World War 1 (1914-1918)

The war seems to have had very little effect on the village. Life went on in the parish much as it had done until World War One. In fact just reading the Parish Council minutes and other local records it seemed as though it had almost never happened. Whether this was because it seemed so a remote event that would soon be over, or that it was beyond their comprehension, or that it did not enter into their local day to day lives, one will never know.

There is just one event that is narrated, noted by a local man, Larry Walling. Fred Mallinson had a rough passage through World War One. He and two other men were trapped in a shell hole in France, close to the German lines. After some time one of the soldiers decided to peep out, but he fell back shot through the head by a German sniper. After three nights and three days they decided they would try to get out of the hole and run, this they did with bullets flying all around them. After a few minutes they fell into a trench and thought it was all over, not realising it was indeed a German trench they had fallen into. Then they ran into a German party who took them prisoner, and they were interrogated.

After spending some time in the prison camp he and an Australian decided to break free and make for Holland, which was then a neutral country. In due course they made their escape successfully, having managed to acquire civilian clothing, They travelled on foot at night and laid low during the day. On taking a train journey they encountered German soldiers, but they appeared to be asleep. They ate turnips and anything else they could find in the fields. Eventually they crossed the frontier into Holland, where they held up for the duration of the war, and were well looked after by the Dutch authorities.

World War Two (1939-1945)

One of the main interests in the north of England in World War II for the Germans was Barrow where we were building ships and submarines. Consequently there were many forays but the navigation equipment was not well enough developed and planes were often off course, and Witherslack suffered from this.

This account of this was made by Larry Walling. The RAP had many Avro Anson aircraft in the Flookburgh airfield, with their low flights annoying many of the householders.

One night in May 1941/42 I remember waking up in the night by adult voices on the landing at Halecat, there were aircraft overhead with German aircraft making a fair amount of noise in the distance, and then explosions were heard. We all got up and went downstairs when suddenly there was a large explosion nearby shaking us to the core, and plaster flew all around. My father went outside and when he returned he said the noise seemed to be coming from Grange or Flookburgh. Next morning I went to the shop and was told that bombs had fallen on Grange and one near to Latterbarrow. I then decided not to attend school but to cycle down there to have a look. Hadwins the garage had taken a direct hit and was destroyed, Lindale Co-op had been hit but the locals had managed to get out the fire. Jack Hodgson at Latterbarrow went to get his Home Guard rifle and was in the passage when he heard a mine explode a few hundred yards away, somewhat sheltered by Rocky Hill; he was blown off his feet and dazed. Much glass was blown out of the windows, as were the windows of Long Howe Farm and the Derby Arms. There was a second parachute mine fell at Cat Cragg, but it just blew a large hole in the ground and is not to be seen now.

Another time he was gull-egging with his brother when an aircraft was travelling in a southerly direction on Foulshaw Moss and was told that an aircraft had landed in a field near Meathop. This was a Halifax four-engined bomber, which having been badly shot up over Germany, having no working instruments, and should have been landing at Darlington and was almost out of fuel, landed on a cornfield in Meathop. The aircraft soon got bogged down in the soft peaty soil. We rushed down to the field but an army sentry came into view and told us to get the hell out of it, or else.

The Home Guard was set up in 1940 by a Mr. Milligan who was a Captain, and twelve members. The number of members varied from time to time but there were between 30 and 40. One of their main jobs was to guard the Arnside viaduct, this being on the main railway line to the large shipyard at Barrow. Mr. Millligan was their C.O. and on leading the men on a training mission he suddenly disappeared into a peat dyke up to his waist in water. They had a caravan on Latterbarrow in which they used to sit up all night in two's, with two rifles and no ammunition and some sticks. Later on they were given three more rifles, with some ammunition.

On one occasion they were sitting inside Arnside station cleaning their rifles, when a bullet exploded and made a hole in the ceiling, which could be seen for years afterwards. No evidence is to be found as to what the reaction was!

Subscription was 1/- (5 pence) and said on the membership booklet 'The Legion shall be democratic, non-sectarian and shall not be affiliated to, directly or indirectly, with any political party or political organisation. There is a photograph of the members but unfortunately not everyone can be identified.