The Second World War brought lasting change to the village of Kelshall, much of which - and who! - are still present in the village today. As you walk around the village, you’ll see many of the sights in the stories that follow, and be able to meet the villagers and their families who survived them.
As its men left to fight, Land Girls were recruited to work the land. These were crucial to the war effort, providing food to locals in the face of mass shortages and rations - but they have also proved central to the future of Kelshall, as many of these stayed on and married farmers. You’ll be able to meet their families as you explore the village and its gardens.
Other village residents, such as Neff Peacock, were involved in the war effort, making parachutes at ‘Irvin Air Chute’ in nearby Letchworth:
‘Pam, my friend, came with me and each day we would cycle the nine miles to Letchworth and back,’ she remembered.
‘We all thought the war would only last a few weeks - how wrong we were all going to be! The army came and were billeted in a big house in the village called The Grange - it was lovely having soldiers round our sleepy little village. A number of the girls fell in love with the boys and many a tear was shed when they went home (including mine!).
Our local lads were called up and went away to help the war effort, so Bessie, my friend, and I decided to arrange dances in the hall. Any money raised would go towards our local boys’ homecoming fund. So when the war was over, we invited them all and had one large homecoming party and presented them with monies from the dances.’
Another resident, Bob King, recalled the various detachments of troops who were stationed in the village before being sent abroad - some at the back of the Crown, and others at the back of the village hall, and the excitement they caused to the local boys and girls. Not least the local unit of the Home Guard, who practised shooting against the wall of the children’s cloakrooms in the old school building!
On one occasion, a US airman took Bob with him to the airfield at nearby Steeple Morden, where the airman’s colleagues gave sweets and gum to Bob to bring back to the village to share with his friends.
There are inevitably less positive memories from the war, such as on 16 November 1944, when a P15D US Mustang fighter from Little Walden airfield developed problems shortly after take off. The pilot, Alfred B Cook, just managed to miss the roof of The Maltings, where Bob King’s maternal grandmother was living at the time.
However, despite the pilot and ‘Sailor GIrl Sal’s efforts, they crashed in the field and with bullets and fuels exploding all around, help was unable to reach them. The pilot was killed on impact and and the body eventually buried in the American Cemetery in Cambridge. HIs boots were found many years later in 1994 during the excavation of the crash site. Villagers Roger Kingsley and Paul MIller assisted with the work.
Additionally, the village played host to evacuees from London and other urban areas, creating long-lasting friendships and connections that survive to this day.
So evocative is the village still of this time, that it was used as a location for the 2001 film release Enigma, starring Dougray Scott and Kate Winslet. According to the film’s location manager, Kelshall’s rolling landscape and timeless beauty - including the ancient telegraph poles - gave it an enduring quality perfect for the authenticity of the film. The village hall - which on VE Day will play host to the 1940s afternoon tea and the evening BBQ - was a hub for the actors and film crew for the duration of the month’s filming.
We are looking forward to giving you a typically warm village welcome on 8 May Bank Holiday.