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NORTH MIDLAND REGION - A WARTIME SURVEY, 1945

The six Counties of Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire comprise the Region.

Much of the agricultural land of the southern half of the Region was, in pre-war days, rich grassland. A great proportion of this has now been ploughed up and is producing good crops of corn. Lincolnshire, always an agricultural County, has given up its luxury produce and now grows more wheat, potatoes and sugar-beet. Even the High Peak area of Derbyshire, much of which is moorland, is growing wheat and flax.

There are coalfields in Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and North and South Derbyshire, which are of great importance in the war effort, producing one-fifth of the country's coal. A considerable amount of opencast coal production is being carried on.

Engineering industries in the larger towns and cities, such as Derby, Leicester, Nottingham and Peterborough, have expanded beyond recognition.

This Region has been lucky in regard to air raids, although, of course, the coastal area has suffered from “pinpricking“ raids.

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE

Nottingham , in the centre of the North Midland Region, was chosen to house Regional Headquarters. Its only blitz in May, 1941, confirmed its citizens’ view that it was an important enough centre to warrant bombing.

Many women were employed in local works prior to the outbreak of war, so that the call-up of women has created less disturbance than in some areas. The importation of labour for its expanding engineering industry has led to an acute shortage of houses and billets.

The Coal Area .

The Western side of the County - the Leen and the Erewash valleys - is a long narrow belt of coal fields. Before the war these coal fields enjoyed more prosperity and contentment than others in the country, but since the war began there has been a deterioration, in spite of the fact that wage levels compare favourably with other mining areas. There is an undercurrent of dissension in some collieries, particularly amongst the younger men. This has militated against maximum production.

The Nottinghamshire pits in the main are very highly mechanised with the result that the output per man in this coalfield is considerably higher than in any other coalfield.

Agricultural Area

Agriculture has always played a large part in the economy of the County, and the war has seen large areas of land, which was pasture, ploughed up for corn. Crops have been successful and the farmers are enjoying prosperity. It must be borne in mind, however, that very considerable areas of agricultural land have been taken over and turned into military camps and aerodromes, more particularly in the Eastern side of the County.

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE

Northamptonshire has seen new war factories go up and old ones, or part of them, taken over for war production but the biggest change concerns agriculture. Before the war the County was chiefly grass. Many farmers did not possess a plough, and, if they had, would hardly have known how to use it. Before the War the County had 383,174 acres grass and 112,672 arable. Today the acreages are 223,000 grass and 265,000 arable. In spite of this remarkable change from grass to arable, the County was able to win the Silver Chum as first champions of the Midland Milk League.

The boot and shoe trade, flourishing in Northampton, Kettering and Wellingborough, with its long traditions of conciliation and arbitration, made no obstacles when concentration was ordered and promptly set about making its own arrangements to free factory space. Throughout the country at least 24,000 shoe operatives, 85 percent of them men, have been taken or have left the industry since 1939.

The biggest social charge has been the advent of the Americans, particularly at Northampton and Kettering. From the beginning Northamptonians, long familiar with Sulgrave (home of Washington's ancestors) and other Northamptonshire associations with America, undertook with enthusiasm the task of making the old and historic borough as attractive a leave centre as possible.

As to housing, the population of the County has risen since the outbreak of war, reaching its peak when the full effect was felt of the blitz of the winter 131 -3-1940-41. Northampton, with a normal population of 96,000, then sheltered some 125,000 souls. At that period pressure on housing was acute but the population has now declined to about 109,000 and the housing situation has been eased to some degree.

Transport has been a serious problem in the county.

LEICESTERSHIRE

In 1935, Leicester , according to Geneva statistics, was the most prosperous city in Europe. Although by 1938 she had fallen from this high level, her citizens were still self-satisfied, complacent and prosperous. That Nottingham was chosen to be the Regional City was a severe blow to the pride of Leicester citizens.

The staple industries of Leicester were hosiery and boots and shoes, and there was also a flourishing engineering industry, specialising in hosiery and boot and shoe machinery, with a valuable export trade. When the Board of Trade began its concentration of industry schemes, Leicester was one of the first cities to be affected. Voluntary efforts were made in the hosiery and boot and shoe industries, to amalgamate different firms. The factories freed were quickly taken over by munitions firms evacuated from Coventry, Birmingham, etc. Boot and shoe and hosiery operatives, including women, transferred to munitions, were soon skilled workers, being already familiar with handling machinery.

Agricultural Area

Leicestershire was famous as a grazing area and the war has brought great changes to her farms, for successful corn crops are now being produced on a large scale. The largest market towns are Loughborough, Market Harborough, Lutterworth and Melton Mowbray. The famous hunting shire has lost some of its society elegance, but has certainly increased in usefulness. Mechanised farming on a large scale has been introduced.

Leicestershire Coalfield and Charnwood Forest

The Leicestershire Coalfield lies in the west of the County and embraces such towns and villages as Coalville, Ibstock, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Measham and Moira. The spirit in these pits has been good, and the area has earned the Greene award regularly. Adjacent to the coalfields is the Charnwood Forest, now largely agricultural, which also yields granite, sand and gravel. Italian prisoners are employed both on farms and in the quarrying industry, and there have been complaints 132 -4-about the large amount of freedom these men enjoy.

RUTLAND

The smallest county in England is predominantly agricultural and has, like its neighbouring counties, ploughed up a great deal of pasture land since the outbreak of war.

There are only two centres of population of any size, Oakham, the County town, and Uppingham, whose inhabitants still possess a very parochial outlook. Their main grievances are the “disgracefully” high wages paid to workers on nearby aerodromes. The billeting of Land Army girls was not easy, and there are numbers of “camp-following wives” in the area who have made the housing and billeting problem acute.

LINCOLNSHIRE

This County, which is mainly agricultural, has been growing huge quantities of corn and root crops since the outbreak of war. Areas which in the past grew vast quantities of flowers, have now changed over to food production. Further acres of fenland, which formerly had no agricultural value, have been drained and are now producing crops. Italian prisoners are being employed on the land and volunteer labour is not popular.

Transport in this area is one of the main problems, partly because ‘buses and trains are few, and partly because of the many members of H.M. Forces needing to travel across the County.

Aerodromes have “sprung up like mushrooms” all over the County. Lincoln, the County town, is a typical cathedral city and is unable to realise that there is a war on. The town has large engineering works and has been described as “the home of tanks”. The call-up of women has not been well received.

The arrival of the American Army Air Force is the most important change in Peterborough. Some angry criticism has been provoked by relationships between American soldiers and some young women.

Boston is a market town of considerable interest to Americans. It is very anxious to offer hospitality to U.S. visitors.

Skegness was once a popular holiday resort visited by people from the Midlands. The small boarding-house keepers have suffered since the outbreak of war.

Grimsby and Cleethorpes, expected heavy bombing early in the war, but, instead, found themselves free from raids, with food factories from London 133 -5-transferred to the area. During this summer (1943) Grimsby has had two heavy air raids. The morale of the public was high, in spite of the fact that large numbers of anti-personnel bombs were used by the Germans in the first raid.

The fish trade has been seriously affected by the war. At the outbreak of war, Grimsby had 480 trawlers; now, owing to Government requisitioning, zoning and sinkings she has 72.

DERBYSHIRE

Derby

The County Borough has never experienced any acute trade depression, for it has a wide range of industries with Rolls Royce, L.M.S. Wagon Works, and British Celanese outstanding. Visitors complain that it is unfriendly or that it is unenterprising and satisfied with its own mediocrity. The expansion in its engineering industry has meant that labour has been imported and billeting problems have arisen. The greatest difficulty has been experienced in billeting Irish Labour. There is a general disposition to believe that Rolls Royce employees receive inordinately high wages.

One of the greatest changes brought to Derby by the war has been the arrival of American troops in the neighbourhood. There was a tendency for the local population to be more friendly to coloured than white Americans. There has been grave concern over the association of local young girls with coloured troops.

Coalfields

In the southern part of the County is the S. Derbyshire coalfield (near the Leicestershire field) which is reasonably free from troubles and earns an output bonus regularly. In the east of the County (merging with Nottinghamshire) is the N. Derbyshire coalfield. These pits have occasionally earned the output bonus. Coal production in this area has seen the introduction of opencast working on a large scale. American lease-lend machinery is being used.

High Peak

The largest town in the Peak District is Buxton this has been described as a “funk hole for Manchester”. The war seems a long way from Buxton; the cafes are still filled each morning with well-dressed women who go in for elevenses. Many of the Spa Hotels are taken over by Official Departments, Insurance Companies, etc.

The basic industry particularly in the villages is limestone quarrying. The acute shortage of labour and heavy demands on this industry for munitions 134 -6-industries have given it a greatly increased importance.

New Mills and Glossop in the far north of Derbyshire appear to have no connections with the remainder of the County. This can easily be understood for during the winter months they are often completely isolated. The interests of this district lie with Manchester or Cheshire. The industries of calico printing, engraving, bleaching, and dyeing, engineering and the retail trade are all in business relationship with Manchester and transport into Stockport and Manchester is good.

This area was first incorporated in wartime in the North West Region and has never forgiven the Authorities for making the change.

Fuel is a great grumble, for the inhabitants consider that they should be given the privileges received in the North of England and Scotland.

Agricultural Area

Derbyshire in the main is composed of small market towns. The County has a most creditable record of land reclamation, and the pastoral resources of the south western corner have been fully exploited for mill production. In the north it is said that although agriculture is much better off because of the war, the County is difficult at the best of times as most of the farms contain moorland. Some of this is now being profitably cultivated. Flax growing is being experimented with.