As well as the photograph albums, Lady Smiley kept a diary. Sir John has very kindly been through his mother’s wartime diaries and copied out these entries which record activity over Froyle.
|
| 1940 |
June |
6th |
Air Raid Warning |
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|
7th |
ARP Meeting in the Hut |
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|
24th |
Air Raid Warning |
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|
25th |
11.15pm to 03.30am Planes overhead. Two explosions shake house |
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|
30th |
1.15am Planes overhead, 2 bombs dropped at 2.00am (to the NE of Shrubbery House) |
| |
July |
23rd |
Air Raid Warning. Planes overhead |
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August |
13th |
Bombs and dog fight overhead |
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|
16th |
5.00am Siren. Noise of 100s of planes overhead. Occasional bombs and gunfire lasting ten minutes |
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|
22nd |
11.30pm Terrific explosion Red glow in the sky |
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|
26th |
Planes and explosions |
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|
27th |
Planes and explosions for 4 hours |
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September |
9th |
Air fight overhead. Mr Brown (the gardener) sees 6 planes come down. |
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|
10th |
Planes all night |
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|
11th |
Planes all night |
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|
16th |
Planes all night |
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|
25th |
Very noisy. Bombs heard. |
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October |
18th |
Mr & Mrs Lovett, evacuees from Poplar, arrive |
| 1941 |
April |
23rd |
“Canadians here” |
| 1943 |
Mid year |
|
Frequent references to Canadian Officers dining at the house |
| 1944 |
June |
20th |
Doodlebug (V1 flying bomb) flies over the house |
| |
July |
24th |
Mrs Jarvis and 5 children evacuees arrive |
