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The Fernhurst Society

Memories of Fernhurst: war years

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THE SECOND WORLD WAR

The war came to us all in some form or other, but the residents of Fernhurst will not forget the shock of the shattering noise made by the bomb which fell at the cross road in 1941. Property was extensively damaged and peopled shocked and hurt. One lady remembers that as she looked across the road from her home the walls of the house opposite just crumpled and fell. Windows of houses were blown in and roofs torn open. Park View Cottage was badly damaged and it is sad that the occupants were hurt and shaken. Trees were uprooted and hurled from their places.

This period was a very trying time in Fernhurst, neither do they forget the treachery of the so-called Lord Haw-Haw, who spent his honeymoon in Fernhurst and frequented the Spread Eagle. Presumably whilst in the district he was spying for Germany when news came over the air that military installations in Fernhurst had been destroyed. By this he meant the precision parts section of Burrows & Payne and the camp at Henley. But they were not destroyed. Von Ribbentrop and his friends visited the home of Lord Riversdale before the war and enjoyed the beautiful district of Fernhurst. Lord Riversdale had large steel interests in Sheffield and frequently entertained steel magnates from Germany, who also enjoyed the countryside and came to know the Fernhurst district quite well. After the war proof was found to show that Fernhurst was the place chosen by von Ribbentrop for his adoption when Germany won the war. In fact he had chosen Ropes for his residence, a very beautifully situated home, but how glad we are that they are not here. The house, now named Bollards, is occupied by delightful people, and is a charming country home with a perfect English garden.

Bollards
Bollards

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The Fernhurst Oral History Project was supported by the Local Heritage Initiative. The Local Heritage Initiative was developed by the Countryside Agency and was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Nationwide Building Society.

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