January 11th 1940

At a meeting of Suffolk Agricultural Wages Committee it was decided the extra amount paid to special farm workers (horsemen-cowmen-shepherds) to be increased by 6d to 6s 6d per week.

February 8th 1940

Death at Bulmer of Walter Eaves aged 72 , he lived in Bulmer all his life and had been employed at Griggs Farm as horseman for 50 years.

February 15th 1940

Colchester Corn Market. Wheat to 31s 6d—Oats to 33s—Malting barley to 70s.

February 22nd 1940

Peter Bowers of Gt Waldingfield has just celebrated his 91st birthday, he is remarkably healthy for his age and walks two miles every week for his pension, he was born in 1849 at Great Tree Cottage where now stands Babergh Place farm, at the age of 9 he went to work for the Rev Kirby at Gt Waldingfield rectory and at 11 he started agricultural work and went to plough, his wages for four years were 2s 6d per week. On

May 2nd 1873

h e married a daughter of the late Mr and Mrs Isaac Fosker at Lt Waldingfield church, of their 16 children 11 are still alive, 9 daughters and 3 sons, two daughters and one son are living in Canada, they lost two sons in the Great War, their descendants include four great grandchildren and eleven great great grandchildren.

April 18th 1940

Everyone knows it was Corporal Lillie who was the rear gunner of the Sunderland flying boat which recently routed 6 Junkers aircraft which attacked the plane while on convoy duty, Corporal Lillie brought down one of the enemy machines, the pilot Flight Lieutenant Philips aged 25 was awarded the D.F.C., Philips skilfully manoeuvred his plane and his 21 year old rear gunner Lillie withheld his fire until the attacking machine was within 100 yards then he let rip with his gun and sent the plane spinning into a long time.

May 16th 1940

At dawn on Friday Hitler perpetrated another criminal act by invading Holland and Belgium by air and by land.

May 23rd 1940

Advert. Wanted as a temporary war appointment, a lady clerk, typist and shorthand essential, bookkeeper, one able to cycle to and from the office, 9 am to 5 30pm. Apply Ward and Son, Foxearth.

May 30th 1940

Albert Gardiner, a horseman, was summoned “that on the 13th of March he did not shut or fasten the gate at Borley crossing. Mr T.B.Payne recollected the crossing in 1874 when from that time until 1929 the crossing was in charge of one or two men or two boys whose duty it was to open and close the gates and on removal of the two men whose duty it was to open and close the gates he refused to accept the keys and returned them to the Melford stationmaster, parish records show the road leading to Borley Mill was a public right of way. Dismissed with £5 5s awarded to the defendant.

September 19th 1940

For sale at Griggs farm, Bulmer, on the 27th of September, 3 sets of threshing machinery the property of Albert Rowe who is relinquishing the business. 7 h p Garret traction engine—6 h p Wallis and Stevens engine—2 Ransome drums.

Harold Batten aged 60 of Moat House farm, Belchamp Walter was summoned for placing himself in the street at Braintree to gather alms, P.C.Burrel said defendant was playing a violin opposite the Co-op shop pretending he was blind. Bound over for two years.

September 26th 1940

This is an extract from the London Gazette on

March 7th 1917

Local residents will be pleased to hear that Staff Sergeant Major G.Foster (who is also host of the Fox Inn at Bulmer has recently been mentioned in despatches. When the Free Press called at the Fox at Bulmer we found this old soldier was disinclined to talk about this matter, Mr Foster joined the army in 1884 and has been landlord of the Fox for 30 years.

Inquest on the death of the Hon.Christopher Noel Buxton son of Lord Noel Buxton of Upshire in Essex who died in St Leonards hospital, Sudbury on Tuesday from injuries received when thrown from a horse at Acton Place on Saturday, Alexander Place, said he was riding on his motor cycle opposite Acton Place when he noticed a horse close to the hedge and it jumped and as it landed it’s forelegs collapsed under it and the rider was thrown down. Accidental.

October 3rd 1940

Mothers and children from bombed areas are to be billeted in the Sudbury area and the public are asked to open their homes to these people.

October 17th 1940

Letters to the Editor. Sir, I was fetching my cows from the roadside meadow early the other morning and carrying a small light which was shaded properly, several bombs had been dropped nearby at the time and it is that coincidence that caused a lot of gossip, the light could not be seen by enemy aircraft but this fact did not prevent somebody saying it could and the police visited my premises, if any more rumours are heard I will take action against those responsible. Joseph Mundell. ( Joseph Mundell had a herd of cows at the top of North Street, Sudbury)

October 24th 1940

Advert. Wanted a night watchman at the Brewery Foxearth, must be trustworthy and above military age 40-50, hours of duty 8 pm to 6 am, comfortable accommodation with electric light.

December 12th 1940

Ronald Maskell a farmer of Alpheton was fined 1s for failing to plough up land when directed to do so.

December 12th 1940

Death on Wednesday of Thomas Pearsons in his 90th year of the Green Man, Belchamp Otten, he was a native of Belchamp St Pauls and as a young man was engaged in business in London, he returned to Belchamp in 1878 and held the licence of the Green Man for 50 years.

For sale at Eyston Smyths, Foxearth, 2 horses—9 near stock—2 cows—130 hens—10 stacks of clover etc—1934 Fordson tractor—Lister plough

1941

January 2nd 1941

Photo of Sergeant Pilot H.Ruse of Long Melford in a prisoner of war camp in Germany, he was captured on

December 8th 1939

a fter being home on leave the previous day, he is wearing a beard.

January 2nd 1941

A Shimpling lay reader, Ernest Millar, aged 29, is charged with converting to his own use £16 1s from Bury and District Spitfire fund. To the quarter sessions.

Sale at Eyston Smyth’s, Foxearth, by Boardman and Oliver for Dr Learmont attracted a large company.

January 9th 1941

Sudbury. Local butchers have notified the public that owing to the scarcity of supplies all butchers shops in the town will be closed all day on Tuesday’s, Wednesday’s and Thursday’s from January 10th.

Much sympathy has been shown to Mr and Mrs Howard of Belchamp Otten who have received recent information that their son Gunner Frederick Howard was killed in action in the Western Desert on December 5th 1940 He joined the army in 1937 prior to that he worked at Bevington farms for C.Wjittome, he was 22.

January 9th 1941

Ernest Millar, lay reader of Shimpling, 29, pleaded guilty to fraudulent conversion, Miss Vince started a collection for Shimpling Spitfire Fund, Millar offered to help her, she accepted his offer as he was a lay reader at Lawshall where he had taken over the duties when the Rector of Lawshall (Canon Wintle) was on active service. 2 years prison.

The following appeared in Monday’s Daily Mail. Farmer Arthur Dennis,47, of Chiltern Hall, Clare, in the heart of rural Suffolk, is Britain’s first “Land Doctor”, his job is to advise Suffolk farmers whose land needs attention. Mr Dennis is the man who made Britain’s “Ghost Farm” the 288 acres at Brickwall farm, Hundon, live again last year after it had lain derelict for 10 years.

Died at Foxearth, Reuben Langden at his home Lower Hall, Cottages, he was farm steward at Lower Hall for 33 years.

February 6th 1941

We regret to say yet another young Sudbury airman is missing on active service, he is Sgt Observer Kenneth Ridgewell, the son of Mr and Mrs F. Ridgewell of 17 Constable Road in Sudbury, he was born in Sudbury 20 years ago.

A German bomber was destroyed by a fighter during a raid on East Anglia, the machine came down near Sudbury, the plane was seen spinning out of control and it came down near Sudbury, some of the crew baled out, a German airman suffering from a leg injury gave himself up to a postman in Sudbury thinking he was a policeman, after the crash another German plane flew over and bombed the wrecked machine.

March 27th 1941

Much sympathy has been extended to Mr and Mrs Stanley Fitch of 110 Queens Road, Sudbury on their sad loss of their only surviving son in Scotland last week end, Mr Fitch is headmaster of the Sudbury Senior School, members of the Leys School, Cambridge set out from Pitlochry to participate in a scout operation, within two hours the death of two of their number had occurred, they were Stanley Arthur Fitch 17 and Donald Simms 18 of Cornwall, their bodies were found lying in water at the foot of a 30 ft precipice.

May 15th 1941

A shocking accident occurred about midnight on Saturday night near a bend on the main road at Rodbridge, Long Melford, when two people lost their lives, an army Captain and a 19 year old girl, the persons were Captain John Clavel 42 and Doris Baber 19. Inquest adjourned.

May 22nd 1941

Friends of the Rev W.Gill, rector of Pentlow, extend their congratulations upon his marriage on May 9th to Miss S.Waller the second daughter of Dr Waller of Bushmead Avenue, Bedford, the Rector’s second son was best man.

June 12th 1941

Two Cavendish lads have been reported missing in war operations, Tom Farrance was serving as a ship’s cook and Ted Parker was serving with the tank corps in the Middle East, both men are married.

June 19th 1941

Don Skitmore, a Sudbury boy is now known to be a P.O.W., he is the son of Mr and Mrs H. Skitmore of 39 York Road and Terence Kipling the son of Mr and Mrs Kipling of the Gordons, Girling Street have received a letter from their son that he is live and well.

Early in the morning last Friday a Heinkel bomber was brought down by anti aircraft fire on a West Norfolk farm near Ovington, the crew of five got out and one of them started firing at the plane with verey light pistol to set it alight and started to destroy papers, as soon as the plane crashed a farmer named George Bowes accompanied by his yardman Frank Warnes ran to the spot with a sporting gun, they fired a shot over the crew and they put their hands up, for this brave deed George Warnes and Frank Warnes have been awarded commendations.

June 26th 1941

Basil Francis, the well known Sudbury cricketer is reported missing.

Much sympathy is felt in Glemsford for the Rev and Mrs Harpur on the death of their youngest son Sgt Pilot Bernard Harpur of Bomber Command, aged 19, the body was brought home on Thursday, the village of Acton where he lived as a child will always have happy memories of him as a child.

July 17th 1941

, From Sudbury 40 years ago. Thomas Elliston supplies us with interesting account of ancient history of the parish of Brundon, Sudbury. Formerly a parish but now part of Ballingdon in Essex, at the time of a general survey the church of Brundon was small and now lies in ruins, the remains are now in little enclosure about a mile on the left hand of Ballingdon directly opposite Borley church, this rectory was appendant to the manor.

July 31st 1941

Terence Kipling of “The Gardens” Girling Street, Sudbury is safe and well and a P.O.W. in Italy.

August 7th 1941

Watered milk at Glemsford. A fine of £2 each on a farmer, William Pemble of Northwood, Middlesex for having in his possession watered milk also on Allen and Hanbury. Leonard Hobson, sampling officer for West Suffolk said the facts of the case were that on June 19th he was in the vicinity of Hill Farm, Glemsford when a motor vehicle belonging to Allen and Hanbury drew up just inside the premises where there were two churns of milk labelled with the quantity and the words “from W. Pemble to Allen and Hanbury” he plunged the milk for a sample which he submitted to the Public Analyst, in due course he was shown that one churn contained 1 ½ per cent water the other contained 16 ½ per cent water. William Goode, cowman at Hill farm, said milk was supplied to two local retailers as well as Allen and Hanbury, Thomas Ketteridge, farm bailff said the churns beside the highway were unsealed and there was nothing to prevent them being tampered with. £2 in each case.

August 28th 1941

A verdict of accidental death was recorded on Doris Marion Baber aged 19 of Nelson Villa, Rodbridge Hill, Long Melford and on Captain John Claver, 42.

Inquest on Thelma Bacon aged 5 years daughter of Mr and Mrs Charles Bacon of Bailey Street, Castle Hedingham, who was drowned in a small stretch of water known as the canal just inside the grounds of Hedingham Castle.

September 4th 1941

Mr and Mrs Plume of 13 Burkitt’s Lane, Sudbury have received intimation that their son Pte Percy Plume is a P.O.W. in Germany.

Maurice Lefley, fruiterer of North Street, Sudbury was charged with selling strawberries at 2s 6d per Ib whereas the maximum price 1s 2d per lb With costs £15 11s.

Inquest of Sylvia Nunn aged 21 of Radiator Road,Sudbury, a cyclist who was killed in a collision with a car near Highbanks, Sudbury.

September 18th 1941

James Brown, a Glemsford grocer was charged with selling a 1 lb of jam at 11d whereas the maximum price is 9 ½d. With expenses £3 8s.

October 2nd 1941

Max Morton a farmer from Pentlow was summoned for failing to immobilise his car in North Street, Sudbury. 10s.

Flight Sergeant L. Booker of Ballingdon has been awarded the B.E.M. for his part in securing flying boats in a violent storm, he was born in Gestingthorpe in 1918 when his father was serving in the R.A.F.

October 23rd 1941

Advert. Beet pullers wanted-- £4 per acre—Apply Nix at Clarkes farm, Belchamp Walter.

Thomas Morley of Slough farm, Monks Eleigh, fined £10 for failing to plant potatoes under an order.

December 18th 1941

Able Seaman Joseph Moores the son of Mr and Mrs Moores of 1 Garden Side, Croft, Sudbury, has been reported missing presumed killed.

December 28th 1941

Eliza Plumb of Pentlow, widow, was charged with stealing a 2lb pot of gooseberry jam the property of Henry Creane of Cavendish. 12s including costs.

Kenneth Ablitt a tractor driver of Glemsford was fined 10s for having no lights on his motor cycle.