Winsford Guernsey School's 'untold tale' unearthed by historian

Full-time children's author, John Malam, has unearthed little-known details of 124 children and their teachers given refuge by the Winsford community after fleeing Nazi-occupied Guernsey.

The evacuees, billeted with Winsford families for the duration of the war, were from Delancey Catholic School in the east of Channel Island, and their teachers were all Sisters of Mercy, nuns known for their education work.

Armstrong Hall, a former munitions factory in Wharton Road, was given over to the evacuees in 1940 for use as their school. 

As there was no Catholic church in Winsford then, St Mary's RC Church, Middlewich, rented a room in the Brunner Guildhall, where the children and their teachers could celebrate Mass.

It was this which later led to the formation of Winsford’s Catholic parish, St Joseph's.  

John Malam was asked to pull together all his research for a display at Brunner Guild Hall (Image: Newsquest) After their return to Guernsey in 1945, yearly gifts of Guernsey tomatoes and carnations were sent to Winsford families who kept the children safe, a tradition which lasted until at least the 1970s.

John was asked to collate his research into Winsford’s Guernsey School by Winsford Town Council for a display at Brunner Guildhall for its Heritage Open Day on Saturday, September 14.

If you missed it, John’s work will be on display again soon at Town Library, or in the town centre.

John said: “It’s a great story – completely untold until now – of how the people of Winsford opened their hearts to 124 people in desperate need of sanctuary.

“They were all forced to flee their homes and families in June 1940, nine days before the island of Guernsey was occupied by Nazi Germany.

“They sailed to Weymouth, Dorset, from where they travelled to Manchester, and finally to Winsford.

“The Guernsey evacuees stayed in Winsford for the next five years, and left a lasting legacy in which the Brunner Guildhall played a significant role.

“I talked to Winsford families who fostered the Guernsey children, to former evacuees themselves on Guernsey - in their 80s and 90s - and have seen detailed wartime records. It was a real privilege. 

“It turns out two of the Guernsey children, brothers, were billeted with a family on Ledward Street, Wharton, and one of the boys, Len Allen, became Winsford's wartime telegram boy.”

An estimated 6,000 children and their teachers were evacuated from Guernsey to England during the Second World War.

Wherever they settled, so-called ‘Guernsey Schools’ were established, including the one in Winsford.

John is keen to further his research by talking to people whose family histories include a connection to the evacuees.

He added: “I would love to hear from anyone who knows where any of the Guernsey children lived in Winsford, and who they were billeted with.

“There must be lots of memories passed down through local families, and lots more of this fascinating story to tell.”

If you're able to assist John, you can email him: john@johnmalam.co.uk