VE-Day in Loughborough

Today marks the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe, known as VE-Day.

The UK Parliament webpages state the death toll for the military was approximately 384,000, while that for civilians was around 70,000, making a total of around 454,000 people who died during the conflict.

https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/research/olympic-britain/crime-and-defence/the-fallen/ At the time, in 1939, the population of the UK was around 40 million people, so this amounts to just over 1% of the population.

On 8th May 1945, Loughborough folk, along with the rest of the country, celebrated with street parties across the town. Despite this being a time of food rationing (amongst other things), people still managed to rustle up plenty of food to feed the excited children who were sitting at the trestle tables in the middle of the street! Of course, celebrations were bitter-sweet – wonderful that the war in Europe was finally over, but war was continuing in Japan (finally coming to an end in August 1945), and many families had lost loved ones during the conflict.

In 1995 the people of Loughborough again celebrated VE-Day, this time the 50th anniversary of the end of the war in Europe. Events took place in the town over the weekend of 6th and 7th of May, with a concert in the town hall on the Saturday evening, and a 1940s dance was held on the university campus. On the Sunday there were a variety of memorial services, a parade, a carillon recital, and a concert by the Hathern Band!

This year, 2020, the 75th anniversary of VE-Day, there were to have been numerous events across the whole of Loughborough, and I’m sure there were many private events and street parties planned. However, on 23rd March 2020, the Prime Minister decreed that due to the presence of coronavirus, we were all to stay home and not meet with people outside our household until told we could. So, VE-Day celebrations have been for the most part cancelled.

Although, people living on Middleton Place – a street I’ve blogged about before – have been invited to have a picnic in their front garden, at the same time as their neighbours are having a picnic in theirs! No danger of getting any closer than the requisite 2 metres, but a chance to at least see people who they might not have seen for 6 weeks or so! And, maybe a chance to dress up a bit, and put out a bit of bunting? I know some people think we should no longer be commemorating wars *, but surely in these strange times, we need an excuse to party.

Anyway, back to Middleton Place **, it’s a street that’s predominantly made up of Victorian terraced villas, and is fairly typical of house-building of that time. What it also has, though, is quite a lot of infill, which has taken place across quite a number of periods, so I thought I’d just give you an indication of which houses existed before the Second World War, which were around during the war, and new ones that appeared up until 1962 (restricted to these years because the street directories I would normally consult are locked away in the library, so I’m relying on the only ones I actually have copies of). I’ve also indicated who lived here, but not made any attempt to consolidate the names, so they appear exactly as they do in the directories. I’ve also included names from some census returns.

Inhabitants of Middleton Place pre-Second World War

House number	Inhabitants in 1901 (Directory)	Inhabitants in 1911 (Census)	Inhabitants in 1927 (Directory)
1	There has never been a No.1	There has never been a No.1	There has never been a No.1
3	F. Harris	Anthony Judge & Mary Judge	J.A. Rue
5	T. Hope	Charles Robert Masters & Elizabeth Masters	Mrs Masters
7	H. Biddles	Hugh Osmond Payne & Florence & Eric Payne	S. Hill
9	F.G. Mee	Frederick Neale & Clara, Frederick Neale, & Robert Henry Mould	H. Antill
11	G. Hall	William Henry Clarke & Ruth & Edward Leslie Clarke	F. Philp
13	J. Start	Charles Sinister & Sarah & Leonard Sinister & Harriet Swallow	F. Neale
15	Not  built until 1977	Not  built until 1977	Not  built until 1977
17	Not  built until 1977	Not  built until 1977	Not  built until 1977
19	Not  built until 1977	Not  built until 1977	Not  built until 1977
21	Not  built until 1977	Not  built until 1977	Not  built until 1977
23	Not  built until 1977	Not  built until 1977	Not  built until 1977
45	Not built until 1959	Not built until 1959	Not built until 1959
47	Not built until 1959	Not built until 1959	Not built until 1959
49	Not built until 1959	Not built until 1959	Not built until 1959
51	Not built until 1959	Not built until 1959	Not built until 1959
53	J. Frisby	Samuel Charles Laws & Ellen Laws	F. Keightley
55	Rev. T. Richards	Lucy Nightingale & Thora May Bancroft	O. Orchard
57	Miss White	George Loudon & Jessie, Margaret Norton, & Hugh Kerr Loudon & Margaret Kerr	D. P. Grudgings
59	R.H. Taylor	Thomas Porter & Evelyn Porter	T. Porter, jnr.
61	Mrs Carver	Albert Ernest Clifton & Ada Emma Clifton	Mrs Cradock
63	W. Dennis	William George Spooner & Nelly Maud Spooner & Lucy Harrison	B. Green
65	J. Percy	Bertie Trevor Davies & Dorothy Wynne Davies	J.F. Driver
67	J. Swinden	None listed	J.L. Godsell
69	Not yet built	Not yet built	Not yet built
71	Not yet built	Not yet built	Not yet built
73	Not yet built	Not yet built	Not yet built
77	Mrs Smith	Thomas Porter & Sarah Porter & Edith Porter	Mrs Porter
79	E. Stapleton	Gerald S. Grudgings & Mary C. Grudgings, & Clara McHugh, Herbert McHugh & Dorothy McHugh	G. Grudgings
81	T. Allen	Arthur Tucker, & Mary Ellen, Ida Mary & Arthur Leslie Tucker	S. Champkin
83	A. Moss	Frank Newton Nield, & Edyth Annie & Mary Isabel Nield, & Nellie Aderlaide Masterton & Teresa Williams	None listed
85	Not yet built	John White, & Sarah Elizabeth, Elsie Adela, John Leslie, Sidney Charles, Henry Kirk & Ronald White	J. McKeon
87	Not yet built	Christopher Lucas & Amelia Lucas	A. Telfer
20	Not  built until 1986	Not  built until 1986	Not  built until 1986
22	Not yet  built	Not yet built	F. Smith
24	Not yet built	Not yet  built	A.E. Brown

Inhabitants of Middleton Place in 1939 and 1941, during the Second World War

House number	Inhabitants in 1939 (Directory)	Inhabitants in 1939 (Register)	Inhabitants in 1941 (Directory)
1	There has never been a No.1	There has never been a No.1	There has never been a No.1
3	J.A. Rue	Elsie Bass & Roy & Brian Bass	E.R. Bass
5	E. Brown	Elland Ganderton (?) & Louisa Ganderton (?)	None listed
7	E.R. Bass	None	A. Hunt
9	E. Pepper	Edward Pepper & Ellen T. Pepper, & Alice E. & Sadie Frier	E. Pepper
11	W. Pepper	R.G. Pepper	W. Pepper
13	F. Neale	Frederick Neale & Clara Neale	F. Neale
15	Not  built until 1977	Not built until 1977	Not  built until 1977
17	Not  built until 1977	Not built until 1977	Not  built until 1977
19	Not  built until 1977	Not built until 1977	Not  built until 1977
21	Not  built until 1977	Not built until 1977	Not  built until 1977
23	Not  built until 1977	Not built until 1977	Not  built until 1977
45	Not built until 1959	Not built until 1959	Not built until 1959
47	Not built until 1959	Not built until 1959	Not built until 1959
49	Not built until 1959	Not built until 1959	Not built until 1959
51	Not built until 1959	Not built until 1959	Not built until 1959
53	E. Martin	Edgar S. Martin & Mabel Martin	E. Martin
55	Mrs Allsopp	Fanny Allsopp & Hanna Hartnell (?)	Mrs Allsopp
57	J. Taylor	Joseph Taylor & Jane & Mary Taylor	J. Taylor
59	T. Porter	Thomas Porter & Evelyn Porter & Irene Shetton	T. Porter
61	J. Roberts	Eddwin T. Webster, Ida Webster, & Michael W.R.Webster	E.J. Webster
63	D.C. Vickers	Donald Vickers & Doris & Brian Vickers & Kate Beaton	D.C. Vickers
65	R. Ashby	Reuben Ashby & Gertrude Ashby	R. Ashby
67	J.L. Godsell	Gertrude A. Godsell	Mrs Godsell
69	W.W. Street	William W. Street & Elizabeth Street	W.W. Street
71	Not yet built	Edith M. Glover	None listed
73	Not yet built	? Winters & Doris L. Winters	Not yet built
75	None listed	None listed	None listed
77	Mrs Smith	John A. Smith, Elizabeth B. Smith & Sylvia M., Constance E. & Margaret J. Smith & Charles Been	Mrs Smith
79	W.A. Edwards	William A. Edwards, Gladys Edwards & Clara Edwards & Daisy Kellett (?)	None listed
81	G.R. Horspool	Frank Rutter & Doris E. Rutter	F. Rutter
83	W. Cartwright	William Cartwright & Rosanna Cartwright	W. Cartwright
85	J. McKeon	James McKeon & Anna McKeon	J. McKeon
87	A.Telfer	Alexander D. Telpher & Alice Maud Telpher	A. Telfer
20	Not  built until 1986	Not built until 1986	Not  built until 1986
22	Mrs Smith	Fanny Smith & Gillian M. Smith	Mrs Smith
24	J.W. Shaw	John W. Shaw & Mary J & Reginald Shaw	J.W. Shaw

Inhabitants of Middleton Place in the Post-war Years, 1951 & 1962

House number	Inhabitants in 1951 (Directory)	Inhabitants 1962 (Directory)
1	There has never been a No.1	There has never been a No.1
3	E. Bass	Elsie Bass
5	J.L. Beaton	John L. Beaton
7	L. Middleton	None listed
9	E. Pepper	Edward Pepper
11	T.S. Dixon	Walter J. Pepper
13	G.A. White	Margaret M. Trotter
15	Not  built until 1977	Not  built until 1977
17	Not  built until 1977	Not  built until 1977
19	Not  built until 1977	Not  built until 1977
21	Not  built until 1977	Not  built until 1977
23	Not  built until 1977	Not  built until 1977
45	Not built until 1959	Not built until 1959
47	Not built until 1959	Not built until 1959
49	Not built until 1959	Not built until 1959
51	Not built until 1959	Not built until 1959
53	J. Pringle (Bottom Flat) S. H. Pilkington (Top Flat)	Colin I. Boniwell
55	H.E. Unwin	Stanley J. Holyfield
57	F.M. Taylor	Jane Taylor
59	T. Porter	Evelyn Porter
61	R. Orgill	Michael E. Cox
63	D.C. Vickers	Brian J. Vickers
65	R. Ashby	D. S. Evans
67	G.A. Godsell	Gertrude A. Godsell
69	S.E. Cheetham	Charles E. Cheetham
71	J.P. Sutton	Eric Briers
73	A.Winters	Amos Winters
75	None listed	None listed
77	E.B. Smith	Stanley B. Slater
79	R.E.T. Hack	Richard A. Sutton Michael G. Lee
81	W. Blenkinsop	Winifred Brown (81b)
83	R. Cartwright	Rosanna Cartwright
85	F.C. Hickling	Francis Hickling
87	A.D. Telfer	Alice M. Telfer
20	Not  built until 1986	Not  built until 1986
22	F. Smith	Albert E. Bowler
24	A.E. Brown	Annie Hutt

And to finish off the post here's some photographs of decorated houses along the street on VE-Day 2020:

Finally, nothing to do with Middleton Place, but the parish church invited the people of Loughborough to record themselves singing along to 'We'll meet again', which those clever people at the church put together to produce a 'choir'! Here's a link! 

And now, I shall leave you! Until we meet again!

See:

*This link

**See related blogposts: A society wedding; Knocking on the door to the past and Winter walk around Charnwood Water

You are welcome to quote passages from any of my posts, with appropriate credit. The correct citation for this looks as follow:

Dyer, Lynne (2020). VE-Day in Loughborough. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2020/05/ve-day-in-loughborough.html  [Accessed 8 May 2020]

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