Whitwick Historical Group’s Autumn Exhibition which took place on Saturday, 11th October 2025, took as its theme “Whitwick At War” in the 80th Anniversary year of the end of World War II and was well supported by other local groups including the “Friends of Thringstone”, “Swannington Heritage Trust” “Holy Cross School” and “Leicestershire County Council Museum Collections” who brought their collections and reminiscences of World War II in their area to the exhibition. A big thank-you to everyone who helped make this exhibition a success.
A display about the Home Front during the war showed some of the posters that were displayed to get the population to use the land to grow food – recipes working with the food that would have been available in this period with a list of the typical food ration for an adult with the actual amounts displayed on the table. Some cake recipes from the period were available to try on the refreshment table (though fortunately not with the powdered milk and eggs!). There was also information on war work that took place in Whitwick.
This set of boards focused on the children from the city of Birmingham who were evacuated to homes in Whitwick in the early months of the war and went to school at Whitwick Holy Cross. A list of the items that the children had to bring with them were on display. There were photographs of the children at Holy Cross and their memories of coming to Whitwick.
This is a collection of photographs that were donated to Whitwick Historical Group of Henry Domoney. There are over 50 showing him during his time in the Forces as a driver with the R.A.O.C. He enlisted on 3rd October 1940. In the 1939 census he was living at Parsonwood Hill with his wife, Mary and daughter, Maureen and was working as a ‘van man’ with the Co-Operative Society.
We have also added other local people that served in the Forces in this display – Tom Bakewell, James William Moore, Joe Wardle, Arthur Dilks, Aubrey Colledge, Lillian Harris, Ernest Colledge, John Harold Moore, Frank Matchett and Harold Smalley.
“The Billet” was a publication produced locally and was printed monthly from February 1940 to March 1946. Copies were sent free to men and women in the Forces all over the world and could be bought for 2d by the public. On display were the covers from the first and last issues of “The Billet” as well as the October 1945 edition, 80 years ago. Copies of all issues of “The Billet” were also available on the table.
Another display of a local man in the Forces was Ray Walker who was in the Fleet Air Arm and several pictures of him in Sierra Leone in 1944 with his colleagues and photographs of the types of aircraft that he worked on were on display. As part of the display, his suitcase containing a ‘darning kit’, collection of coins and his service record was also available. Ray’s service clothes were on display along with a hammock that he had made out of a ‘Tate & Lyle’ sugar sack!
Our final set of display boards showed information about Prisoners of War and in particular, Harold Smalley who was in the Far East and was in Singapore when the British surrendered to the Japanese. A copy of a newspaper article reporting on how Harold was part of the prisoners who built the bridge on the River Kwai. Also the Whitwick Home Guard and an Anderson Shelter that was built in Silver Street.
Leicestershire County Council Museum Collections
The display by the Museum Collections had ration books, identity cards as well as a collection of booklets that were issued as part of the ‘Make do and mend’ campaign, with information by “Mrs Sew-and-Sew” and covered reinforcing clothes for extra wear, how to patch an overall and patching sheets and blankets.
Holy Cross School
The display by Holy Cross School showed the pupils who went to Beaumanor Hall – a location that was instrumental in the effort to break the German ‘Enigma’ code. The pictures show the pupils listening to the messages that came in and to decode them. They also experienced having to use an air-raid shelter. They also learned about evacuees and wrote letters home to their parents as children would have done during the war years.
Swannington Heritage Trust
Swannington Heritage Trust has only recently received a new donation a few weeks ago that they brought to the event. This was a suitcase containing photographs, letters home, flying adventures, copies of ‘The Billet’ and clothes belonging to Clifford William Robert Morley. The suitcase was returned to his family following his death during the war and remained unopened for many years until the death of his mother.
Friends of Thringstone
“The Friends of Thringstone” provided a display covering all aspects of the war with regards to Thringstone. This included evacuees, air raid wardens, the land army, prisoners of war, local people in the forces, Thringstone school, local memories and information on the names of those on the memorial plaque in St. Andrew’s Church.
Other photographs of the event
