General Chat

I was going to put this on the war years thread, then changed my mind, as you do!
Does anyone else remember the ex-prisoner of war camps and the redundant army huts just after the war and how people solved the lack of houses by squatting in them and turning them into habitable homes? There were quite a lot of these in Kent when I was a child, because so many houses had been destryed by bombing.

Hi Jean
Locally we still have some of these huts that were used during the war as a local hospital, by Canadians I believe. There are some war graves locally too with Canadian service men.
They are now improved, asbestos removed , by small clubs, opera, football, gymnastics, gun club, allotments to mention just a few.
I am between Windsor and Reading.
The prefabs weren't so different either I lived in one of those until I was 6 years old in West London.

Linda :o) XxX

Well l remember near Tangmere, which is near Arundel, the corrogated (tin) round topped dwellings in the fields, my parents told me they were for the Polish soldiers. l think we actually drove into the fields, my father (l think ) gave them supplies of some sort, probably cigerettes!! l can see in my head now men in dark coloured knee length coats, and some sort of fire set up for cooking.... ( 3 prongs and a pot hanging from the middle onto the fire)


jude :o)

In London just off the OLD becton road was a playing field named the Vernons. THAT was taken over by squatters, after the end of the war but later was re claimed by the schools as their playing fields and changing rooms......

Bob

Hi Linda, yes prefabs were so popular that people were fighting to get on the list for one! Those who lived in them were often not anxious to move when the government wanted to pull them down.
They were followed by the Woolaway bungalow which is still in existance.

My workshop is an old nissan hut, been in it for the last ten years.

My dad was in the army. Around 1955 we lived in a Nissen Hut near Bicester for a few months. It was called either 4Camp or 7 Camp (One was where we lived, the other where we had RC Church Services).

We eventually moved to lovely family quarters in Ambrosden.

Jude, would you believe that somebody in New Zealand actually knows where Tangmere is? My OH was from not too far away. The family were bombed out of one of their homes. I think he said there were 3 airfields near them, so the area was bombed a lot by the enemy.

Huia.

Huia.
I would even be sure that you might know where Newham is.........?
AND a gasworks watch.LOl
Bob

Anyone know where Holbury is? LOL
My friend lived in one there in the 1960's!

Bob2067 etc, offhand I thought Newham was in a part of greater London, but I hauled out my atlas just to check up and the only Newham I could find listed was north of Alnwick. As for your gasworks watch, I havent got it. I deny all knowledge of it. It was the other person wot took it.

Huia.

Hi, Mags, I looked up my atlas since I had it out, and Holbury is in the New Forest area. What would I do without my atlas. It is very handy when people on this site mention places. Not that I needed it for Tangmere.

Huia.

Hi Lived in a Nissen hut in Perth Australia. 1969 for 11months
The "pommie migrant camps". Half a nissan hut per family. 2 rooms. Went to the canteen for meals.
The mention of nissen huts brings back memories
SueB

During my childhood, and come to think about it, most of my adulthood, I remember a collection of Nissen Huts, just over the border in Nottinghamshire. Me mother always said it was a Polish camp during the war, but as they fought on our side, it obviously was not for prisoners of war. Perhaps, it was for refugees and displaced persons.
However, what I do remember is that for years after the war, they were used as a mushroom farm. They are not there now, possibly went about 15 years ago, and now a modern sorting office is on the site.
This has bought back memories.
Julia in Derbyshire

Edited to say, my aunt lived in a pre-fab for years, and though very cosy, they reminded me of Nissen Huts

We lived in the nissen huts in Chandlers Ford Hants until I was five. My dad was a Polish refugee and mum is British. I remember mum heating the iron on the stove and all sorts of things from that time. I have lots of photos of that time too. Mum says that life was hard for her as she didn't speak Polish so couldn't converse with everyone. I was born in 1952 but also still remember rationing.

My uncle who still lives in the area sent me a book that was written about the Hiltingbury camp and we were able to see lots of pictures of people that my mum and dad knew. There are also lots of photos of my dad's sister as she was a bridesmaid at least 10 times, lots of wedding photos in the book.

Teresa

HI Huia,
Sorry I didn't reply earlier - 'puter probs!
You are right - I used to live in Fawley, friend lived in a Nissen hut in Holbury.

My gran as moved to a prefab after the war, which was pulled down in the 1970's.
In the 1980's - Hubby, chldren and I moved into one - and it was exactly the same layout as gran's.
It could be a bit chilly - we had an open fire and one radiator ran off that to the smallest bedroom. One bedroom was soo cold it became the toy storage room/playroom in the summer!

So pleased to have brought back memories for everyone! Surprising what a few words can bring back, isnt it? Jean

My Irish Nan lived in a prefab in Derry N. Ireland until her death in 1962. Her granddaughter then bought it off the council and it sits in her garden to this day. I remember going over to Derry when I was a Child and loving staying there.

From my memories as a little one in 1955, it didn't half make a noise when it rained.

We either had a shortage of light bulbs or there were no lights in the passageways, which linked two huts and didn't have windows. It was really dark and scary for a six year old!