On the Home Front

In September 1939, soon after Germany invaded Poland and war had been declared, the vicar of St Mary’s Church, North Mymms, the Reverend Leonard Buxton, sat down in his study to write a special edition of his parish magazine.

Six years later, following the ending of the war, the then vicar at St Mary’s, the Reverend Lionel Hamel-Smith, composed another message to parishioners.

Both pieces of writing feature in this collection of articles about 'The Home Front' in North Mymms during the Second World War 1939-45.

The work also describes the bomb damage in the parish, the role of the auxiliary fire service, the special constabulary and the children, evacuated to the parish to escape the blitz.

The work is reproduced in full on this site thanks to the North Mymms Local History Society (NMLHS).

Click here to read 'A Message From The Vicar', chapter one of On the Home Front - The People and Parish of North Mymms 1939-45.

On The Home Front - The People and Parish of North Mymms 1935-45
Index - On The Home Front
Chapter One - A Message From The Vicar
Chapter Two - The Special Constabulary
Chapter Three - The War Comes Home - Parish Bomb Damage
Chapter Four - The Auxiliary Fire Service
Chapter Five - Children in the Parish
Chapter Six - Keeping Busy on the Home Front
Chapter Seven - The North Mymms Auxiliary Hospital
Chapter Eight - The Secret Visitors
Chapter Nine - Church and People
Chapter Ten - Epilogue
Chapter Eleven - People

Bibliography
North Mymms Parish Magazine
Crockford's Clerical Directory 1939
Who's Who 1988
North Mymms Auxiliary Hospital 1940-46: A brief description by H.M.Alderman
Who Was Who (various years)

Note: Many thanks are due to Dick Colville and Leslie Abbott for allowing their reminiscences of the war years in the parish to be published. Also to Mr Colville for allowing the essay by his wife Dorothy to be reproduced. The North Mymms Local History Society

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