Loved the story of the evacuee girl, Louise May Silver and her time in  Thorncombe. I was born in 1945 and  I remember the Down family with whom she lived, but never knew they had hosted an evacuee.
 Mr Down delivered the bread for the Saunders shop and bakery  when I lived at Chaffeigh Farm. In bad weather (snow or ice) he would leave his van  at the Synderford Bridge and walk up across the fields with our big  loaves of crusty bread covered with a clean cloth, rather than negotiate Venn Hill.
 I went to school with his daughter Anne Down at Thorncombe school and Jill her elder sister was the baby in the cot that Louise May Silver spoke about.

Those girls were always beautifully dressed and well mannered and their parents such pleasant people. Anne and I used to ride horses together and Jean Farley (Ron's sister) who lived in the house on the corner at the top of the steps  became my best friend. We still correspond to this day, we have been  friends for  over 62 years.

We used to take our horses  to Chard Junction to the blacksmith, Albert Rouse.
 Len Ebdon used to come to Chaffeigh Farm from Thorncombe to do stone work and how as  children  we loved to sit and watch him work on the farm buildings and stone walls.

 We four children got sixpence pocket money and how we loved to spend it in Mrs Bonfield’s shop  on sherbets and chocolate mice and other sweets.
 Mr Chris Bonfield used to collect our milk (in churns) and I think he  also delivered the coal in the early days. The only time I ever saw my mother cry was when we came home from school  and she had been to Mr Bonfield’s funeral. I think she had known him all her life.

I remember Mrs Potter who cooked and served the school lunches in the village hall along with Gladys Spurway and we children would walk down hand in hand in pairs from school and the lunches cost 2/7d week.
Our teachers at first were Miss M.M. Lukey and Mrs Crawford.

Miss Lukey also taught Sunday School at Venn Congregational Chapel, so we saw her 6 days out of 7 and her nickname was 'Bundle' because she wore her hair in a bun, also taught many of my Loveridge Uncles and Aunts from Easthay Farm before us.

 
My Uncle Walt Loveridge and Aunty Grace Strawbridge nee Loveridge are still living in Canada and although elderly now still write letters to me of their childhood days in Thorncombe almost 90 years ago!

Mr Warren used to bring the milk up the hill in pails to the school suspended on a wooden yoke around his neck - until he was replaced with shiny topped bottles delivered in a van.

 Love having the memories evoked. Keep up the good work. Ruth Anderson  (nee Loveridge)

Thorncombe Village Trust - caring for Thorncombe's environment