Looking Back
Memories of life in 'ghost village'
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| FIELD DAY: Working in the fields (prior to the First World War) |
TYNEHAM, a tiny community near the Dorset coast, had a past stretching back to the Bronze Age. Remote and picturesque, it was the epitome of the English village until the mid-20th century, complete with manor house, village school, shop, church and farms.
Then in December 1943, with the Second World War at its height, the village was cleared of its inhabitants to provide a training ground for soldiers prior to the D-Day landings... The villagers never returned.
Drawing on the memories of Helen Taylor, one-time seamstress at Tyneham House, Dr Andrew Norman presents a vivid portrait of this now vanished community in his new book Tyneham, A Tribute, and shows what life was really like in a place where labour and laughter lived side by side.
In the book Dr Norman says: 'Like many visitors to the now largely ruined village of Tyneham, I was led to wonder what circumstances had led to its decline, and ask myself what life was really like when this was a living, breathing, and vibrant community.
'The answer came in a quite unexpected way, when in August 1986, I happened to meet Miss Helen Taylor, formerly seamstress at Tyneham House; also her elder sister Elizabeth, known as 'Bessie'.
'At that time they were living at Corfe Castle - having been evicted from Tyneham, along with all the other villagers, in December 1943.
'When Miss Taylor allowed me to make a voice recording of her reminiscences, this was just prior to her 85th birthday, when Bessie was aged 94. I immediately thought to myself what a wonderful story this would make.
'It is surely too good to waste; not only from the point of view of entertainment, but also for the historical record that it provides.
'I was also fortunate to meet and receive assistance from General Mark Bond, whose father Ralph was the last owner of Tyneham House. He provided details of life 'upstairs', as it were, as opposed to 'downstairs'.
'By a strange coincidence, Miss Taylor spent her declining years in a nursing home in Swanage which I happened to own. She kindly elaborated on many of the fascinating stories which she had told me on our first meeting.'
Tyneham - A Tribute is published by Halsgrove priced £7.99.
8:30am Tuesday 22nd April 2008
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