1950s: Feeding the 1200 at Chatsworth Park

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Civil Defence volunteers prepare to feed 1,200 OAPs at Chatsworth House in 1958. L to R are Doris Underwood, Mrs R Dawson, Mrs E Bloor, Miss N Parsons and Mrs V Bird, with six-year-old Pamela Underwood looking on

THE photograph shows members of the Derbyshire welfare section of the Civil Defence Corps preparing 1,200 midday meals and teas for a rally of OAP clubs held in the ground of Chatsworth House in 1958.

The event was an emergency feeding exercise organised by Mr J W White, Civil Defence officer for Derbyshire, and the photograph and a newspaper cutting recording the occasion were sent in by Doris Morley, of Spondon, who was there.

“I was in the Civil Defence for 15 years,” said Doris. “I am now 81 years old and can remember the event clearly. We had a good time doing things for the Civil Defence. Everyone was good company and we had good instructors as well.”

The setting up of the emergency field kitchen at Chatsworth was supervised by welfare section assistant George Baron, while Mrs J Kenning, of Baslow, organised a convoy of WVS members from all over Derbyshire to do the serving.

The 1,200 elderly visitors enjoyed a meal of roast beef, peas, carrots, new potatoes and gravy, followed by jam roll and custard. They were served at three sittings in large marquees and were later treated to an afternoon in Chatsworth House and gardens before sitting down to a tea of cakes and sandwiches.

In all, 75 volunteers, working in shifts, helped prepare and serve the meals with Philip Taylor from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food overseeing the whole operation.

At that time, there were food flying squads based all over the country in readiness for relief work in case of an emergency. Each had four canteen vans, two stores vans, a 500-gallon water tanker and an office van.

Said Doris: “My friend and neighbour, Mrs Jessie Reeve, who lived in Edale Drive, Spondon, and I were both members of the Civil Defence Corps for 15 years. We did a lot of training at Long Eaton.

“One day, we had a letter from the Queen thanking us for our long service and saying that the Civil Defence was finishing.

“The little girl in the photograph, watching us, was my youngest daughter, Pamela, who sometimes went with us when she was not at school. She was six then. She’s 54 now. I was Mrs Underwood at that time.

“I would also like to ask readers if they remember when poor children were given free tickets for the cinema.

“I went for three years running, being the oldest girl of a family of 10 children. My family name was Gadsby and we lived at Allenton until I was 14, when I went to work.

“The picture houses then were the Gaumont and the Colisseum, on London Road. We didn’t pay and we were all given a carrier bag containing goodies. I had to look after at least three of my brothers and sisters. We all had a great time.”

Were you in the Civil Defence Corps? Do you remember the Chatsworth field kitchen day? You can comment on this story, by clicking in the discussion link, at the top of the page.

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