As April gives way to the glorious week of sunshine that is the start of May, the 80th anniversary of the Allied victory in Europe – VE Day – is finally upon us. This time of year provides us all an opportunity to reflect not only on the more prolific events of the Second World War, but also on moments much closer to home. The contributions of the people of Chester and Neston during WWII deserve their equal share of recognition, and in this special edition of my newsletter I hope to give some of these stories the spotlight they deserve. On VE Day, we come together to remember those who have come before us, whose efforts and sacrifices are enshrined in the values that we all share and uphold.
Perhaps at the forefront of many of our minds during this week of remembrance are the sacrifices of the brave men without whom history may have taken a very different course. The men of Chester and Neston, many of whom enlisted with the Cheshire Regiment and Yeomanry, risked their lives to fight for our values and the freedom of future generations, and for this they deserve the deepest of thanks.
The Cheshire Regiment, which was based out of the Dale Barracks in Moston, served across the European and Northern African theatres throughout the war. The Regiment was divided up into seven battalions for the duration of the Second World War, and served across the world. The Cheshires were present at Dunkirk, Malta, Italy, and in the Normandy landings of 1944.
Likewise, the Cheshire Yeomanry served in the Middle East until 1942, where they stood as one of the few remaining horseback regiments in the British Army. The Yeomanry then transitioned into service as a signals regiment in the Middle East and in Europe.
Chester and Neston’s men served with distinction in all branches of the British armed forces during the war. From the RAF and the Merchant Navy to Royal Army Ordinance Corps, all these men experienced the war indifferent ways, with different stories to tell. Many of these stories have been put on display at the Chester Military Museum, where the excellent work of the staff and volunteers work to protect their legacy. This upcoming anniversary may be one of the last opportunities to pay tribute to the living Second World War veterans, and it is vital that we take the opportunities to learn about this history from voices both past and present.
Many of the men of the Cheshire Regiment and Yeomanry gave their lives in the pursuit of victory, and ultimately for peace. Memorials erected in their honour can be found all across Chester and Neston, often at the heart of our communities, as well as in our local war cemeteries, many of which are under the stewardship of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
This year, in recognition of the 80th anniversary, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission have launched their ‘For Evermore’ Campaign, that commemorates the stories of those who have fallen in both World Wars. The Commission is encouraging visitors to add their family’s stories to their digital archive, which will commemorate the memory of the men and women whose lives were lost during the war. I invite those who are interested to read more about this campaign on the Commissions website, and to submit their family’s stories.
We can never forget the sacrifice made by these men to protect our homes and our families, and this VE Day we all have the opportunity to come together once more to thank them and uphold their legacy.
Every community across the nation played their part in the national war effort in ways both big and small.
The Home Guard is an iconic part of the stories of the war at home, and our communities played their parts with dedication. All across Chester and Neston, men volunteered their time to protect their homes from the threat on an invasion that in 1940 loomed as a very real possibility. These men donated their spare time to ensure that defence infrastructure across their homes were repaired and up to date. In Chester, the local Home Guard men stationed in the city centre were placed on guard throughout the city in key areas, including the Grosvenor and Old Dee Bridge, the Meadows (for fear of its use as a parachutist landing site), and at Chester Cathedral on fire watch duty.
The Upton Home Guard, headquartered on Acres Lane. Image sourced from the Upton-by-Chester Local History Group
Equally important to the war effort was the work of other volunteer services, such as the ARP wardens, whose kept a strict enforcement of blackout precautions all across the UK. My grandfather, Harold Brown, served as an ARP warden in Liverpool, the city to experience the most bombing outside of London due to the importance of its Atlantic ports. He was part of a team of four wardens patrolling in Bootle when a delayed action bomb exploded and collapsed the side of a family home.
The four men entered the site with considerable risk to their own selves to save eight of the occupants, before going back inside to rescue four more, who had been trapped in their bed due to collapsing rubble. My grandfather, alongside the other rescuers, used the hard metal of their helmets to lift up the collapsed ceiling and pull the four trapped civilians clear, moments before the rest of the ceiling came down and crushed the spot where they had been.
All four wardens were awarded the OBE Medal for their bravery in the face of such danger and potential loss of life. Moments of immense personal bravery in such dire situations echo all across the nation from this time of peril. This VE Day, the stories of men like my grandfather are at the forefront of my mind, as I think of the valour of everyday citizens who volunteered from a sense of patriotic duty to the greater good of us all.
In Chester and Neston, though bombing was less frequent, ARP wardens and other volunteer services responded to 232 air raid alerts between August1940 and October 1941. This represented a recorded 391 bombs falling in the city’s boundaries.
During this time of remembrance, I believe it is important to acknowledge that alongside the prevailing image of the male volunteers of the Home Front, that many women also dedicated their time to the war effort. Chester and Neston women enrolled in the Women’s Voluntary Service, through which they took part in ambulance driving, ARP duties, and the running of national and local evacuation schemes.
My Grandmother, Jean Brown, was an ambulance driver in Liverpool during the war. She was a part of the Volunteer First Aid services, and like many women and men on the Home Front saw first hand this new state of total war that had been brought to our homes. Volunteer workers like my grandmother were vital to our eventual victory– however far away that victory might have felt in the darkest nights of the Blitz – as women in their hundreds across our communities stepped up to do their part.
For many women in and around the Chester area during the Second World War, their memories of the Home Front feature their time spent at work. The introduction of the National Service Act (1941) resulted in the recruitment of women to work for the first time, and shortly after in 1942 all women of working age were instructed to enlist with the Ministry of Labour to be distributed to the total war effort.
In Chester, this often meant a position in one of the local factories that had been converted to producing war matériel. These included: Anchor Motors on Pepper Street, where workers sewed the fabric tail coverings for Wellington bombers; Carlux Electrical Services on Nicholas Street, whose staff serviced and repaired electrical elements in war-damaged planes across the northwest; and Williams & Williams on Liverpool Road.
The Williams & Williams Reliance Works opened its doors in Chester in 1910, and produced metal window frames, before being converted into a munitions works at the outbreak of the war. As was the case across the country, much of this work was done by women. Williams & Williams produced shell cases, metal shelters for use during air raid attacks, ammunition boxes, sections of Bailey bridges that were used during the D-Day landings and an astonishing 48 million jerricans.
This was an incredible achievement and is something that our city should be immensely proud of. The Grosvenor Museum currently holds three oil paintings of these workers, without whom this achievement would have not been possible. The series of paintings, commissioned by the company by War Office artist Ethel Gabain, portray the women of Williams & Williams as both powerful and determined, as well as a colourful and tightly knit community. These women were the very image of the British public during the war, working tirelessly to go above and beyond for the benefit of us all, both present and future.
The Second World War impacted everyone in British society, from the adults who took up arms and welding masks alike, to the youngest of us all. In Chester and Neston, many families opened their doors, as Operation Pied Piper triggered a mass exodus of evacuees across the country.
In Neston and the surrounding towns, many children were evacuated from Merseyside, as well as others from Liverpool, London, and Guernsey. These children, exiled from their homes by Nazi occupation of the Chanel Islands, were welcomed into the local community and their foster families warmly. Most of these young people recall feeling safe and secure, forming life-long friendships with the other local children in the green fields of the Cheshire countryside.
Many of these children from Guernsey would be billeted in Parkgate for over five and a half years, only able to communicate with their families in short, tightly censored letters. Despite what must have been for some a harrowing and highly stressful time, these children settled into life in Parkgate, and their time there left a big impact on many, and the actions of these foster families was not forgotten. In December 1946, the Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey wrote to the Neston Council with his thanks and ‘with very great gratitude’ for the stewardship of their young people.
All across Chester and Neston, many of the young people who evacuated into our homes chose to remain after the war as they found themselves so fond of their foster-families and their neighbours. This spirit of unity and camaraderie has persisted in our communities throughout the war and beyond. I am incredibly proud to represent Chester as a City of Sanctuary, as we all keep this rich and deeply moving tradition of care and generosity alive.
VE Day has always provided us with an opportunity to take time and reflect on the history of our home, which often may pass us all by quietly. This year, however, I am particularly aware that this is one of the last major anniversaries where we have the privilege to talk to the generation that experienced the war first hand. More than ever, I believe that it is important for us all to ask questions of our history; to know where the values that we share and uphold come from, and to know what sacrifices were made to protect them.
Together, we will make sure the legacies of those who gave their lives will continue to be told for generations to come. These commemorations are an opportunity to come together as a nation, as Britain did 80 years ago, to honour veterans and reflect on the freedom and values that the Second World War generation fought so hard to protect.
Thank you again for taking the time to read this update. The regular newsletter highlighting my work will return next week. Please share these newsletters with your friends and family members.
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With best wishes
Samantha Dixon MBE, MP
Chester North & Neston