Frank Vivian
A Scout's War
People in story: Frank Vivian, Dad:
Clifford Vivian (deceased), Mum: Florence Vivian (deceased) and twin sister,
Jennett Vivian.
Location of story: Bamford, Derbyshire.
Background to story: Civilian
This story was
submitted to the People’s War site by Bill Ross of the ‘Action Desk –
Sheffield’ Team on behalf of frank Vivian.
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A Scout’s War
For my family, the Second World War started in August 1939. We were at
Sunnyvale Holiday camp in Rhyl, North Wales, when over the Tannoy system, was
broadcast the numbers of reservists required to report for duty. Uniformed army
officers were in evidence, inspecting the facilities, the camp eventually being
taken over as a base for training personnel. Families left the camp, holidays
were brought to an end and a sombre atmosphere pervaded amongst the grown ups.
As a 12 year old, it was not until we returned to our home in Bamford, near
Sheffield, did the seriousness of the situation become a reality to me.
The whole family volunteered for duty, Dad became an ARP warden, Mum was active
in the WRVS and Comfort Fund, my twin sister was a Guide and I was a Boy Scout.
We all wanted to be involved with whatever the community in the village could
do for the war effort.
My first experience was as a casualty for the ARP exercise and as a messenger
for the local ARP personnel, when two of us, occasionally overnight, manned the
telephone at the HQ next to the Derwent Hotel.
The Scout Commissioner for the district was also the chief ARP Warden, and on
one hot summer day, she sent me to investigate a white tent that she had
spotted up on Ashopton Edge. Having got within a clear sight of the offending
‘tent’, it turned out to be a pile of lime deposited ready to be spread on the
land.
Scouts undertook the collection of aluminium and scrap metal, and finding a
pram chassis, complete with wheels, resulted in the making of a six-wheeled
trolley. My cousin and I used the trolley to gather to a central point, bones
deposited in bins around the village for collection, eventually to be made into
adhesive, used in the fabrication of the wooden Mosquito planes.
Scouting continued in the villages and some camping was permitted, but only
within two or three miles of home base, provided tents were camouflaged and
fires carefully managed, though food rationing made catering over a campfire,
challenging.
Bamford received a group of young evacuees from Shoeburyness, and scouts
attended their arrival at the village school, assisting in their allocation to
their new families. Several evacuees became members of the Bamford School
Troop, enjoying the freedom of the countryside and learning new skills. Scouts
were on hand during many wartime activities to raise money, and helped in
packing parcels of comforts to be sent to the troops and the POW’s. One task was
the chopping and selling supplies of firewood from old railway sleepers. We
were encouraged to wear Scouts’ uniforms as often as possible, so as to become
recognised as one who would help on any occasion.
I and many of the older scouts also belong to the ATC and were privileged to
have lessons in gliding at Great Hucklow, the home of Derbyshire Gliding Club;
one member became a glider pilot in the Parachute Regiment..
The local ATC squadron spent up to ten days a year at operational aerodromes,
Finningley and Binbrook being ones that I remember; flights in bombers, such as
Wellington, Lancaster and Whitley were arranged. One experience at Finningley
was to be taken up in a Tiger Moth by a Polish pilot who was undergoing
rehabilitation training and delighted in aerobatics; because I was of small
stature and unable to see the ground over the edge of the cockpit, he
obligingly flew upside down so that I could get a view over Lincoln Cathedral.
Outside the scouting activities, I attended the New Mills County Secondary
school, making a twice daily twenty mile cycle and train journey, until it
became necessary to lay on buses to bring Hope Valley pupils home at a
reasonable hour. Trips down the hairpin bends on Mam Tor, were an experience to
remember, particularly on one occasion having to negotiate passing a broken
down Earl’s Cement lorry that had stalled on the way up. At one period, the
school was shared with, I believe, Stockport Grammar School, whilst bomb damage
was repaired, and attendance became |Monday, Wednesday and Friday one week, and
Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday morning, the next.
The train journey to school in carriages, also occupied by tired soldiers,
rescued from Dunkirk, was perhaps the nearest I came to being involved with the
actual war, but many of the events in the village of Bamford were for a
teenager, just as important and relevant to winning the 2nd World War.
Pr-BR