Evacuee Violet dies at 102
A SECOND World War evacuee who fled Guernsey for Stockport days before it was invaded by German forces has died aged 102.
Violet Hatton had been living back on the Channel island and celebrated her birthday just last month.
Mrs Hatton was 27 on the eve of the German occupation of the island and was evacuated with her six-month-old son, Brian, her mother and three sisters, Molly, 14, Betty, 12 and Ruth, 10.
They were among 17,000 children and adults forced to leave the island in June 1940.
After arriving in England the family was sent to Stockport by train, with around 1,200 other Channel islanders.
Mrs Hatton remembered her time in the north west of England with great affection.
She said: “Everyone in Stockport was so friendly and kind. Brian and I moved in with Mrs Bowler on Ash Grove. She could not do enough for us and the ladies on our street gave us bedding and clothing because we arrived with nothing.”
During her time in Stockport, which lasted nearly six years, Mrs Hatton worked as an usherette at the Empress cinema. She would also attend evacuee meetings at Tiviot Dale Church as Stockport had more evacuees from Guernsey than anywhere else in the country. Recalling the meetings, she added: “We talked about the Red Cross letters that had come from Guernsey – just 25 words but they meant such a lot to us.”
Guernsey was liberated on May, 9, 1945 and Mrs Hatton’s mother and sisters, Betty and Ruth returned home shortly afterwards.
Sadly, Mrs Hatton could not go with them because her husband, Elijah, remained a prisoner of war in the Far East.
Molly also remained in Stockport as she had married her employer, Stephen Cowley.
In December 1945 Mrs Hatton received the news she had been waiting for – a letter from her husband confirming he was alive and returning home.
He arrived in Stockport in time for Christmas weighing just six stone.
In April 1946 Mrs Hatton returned to Guernsey with Elijah and Brian, where she was visited several times by Mrs Bowler.
A talk entitled ‘Guernsey Evacuees in Stockport’ will be given at Stockport Story Museum on Saturday, May 16 at 2pm – to book call 0161 474 4444.