriLy, no adverse reports were ever received concerning the Ambulance Personnel or Service, and t^rithouL their loyalty and support, for which f am truly grateful, I would have been unable to maintain such an efficient Ambulance Service.

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TELEGRAM5

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ABER:PAY WORKSI TAYPORT. S**k iiwp***&tr*&S#&

SCOTI9' EN@INEERS"'

TELEPHONE NO" 88.

D.

& R. B. SCOTT, 1UEOTIANIGAI AND EIEGYRIGAI" ENGINEENS, l\.rtll\E Al\D EI\CIINEEFLS' F'IJFINISFIER'S'

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TELEcRAMs: "scorrs.

TELEPH.NE No'

s3'

ENGINEERs."

WORKST

ABERTAY

:PAYPoRT.

D. K R. B. SCOTT,

25't;ir januerrS' I92'* '

IVIEGI{ANIGAI AND EIEOTRISAT ENGINEERS, N{INE

.A.l\D ENGINEER.S'

F'IJR.NISHER.S.

!iis i-s to s,.ippierconi o'ir-lr Line s ';iYeri to "i.l--j-trrn j"ienrlT liason on 10th ieptei':i'e'i: i::L'5 to stato tha.t he has had a verl ve.riu(l e::!'ei'ieilc:â‚on

0ar engine3 ' '1iaii-o;:rer:;r irJ- r)n6i.nss, .iotr-r:r 3oat letroi I' "a'rtffrlr ln3ines, *rr,i in tho works or; 'rirc *'itseL In5ines j-'t'sl1' 'i'c l:ut ilirti lio t'iuc;:1. so tirat :ne rJould' not iles cirerge oi sny iniernal loilrl;u;i"irc:'l In6ine of

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type lcnorlng n* r'vouLd Sive ? l t'c11 8'c'otmt ci i'i ':,seif a"i it. i e have lio ft'er of l:irn i i: tliis respec t.

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BURGH ENGINEER.S OFFICE. T()WN HALL BUILDINGS. WM. WATSON, BURGH SURVEYOR Ailb

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&ia.y _L925,

WATER ENGINEER,

TSLEPHoNE No- t60

I have pleasrrre 1n bearing. teetimony to the good gualitlcs poeseeeed by &. Yifflax &tisof rhe has becn tn the employ of the gt.Andrevre Fira Srigade as Slreaan and &ngineer for 4 Yeaf,r. ,I ha.ve always found hlm a eteady, reliable anrJ conscientious nsn, keen on hia work.end can with oanfrd.ence thoroughly reeo&mend hinr to anyone reguirlng hle aervlqes.

ab.*,V/{/tnd, Fi iemaeter.

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William Henry Burn Mason

Itl"ah"

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TELEPHONE Nos.; REIGATE, No. 440.

REDHILL,

NO.

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/Cuou,

fruyotu.

I.

7 Octoberr 193O.

JAMES METCALFE, Head Constablc.

TO T}E C}{AIR}L4,E AIiD lmfBEfi.S 05' TI{E TfATCH CO}"fi;IITTEE

0f' T}I[

BOROUGH Otr' AS]{T01[*UN!ER-IYNE.

Gentlement

P.c. Wi11la.m Henry IfAS0lT has serYed in this Force since

1 April 1924, and has applied. to me for permission to become a candidate for the position of First Engineer of your tr'ire Brigad.er &s a.d.vertised 1n the ttPolice Chroniclelr of the

3 ins ta-nt.

I have rnuch pleasure in granting him thls pernission, and have el.rery confid.enee in reco:rimending hila for ihe post' knowing that if you secure his sel:Yiees you will 1et a first rate officer. ?here is a great d.ea1 of motor traffic th:rrough this Sorough. !n/e have rilany accillents, and a grea"; deal of anrbulance IIe has given v,rork, and kiason ?ras had mueh pr,i,,ctice in this.

great satisfaction to the patients whom he has had to handle, and. in this way has reflected. considerable credit on the ; .u'01'ce.

I should be very sorry to lose his serYices.

I am, Gentlemen, Your obedient $ervant, Cons

table

.

MavoR's PanLouR, MururcrPAL Burr-DtNGS,

RTTGATE, 5th llaroh,

/.? za.

Io the Chalrman aa& l&nbers of the Hetotr Comittee of the County Bonorgh of Bunrley.

GentJ-emen,

that ?. C. lffi3.Ila.u EenrXr Mason ls aBplylng: for the posltlon of Englneer 1n your Flre Blgad.e, antL he has aske& me for a tegtlmonlal.

P.C. I,Iason has been a menben of our Borough Po11oe Foree for the Bast four years.

I

und.e:rstaud.

Ee has provecl hlmsolf

a

d.1L1gent and.

falthfirl erva:rt, has ha(L exoellent expertenee a.s a notor drtver, and. showa sk111 as a,n Engiaee:r. l$e should. be so:rrj to J.ose hls eervlee, but fee1 that he ls qualifled. for a betier poslti.on.

Yours

falthfrflly, r'

illayor.

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Mr Jock Mason.

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REIGATE BOROUGH POLICE SPORTS & SOCIAL CLUB.

l'hato b, Il'itd:o/ Sl>ice, Ltl , Pfutt,yrafhrrs, lirtlhill

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lirl;,-./t,.,.1 t,\ , u,"-.\ t'; li.dtillt it,t h,ti,atL Ot.iljr'.

Borough Police Tug-of-War Team. lhis photograph shous the l1)l).rnd I(|-1 storLe iLnrl catcir rrei.qht'lus-of-\l:ar I'eam of the Reigate Ilorou.gh I'olice, n'hich rrrder the coaching ol the Chief Constable (\V. H. Beacher, I,)sq.) ancL l'.C. \\'ilg. has harl srrch iL successful season. In the photo :.La itlso dispirr-rri:il t1;c tt;,:ri's i;;i;:...s i.; i1.i'i. ir lticli ini:1tiilc tlic Silrirv CUutr:v Chlmpionship, Reigate Carniril. Cr:Lrrleiah, Ilurstpierpoiut, ()xterl, Cuckfiel,[, I,e:Ltherheacl, tslast Susser Cotrstal,ularr-, anrl lllLnsteacl Ilritish I,egion 'lrophies.

Seatcd,

left to ri.airt. P.C.'s Irrgrarn ireserve), \Iason, the CliieI Constable L,.C.'s Brolrlorv

lnrl \\'ir1g i'l'rainer).

(Coach),

Stanrling, left to right. l'.C.'s L)e:rn, Caltelin, Sarrnders, Stonenran, \\-alker, Richarrisol anrl Smith.

REIGATE BOROI'GH POLICE TUG-OF-WAR TEAM in a strenuous pull at their Annual Police Sports, 1933.

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REIGATE BOROUGH POLICE-MOBILE SECTION WI,I.H SPEC1AL CONS'[ABULARY MOBILE SECTTON

Rtltotltctd bl tottiesy of lltuold llltr/lckiil,

-fh'e

Rdrn Sttdia, Rrigate

I,eaving the Municipal Build.ings, Reigate, for instruction Chief Inspector Sir M.{r.cor,M CAMPrlEr,r'

11nder

REIGATE BOROUGH POLICE SPECIAL CONSTABULARY

MOBILE SECTION.

lic?fulucrd b! .ottl?s| of lht Pol$!

lnspection l:.' Ciriel Iuspctto;

'l'he Chief Constable (W II IIcatl Spcci:rl Constable,

CrLPt

Ilri,rcrrtn, Iisq.).

C. J. Sutrox.

trlse oDe NrDer Nrber of 0f

T,be

5t. john of 3erusalem in

EnglBnD.

Sr Sonn fffin,iffiC. Beeocfarion. "

(A Dart of the Red Cros Orgaaization of the Britilh Empirc.)

Datron:

HIS MAJESTY THE

KING.

(Sovereip Head and patrou of the Ordâ&#x201A;¬r).

Pre6iDsnr:

FIELD-MARSHAL H.R.H. THE DUKE OF CONNAUGHT, K,G., (crand prior ot the Order.)

Dirsctor of tbe gmbutance pepsrtmsnt anb Cbrlrmstr of Conlmittee: MAJOR.GENERAL STR PERCIYAL S. WTLKINSON. K,C,M.G.. C,B.

a

certiflcsteD pupit, rpas

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Local Hon.

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tu Te,/%raas. SAFEGUARDS.

SOWEST. LONDoN.

NATIONAL

..SAFETY

THE

FIRST'' ASSOCIATIQJ\

I'^'I

Palroo, H.R.H. THE DUKE OF YORK, K.C-

TERIYINAL HOUSE, 52, GROSVENOR GARDENS, LONDON. S.W. p6ide8d,

Geneftl S*relaryl

sIR HERBEhI E.BIAIH, C,8.E. V i ce -P

atron &

Ho

LT--COL.

of

REPLY FLEA'E

National Executive,

O.S.O.

OrSanisine Secretary,

R. F. E. HOWARD-HODGES

euorE: SECRET4,RIAL

HS/GilIlllI

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fftCXlnO,

SRIG_-GEN, R. H, H- BO\aS, C.B., D-S.O.

SIR GERALD BELLHOUSE, C.B.E.

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Deputy Secretary,

n- Trea su rer,

GORDON STEWART

Chairman

I

Jrrne

13th.

1955.

P.C. 1ltr. H. Mason, ( Motor Patrol) Relgate Bonougkr Po11ce, REIGATE.

Dean S1r, Ttre keewress and enthuslasm whtch marked Relgater s Safety $Ieek were very notlceable and followlng a vlslt I made to Relgate, I was able to see personally all that had been done.

Mr. Beacher teIls me how much you asslsted ln the arrangements fon Safety trTeek, and on behalf of thls Assoclation I wlsh to thank yo1l very wanmly for your share ln the excellent wonk.

Yours

falthfully,

SECRETARY.

FOR THE PREVENTION OF ACCIDENTS-AT

WORK-ON fHE STREET-IN

THE

HOME_IN

THE AIR.

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Town

H ALL,

RercATE.

22nd October, 1941,

Elect of Reigate (I.,Irs. F. J. Spranger) requests tlre pleasure of your company at the i:ayor's Parlour on fuesday, the llth November, at 4.0 p.n.

The I'{ayores;

R.S.Y.P. not later than

iiovl-fffi to "castle Keep" Reigete.

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ri '51

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BCRCUGH OF REIGATT

AIR RAiD A.ii :oili ili

it n

PRTCAUTIONS"

rcations aad j rj.:,

a P D n.^,..'..^ i-l lsphone : Reigac.:

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26thjlebryqrv.

Ref

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4.18,

DECISI,EI{ OF .r.t.t.r.

r.r.t.t.

A.R.P.CO!.il.iITTEE

r. t.r.t.r.t

ro; - tsl,-g$g,oqg

f submit

boLow

for your infornation

aJld guidance, a

resolution of the above cor.z:rit-Lee at 1ts meeting hald on l.7th inst, TllA? TIE

P.C.

II"IATCH C0M].1IH'8I,,"

BE BEQUESTED T0 SEC0ND CO}'INECTI0N iilITH ?fm A.R.P.

DUIY IN TflE BOR0UCHTVfCE. P.C. S TOI,tEDIAltr. AND THIIT THE SA],ARY OT TI.1IS CT'FTCER BE CHAR@A3LE TC T}IE A.R.P.ACCOU}IT AS FB.OM THE DATE OT HIS SECONDI',E}iT. l'{ASO}'i tr'OR

SCHEI"E I'OR

Yours

faithfully.

tr f /1",-'2,< trjgade) ' for

&)

Deputy A.R.P.0fficer.

Seconded to Air Raid Precaution Duties under Dr. Bingham, Medical Officer of Health, as Transport & Ambulance Officer.

Organized purchase and modification of secondhand vehicles for use aE A.R.P: Ambulances, and also training of personnel and formation of Ambulance Depots aL Reigate & Redhill.

: fi*?'F ;1==1'1 ' rE -.:-s !+

'

William Henry Burn Mason

0rgani*ation 0f The Borough of Reigate

Air Raid Precautions Ci vi I Defence

Service, 1939-1944 Early in Spring 1939 there l'tere many signs of preparation for war, which indjcated that it was inevitable. Local hospitals were bei ng sandbagged and bomb bl ast wal I s erected. In addi ti on, the basement at the rear of the Town Hal1, Reigate, was being reinforced for use as an Ai r Rai d Precautj ons j nci dent report centre. From here i nci dent reports concerni ng i njuri es and damage to property would be collated and passed on to the appropriate departments, such as the Police, Fire Brigade, Borough Surveyor and the Ambu'l ance Service. The I atter was under the supervi sion of the Medical Offi cer of Heal th.

Thi s organi sati on t,tas control I ed by a newl y formed Emergency Commi ttee wi th pl enary powers whi ch i ncl uded the Ambulance

of Reigate. Its principal bus'i ness was wjth Civil Defence.

In response to a request which the Medical 0ffjcer made to the Chi ef Constabl e duri ng the earl y Summer, I was i nstructed to test and assess several dozen car olvners who had vol unteered to dri ve Ci vi I Def ence Ambul ances 'i n the event of war. The I i st of names was compri sed of vlomen from aI I cl asses of soci ety, i ncl udi ng the mayoress of Rei gate, Magi strates, Town Counci I 1 ors, housewi ves, shop and offi ce gj rl s. As no purpose bul I t ambul ances were avai I abl e for Ci vi I Defence, I was 'i nformed that shoul d an emergency si tuati on ari se, tradesmensr I i qht vans woul d have to be uti I i zed i nstead.

In v'i ew of these f acts, I deci ded to use a 30 cwt. "Ford" van otvned by the Pol i ce Sports C1 ub for the purpose of testi ng the dri vers. Thi s was carri ed out i n tlvo stages. The fi rst tests proved that many of the drivers were quite unsuited to that type of vehicle. Some had such short legs that they had to pack cushions behind their backs in order to a'llow their feet to reach the control pedals. 0thers lvere eliminated as they had litt'le or no knowledge of doubl e-de-cl utchi ng when changj ng gears, resul ti ng i n conti nual 1 y Mafor

crashi ng them.

The second tests vlere done under Ai r Rai d Precauti on condi ti ons and mostly conducted during the hours of darkness in the vicinity of I^lray Park di strj ct and Gatton Park. The test i nvol ved dri vi ng

without lights, reversing in and out of gatewdys, stopp'i ng and start"i ng on hills and, worst of all, whi'l st fu11y clad in gas-proof cl othi ng and gas mask.

Ivlany of the dri vers r,tho f ai I ed thei Si tti ng Case Dri vers usi ng thei r ovln cars. i n the Serv i ce a s Ambul ance Attendants .

r tests were enro'l I ed as 0thers deci ded to remai n

Several weeks of practi ce and trai ni ng duri ng the Summer produced many competent dri vers, but not wi thout probl ems. It became evident that the driving ability of some of the lvomen drivers was not consistently up to standard and, when reprimanded, flew into a temper wj th frustrati on. They were pof i te1 y requested to transfer to other C'i vi I Def ence duti es,

-1

r 40

di scussed the probl ems wi th Bi ngham, he rePl i ed : -

t,lhen

Heal

th, Dr.

I

the

Medi

cal 0ffi cer of

f or such behavi our, but "There "i s probabl y a cl'i ni cal 'ireasonproblem you will have to a under the present cjrcumstances it s solve yourself ."

Shortl y before the outbreak of the Second Worl d War, on 3rd September 1 939 , I wa s authori sed by the A. R. P . Commi ttee ' Rei gate, to establ i sh an A. R. P. Ambul ance Depot at the rear of the 14ray Park Garage, London Road, Re'i gate. I n addi ti on, I di d I i kewi se y, at tfre Rei gate Corporat'ion D'i sposal Works, Earl swood. Subsequentl for ambulance accommodation and I took ovei a cottage, as an office, personnel , and a I ock-up car bay f or storage of equ"i pment. Thi s 'i ncl uded stretchers, Camp bed, gas-proof cl othi ng, ti n he'l metS, we'l l'i ngton boots, 100 bl ankets and 100 ga"l l ons of petrol .

At Earl swood Di sposal Works I took over a workmensr canteen, as an of f i ce a nrJ personnel accommodati on , but wi thotrt storage of equ i pment

.

sent out to'i at I east si x owners of trade vans, gate and three n Redhi 11 , stati ng that they , must three i n deposit one vefricle each night by 6pm next d_ay,..at the Ambulance Deiots. In addition, in the case of a "Red Alert" vans 1^/ere to be debos'i ted at any t'ime during daytime. A "Red Alert" was signified by an 'i nterm'i ttent soundi ng of the Ai r Rai d S'i ren.

Immediately after the declaration of War, at 11am. on Sunday request f rom the Med'i cal 3rd September 1939, I rece'i ved an urgent permanent manning of the 0fficer of Health for the immedjate and Ambul ance Depots. Subsequentl y, by agreement w'i th the per_sonnel , Duty Rosters were hasti 1y j ntroduced and dr j ver M j ss D. Sm'i th was appbi nted as Depot Superi ntendent at Rei gate, and Mrs. Reynol ds at nbbn I t t Ambul anie Stati on. Despi te many probl ems, the system proved very successful and both drj vers lvere eventual I y 9!rol I ed as pa i d, f ul i -ti me members of the Ci v'i I Def ence Servi ce unti l the end of the Noti ces were Re j

ldar.

authorj sed to In order to suppl ementj the trade vans, I was cars, su tabl e f or conversi on 'i nto ambu'l ances, at a cost not jexceedi ng f30 per vehi cl e. Subsequentl y, I purchased owners three 16 h.p. Aust'i n cars and one Humber car. f rom I ocal tax y{ere su'i tabl e, ow j ng t0 thei r l ong wheel -base construct.'ion These Arrange111ents were macle wi th John Chal mers & Sons, Body Bui'l d9rs, i nto of Hi gh 5treet, Redh i I I , for the motorcars to be converted The body was ambul inces at a cost not exceedi ng S30 per vehi cl e. and a wooden truck-type body seats cut away from behind the driving 'i j on an extended chassi s, subst tuted n i ts p1ace. Ash hoops were purchase f our motor

tted and convered wi th sa'i I cl oth, and the rear ofy, the vehi clI e was two ful -time Eventual 1 encl osed by two saj I cl oth curtai ns. reporting vans trade ambulances were allocated to each Depot and the fi

each

night were reduced to

two.

-2

Chrj stmas passed qui etl y, and Ai r Rai d Precauti ons exerci ses were hel d i n the Borough to ensure that personne'l were fu1 1 y trained. 0n 17t-h February 1940 I was authorised by the tiatch Defence Servi ce as Commi ttee to be transferred to the Ci vi I

Transport and Ambul ance 0ffi cer, under the control of the Publ i c Health Department. Air Raids were becoming closer to Reigate; there was an attack on Kenley Airport on 3rd Ju1y, and the Batt"le of Bri ta'i n opened on 8th August 1940. Fierce ajr battles were fought over Rei gate and Redhi I I . Great was the exci tement on 1 5th August when four German Bomber s were seen to come hurtl i ng down , rot far from Redhi l l , wi th a Bri ti sh Hurri cane ai rman performi ng a Vj ctory Roll to mark hjs tri umph. 125 bombs vlere dropped over Lonesome Lane and South Park area, but bei ng of smal I cal i bre, they di d I i ttl e damage. The Raid t,tas part of a formation of planes which bomberJ Croydon A'i rport and the enemy suffered heavi 1 y, I osi ng 76 aeropl anes and ni ne damaged on

that

day.

0n Sunday 18th August 1 940 , 14 bombs were dropped j n a I 'i ne between Hatchl ands Road , Redh i 1 1 , and Church Street, Rei gate, kill ing five people and injuring six others at Shawrs Corner, The first Night Raids took place over Reigate on 24th August when bombs t,tere dropped on Doods Park Road, damaging property. 0n 19th September 1940 the sirens sounded at 8pm, and the raid lasted unti I 8am the next morn'i ng. Many homes vlere destroyed i mmedi atel y north of Reigate Station, and 13 people were injured.

The i ncessant ra'i ds created many probl ems at the Depot, mai nl y due to the I ack of proper f aci I j t'ies f or the personnel , and especi al I y the vehi cl es whi ch were parked outdoors i n al I weather condi ti ons. These facts were brought to the noti ce of the Emergency Comm'ittee and on l^lednesday Znd 0ctober 1940 the Mayor and Town Clerk of Rei gate cal I ed at and i nspected the Depot.

Consequentl y, i n response to my requests I was authori sed to purchase four addjtjonal motorcars suitable for convers'ion into ambul ances. These were purchased from I ocal garages and taxi owners and i ncl uded one Bentl ey, one Bui ck, one Packard and one Rol 1 s Royce. They were tak;n to John Chalmers, Body Bu'i lders, as prev'i ousl y menti oned, and arrangements were made for the motorcars to be converted i nto ambul ances.

I n response to a further request from the Medi cal 0ffi cer of Heal th, I requi si ti oned two Ford 30 ct,lt. vans from I ocal trandesmen for use as a mobjle unit for the conveyance of surgeons and nurses and also equipment to and from air raid incidents. These units were permanentl y stat'ioned at the Redhi'l I General Hospi tal and manned by f our mal e f u11-t jme pai d dri vers f romn the Redhi'l I Ambul ance Depot during each air raid warning.

The i ntol erabl e condi ti ons prevai 1 i ng at the Ambul ance Depot at Di sposal Depot, Earl swood, lvere even lvorse than Reigate Depot,

the due to

Great vermi n and i nsani tary personnel accommodati on. 'i n starti ng the eng'i nes of vehi c1es, ty was experi enced which had to stand out jn the open jn all weather conditions, covered j n dust. Eventual y, permi ssi on t*as granted to transfer the Depot to the Sports Ground, Redhill.

-3 di f f i cul

1

At the new site, the personnel were accommodated in the of the Sports Stadjum (now demolished) and a new garage lvas erecterl for four ambul ances and two si tti ng caSe Cars, ofl the northern s'i de of the entrance to the sports ground (al so now basement demo'l

ished).

0ctober closed wjth air raids practically every night, and throughout the dayl i ght hours. The worst i nc'i dent occurred on 27th 0ctober when a 1000 lb. bomb was dropped on Emyln Road, Earl swood, demol'i shi ng f i ve houses and damagi ng a f urther 1 10 houses. The death tol I was heavy; s'ix peopl e were ki I I ed and 24'injured. 0n the afternoon of 2Bth 0ctober bombs were dropped on Rei gate Hi l l and a f i erce aeri al battl e was fought overhead, wi th bullets falling in the roadway, outside the Ambulance Depot of Re

j gate.

Dr. B1 akey, Ch i ef Medi cal 0ff i cer of Surrey Bi ngham, l4edi cal 0f f i cer of Heal th 'i n Dr. and County Counci , Rei gate, cal I ed regardi ng the requj si ti onj ng of the ambul ance garage. Duri ng Ihat ni ght, two St. Dunstanr s Col I ege boys who had been evacuated to Reigate from London, tvere kjlled and four persons inured at "Hethersett", when 24 bombs were dropped between !'Iray Lane and Linktield Lane, Redhill.

The Germans cont'i nued to press home thejr attack and, from 2Bth August unti I 25th November, there had been an unbroken seri es of a'i r raid warnings which lasted for BB days.

The conti nual pressure created many probl ems at Re'i gate Depot, mainly due to lack of proper faciljties under whjch the Pelsonnel were compel I ed to operate. The ni ght staff compl ai ned bi tterl y that their hea'l th was being seriously impaired by the damp, cold and vermi nous accommodatj on. These facts were brought to the noti ce of the Town Clerk on 18th November and he informed me that plans for a new depot for the personne'l had been authori sed by the Emergency Comrnittee. He added that the Depot was to be constructed jn the grounds of the Corporatj on Yard, Rushworth Road, Rei gate, and that work was to start on the f o"l l owi ng Monday.

I n response to a further report whi ch I submj tted to the Medi cal 0ffi cer of Heal th on 3rd December regardi ng the di ffi cul ti es of ma'i ntai n'i ng the ambul ances, wh j ch were standi ng out i n the open, I was subsequently informed that the subject had been discussed wjth the management of the Wray Park Garages, and I could expect to take over the Garage wjthin a fortnight.

0n 24th January 1941 the premi ses r^rere i nspected by the Town C1 erk, the Borough Surveyor, DF. Bi ngham and Mr. Denni ng, the Chi ef Mr. Hodgki ns, Technj cal Advi ser to Surrey County Counci I . proprjetor of lrJray Park GaragoS, was present and aired his views, which I strongly opposed due to h'i s of f ens'i ve remarks concerning the 0n 5th

November

1

women ambul ance

dri vers.

-4

srp[c,; '/ y/

He sa"i d

:

f some of these t,tomen dri vers had a fi would str'll want more room.'l they " "I

e1

d,

I replied :thei r best to wj n "At l east they are doi ng the War, not to lose jt."

Mr. Denn'i ng expressed sympathy i n respect of the condi ti ons, under whj ch thejt personnel were compel I ed to operate and i n hi s was necessary for the premises to be taken over. opinion thought 0n 3rd February three ambul ances were despatched to Co) 1 ey Lane, Reigate, when two bombs were dropPed, killing a school boy and It al so caused much damage to Mi 1 i tary i njuri ng four peopl e. premi ses.

0n 24th February I called at the Town Ha11, Reigate, and informed the tiledical 0fficer of Health and the Borough Surveyor that, due to the weather condi ti ons and I ack of proper ma'i ntenance, i t woul d no-l onger be possi bl e to mai nta'i n an ef f i ci ent Ambul ance Service unless the Garage was taken over without further de1ay.

I was informed that the Requisit'ion 0rder had been received on 22nd February and that I was enti tl ed to take over the premi ses immediately.

However, I later discovered th at Mr. Hodgki ns, the ot,lner of the property , hdd commun'i cated w j th th e Ma[or who was negotiating with the Town Cl erk on h"i s behal f . Thi s i nTormati on was brought to the noti ce of the personnel , wh i ch cau sed thei r frustrati on to turn to anger and, fo1 1 owi ng a general mee ti ng, I was requested to forward the fol I owi ng Peti ti on of Protest t o the Town Cl erk : -

r, "0n behalf of the Reigate Ambulance personnel we w.i sh to draw your noti ce to the f act that the Garage prem'i ses f or wh j ch we have been waiting for many months are not yet available for us. "ln vjew of the fact that we are an emergency service, it'i s absolutely essential that private cars and other vehicles must not be al I owed to obstruct the ambul ances, whi ch must be ready at al I tj mes to I eave at a momentts noti ce. 0bvi ousl y, speed i s of fi rst importance in deal ing with casualties, but if we are expected to continue to work under present conditions, we shall be doing so rvjth the knowl edge that, through no faul t of our own, our duti es cannot be carrj ed out effecj entl y.

"We, theref ore, w'i sh to i nf orm you that unl ess work on the Garage i s started on or before Monday 3rd March, the Personnel are resi gni ng en bl oc as from B orcl ock on that morni ng.

"Dear

Si

"Yours fa'i thfully, El si V. 0gl e For and on behal f of the

Rei

-5

gate

Thel ma I Ambul

.

Rei

d

ance Personnel

"

/,r_{

Copy

I

etter from

MRS. THELMA

RE I D

, Secretdry ,

Depot.) to MR. H0DGKINS dated Z? January 1941 :-

Rej

gate

Ambul ance

"Yewtye' Rei gate

"Dear Mr. Hodgki ns "Since I saw you last week, I have written the enclosed report, with a view to sending it to Mr. Norman 1oIalker, who is a member of the Emergency Comm'i ttee. I understand Mr. Url j ng Cl ark i s not. .

"Knowi ng that you are both busy men, I thought a ful l and accurate report of the negoti atj ons to date, woul d obvi ate wasting your time and his, in an interview, which would only cover the same ground.

"Before sendinq jt off, I wonder if you would reconsider al I owi ng the Ambul ance Depot to take over the part of the

garage

t^te want.

I have 'i nspected the premi ses and f i nd there are onl y many private cars, wh'ich could equally well be parked in the space we are tak i ng up at the moment.

"There are two i nsuperabl e dj ffi cul ti es i n parki ng the ambul ances j n the yard. 0ne, the grave ri sk that petrol woul d be stol en; the other, that i n wet weather, they woul d get so damp, even jnside, as there are only curtajns at the back, that they woul d be unfi t to carry casual ti es.

"The poi nts aga i nst al l owi ng us the back part of the garage, which you mentjoned, seem to ffiâ&#x201A;Ź, easily overcome. "lf the ground js too soft, the Council will have to put down a cement fl oori ng, whi ch wj I I be an advantage to you now and after the war. The bi cycl e shed coul d be i nstal I ed el sewhere, at their expense.

"0ri gi na1 1 y, Mr. Hodgki ns t,rlas approached by the l ocal counci l for permi ssj on for space for si x ambul ances, to stand i n hi s garage at night. Mr. Hodgkins asked Mr. lrlatkins, estate agent, to estimate for a fai r rental for thi s. Thf s he submi tted to the Town Cl erk. In the meanti me, the Ambul ance Personnel , who j n fact moved j n to i t, but had to share i t wj th the garage hands, who had a canteen there. The ambul ances were parked j n "

the garage,

"Mr. Hodgkj ns coul d get no sati sfacti on, after repeated l etters Town Cl erk and Dr. Bi ngham, as to terms. Af ter th'i s property has been occupi ed about s i xteen months of war, he has been paid only f25 on account.

to the

"The condi ti ons, as far as the cottage was concerned were bad, as the Ambulance Personnel had to sleep there and man it all day, and the I avatory and s0-cal I ed ki tchen had to be shared t+i th the garage hands,

tr ro.

"Just after Chri stmas the Ambul ance Personnel were tol d that work woul d be started the f o11ow'i ng week. Af ter ten days, I orri es dumped bri cks outsi de the garage rvanted by the Ambulance Depot. Mr. Hodgkins told them to go away and called on the Town C1erk, who thereupon sajd he had a requisit'ioning order f rom Gu'i I df ord. Mr. Hodgkt'ns was so angry, that he motored to town at once, saw the Ministry of Supply and had the requi si t'i oni ng order cancel I ed. Compl ete deadl ock.

"The Deputy 0. C. and the secretary then deci ded to see 14r. Hodgki ns themsel ves and heard some of the above facts.

Mr. Hodgki ns suggested that: (A ) The ambul ances shou'l d be I ef t out in his yard, night and day, with warm muffs over them and a davy 1 amp under the bonnet; (B) Stated by thi s means there wj I I be I ess condensati on and therefore they wi I I start more easi ly than i f they were i n the garage; (C) Suggested that j nstead of empl oyi ng an unskj I I ed mechani c, as at present, we should pay him so much a week for servicing the Ambulances and he will see that they are always jn running order; (D) That now he has two fjre watchers at night, they would, under this arrangrneent, be ready to start the engines at night, on the alert

sounding.

"The Ambul ance Personnel , a l l of whom are vol untary, man the depot day and ni ght and turn up, ei ght strong on every sj ren, feel that somethi ng must be done, i f they are to be treated serjously as part of the A.R.P. scheme i n an emergency.

occur in the Borough at night, 'i n cold "should an incident 'i weather, it s doubtful if the ambulances could turn out in tjme, under present arrangements. If they di dnrt P.C. Mason, as 0.C., would be considered inefficient and he could prove that, owi ng to the del ay on the part of the I jocal authori ti es for months, i t i s not the personnel who are neffi ci ent, but the condi t'i ons under whi ch they work.

(A) There "The objectjons to Plr. Hodgkin's suggestions are: (B) petrol In wet being stolen; will be a grave rjsk of weather, the ambul ances woul d get so damp, even i nsi de, as there are on1 y curtai ns at the back, that they woul d be unfi t to carry casualtjes. persons responsi bl e shoul d come to some decj sj on "The jmmedi atel y. l,Je are ti ed to the Wray Park prem'i ses, ds the Counci I began work on the nelv depot, before they made certa'i n that they woul d be abl e to get the garage.

"Unl ess somethi ng j s done at once to i mprove the condi ti ons under wh i ch the Ambul ance Personnel work, there wi I I be resignations."

e*Atuu{^

"Mr. Hodgki ns recogni zed al l thi s and spent some time i n tryi ng to buy a portable garage, which could be converted into a mess for the men. After a coupl e of months, he found and bought one, erected i t and i nstal l ed a basi n wi th runni ng water and told the Town Clerk that the Ambulance Personnel could now have the cottage to themsel ves. He was then i nformed that the Counci'l had dec'i ded to bui I d a bungal ow f or the Ambul ance Personnel and the cottage woul d not be wanted.

"P.C. Mason t,rlas thoroughly dissatisfied with the garage accommodatoion for the fo'l lowing reasons: (A) Last thing at ni ght, a number of pri vate cars, i ncl udi ng Gorri ngets van, were parked in front of the ambulances, so that if they should have to turn out, the women had to push the private cars out of the vlay and start the ambulances up and drive them out. This might take at least half an hour; (B) There is no bench for P.C. ( C ) There i s no pl ace Mason or the mechani c to do repai rs; where tool s can be I ocked up and j n consequence they are constantly missing; (D) There is no method of heating the pl ace, women cannot gri nd these heavy engi nes when stone col d and the ambul ances wonrt start.

"0n Nov. 5th 1 940, Dr. Bi ngham, Mf. Souter, Deputy 0ffi cer of Health for Surrey and an 0fficial from the Ministry of Health vj si ted the depot and the I atter sympathi sed wi th P. C. Mason over the di ffi cul ti es of the garage accommodati on, whi ch he

consi dered most unsui tabl e.

some months the Counci l negoti ated w'i th Mr. Hodgki ns about ng over a back part of the garage, so as to be selfconta i ned.

Thi s woul d overcome al I four di ffi cul ti es previ ousl y menti oned. It meant knocki ng a door i n at one end.

Mr. Hodgki ns however was unwi I 'iI i ng to I et thi s part of the garage go. He states that he s worki ng for the Mi ni stry of Supply, the qround outside is soft and would be unsuitable for the ambul ances to manoeuvre i n and out, j t woul d mean knocki ng down a b'i cycl e shed and the ambul ances go'i ng i n and out woul d interfere with the normal traffic in and out of his garage.

"For

tak'i

1 very feebl e excu ses .

"The Town Clerk did nothing for somet'ime, unt'i 1 the Ambulance Personne.l , feel ing that conditions were so impossible, i f they vtere to be ef f i ci ent, cal I ed a meet'i ng and el ected a deputy Through 0. C. and a secretary ( under P. C. Mason as 0. C. ) Mrs. Hi cks, a meeti ng vlas arranged wi th the Borough Surveyor.

The day before the meeti ng, the Ambul ance Depot t,tas 'i nformed that the work on the new garage could not be started, owing to shortage of steel gi rders .

Both the Deputy 0. C . and the secretary , bâ&#x201A;Źf ore the meeti ng , made certa'i n that f rom two separate sources , stee'l gi rders of the correct measurement, coul d be suppl i ed i n twenty-four hours. When they tol d the Borough Surveyor, hâ&#x201A;Ź sai d j t wasnrt that after a1 1 , but that He Regi onal Permj ssi on to start work, hdd not arri ved. suggested poss'i b1 y the I etter had been bombed ! ! Af ter see'i ng h'im, Mrs. Hi cks took the Deputy 0. C. and the secretary to see tlr. Randal1, the Deputy Town Clerk. (The Ambulance Personnel woul d I i ke to express thei r appreci ati on for the constant efforts on the part of Councillor Mrs. Hicks, over a perjod of ten days, to grappl e wi th the si tuation. ) He promi sed to worry Regi onal Control agai n and te1 ephoned there and then.

Al

"Fol l owi ng an i ntervi ew wi th the Medi cal 0ffi cer of Heal th Town c1erk, on 27t.h February concerning the petition, 'it

and t4as

resol ved after some di scussi on that the premi ses shoul d be taken over without further de1ay. Mr. llodgkins was informed by telephone that he would have to vacate the premises within 24 hours. The Town Cl erk stated that he sympath i sed wj th the Personnel and promi sed to gi ve the matter every attenti on, as he had no knowl edge concerni ng the del ay of the executj on of the Acqui si tj on 0rder. A meeti ng oi j !tle _E_mergency comm ttee was hel d at 2.30pm that day and j t was f]nally decided, to requisition the premises, and that the necessary al terati ons woul d commence on Monday 3rd March.

"Subsequently, the new Ambulance Garage, with access through Schoo Grounds i nto Rushworth R0ad, Rei qate, was taken over on 14onday 3 March, and the new accommodat'ion for personnel, on 3rd April 194 .tt

the County

"From 1 5th August 1 940 untj l Apri l 1941 , 6f i nci dents were recorded w"i thi n the Borough, and 448 bombs were dropped. The fi rst reg i strati on of u{omen f or Nati onal Servi ce was 'i ntroduced on 1 9th Apri 1 1941 , and many new appl i cants were di rected by the Mi ni stry of Labour i nto the Ambul ance Servi ce, thereby bri ngi ng the tota I number of personnel under my control up to B0 members .

In

ti on, two new ambu'l ances were al I ocated to each Depot, total of 20 vehicles, wh'i ch'i ncluded :B ful -ti me ambul ances 2 mob le unit vans 6 ful -time sitting case cars 4 part -ti me ambul ance vans Faci I i ti es were i nstal I ed at Redhi I I Ambul ance Depot for the general maintenance of the veh'icles by the full-time, paid, male mobile unit drivers. Simjlarly at Reigate Depot, where I installed a battery charger, aj r compressor, heavy garage jack, vi ces, etc. , and other equipment for major repajrs. A fu11-time, sem'i -skjlled mechanic, who was under my supervision, would carry out such repairs making a

addi

as became necessary.

0n 1 9th Apr i 1 I 941 a parachute mi ne wa s dropped near the Al I nts Church, South Merstham, ki 1 'l i ng 10 peopl e and i n jur j ng many others. Damage to property was very extens i ve and covered a 1 arge area, i nvol vi ng 300 houses and shops. The church, vi carage and three houses were so shattered that they were subsequentl y Sai

demol i shed.

Due

to the effectual appearance of our new nl ght

planes, the ajr raid warnings diminished in number and ny tnefjeiO of 14ay, the night ra'i ds had practically ceased. There then followed a peri od of respi te from "i nci dents" i n the Borough and for the rest of the year Rei gate remai ned free from bombs. Thi s rel axed atmosphere brought about a sudden change in the attjtude of a small mj nori ty of the I ei sured cl ass personnel whose Dunki rk Spi ri t appeared to be f1 aggj ng. Thi s created probl ems wi th manni ng the Dep0ts duri ng ni ghts and weekends, ds these pe0pl e sei zed 0n ivery possjble excuse in order to adapt their duties to suit their or\,n

convenience.

-6

ghter

y, fo1"l owi ng compl ai nts from worki ng cl ass members that they vvere bei ng i mposed upon, I i nformed the personnel that accordi ng to the l,lar Emergency Regul ati ons they were under an ob1 i gati on to perf orm a m'i nimum of 48 hours duty per month and must authori tj es or act, i f requi red, under the di recti on of the I ocal They r,lere al so j nf ormed that no i ts respons'i bl e of f i cers. alteration would be made in the Duty Roster, except for illness, and that any change of duty woul d have to be arranged wi th another member of the personnel .

Subsequent'l y, I vlas approached by an el der'l y member of the personnel who stated that if I djd not arrange to cover her duties while on holiday, she would send in her res"i gnation. I said, "Donrt 11lorry Send'i ng it in, I will accept it novl." ldhen she brought in her equipment, I sa'i d, "Thank YoU, madam. All we want noW is a bomb at your front door. " A few months 1ater, a bomb djd drop a few hundred yards from her house, but she was not badl y i njured. lnlhen the ambul ance arrived, she sajd to the driver, "Tell P.C. MaSon, 'lrVe had it. l-le wi l l understand. " The probl ems concernj ng the ambul ances t.tere even greater. For j nstance, pj I feri ng of petrol from vehj c1 es, run-down batteri es, damaged sel f-starters, fai 1 i ng to compl ete Log'i Books, damage to gears and cl utches. The greatest dj ffi cu1 ty r^ras n obtaj nj ng spare parts and repl acements for such a vari ety of di fferent types of vehj c1 es , and consequentl y I had to Spend many hourS, even duri ng ai r rai ds, searchi ng car breakersr yards at Tooti ng, East End, Rol I s Royce hlorks, Stapl es Corner, North Ci rcul ar Road and North London, in order to obtain supplies.

I n addi ti on, di ffi cul ti es often occurred when ambul ances returned to the Depot from bombi ng i nci dents wi thout thei r ful I compl iment of bl ankets and stretchers. A supply of thj s equi pment was supposed to be avajlable for exchange when the patient_ was del i vered at the hospi ta1 , but these drrangements were not a1 ways l,'lhen i nf ormed that none were avai I abl e, 'i the dri ver adhered to. to woul d return to the Depot w'i thout them. Consequentl y, fl order 'l ocal to the vi ts conserve the Depot stock, I made f requent si hospi tal where, after heated arguments, I woul d retri eve the Consequentl

r

bl ankets and stretchers.

Incj dental I y, fo1 1 owi ng an outbreak of scabi es at the Ambul ance Depots, i t was found necessary to have the bl ankets decontami nated yearl y.

0ne young femal e member of the upper cl ass compl ai ned bitterly when she hadj to attend Redhill Public Baths for ja course of treatrnent whi ch cons sted of be'i ng scrubbed wi th carbol c soap, j n order to di sl odqe the mi tes f rom under her sk'i n. thousands of The year 1942 saw Bri ta'i n hitting back, with jn which there days 20 were only There raids on Germany. bomber fel I on y no bombs practi and ght ca1 1 ceased warni ngs ni were a1 erts,

the Borough.

-7

Duri ng 1943 there were a number of smal I and spasmod'i c rai ds, but on 17 January German planes were heard pass'ing over the Borough on thei r way to London, as a repri sal f or one we had made 'i n Berl i n.

0ur guns to the North and East of the Borough put up a massi ve barrage and one of our shel I s dropped 'i n Church Street, Rei gate, where it exploded near a bus queue in the Market Square, killing one person and injuring six others.

0ther A. A. shel I s al so fel I at varj ous spots, i ncl udi ng one at the junct'i on of Smoke Lane and the Copse f ootpath, but di d not explode. From this time, dlerts were very few, but we had the hearteni ng si ght of our bombers streami ng overhead on thei r way to

bomb Germany.

In the early months of 1944, there t,lere nearly 50 alerts, most of t^th j ch took pl ace duri ng February and March. The I ast bombs to be dropped on the Borough occurred on the night of 5 January 1944, when a si ng1 e p1 ane rel eased two bombs whi ch expl oded near the juncti on of Rei gate t-li I I Road and the I ower end of Brokes Road. Cons i derabl e damage t^tas done to property and ei ght peopl e were injured.

The fi rst fl yj ng bomb rlras seen pass i ng over Rei gate on 12 June and duri ng the earl y morni ng on 17 June one expl oded near the Philanthropic school, Redhill, damag'i ng a tree. As the menace grew greater, the Mi 1 i tary put up a barrage of approxj matel y 2,000 ba'l I oons to the South of Rei gate rvh jch extended eastwards towards Kent.

0n Monday 19 June a flying bomb exploded at the junction of Earl swood Road and St. Johnrs Road, Edrl swood, shatteri ng and demolishing many houses and killing 10 adults and one child. Many persons were i n jured and the Rescue Ambul ance and Med'i cal Serv'i ces were kept fu1 1 y engaged duri ng the ni ght.

Day after day and ni ght after ni ght the f1 yi ng bombs went noisily overhead, f ol'l owed by rumbl ing explosions. In June there were 70 alerts and the longest, which lasted for 10 hours, took p1 ace on the I ast day of the month.

0n 29 June a fl yi ng bomb expl oded on the Hi ghway Depot at South Merstham, ki I I i ng three workmen and i njuri ng an e1 derly woman. It al so caused extensj ve damage to a railway bridge and to property. During Ju1y, there were well over 100 alerts and on 21 July three people were killed and six injured when a bomb exploded jn Brokes Road, Reigate. 0n 22 July another bomb expl oded near a house i n Lonesome Lane, Rei gate, killing a man and his wife and injuring two children. 0n 1 August a flying bontb exploded at Glovers Farm, Rejgate Hi11, demolishing the bui l di ng and causi ng severe damage to "H'i ghgrange" and "The Rock" , and

injuring 10 people.

me, the Al ied Arm'i es that I anded 'i n France on 5 6 June had begun the r sweep forward to the R i ver El be .

Meantj

and The

destruction of the ma'i n flying bomb sites near Calais, France, broughB about a marked decrease i n enemy acti vi ty.

0n 3 August the last flying bomb in Reigate Borough exploded, demolishing a house in Rockshaw Road, Mâ&#x201A;Źrstham, ki 1 1 i ng an e1 derl y woman, her si ster and two dauqhters.

-B

Apart from four rockets vhleh exploded ln the GodsEone dleurlcE, there were no further lncldents ln Ehe Retgate area ald, eommLssloner Losued an order stattn8 thaE consequtsirtty, the Reglonal reducilons l-n Clvll -Defenee Servl.ces would take place as from the 31st Deeember 1944. Subsequenulyr oil 28 November I recelved Ehe foLlowlng Notlce t(To) "P c Mason, Ambulance Offlcer, RelgaEe Clvll Defence.

"Dear Slr, "In accordance rlth the dlrecElons of the Raglonal Commlssloner arlslng out of the decLeton of the !{lnlst,er of Home Securlry, to reduce-the strengEh of the Clvtl Defence Personnel ln the Borought the Emergeney commlBtee of ths counell, have to gtve you one monthfs your engagement ln the Servlcel explrlng on noElce Cerminatlng 31 December next. - Tire Reglonal CommlssloRerr c8 you-kn-on, hqs- eald Ehe progresa of the !{ar- haa made 1t posotble and deelrable to underfate certain reducLlons ln sErengEhr The Commlttee have asked me fo convey to you Ehelr slncere t,hanks for your Loyal service and devoilon to duty. Thls Borough haa suffered as a result unremLt[1ng--Atr-Attack durlng the paet 5 yeara, and without Ehe Enemy of of the Flghttng and Clvtl Defence Servlces, t'he vlgllance constanu -have might ventured more to degtroy our towns and all we hold Enemy coLleague, I may perhapa add one rord, thaE of my dear. Ie a parsonal t,hanka to IoU r f or I feel t,haE as a Servlce re ean be juetly proud of our-record. I alao nleh to lnform yoy--that I have from the Reglonal lraneport Offlcer on hta nov recelved a report recent lnepectlon of Clvll Defenee Vehlclea ln RegLate, whlch appears to be htghly Eat,lBfactof,yr 'Yours elncerely, Ileber Davlse Town Clerk, Sub ConEroller 1939-1

"CtvLltan Casualtles

KILLED..o..

INJURED.....

Damage

aaa aaa

50

161

Lo Property

Houees totally Houses Damaged

Alertg . . . . .

O11Bomba...r.. fneendaryBombs FlytngBombs..

Parachutelllnes

. .

Hlgh Exploalve Bombg

destroyed 115 . o . . . 4189"

. r

.o893 ..496 18 rr r r 581l.7

.. r .. r.. . r. ..2

tl

Machlne Gun fncidents r.L

I reJolned Ehe Relgate Borough Pol"lce on 5 January L945r which for War purposes wa6 arnalgamaued wlth Gulldford Borough and Surrey County pollce on 1 February 1943 and waa knorn aB the Surrey Jolnt Pollce Force.

9

l*"iroa/:-_"Mr. Hodgkins recognized all this

and spent some time in trying to buy a portable garage, which could be converted into a mess for the men. After a coupl e of months, he found and bought one, erected it and installed a basin with runn'i ng water and tol d the Town Cl erk that the Ambul ance Personnel coul d now have the cottage to themsel ves. He was then i nformed that the Counci I had deci ded to buj I d a bungal ow for the Ambul ance

Personnel and the cottage would not be wanted.

"P. C. Mason was thoroughl y di ssati sfj ed wi th the garage accommodatoion for the fo11ow'i ng reasons: (A) Last thing at ni ght, a number of pri vate cars, i ncl udi ng Gorri ngers van, were parked i n f ront of the ambu'l ances, so that i f they shoul d have to turn out, the women had to push the private cars out of the way and start the ambul ances up and dri ve them out. Th'i s mi ght take at I east hal f an hour; ( B) There i s no bench for P. C. (C ) There i s no p] ace Mason or the mechani c to do repai rs; where tool s can be I ocked up and i n consequence they are constantl y mi ssi ng; ( D ) There i s no method of heat'i ng the p1 ace, women cannot gri nd these heavy eng i nes when stone col d and the ambul ances wonrt start.

"0n Nov. 5th 1 940, Dr. Bi ngham, Mr, Souter, Deputy 0ffi cer of th for Surrey and an 0ffi ci al from the Mi ni stry of Heal th vjsited the depot and the latter sympathised with P.C. Mason over the difficultjes of the garage accommodation, which he Heal

consi dered most unsui tabl e.

the Counc i l negoti ated w'i th Mr . Hodgk i ns about taking ov0r a back part of the garage, so as to be selffour di ffi cul ti es contained.

Thi s woul d overcome al I previ ous"l y menti oned. It meant knocki ng a door i n at one end.

Mr. Hodgk j ns however was unwi I I i ng to I et th'i s part of the garage go. He states that he i s worki ng for the Mi nj stry of Suppl y, the ground outsi de i s sof t and woul d be unsu'itabl e f or the ambul ances to manoeuvre i n and out, j t woul d mean knocki ng down a bi cycl e shed and the ambul ances goi ng 'i n and out woul d i nterfere wi th the normal traffi c i n anrl out of hi s garage. "

For

some months

1 very feebl e excuses.

"The Town C'lerk di d nothi ng f or someti me, unti l the Ambul ance PersOnnel , feel ing that conditions were s0 impossible, i f they were to be effi ci ent, Cdl I ed a meeti ng and el ected a deputy Through 0. C. and a secretary ( under P. C. Mason as 0. C. ) Mrs . H'i ck s , a meeti ng rllas arranged wi th the Borough Surveyor.

The day bef ore the meet'i ng , the Ambul ance Depot wa s i nf ormed that the work on the ne1v garage cou'l d not be started, owi ng to shortage of steel gi rders. Both the Deputy 0. C. and the

A1

ng , made certa j n that from two , before the meeti separate sources, steel g'i rders of the correct measurement, coul d be suppl i ed i n twenty-four hours. When they tol d the Borough Surveyor, hâ&#x201A;Ź sa i d i t wasn't that after a1 1 , but that He Regi onal Permi ssj on to start work, had not arri ved. ng After ! ! seei possi y had been bombed I etter b1 the suggested to se9 and the seCretary 0.

C. Deputy hi m, Mrs. Hi cks took the l , the Deputy Town Cl erk. (tfre Ambul ance Personnel l,lr. Randal 'i woul d I ke to express thei r appreci ati on f or the constant ef f orts on the part of Counc'i I I or Mrs. Hi cks, oVer a per j od of ten days, to grappl e wj th the si tuation. ) He promi sed to xtorry

Secretary

Regi

ona'l Control

aga'i

n and tel

ephoned

there and then.

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I1EI-1II TI - AME U I,ANCF] PERS()NNEL RE-UNloN. -- A Dlt,as.rlll. evcrlin'{ \\'us spenl at the Cale Rerllo. Etrdhill, bJ'rnclrllers. u,.rntberins 40. of thc R,aleihill Ailrbulalce StL-iion ol t.llc Civil DcfeDce, \i ii(-.se hpadqu[r'te]'s ( toall strcttgt.il 80 $(,r'c irl, t.irc Prrvillon, lVIcnlori11l SD0Its Liround. dtu.in{ 5.1 Vear-s of thc u,ar. i**lifn\. senl 1s31els *t tlcillg uuable Lo l)e prcsr.rrli .sirlg lo fhe rvcai-hcr colldiliolls.

Thp Vourrgr'i fira'nr})tfs \lilo harl bet:n r:irlletl to ol hcr ScI't'ir:e:; as cletrlancl rcquired irarl muclt 1.] Lalli allouL, havil){ l.ravcllt(l L{l iualrv ,il:L}ls ol llic tllolltl. r',ll)rtltq lllils| iri illl, n(lall('L' \\ls llli' AIt:l)lliitrrr'i' (,lIi('rr. It.(j. i\'{,'ll. \\i},) is trolv hire k irl lhr) Ii'.rr'(:c. P.C. UIâ&#x201A;Ź$E -.ras ser-Ottcit'd tr.r Lhr: A-R.P. al l.he r:QllilItr'rrtE. tttr:tIt oi tilt 1\'ai. iirrrl r.,-ri.r l'rtsllon-siilir. foI' llrs or3-,rnisatidtr {rl Lllr Altr}rttlirnt-t Serfice {or tllc Eoruu,Jll iil}ri tilit.q[rL n]irit-v ilor:c lo diivc ttnriet all kirl(is ot \',,tlr !ot)= tiiiirirs. i\{r. Ci, A. J, I)alrr, ().C. itr t:hai:lr rl ricilhill. puid lfibul0 i:0 onl niro ntarie lhr: cxltrrne sacrilirrt. l)rivtt P;ryne. r...I-rn. c:111f{i Io t]ll0 liervi{rrs in tit0 l:titcr pi..}-iiti llia $'ar. \,.':as [:illr]d \','llilil trrlllstxll'tit)--: -{tol'p.s i.r ihe li[t. The r.. lt0lr: iis.;Lrttiil1. sloorl lor ii rlillute itr silertct. 'lil r!rIt inri it'i1s vole{l i1 sLlircc-ss, :ind it 11 aS hol:t { lrl lrlui:r il arl :rnnll;ll ull:ril. Lighl )

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THr Uruton-Cnsru MnII SrrnnaSHIP CO., LTD. Telegraphic Addrcs: UNICASTLET LONDON.

3, FENCHURCH

TelePhonc :

MANstoN Houss 2550.

STREET,

LONDON, E.C.3.

ALL COMIlIUNICATIONS TO BE ADDRESSED TO THE COMPANY.

rN REPLY i PLEASEouorE |

YouR

qth Jrrneo 195O"

la ::'l'Ji11

I

REFERsNGT

I

- MF.

't*,Y.

Itrn Mason,

Gl ion,

2A Hi11t*p Roado RE

I+

{'NE ,

Sunr e;r"

Dear S ir,

e are in rece ip t of yourt l- e t ter af the ktfr instant &pFl jri ng fcr e pos i t ion as a L{as te r-at*Art,ts i n sur 1e::vi * e r but in repl-;r we ve l1)r rnuch regr.et to advise you that ltaeancies for this berth occlu-t.rePlr seldorn and" laj.* *.1:.ead.y l:ave rn&nrr 3llriicantg on Yf

or"]r l:ock.

Ynr:r narne however', s'111 he kept bef<:re us and shor:l d the situatlon al ter we wil l ge t ntc, t-*ueh wi th 1-

]rcu..

Fon THE

Ycurs f a.i t}:ft:i.ly,

UNI eN-rlA.qTi,E I''{"AT-I. STtrAI{SHIP CO" LTD"

\-,-1-".r,

Asst" Mari.ne

/&Z--C*L, l-J'il',:ci:i.ntenCent.

ALL COMI\AUNICATIONS

TO BE ADDRESSED

CO \PANY.

TO

L]NION-CASTLE L INE THE UNION- CASTLE 1t(AIL STEAMSHIP COMPANY LI.^AITED

,EC3 3 FENCHURCH S:TREET. LONDON

TELEPHoNE 1V\ANSION HOUStr 255O

YOUR REFERENCE

ouR

REFEREN

c lfr/S /

TELEGRA^AS UNICASTLE. LONDON

\$AA

22nd Augus t rl955.

IJlr.II. Masolt, Mr. trGllontt, 20 Billtop Road, Reiga te, SURREY.

Dear slrr

as a l{asterwith reference to your applleation for a positlon offer you can we confirm that At-Arns in our servicL, we Live to }!$IINC}IESTER and" from as CASTLET| sucf, a posltion ln our'R.M.M.V. 14th September", 1955.

B.rn. on the 1l+th Sept. arrange to teport/Lo the chlef officer Please, therefore, flWINCHESTER CASTLEI| at 1O5 berth, Southampton on boaril 6ur at Doeks. wlth your gear ready to slgn the shlp's Articles rnsurance your you s11-.tb.6 per"mont[. You should. take wlth Carcl snfl Merchant ]iavy Id.entity Papers.

In the meantime we suggest you contact Messrs. Molneryts Llmlied. of 5, Bil1iter. S{reet, London, E.C.Jr ln regard to your tnlform'whieh ls, of couise, to youls own account. lYe are arranglng to supply you with the neeessary buttons and trirmlngs for your uniform.

You should also take the enelosed leEter to the Sinistry of ?ransport, Dock street, Lond.on, 8.1.. as soon as convenient and they-wi1i arrange to ;urpply you wlth the necessary Menchant Navy fdentltY PaPers.

We would also nemind you that you w111 be nequlred- to become a Member of 15s NationaLfinlor: of Seamen.

Klndly aeknowledge recelpt of these instructions. for

Yorrrs fa ithfu11Y, S/S COivlPA}'ry.,LIMTTED.

THE UI{ION-CASTLE ilIAIL

/*t*ru''

Marine Superintendent

cc Sotton JMG.

l"ffT/)RtA

?l.i,z.i 'Eoo,r-

C.aL"fJ.E

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8289-195 t-2*?S50

UNIE VAN SUID.AFRIKA.

I.INION OF SOUTH AFRICA,

DEPARTMENT OF CUSTOMS AND EXCISE-MARINE SECTION. DEPARTEMENT YAN DOEANE EN AKSYNS_MARINE.AFDELING.

Certificate o{ Efficiency as Li{eboatman.

Bekwaamheidsertifikaat as Reddingsbootman.

N9 :-

:-

NAME-:ANI} DESCRIPTION Name irr

31? :

OF CANDIDATE.-NAAM EN BESKRYWING VAN KANDIDAA".

Full--Yolie ca$d.

t;Jr*pa* #e**y &kU ,*fnso* Corouaor Krxur.v*N

Complexion.

Celaatskleur.

,l fia/ i",l lr f'. fi;.e5,z;7E 1

Tattoo or othar Distineuisbing Marks.

Tatoeeer- of aader oaderskeidinpmetke

S'ttilt{ e*'ff4,* ,- -#rC -dE/ ,n?roo.lliLr, =*-rl{ €H ,'1€s4 t on

the,..........-.-......1-./-...1...1*.............-..'a;ry THrs Is To CERTTFY thal tke above-named saaman was examired "t r= -/ _ _*_-d$NE ....-o.*......-...19et.{and has proved to the satisfaction of the Examinerthat he has beeu trained 1^-,-^i:-* ,'os of af nqro ecnrrsin*erl *ith the --'{ +}ra ^/-^---^^.^s!.-,:,L the he ic is acquainted-with oars, tlraf that ha the-use lifeboats.and launching ,:f-t-^-+* aU tf,* operationstconnectedlwith the ordsrs and answering understandi.ng of he is capable that aid themsslyes, the boats ,*"tiJf Ujn{mg of :elative to lifeboats.

I{IERBY 'WORD GESERTIFISEER dat bogenoemde seeman op die-.-.---.... .................dag var

;;;il;;;dd;;#;;i;;?* praktierc i"rri. t it

van die :ote te volg ea uit te

Qrnca Der*

$teur

KAT.fr-ooRDATUMSTEMPEL.

ti * :;ti;i:5i1;,131'fJ *x:ffiilrs:";l:r'#rslff;:in xI=""3:'#l;'l*?i met

liantering vi:n die bcte sef en dat hy bevoeg is om bevele

voer.

r

verband

reddings-

"Gli"on" 20 Hilltop Reigare Surrey RiI2 7}IL

Road

7th June 1993 The Bditor

"Surrey i'{irror" Hartland l{ouse Church Streec RBIGATE

Surrey

Riiz

OAD

Dear Sir, Subjeccs of Local Inter:st I,{it.h reference Eo your requesE for suirject" o{ Local "Surrcy InteresL, I .ug.=c to'inforn-you that f contacted fice in of your at Tadman-BorreCt Iiark l,Iirror', report;r Ur. bep'n Anbulaflce church streetr"n=igaEe, and told him that having Service & Transport Oificel foi tfte Civil Defence Casualty and information of lot have i.lai, t i{orld during the Second ? plrotoqraphs concerning itp ocganLzation and administration fnterest Eo yolrr wnictr'r' in ny opinionr"-would be of Local address for insoection' reaclers. I h;A-;;;gisted he call at my

Anappointmeilt$IasmadeforWednesdaythE'thi'{ay'He Lelephone, laLer the failed to arrive. I{hen I contact.ed himtobyatcend due to other same day, he stat.erl that he was unable important business. He added that he 'nrould contacL me later' To dat.e, he has not done so.

I1-oweverrinvier'rofyourrequestfotsubje^ctsofLocal the file for your Incerest, 1 "* p..pared to de1{veryou so desire' inspection, at Hartland House, if Awaiting Your reP1Y. Yours Eru1Y,

flfi{fr2A*y InI.

H.

B.

!1AS0N

Result : LeEEer Passed Eo RePorEer

SURREY MIRROR SERVING EAST SUNNPY SINCE

1879

Tuesday, June

8, 1995.

,,t

Sunnrv MtRnon Reigate & Redhill

SunRBv MInnon Tandifue

CerenHeu MInnon

Homv

MmnoR

MTRRoR

Exrne

Dear Mr Mason,

rdith reference to your letter dated June /, concerning a vi-sit from myself rvith a.rie'tnr to taking a look at your collection of r+artime memorabil-l-ia.

Unfortunately ther:e seems to have been a mi-sunderstanding about a fi-rrn arrangement r"rhi-ch f was unaware had been made. f am sorry if you were under the i-mpressi-on that I would be coming round on the afternoon in question.

Hotveverr 1f you would like to contact me at the above address or te'l ephone nunber then I woul d 6sr'1si6l y }ike to take up )rour kind offer. Or, alternatively, rve cou-l d arrange a time for you to bri ng your file into the office for me to take

a look at.

Hartland House, Church Street, Reigate,

Surrey RHz OAD

future.

I look fonvard to hearing from )rou in the near

Yours Faithful-Iy,

Tel:0737 223411

Fax 0737 223625 Also at: 7 Station Road, Oxted, Surrey RH8 gEE

Reporter.

TeL 0883 712658

Fax 0883 7t7339 Cuqssrprpo:

Tel:0737 768555

a

Surel &

South l-ondon Newspaperc Limited.

Reg No 2246803

Yt2

"

Glion" 20 H111cop Road Reiga te Surrey

RHz 7HL

3-9-93

The Edltor

"surroy Mirror" Hartland House Church Streer REIGATE

Surrey

RHz

OAI)

Dear Slr,

Subjects of Local fngerest

With further reference to the above subject, may f remind you that my fl1e has now been ln your possession since Friday'

lt.h June . fn view of t,he long delay, I shal1 be grat'eful lf you v111 be good enough to leg me know lf and when you lntend making use of i-ts contents, On Ehe 5uh August I tried to cGnuact your reporter Mark Barrete by phone at your offlce in Church Street, Relgate, but was told that he was on 1eave. FIy request for hlm to contact me sttlL remalns unanswered.

Therefore, in view of all Lhe circumatancee, f f,egreE Lo inform you that, I sha11 aqraiL your reply before f declde Lo withdran my ftler 88 I now have an alternaEive proposition for ics publlcaulon.

L

Yours Eruly,

1{.H.8.

Mason

i"rfiitra"a on Fortress

stu,

I

am tryirag to collate in-

formation about

a'npg

Fortress" B-17G crashed

that

into the trees on

the North Downs

Way,

Reigate, about one milc

west

Llr 1l Scster

Glenrcsa 4a Temple Gard:ns STAIl.{ES

Hiddx

Ti{l8

of

the A217

some

time during the war, most probably','!t;14. rln :Ordei that a memorial may be errected thâ&#x201A;Źre.

It is essential that I find out the date of the crash and possibly the planq

RAF Hendon without

RoaC

REIGATE

Surrey

Museum

success.

It is thought the crew

were returning in a badly shot up plaae from a raid

"8.2

7HL

20t'r) Februery L995

ia Europe. rCan any of your readers help? I think the date was probably in thc Autumn of 1944.

'

.

Glenross 4a Temple Gardens

Staines

I

have tned the"l coirocil, police, USAF and . number.

3NQ

"Gl ion"

Zl) flil.1too

Middx

TwrE3NQ

Dear l1r Fo: t: r ,

l{ith refer3nce tc ycrr request publisheC in "surrey iiirrcr" Of on Janr:ary 26ti't, I arn pleased to inforrn you that as a Folice f icer in the i{obile Seccion of Raigate Borough Police I vi.sit'-d the scene 3f tae cresi:l on lgttr i'iarch L945, 4E abouE midday.

Firernea llere prs.l:nt, extin,guishing the burning Cebris 'airich covereC a large ar3e. I assisLed in Ehe reccvery and disposal of lhe remaiis cf nine crew meabers and these Frere lat:r tak3a aw,ay by meinbers of the Anerican Air lorce. ft was obviols r11at Ehe Elying Fortress haC approach:C ReiSaEe FlilI aL a very low alCi f ude, in thlcx mist. f ro'a ti-re SouLir-east , and Crashed inf o ih.: trees catching f ire. The point of impacL was abcuL 300 yards'rJ:st of the A,ZLI hig:ttray.

Incidentally, you inay be interested to know that f ain ao\{ 93 years of age and Curiag che Second Idorld War I qras seconded, starLi;lg February Lg4C, t6 the A.R.P. Civil Defence as Ambulance & TranspofL Officer, under the loca1 :nedical officer. I was respcnsible for Lhe organipation an,1 ad'ninis tration of the Ambulance Service, and remained. in posicion untiI December L944',,shen I returned to rotltiae PoIice duLies. f irope Lhis letcer is of assistance to you and vill be inierqsredr latei oor E,o t3ar f roin you r+ith news of ycur full researches.

Yours sinc:re1y,

,r.f,a//kru->11..-i.IILLIAH

i"lASOI{

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EY

David J Williams oPM LLB

POLICE-

Chi.l Constablo

REIGATE DIVISION POL!CE STN.TIOIJ 7S REIGATE ROAD REIGATE SURREY

RH2 ORY Tel: o737 - 76504o Faxt 0737 - 765o4O EXT 61 70 l{ trlaphening, plsas! ask lor

Our FlcfcrcnccMW/MJ

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13 July

Dear

if*

ffi o+vr

1993

r

Is :rorr 3.re prcbahi:, a"{3re i-:j.G }-aa! :.9-c)3. in;-rJl:9 :l:-: 5i'-h Anniversaiy of the analgamatlon of Reigate Borough police with Surrey I Constabulary. (Although this was a wartime amalgamation initially, am sure you know that Reigate Borough Police was never reformed) To mark this occasior, the Divisional Commander at Reigate Police Station, Superintendent John Wi11son, and serving officers, cordially invite you to a reception at the police station on Friday 22nd October 1993, between 12.00 hrs and 14.00 hrs.

A buffet lunch will be provided at this time and displays of memorablli.a from your time of service, or your husbands, will be on show.

The Mayor of Reigate has been invited to meet you all and the function will be attended by the Ctrief Constable of Surrey, or his represeritative and other N.A.R.P.O members.

We do hope tlpt you wii-1 be able to join us and appreciate that you may have special. needs and requirements. To enable us to make this a special. day for you, perhaps you would be kind enough to compLete the attached form and return it in the envelope provided, which is free post.

We

all look forward to meeting you and entertaining you.

Yours sincerely

,"/,ke4-/1

Sdrgeant Mike Wenn Community Service

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Your Raference:

61-01-

Mr. J. Mason, 2A, Hil}top Road, Reigate, Surrey

29 November

1,993

Dear Jock,

for

Thank you so much for coming along to the Reunion in October and supplying such an interesting display, along with the stories that

you were able to teIl us first-hand.

Enclosed are some photographs of the event for you to keep. I Iook forward to seeing you shortty when we can have a drink together in the bar one evening and go through in more detail some of the stories of the past.

rs sincerely,

,nNL-.I lson erintendent Wi

with tfue c*rnplirn*nts cf

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T/*et.$*rgeant Mik* WENN SURREV PQLlCE

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FeC{]tt$ii*rr,Jed

EPILOGUE

Remember

ti:re lhousands of A.q.P. Civil Defence inem3ers, Firemen

and

Policeiaen who 1airl. down their lives during Lhe Batt,le of Britain,

to prevenL rhe i.nrrasion by tire German Armed Forces, and vhat woulC have haopened if tl:ley had succeeded as they did in the Channel 1leJ-ping

Is1es.

The poliLical situalion in Brilain today is in a terrible mess, and

tEith ever i-ncreasing crj-me and vandallsm it is no-lcnger the country

it \'ias f or heroes,

women

and eeilCren to live in.

Howeverr 8s a veteran British Citizen, aged 93 years, it

gives

me

great. comfcrL to know that the eyes of Lhe Press and the eyes of the Lord:

The eyes of the Lord are in every place beholding a

But unfortunately some are for very di.ff*rent reasons.

H.g.

PRESS to increase their profits tHE LORD - to complete his judgen:nl THE

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