WALTER ELLIS

and the

FERRYBRIDGE HOME GUARD

BRENDA ASCHENBREMNER

Having read Shirley Bedford’s article (memories of Wartime in Ferrybridge) I felt I had to write to tell you about my father Walter Ellis, who was the Captain of Ferrybridge Home Guard, along with Mr. Eccles, the Lieutenant.

My father was a Sergeant in the First World War and after his war service he worked for Yorkshire Electric Power Company at Thornhill Power Station. In the mid-1920s he was transferred to Ferrybridge Power Station as a turbine driver. We lived in Bridge House, now known as Toll Bridge House, which at that time was owned by the Y.E.P.

I was ten years old when the war started in 1939 and I remember sitting round the wireless listening to the announcement that we were at war with Germany. I have a couple of stories re the Home Guard.

The Fryston section were going to have an exercise to try and capture the Power Station. On the day of the exercise it was very wet and windy and dad had decided that the Fryston lot wouldn’t turn out on such an awful day. He was in the Golden Lion having a pint with some of the men when the chap who was on guard came to tell him that the power station was now in the hands of the enemy. His response was unprintable.

Another time they were having live ammunition practice and were throwing hand grenades. Someone didn’t throw the grenade far enough and dad shouted ‘Duck!’ He got down behind the sandbags for cover but left his thumb above. A piece of shrapnel hit his thumb and he was sent to the local hospital to have the shrapnel removed. Meanwhile, my younger sister Evelyne was out playing when she was told dad had been taken to hospital because he had been wounded. Thinking it was very serious she ran home in a real panic. We laughed about it for years afterwards.

I had an elder sister Sybil and a brother Cecil. Cecil was an electrician with the Y.E.P. and was in reserved occupation. He did his bit for the war effort by erecting landing lights on the airfields and later during the war he helped to restore power to the cities and towns that had been bombed.

My sister Sybil was married and had a baby, Pauline. My mum looked after Pauline while Sybil went to work at the aircraft engine-testing centre on Cattle Laithe.

I remember the soldiers stationed in Ferrybridge. Their headquarters were at Livesey’s farm in Fishergate but the village lads had their own army. Billy Blower was in charge. They had hessian sacks rolled up and tied with string fastened to their backs and wooden rifles. They would march through the village, sometimes following the real soldiers. Despite the war, these were very happy days for us kids.

Brenda Aschenbremner