Boys home,during ww2 Bourne End

[McDouall]

Hi everyone.
 I am trying to find information on a WW2 home for boys, that was located on a private estate in Bourne End Bucks.
The home was known as the Homestead, official name I think was The Homestead hostel.
It housed evacuee boys during the war and until early 1947.
 I was placed there from October 1945 until February 1947
According to authorities this home never existed?
I am trying to find out why?
 Any help would be appreciated, I have 2 photo`s of the home and have been in contact with a man who grew up in Bourne End and remembers it, but authorities refuse to talk about the place.
regards Don McDouall

[les_looking]

Sorry Don searching all i can find when searching under numerous Guises is posts by YOU
so not sure where you can go next
i hope you don't mind me linking this as i think others would be very interested in your sad story,
any problems and i'll delete it

http://pasttimesproject.co.uk/lsl_browse.php?subsite=ll&story=110

[McDouall]

thats OK mate.
I am open to any information, while i was there , there were about 12 to 15 boys there, I was the last to leave.
But during the war there could have been a lot more.
The matrons name was Mrs Memoriam, she had a niece staying there named Jean.who went to boarding school at Cookham.
The cooks name was Rene.
 we went to school over the railway line, there was a bakers shop opposite.
I was actually warned not to proceed in looking up about this home by an official in Reading.
The official would not say yes or no, just that it was an offense on my part to inquire about this home.
regards Don Mcdouall

[stanmapstone]

The official would not say yes or no, just that it was an offense on my part to inquire about this home.
regards Don Mcdouall

Seem like a proper jobsworth    You should have asked him under what law  it was an offence, and what authority he had for saying this. There is the Freedom of Information Act. You could contact your local MP, or the local paper.

Stan

[les_looking]

yep seems as if someone ate the "i'm this weeks biggest nerd jobsworth this week book"
also may an idea to draft a letter for a solicitor to send on your behalf, asking for your records
may cost you a small fee for them to send, hence i said you draft it and get them to send on your behalf,
pretty sure that the only reason you wouldn't be able to see YOUR record is if was not in your best interest, but as that only really relates to a child then they have no case,

Might be more beneficial to you to also try and contact other boys that were there if you know there names? obviously as they would more than likely be living people you can't post there names on here,
reading your story and what happened to your Dad makes me wish there was more i could help with,
i hope other Roots members read your story and small chance they maybe able to help or at least acknowledge they have read it

[Barbara F]

Hello Don

I used to live in Bourne End and am assuming the hostel was on the Abbotsbrook Estate?

I am not sure where you have tried to get information from but have you tried the Centre for Buckinghamshire Studies?  Also Bourne End has a community magazine called The Target.  Maybe a letter to the Editor would be worthwhile?

http://www.bourneendbucks.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=19&Itemid=91

I will have a further look to see if I can find anything helpful.

Barbara

[Abiam2]

Moving story!  I do hope you can find out more.  It sounds very fishy being 'warned off' would make me more determined!
Good luck,
Abiam

[McDouall]

Hi Barbara. Yes thats the estate.
In the past few years I have tried various methods and got 2 replies from men who remembered.
Got a reply from one boy who was there during the war,He now lives in New Zealand , but he declined  to talk about it.
I now live in WA Australia.
 I remember a few boys names but have search many times but never came up with anything.
I might try your suggestions.
 Worth noting the home was shut down very quickly in early 1947
That was one year before that new law was passed in the UK Parliament, cannot remember what it was called but had a lot to do with child protection.
regards Don

[McDouall]

Hi Abiam
Fishy thats how I thought back about 1999.
Why hide it, if there was nothing to be ashamed of?
All I can say is the kids there when I was there 1945-47
Were not delinquents, they were kids in the main abandoned after the war.
Yet the place was run  much like a prison.
Just a few examples:
You were not allowed pockets any that were in your clothes were sewn up.
Inside the home we spent all our time in one room, that contained a long trestle table with benches on each side no other furniture.
 and never a fire
If you didn't eat your food it was dished up every mealtime until you did eat it.
In wintertime  you wore the same clothes as summertime, never had any gloves.
You got belted for talking in bed after lights out.
For my part a very miserable place to be.

What has always annoyed me  is the fact that no government department I contacted in the past  would ever admit the place existed... crazy I know
Must admit I haven't tried since 1999.
regards Don