War Babies - the Roots of our Route

In January and November 1942 two baby boys were born at opposite ends of the country, Yorkshire and Monmothshire. Two years later, again in January and November, two baby girls were born, in the West Country – Wiltshire and Cornwall. They grew up, the girls married the boys and had families of their own. Their firstborns met, married and ten years later decided to go on a bike ride. This is the story of the roots of our route.

Shirenewton – Catherine’s Dad
Roger Anthony (known as Tony) was born to Beryl and Arthur Stock on Thursday 29th January 1942 in a nursing home in the village of Shirenewton, Monmouthshire. The couple had moved to Wales at the start of the war when Arthur, a chemist, was transferred from the Royal Naval Cordite Factory, Holton Heath near Poole to a new Admiralty munitions factory at Caerwent. The family lived in one of a number of Nissen huts in Caerwent, built to accommodate the sudden influx of people working at the munitions factory. Tony recalls family outings on bicycles with his father’s homemade child-seats. Tony is joining us on a slightly more sophisticated bike as we ride the Shirenewton leg of our trip.

Pontefract – Matthew’s Dad
Alan Nicholas (known as Nick) was born to Anne and John Fletcher on Wednesday 4th November 1942 in a nursing home in Pontefract. Anne had come out of the WAAFS to have her baby son and lived with John’s widowed mother in Leeds whilst John trained for Mini (X craft) submarines in Scotland. John’s mother had many friends in the medical profession, her husband having been a General Practitioner, and so was able to arrange for Anne to go to Pontefract for the birth, away from the smog-prone air of home. Nick didn’t see his father until he returned from the Med in mid-1945 having spent three years as commander (RNR) of a tank landing craft; his ears couldn't stand the pressure levels required of a submariner. Nick recalls being scared stiff on being introduced to his father. Although christened Alan, his names were reversed and he was known as Nicholas when his grandmother could no longer bear the reminder of her own son Alan, killed when he lost control of his Blenheim bomber in Norfolk in June 1940.

Wadebridge – Catherine’s Mum
Mary Kathryn was born to Gladys and William Walters on Tuesday 11th January 1944 at the Blenheim Nursing Home in Wadebridge. The couple lived in Launceston but chose to go to Wadebridge for the birth as Gladys’s great friend “Auntie Brownie” (as she was always known to Mary) was a district nurse and midwife there. The family tale has it that Will had a broken wrist at the time of Mary’s arrival – sustained whilst crank starting a lorry with a starting handle. He was a road transport manager, managing a fleet of lorries at the time. Will’s brother and his wife were also expecting a baby at the same time and both mothers wanted to call their daughter “Mary”. As it turned out, Mary arrived ten days before her cousin, Margaret.



Marlborough – Matthew’s Mum
Rosalind Elizabeth was born to Kay and Morris Nicol on Tuesday 21st November 1944 at Savernake Hospital on the outskirts of Marlborough. She was delivered by Mr Tim Maurice, one of the 217-year dynasty of Dr Maurice’s to practice in Marlborough. Kay was living with her in-laws in Pewsey, seven miles down the road from the hospital in Marlborough. Morris was away, serving with the RAF in Bomber Command as a navigator and bomb aimer. The family remained in Pewsey after the war, with branches of the Nicol family still living in the area.