Mid 1930s
Water and electricity brought to the village. Initially water on tap meant taps placed on the street in several locations. Before that there was a village pump in Breedycroft Lane and another in the stack yard of Oak Farm. Some properties had their own wells.
North Riding County Council bought land off the Parish Meeting to widen the B1257.
Silver Jubilee
In 1935 King George and Queen Mary’s Silver Jubilee was celebrated by sports in the cricket field (in front of Oak Farm) with fancy dress, decorated bikes and prams and games etc.
Coronation
In 1937 the coronation of King George V and Queen Elizabeth again saw celebrations in the cricket field.
Around 1936-1937 the trees in the Plantation were felled provided locals with chipping for firewood collected in prams, soapboxes etc
Second World War
An evacuee, a girl from Hartlepool named Kathleen, came to live at No 2 Flowery Bank, home of Rene Ford. It is thought another evacuee was taken in either at Boswell House or Gayle House.
Wellington JA119
Jeff Paulin was a young teenager on the 16th July 1942 when he heard a Wellington bomber overhead. As he watched it flying south toward Braygate, the plane broke up in mid-air – he recalls seeing the fabric body of the plane being blown apart. Parts of the bomber were found on either side of Broughton Lane in the fields south of the dog-leg. Jeff has a book by Patrick Otter named “Yorkshire Airfields in the 2nd World War” which notes that the Wellington came from Leaside. It was being “air-tested prior to operations when it broke up in flight and crashed near Malton, killing the 6 men on board.” Jeff recalls machine gun ammunition being picked up by local children who were chased away by police officers.
More details about the Wellington can be found on the Yorkshire Aircraft website.
Artillery ammunition and practice thunder-flashers (large banger crackers) were stored in little huts in Broughton Lane, one of many country lanes used for this purpose. The thunder-flashers were “purloined” by local children who ignited them by striking the tops with a safety matchbox before throwing them – effectively a firework! Many were also used as “swaps” to impress the townies in the schoolyard.
Charles Thomas Lund of Manor Farm was a Captain in the Home Guard and the farm was used as a training ground for those who needed to learn how to fire a 12 bore shotgun. The only person in the village with a rifle was Joe Bigg of Main Street.
Fear was felt when a German bomber jettisoned bombs into fields below Manor Farm.
In December 1940 the minutes of the old parish meeting note it was agreed not to apply for an air raid shelter as “the village was not suitable” but that provision of fire fighting equipment was “most urgent” as the first bombs were dropped “in the vicinity”.
It was agreed to buy 3 stirrup pumps (bought for £1 each) and three fire teams were appointed to man the pumps. A request was also made for a length of hose and appliances for dealing with a larger fire but the “authorities” could not supply these and the cost was too expensive for the parish to bear.
Neither would the authorities consider either a telephone kiosk or an authorised place from which to see postage stamps.
In 1942 there was a Salvage Drive. The parish agreed to do “all possible to make arrangements to have it collected from house to house.” The chairman Arthur Ford was appointed Salvage Steward, confirmed by Malton Rural District Council. Salvage was to consist of papers, rages, bones, metal, rubber, tin hats. Mr G Raines offered a shed for storing the paper while the metal was dumped on the green at the approach to Broughton Lane.
Coronation
On 4th June 1953 the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II once again saw the cricket field as the hub of celebrations although planned sports events had to be cancelled because of bad weather. But this did not stop a super being served in the Pavillion.
Dates unknown.
Stack yard fire at Oak Farm, believed caused by a local firebug, causing much consternation.
Charlie Minton being gored by a bull and having his life saved by his collie dog which bravely fought off the bull.
Rumour has it that an anthrax contaminated body(ies?), presumably animal, was buried in the parish south of the B1257. Jeff Paulin believes it would have been close to the quarry at the end of Lovers Lane. This was the local name at the time for the lane which led off westwards from Broughton Lane along the top of Ashdale which was once known as Eastdale. Above Eastdale was a field known as The Howls.
AGW 2011