1943 Evacuation

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No small sacrifice

On 16 November 1943, all households within the parish of Tyneham were issued with the following evacuation notice:

SOUTHERN COMMAND


TRAINING AREA, EAST HOLME,
Nr. LULWORTH

In order to give our troops the fullest opportunity to perfect their training in the use of modern weapons of war, the Army must have an area of land particularly suited to their special needs and in which they can use live shells. For this reason you will realise the chosen area must be cleared of all civilians.
The most careful search has been made to find an area suitable for the army’s purpose and which, at the same time, will involve the smallest number of persons and property. The area decided on, after the most careful study and consultation between all the Government Authorities concerned, lies roughly inside of the square formed by EAST LULWORTH – EAST STOKE – EAST HOLME – KIMMERIDGE BAY.
   including your properties – see overleaf [HANDWRITTEN]
It is regretted that, in the National Interest, it is necessary to move you from your homes, and everything possible will be done to help you, both by payment of compensation, and by finding other accommodation for you if you are unable to do so yourself.
The date on which the military will take over this area is the 19th December next, and all civilians must be out of the area by that date.
A special office will be opened at Westport House, WAREHAM, on Wednesday 17th November, and you will be able to get advice between the hours of 10a.m. and 7p.m., from there on your personal problems and difficulties. Any letters should be sent to that address also for the present.
The Government appreciate that this is no small sacrifice which you are asked to make, but they are sure that you will give this further help towards winning the war with a good heart.

C. H. MILLER
Major-General I/c Administration,
Southern Command
16th November 1943


The Parishioners

In 1981, the Royal Armoured Corps Gunnery School restored the bible used at St. Mary’s Church up to the evacuation and added names of ‘The Parishioners’ presumably intended to be those present immediately prior to the evacuation. We do not know who compiled the listing or what resources were used.

Please note that the list:

  • excludes the names of those parishioners who lived in the forgotten parts of the parish, namely Povington and Whiteway
  • includes the names of a number of people who had passed away or left the parish before the evacuation in December 1943.

Below we set out fuller information about those named.


H. M. G. Bond

  • Henry Mark Garneys Bond (1922-2017) – Known as Mark, he was the son of Ralph and Evelyn Bond. He later served in Royal Green Jackets and became Major-General and Brigadier. He was High Sheriff of Dorset in 1977.

E. M. G. Bond

  • Elizabeth Mary Garneys Bond (1921-2010) – Elizabeth was the daughter of Ralph and Evelyn Bond. She married David Philip Williams, Third Baronet of Bridehead. She was High Sheriff of Dorset in 1979.

Mr & Mrs Ralph Bond

  • William Ralph Garneys Bond (1880-1952) – Known as Ralph. He was High Sheriff of Dorset in 1945.
  • Evelyn Isabel Bond nee Blake (1884-1954) – Evelyn, as churchwarden and person responsible for clearing the church prior to evacuation, is believed by some to be the person who pinned the note on to the church door in 1943 saying:

‘’Please treat the church and houses with care. We have given up our homes where many of us lived for generations to help win the war to keep men free. We shall return one day and thank you for treating the village kindly’’.


Mr & Mrs William Bond

  • The ‘Mr &’ is an error as William Henry Bond died in 1935.
  • Mary Caroline Bond nee Thompson (1851-1949) – Widow of William Henry Bond

Miss Margaret Bond

  • Margaret Helen Bond (1892-1988) – Known as Margot. Spinster sister of Ralph.

The Misses Blake

  • Alice Victoria Blake (1887-1970) – Spinster sister of Mrs. Ralph Bond
  • Phyllis Constance Blake (1893-1976) – Spinster sister of Mrs. Ralph Bond

Mr & Mrs Churchill

  • Sidney George Churchill (1900-1975) – In 1939 was farming West Cruxton Farm near Maiden Newton. Took over Tyneham Farm from Walter Case Smith not long before the evacuation.
  • Edith Laura Churchill nee Pitcher (1901-1973)

Please see Churchill Family page for more information.


Mr & Mrs Curtis

This entry would appear to be a mistake as this couple were living at Sevenoaks, Kent at the outbreak of WW2 where James was employed as Head Gardener.

  • Charles James Curtis (1879-1970) – ‘James’ was born at East Grafton in Wiltshire. He was Captain of  the Air Rifle Shooting Club.
  • Annie Curtis nee Wilson (1877-?) – Annie was born at Lymington. James and Annie married at Lymington in 1907 and were living in Tyneham by 1911.  They did not have any children.

“James Curtis was head gardener, an expert at his work and a trusted friend, for eighteen years and was succeeded by his second in command Tom Gould”.

Lilian Bond

Joe Dando

This entry is an error. Joe Dando had left Tyneham by 1930

  • Joseph Alfred Dando (1912-2002) – Joe Dando worked as a Servant for the Bond Family at Tyneham House from 1926. He married Alice Edith ‘Rose’ Wellman, daughter of Bob & Alice Wellman, in 1934. Rose was also a servant at Tyneham House.

Please see Dando Family page for more information.


George & Ellen Davis

This would appear to be an error as George Davis died in 1927 and his widow Ellen was living near Witchampton at the outbreak of WW2. George and Ellen were the parents of Flo who married Percy Holland in 1927 a few months before George’s death.

Please see Holland Family page for more information.


Mr & Mrs Phillip Draper

  • Philip Draper (1902-1979) – Owned ‘Sheepleaze’ on the cliffs above Worbarrow.
  • Jane Esther Draper nee Lawson (1904-1985) – Wife of Philip.

Please see Draper Family page for more information.


Gwendoline Driscoll

  • Gwendoline Agnes Jane Driscoll nee Hall (1897-1975) – Gwendoline ran the Post Office in The Row from 1939 to 1943. She later emigrated to Rhodesia.

Please see Driscoll Family page for more information.


Mr & Mrs Durrant

  • Albert George Durrant (1915-1998) – Albert and Rosalind came to Tyneham after the outbreak of World War 2. Albert enlisted with the Tyneham Home Guard in 1941.
  • Rosalind Emily Durrant nee Samways (1914-1966)

Maud Ellis

  • Ethelwyn Maude ‘Maud’ Ellis (1879-1951) – Spinster: lived in ‘The Bungalow’ on the cliff edge overlooking Worbarrow Bay.

George, Lily & Archie Everett

  • George William Everett (1882-1957) – George was employed at Tyneham Farm by Walter Case Smith.
  • Lily Everett nee Hawkins (1888-1957) – Wife of George. They married in 1911.
  • Archibald James Everett (1912-1970) – Son of George & Lily. Archie was also known as ‘Whippet’.

Please see Everett Family page for more information.


The Rev. & Mrs Frend

This is an error.

  • Revd. Edwin George Clifford Frend (1871-1937) – Revd. Frend died before the evacuation and was buried in Tyneham churchyard.
  • Edith Frend nee Bacon (1876-1966) – Edith, Revd. Frend’s widow, moved to Hindhead, Surrey before the outbreak of the Second World War.

Please see Rectors of Tyneham page for more information.


William Frend

This is an error.

  • William Hugh Clifford Frend (1916-2005) – Second son of Revd. Edwin & Mrs Edith Frend. William was living in Oxford at the outbreak of the Second World War.

Tom, Virtue & John Gould

  • Thomas Henry Mansbridge Gould (1872-1948) – Tom was the Head Gardener.
  • Virtue Mary Park Gould nee Everett (1877-1964) – Virtue was the sister of George Everett and aunt of Archie Everett. Tom and Virtue married at Tyneham on 20 April 1904.
  • John Cedric James Gould (1912-2010) – John, son of Tom and Virtue, was a central figure in the campaign to return Tyneham to its residents.

Please see the Gould Family page for more information.


Harry, Marjorie, Arthur Grant

  • Henry George Grant (1898-1977) – Harry Grant was the woodman at Tyneham House from 1926.
  • Beatrice Marjorie Grant (1901-1982) – Marjorie
  • Arthur Henry John Grant (1922-2010) – Arthur, son of Harry and Marjorie, later married Grace and had two children, Geoffrey and Annette. Arthur’s ashes are buried in the graveyard at Tyneham Church.

Please see the Grant Family page for more information.


Cyril Griffiths

  • Cyril Frank Griffiths (1928-1998) – Cyril lived with the Grant Family at Gwyle Cottages.

James & Edith Herd

  • Edith Herd nee Knight (1886-?) – Born Edith Knight, she married Harry Barnes in 1908 at East Lulworth and then married Scotsman James Forgan Herd in 1920. Edith was Tyneham’s postmistress in the 1930s.
  • James Forgan Herd (1892-1943) – James died early in 1943 before the eviction.

Charlotte & Helen Hole

  • Lottie Hole

Please see Hole Family page for more information.


William Holland

  • William Holland (1886-1946)

Please see Holland Family page for more information.


Herbert & Jessie House

  • Herbert John House (1889-1958) – Herbert was the farmer at North Egliston, sometimes referred to as South Tyneham Farm.
  • Jessie Emily Pitcher House nee Bowditch (1893-1978) – Jessie

Please see House Families page for more information.


Gerald, Gwen & Poppy House

Gerald, Gwen and Poppy were children of Herbert & Jessie House.

  • Gerald House (1918-2006)
  • Gwendoline ‘Gwen’ House (1923-)
  • Poppy Ciceley House (1925-2006) – Poppy was 18 when evacuated. She married Clifford Budden in 1946 and they had three children.

Please see House Families page for more information.


William House

  • William House (1913-2001)
  • Violet Ruth House nee Collins (1917-1991)
  • William John House (1938-1989)

Please see House Families page for more information.


Arthur & Rose House

  • Albert ‘Arthur’ House (1916-1999)
  • Eveline ‘Rose’ House nee Collins (1919-2006)

Please see House Families page for more information.


Sylvia House

  • Sylvia House (1919-1999) – Daughter of Herbert & Jessica (Jessie) House of Povington Farm. She married George Francis Braisby (1917-2000) of Blackmanston Farm, Steeple in 1943 – they were the last couple to be married at Tyneham.

Please see House Families page for more information.


Mr & Mrs Howard

This would appear to be an error.

  • Charles William Howard (1860-1928)
  • Emily Alice Howard nee Tewksbury (1861-1936)

Please see Howard Family page for more information.


Percy Howard
No supporting information found.


George Howard

  • George Frederick Howard (1893-1956)

Percy & Ellen Kerley

  • Percy Henry John Kerley (1886-1959) – Percy
  • Ellen Louisa Mary Kerley nee Evans (1887-1972) – Ellen

Please see Kerley Family page for more information.


Albert & Reginald Longman

  • Albert Bernard Longman (1869-1943) – farmed Baltington Farm – married Emma Caroline Bartlett (1870-1940) –
  • Reginald Charles A Longman (1913-1983) – son of Albert & Emma

Please see Longman Family page for more information.


Charles Meech

  • Thomas Charles Meech (1884-1971) – Charlie was the son of Emily Taylor, the Laundress, from her first marriage to Thomas How Meech (1860-1888). Charlie was the ‘Odd Man’ at Tyneham House.

Please see Meech Family page for more information.


Jack & Alice Miller

  • John Alfred ‘Jack’ Miller (1866-1947) – Also known as ‘Jam’.
  • Alice Mary White Miller nee Rose (c.1866-1959) –  known as ’Miggie’.

Jam and Miggie lived at Rose Cottage, Worbarrow.

Please see Miller Family page for more information.


Charles & Harriet Miller

  • Charles William Miller (1852-1943) – Sadly Charlie died a few days after the evacuation and the Army gave permission for him to be buried at Tyneham.
  • Harriet Deborah Miller nee White (1854-1947) – Harriet was buried at Wareham.

Charles and Harriet lived at Fern Hollow, Worbarrow.

Please see Miller Family page for more information.


Thomas & Minnie Miller

  • Thomas William Miller (1858-1952) – Tom, a fisherman, was single and lived at Hill Cottage, Worbarrow at the outbreak of the Second World War
  • Minnie Louisa Miller (1888-1966) – Minnie was Tom’s niece, the spinster daughter of his late brother Jesse Walter Miller (1861-1938)

Please see Miller Family page for more information.


Winifred & Beatrice Minterne

  • Winifred Elizabeth Minterne (1901-1973)
  • Beatrice Ann Minterne (1904-1966)

Please see MInterne Family page for more information.


Tom Minterne

This is an error as Tom had died in 1925.

Please see MInterne Family page for more information.


The Rev. & Mrs Money

  • Revd. Humphrey Churchill Money (1884-1954) – Rector of Tyneham
  • Mary Constance Money nee Henderson (c.1893-1960)

Please see Rectors of Tyneham page for more information.


Mr & Mrs Pritchard & son Arthur

This is an error as the Pritchard Family left Tyneham in 1928.


Mrs Rayner

This is believed to be an error. Miss Louisa Rayner was in service at Tyneham House c. 1931.


Walter & Kate Smith

This is an error.

  • Walter Case Smith (1861-1948) – Walter, nicknamed ‘Leather Jacket’, farmed Tyneham Farm during the 1930s and early 1940s before Sidney Churchill took over. He moved to Holly Lodge at Stapehill near Wimborne and died on 18 January 1948.
  • Theodora Kate Smith nee Doble (1862-1938) – Kate was Walter’s housekeeper at Arne. Walter and Kate married in 1907. Kate died in 1938.

Please see Smith Family page for more information.


Arthur & Phillis Stockley

  • William Arthur Stockley (1908-1983) – Arthur was a cowman and general worker living at Worbarrow in 1939 – at the time of the evacuation he and his wife were living in a cottage at Lutton Farm, Steeple
  • May Phyllis Stockley nee Barnes (1909-1987) – Phyllis, Arthur’s wife, was the daughter of the late Harry Barnes who ran the Post Office until his death in 1915

Please see the Barnes Family page for more information.


Mr & Mrs James Tassell

This is an error. Mr & Mrs John Thomas Tassell were in service for Mary Caroline Bond at 1 Queens Avenue, Dorchester at the outbreak of WW2.


William, Elizabeth & Helen Taylor

  • William Taylor – William was the woodman of Tyneham and was appointed Parish Clerk and Sexton by the Bond family. His wife was Emily, the laundress. She also doubled as local ‘midwife’ and was also caretaker for the church and school. She died in 1917 aged 52.
  • Harriet Elizabeth Taylor (1892-1987) – Bessie.
  • Helen Beatrice Taylor (1901-1999) – Helen, known as ‘Beattie’ was the Seamstress at Tyneham House.

After being displaced, the Taylor Family went to live at Corfe Castle.

Please see the Taylor Family page for more information.


Mr & Mrs Albert Toms

This would appear to be an error.

  • Albert Toms (1868-1942) – Albert was a shepherd and was living at Baltington in 1931 – in September 1939 he was at Coombe Keynes
  • Lillian May Toms formerly Hampshire nee Elliot (1895-1982) – Albert’s second wife – by 1939 was living at Upton near Poole in Dorset – Albert and Lilian had four children together 

Mr & Mrs Upshall

This is an error. The Upshall Family lived at 4 The Row from 1925-1929. At the outbreak of WW2 in September 1939 they were living at Studland.

Please see the Upshall Family page for more information.


Reginald Ware

  • Reginald Gower Ware (1891-1973) – Reggie was an ex-soldier severely wounded in World War 1. His left arm was virtually useless and he also suffered serious injury to his abdomen. He lived at Gate Cottage near the lower end of the Gwyle Stream. He had a boat called Witch of Worbarrow.

Please see Ware Family page for more information.


Mrs Wheeler

This is an error. Mrs Mary Jane Wheeler died in 1932. Please see Wheeler Family page for more information.


Bob & Alice Wellman

  • Robert Wellman (1887-1964) – Robert married Alice Victoria Lucas in 1912.
  • Alice Victoria Wellman nee Lucas (1887-1975) – Alice was the daughter of ‘Shepherd’ Lucas (James William Lucas 1848-1925).
  • Their daughter Alice ‘Rose’ Wellman married Joe Dando in 1934. Bob and Alice had other children including Vera, Jim, Ivy, Peter & Joyce.

Please see Wellman Family page for more information.


Ernest & Evelyn Whitlock

  • Ernest George Whitelock (1905-1947) – Ernest was a Carter.
  • Evelyn Mary Whitelock nee Kelly (1904-1989)

Please see Whitelock Family page for more information.


If you have any information about individual parishioners that you would like to share, please see contact details shown on the home page.


Page last updated: 2 September 2023