Tag: Surrey Day

Growing Up Under Fire: A Wartime Childhood in surrey

Posted on by thewordbird in History, News & General Information, WW2 in Oxted & Limpsfield

This vivid personal account of wartime life in the Limpsfield and Oxted area was written by Hazel Stewart and shared online by Charlotte Gill on behalf of The Dingemans Centre in Steyning. Hazel grew up in Hurst Green, with family in Oxted and Limpsfield—an area that, during the Second World War, was close to key strategic sites such as Biggin Hill and Kenley Airfields.

Her memories provide a moving and detailed glimpse into life on the Home Front: from watching dogfights overhead during the Battle of Britain to sheltering from bombing raids, carrying gas masks to school, and knitting for the war effort. Hazel’s story reflects the strength, adaptability, and community spirit that defined civilian life during the war years in this part of the country.

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A Boy’s War: Two Evacuees’ Memories of Oxted & Limpsfield

Posted on by thewordbird in History, WW2 in Oxted & Limpsfield

Did you know that entire schools were evacuated from London to Oxted during the Second World War and Limpsfield Common was used for tank training exercises ahead of the D-Day landings?

When war loomed in 1939, thousands of children were evacuated from cities to the relative safety of the countryside—a moment etched in the memory of a generation. For Anthony Collins and Ken Clark, the first of September marked the beginning of a journey that would take them from south London to the quiet lanes of Oxted and Limpsfield in Surrey. Unlike the often-portrayed tearful toddlers with name tags, Ken and Anthony were part of the lesser-remembered wave of older schoolchildren—independent, observant, and full of curiosity.

In the run up to VE Day, 8 May and Surrey Day on 10 May, we’ll be running some fascinating accounts that depict life in wartime Oxted & Limpsfield… We hope you enjoy them.

Continue reading “A Boy’s War: Two Evacuees’ Memories of Oxted & Limpsfield” →

Nursing on the Frontline: Wartime Memories from Oxted & Limpsfield Cottage Hospital

Posted on by thewordbird in History, WW2 in Oxted & Limpsfield

On August 18th, 1940—later known as The Hardest Day of the Battle of Britain—17-year-old probationer nurse J.H. Allen (née Banks) was just 18 days into her first posting at Oxted and Limpsfield Cottage Hospital when the sky above Surrey erupted into combat. She watched as a German Dornier and a British Hurricane clashed overhead, their fates sealed above Titsey Hill and Hurst Green. What followed was a vivid baptism into wartime nursing that would shape her early adult life and remain etched in memory forever.

In this deeply personal and richly detailed account, Allen recalls the extraordinary experiences of nursing during one of Britain’s most perilous times—treating Dunkirk survivors, civilian air raid casualties, and even a captured German pilot who offered her his Iron Cross and a chilling warning of gas attacks to come. Life at the hospital, nestled at the foot of the North Downs, brought moments of quiet heroism, close calls during bombing raids, and even a chance encounter with King George VI as he reviewed troops before their departure.

Continue reading “Nursing on the Frontline: Wartime Memories from Oxted & Limpsfield Cottage Hospital” →