Waldron At War

How the Second World War was won - in Waldron

by

Valerie Chidson

Waldron at War is a community play written especially by local scriptwriter Valerie Chidson. It celebrates the courage, resilience and grit of the residents of the village of Waldron, East Sussex as they dealt with the day-to-day problems and privations of the Second World War. It is based on interviews with those who lived and worked in the village at that time and also on some printed sources.

Like many other southern villages, Waldron:

More unusually, the village was one of the locations where plans were laid for the disastrous Dieppe raids and later for the successful D-Day landings.

It was also said to have been the home for a while of the notorious traitor William Joyce (“Lord Haw Haw”), whose first wife and children remained in the village during the war.

The play was performed on 8th, 9th and 10th July 2004 in three “promenade” performances by the present-day villagers of Waldron, of all ages. The current members of the WI played their wartime counterparts. The patron of the project is Marguerite Patten OBE, the “Delia Smith” of her day.

Children from Cross-in-Hand Church of England Primary School linked cross-curricular studies about the Second World War to the play and took part as evacuees. Two teachers played the parts of those accompanying the evacuees. Supported by a professional artist the children created a mural which has been displayed on the wall of a local supermarket. On a "1940s day"  the children dressed appropriately and ate a wartime school lunch. The children also interviewed local elderly people to hear their reminiscences at first hand.

The local pub, the Star Inn, was involved with daily NAAFI specials in its menu, and a Spitfire beer on tap. Wartime posters were displayed.

A video of the play (and the preparations for it) is available, and a 56-page booklet records some of the background material uncovered. An exhibition followed the performances, touring to several places in the Wealden District.

To generate interest in the play and the music of the era, the Waldron Concert Party took place 31st January when the Berkeley Square Society Band played a concert of 1940s music and dancers from First Move demonstrated jive. The concert was held at the State Hall, Heathfield, where many of the bands of the ‘40s performed. Camp coffee and tea was served by ladies of the WVS (they didn't get the "R" of "WRVS" until 1966) who also produced spam and paste sandwiches to encourage the audience to get in the mood. Click here to see some Waldron Concert Party photos.

Rehearsals were great fun - click here to see some pre-production photos, but now it's over, we can look back with pride at a variety of Production photos (click here).

Key People