Evacuated to Funtington

[N@alie]

I was just listening to a programme on BBC I-player "Witness: Child Evacuees" and it got me thinking about my father who was evacuated from Tooting, South London, to Funtington in East Sussex aged about 10. I know very little about this as he died in 1980 and had not really spoken of this. I do have a couple of photographs including a poignant Christmas postcard (there's nothing on the back except the usual postcard markings). I believe he was with his elder brother and sister (also now long deceased) and that it was to a big house, and I am sure I remember him saying, had a 'swimming pool shaped like a pot of Bovril' - which must have been pretty unusual at the time.

That's about all I can remember, I don't think he had too bad a time, but would be interested to try and find out more.

Thanks for any ideas.

[arthurk]

The aerial photos on Google maps show a rather strangely shaped swimming pool at Grange Farm, Funtington - it might look a bit like a pot of Bovril from some angles! Incidentally, it's West Sussex, not East.

Arthur

[Peter Goodey]

...would be interested to try and find out more.

The LMA has this Information Leaflet on the subject with a guide to what records are available.

[Mutley]

I've just had a play in google and had great fun, I don't think I have found anything important because I got lost on all sorts of sites and doubt I could return to them again but you may also like to take a wander.

There was a West Sussex County council event in 2009 called Home Front Story. There were talks regarding local war time experiences and on display were photographs taken by a Petworth photographer called George Garland of evacuees arriving in West Sussex. There were some of children from the Oliver Goldsmith School, South London. (I just wondered if these children may have been sent together somewhere quite large.) I don't know if the school was Tooting way. Wouldn't that be a co-incidence?

It is probably 2 + 2 making 5 but the Council may have some information still available.

[mikejee]

I don't know how far the catchment areas for schools were in those days, but I know the Chichester High School for Boys temporarily absorbed the Henry Thornton School, Clapham during the war. This would be close to Funtington. the website for them is
https://www.oldthorntoniansclapham.org.uk/. Aged 10 doesn't seem to fit, but you did say "about 10" The chichester school has also started a website, and could perhaps be contacted if it was them (https://www.oldcicestrians.com/ )

[N@alie]

Thanks for your ideas - and correction to my geography. I hadn't thought about aerial maps and gave that a go (what fun!), together with another foray into google and came up across the Funtington Local History Group so have dropped them a line, together with the West Sussex Council Records Office. Fingers Xd...

Thanks also for the school suggestions, I don't know which school he attended, but am 99% sure it wasn't a grammar school, but I did enjoy looking at the photos on the Henry Thornton Old Boys website. It seems the Oliver Goldsmith School was Peckham way, so probably not that one either.

I'll let you know if I get any response to my emails.