Comments about Kettering in World War II

My Great Grandad Arthur Neal was in WWII. He died for his country and his name is on the wall outside (the Alfred East Art Gallery).

My Great Grandad was a stoker on ships in the navy. My Great Nan worked in the ammunition factory in Burton Latimer.

My Great Great Gramp was part of the D-Day Landings.

My Grandad said the rations of food was not much at all, hardly no food. And nowadays people waste food which we couldn't do when we were younger.

My Greatgrandad was in WWII and my Grandma. They hated fighting but survived it. I respect them helping us because if they didn't, I wouldn't be here today.

Thank you xxx

Are there any relations of Mr & Mrs Ernest Smith who lived at 62 William Street, who remember them looking after an Evacuee from London 1941-1945 . He was the secretary of the United Friendly Insurance Company, also they had a daughter called Margaret. They had friends Mr & Mrs Matthews from 72 Nelson Street who ran a small grocery store. Or a little Boy placed with Mr & Mrs Matthews. Lenny Hunt was placed in Park School Juniors aged 7, Sylvia went to the infants aged 4. Mr Smith married again after Mrs Smith died, not sure if Mr Smith stayed in Kettering with his new wife. Any information at all would be lovely as my mother is Sylvia and we are trying to link her past Kind regards Barbara Griffiths (daughter)

On Good Friday 1941, my dad and I cycled to Rothwell via Glendon.  I think there had been an aircraft warning the previous night. On Bunker's Hill, we saw round burn marks in the hedge. On our way back along the A6, we saw a German bomber plane on the side of the road.  Presumably, it had been dropping incendiary bombs - but had been shot down.

On 14 November 1940, my father and I were in Northfield Avenue.  We could see anti-aircraft shells bursting in the distance.  Most were little specks.  We found out later that we had witnessed the bombing of Coventry.

A striking feature of life in wartime Kettering (as recorded in the Local news paper), is the number of young women who went to the USA as war brides.

My father was stationed in Kettering for a time during World War 2, I believe in 1943 time frame.  He was an American G.I. who grew up on a farm in the Midwest and he talked how amazed he was to visit England.  He told the story of visiting Boughton House while there and how awestruck he was having never seen anything like it before.  He would walk to town with buckets and get them filled with ale at the pub & walk back to his base.