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The following is a description by Ken Allan who lived in the Bakery 1945-51.
The church was rated as "High Church", it's services being very close to Roman Catholicism. The vicar at the time was the Rev C. Ayton-Williams, his wife was the organist. His sermons were of the old "Fire and Brimstone" type, it seemed strange because normally he was a quiet spoken man. Pollie Simpson did all the flower arranging and cleaning of the vestments and lamps for the church, ably assisted by ladies from the WI.
Lighting within the church was from Aladdin lamps suspended from the beams, these were raised and lowered on a counter levered chain by using a pole with a hook on the end shaped like a letter "S' on it's side. With the downward facing part of the hook you were able to pull the lamps down, and with the upward facing hook, push them up. Heating for the church was by circulating water heated by a three chambered coal fired furnace just outside the rear entrance to the vestry and tower. Entrance to the furnace was down three stone steps, and through a heavy wooden door which you required a key to open. The water radiators in the church were placed at strategic places around the church to give the maximum amount of heat.
Services were every Sunday, starting with Matins at 11.00 am. and Evensong at 7.00 pm.
POW's Italian and German POW's were brought from the St.Neots area [possibly Beeson House POW camp 141] to work on the local farms, and arrived together in a covered lorry. The Italians were accompanied by two armed solders and worked on George Britten’s farm helping with harvesting and other farm duties. The Germans never had guards and helped Joe Brritten and with his dairy and sheep farm and also Alf Carr with his dairy and crop farm. The end of hostilities was not a signal that the POW's would instantly go home, quite the contrary, they were still busy on the farms until early 1947. The Germans in particular were not interested in going back to Germany, many were demobbed in England and stayed.
VE Day on Wednesday May 8th 1945 saw some of the Germans rejoicing as well. The main celebrations were held in the market square of Higham Ferrers, where stalls and trestles were put up for food and enough space left for dancing, which went on during the day and well into the night. Chelveston had it's own celebrations with a party in the village hall.
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Religion (part 3) |
