Hilary Gavin

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The impact of war and abuse on children’s lives and legacy today

By HILARY GAVIN

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1384558033141754

IF YOU’VE been following my social media posts and my WordPress blog, you’ll know full well that the Second World War had a profound effect on both my late Mum and Dad.

Of course, my father Gordon MacDonald Gavin served as RAF groundcrew abroad during the conflict but my mother Enid Gavin – who was then Enid Davies – was a child growing up in Blighty.

I’m not sure if I’ve told you that my mother was strafed twice by German Luftwaffe planes in wartime Sussex – once while she was waiting for a bus in West Street, Chichester, and again when she was collecting eggs with my late Nan near home in East Marden.

In the future I intend to go into greater detail about the oral stories Mum passed on to both me and my sister – including witnessing wounded British soldiers returning from Dunkirk.

Saying that, I want to turn my attention here to the children who were evacuated from London during the Blitz in this blog post.

In November last year, I was lucky enough to spend some time chatting to an elderly lady who lives around here now when she recalled being evacuated from Shepherd’s Bush to Sussex.

At the time I was on my way to join the Remembrance Sunday service in Bognor and I hadn’t realised that a couple of the bus stops in Chichester had been suspended on that day.

I explained it all in my WordPress blog last November (see link).

How I chose to avoid following the herd as an unruly Girl Guide – Hilary Gavin

I have to say that this elderly lady was a natural raconteur who captivated me with her life story – but, at the same time, I was upset when she told me she’d never visit the West Dean estate on the South Downs because she’d been so badly treated by the family she’d been evacuated to in the village during the war.

Of course, I told her that my paternal grandfather had worked as a domestic servant first as a groom and later as either a chauffeur or truck driver on the West Dean estate in the Twentieth Century.

It soon became apparent that the family this lady had been assigned to were well-to-do in West Dean at the time and she told me that she, and possibly her sister, had been treated like slave labour and been worked to the bone.

Now, you might be asking why I’m recounting this conversation and why I’ve embedded the ITV YouTube drama Goodnight Mister Tom in my WordPress local news round-up?

The simple answer is that I’ve had a rather traumatic three weeks during which time I’ve realised how lucky I was to have had an idyllic childhood whilst other youngsters suffered needlessly.

Sadly, many of these people are still suffering as adults behind the scenes as their voices are often not heard in society and are, sometimes, cancelled and silenced.

Click on my Local Commentary Facebook page link at the top of this post to read my social media and watch my videos.

In short, I have been pleading with locals to tackle anti-social behaviour and crime on the Manhood Peninsula by reporting e-scooter “yobs” to Sussex Police. I’ve been on a quest to find fully-trained sub postmasters and sub postmistresses locally after encountering difficulties sending a lost British passport to the Passport Office via Royal Mail FREEPOST

In addition, I’ve been flagging up the dangers young “rebellious” adults face safeguarding post, personal belongings and documents in HMOs and the repercussions of management agents filing CCJs to collect back-rent if the young adults’ admin gets out of hand.

Anyhow, take a look at my FB link if you’re interested.

Hilary Gavin

Copyright, Monday July 6th, 2026

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Biafra, Frederick Forsyth and the Cold War

IT’S a year ago since the Day of the Jackal thriller writer Frederick Forsyth died and when I wrote this blog on Britain’s shame and Whitehall’s vanity during what is sometimes coined the Biafran War. In modern times, it is hard to explain the Cold War paranoia of the Sixties and Seventies so some of…

by Hilary Gavin

From Dickens to 12 Angry Men: Connecting past and present

By HILARY GAVIN ONCE again I’m a day behind with my self-imposed schedule posting my weekly local commentary Facebook round-up page. In truth, I was too tired, grouchy and upset yesterday to think clearly and rationally so I had to rest up. Thankfully, I slept well and I woke up this morning thinking about the…

by Hilary Gavin
A freelance journalist who wants to see a return to public accountability in the local press

6 Southover Way

Hunston

CHICHESTER

West Sussex

PO20 1NY

Tel: 07940 444664

Email: grumpywoman@hilarygavin.blog

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