THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — these Findon Chronicles were created by Valerie Martin and contain scenes from her home village of Findon,
West Sussex, U.K.    Everyday stories about real people.

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THE WOMEN'S VILLAGE COUNCIL IN FINDON — 1918

Copyright Valerie Martin 2006

Originally published in the Findon News in January 2006

In OCTOBER 1917, the first ever Women's Village Council in England met in the Long Room upstairs in the Wattle House on Nepcote Green.  National flags waved from the Wattle House windows and any innocent bystander might have thought the King was about to pass through the village.   The affair was considered so noteworthy that it was reported in the Daily Mirror and other national newspapers.   I am sure that events on Nepcote Green would never reach the nationals today.

I would explain here that the Women's Council was established to put forward the ordinary local women’s points of view on government policy to provide state aided cottages for troops returning from the Great War.   The intention was to enable them to have better housing in the future.  This was to be the start of council house building, of which Findon was to be a forerunner.

The war entered its fourth year.  The Women's Council in Findon discussed many items during the Great War. On the agenda in JANUARY 1918 was "How to keep potatoes hot in a tin filled with hay" — this all sounds rather amusing today but during the First World War things were taken very seriously and samples were even tasted at the meeting (and no doubt enjoyed by all).

A letter was read out at this same meeting from a Findon soldier, Private Newson.   Quite remarkably he had seen a picture of the Findon Women's Council meeting in the Sunday Pictorial, which he had read in the trenches.   Can you imagine reading about Findon while in the trenches!   He had recognised some of the female members in the photograph.  He wrote to comment that he had also been concerned about the dangers to the village pond that they had been discussing at their meeting.  The ladies found his comments ironic considering the imminent danger he was facing on the front line.

By 1920 did you know that Findon had a jam factory?    Yes, that is correct, a jam factory.    It was started and run by the Women's Village Council.   Where did all the fruit come from?    Yes, of course, from the residents of Findon!     Does anyone know know how long the business ran for.     I wonder if they got as far as making pickles too?

Continue if you would like to read The Fourth Year — 1918.

This is Findon Village — www.findonvillage.com is a continually growing record created by Valerie Martin exclusively for documenting life in Findon.