Arrangements are being made for the opening at Rushden of a hostel for evacuees. “The Beeches,” Higham-road, for many years the residence of the late Mr. Fred Corby, was taken over for this purpose some time ago and is now being prepared for use.

The hostel will be under the control of the County Council and is expected to ease billeting problems in Rushden, Higham Ferrers, Irthlingborough and Raunds. If the original plan is carried out it will receive children who are found unsuitable for billeting in private homes. A similar institution is being opened at Daventry.

Though some had lost their homes, spent many nights in shelters, and undergone other heavy “Blitzkrieg” ordeals, the 350 London children who arrived in Rushden for billeting on Sunday showed little evidence of the strain which has been imposed on them. Many of them displayed the gaiety of holidaymakers and were eager, above all things, to see “the country.” A boy was asking, “Where’s all the farms?” and a girl took from her pocket some bread supplied by her mother “to feed the cows.”

The children were from several districts. They were accompanied by teachers and helpers and came in by ‘bus from Wellingborough. Four schools were used as reception centres, and, as many billets had been secured in advance, the arrangements worked smoothly and quickly.

The recent influx of adult and child evacuees, both in organised and unofficial groups, has exposed the extreme inconvenience of the food control arrangements at Rushden. It is realised that the town must have an office open daily, and arrangements for this were made so far as the present week is concerned.

The burial of Lorna Pain, an eight-years-old schoolgirl who had been evacuated to Rushden, took place at the child’s home town on Tuesday.

Lorna was a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. E. Pain, who have four other children – two girls (also evacuees at Rushden) and two older boys. She was billeted on Mr. and Mrs. Clark.

The bereaved father is a postman.

A spray of flowers was sent by the Rushden Independent Wesleyan Sunday School.

The death has occurred of Cecilia Janet Chase, aged seven years, one of the six children of Mr. and Mrs. G. R. Chase. The mother and all the children have been in Rushden as evacuees. Five of the children have attended the same school, and Cecilia and one of her brothers were in the same class. The bereaved father is a full-time air raid warden.

Cecilia was staying with Mr. and (words missing).

There was a funeral service at the family’s home town on Tuesday, and a floral spray was sent by the Rushden Independent Wesleyan Sunday School.

A scene in Rushden High-street between a London evacuee and the daughter of a Rushden woman with whom she had been billeted was described at Wellingborough Petty Sessions on Friday.

It was stated that the London woman twice knocked the victim of the assault down, knocked her hat off and pulled her hair out.

Mrs. Edna Grace Parker, of 15, The Crescent Rushden, summoned Mrs. Ella Peters, late of East Ham and now of 83, Irchester-road, Rushden, for common assault on October 9th.

Peters was fined 15s., had to pay 5s. costs, and was bound over for 12 months. She was given a month to pay, when amid tears she said she had no money, but her billeting allowance.

Mr. J. Steer Parker (Parker and Son, Wellingborough), who prosecuted, said that defendant was billeted with Mrs. Parker’s mother and resided there for a week, later going elsewhere.

His case was that his client was walking in Rushden when she saw defendant and asked her in a proper manner to stop spreading allegations about her mother. He said that defendant had been saying it would be a good job if Mrs. Parker and her mother were to go to London to be bombed.

At the meeting in High-street defendant started to strike his client, who was twice knocked down and had her hair pulled out. People in the Rushden district did not want behaviour of this character in their town.

Edna Grace Parker said she was walking with her mother in High-street, Rushden, on October 9th when she saw Mrs. Peters.

She recognised her as an evacuee who came to stay at her mother’s. Her mother had taken Mrs. Peters in and witness herself took in other evacuees who had come with Mrs. Peters. Mrs. Peters claimed some distant relationship with her father. Later the evacuees left, having secured other accommodation.

Witness said that she asked Mrs. Peters to stop spreading stories about the way she was treated when billeted with witness’s mother.

Mrs. Peters then struck her and knocked her down. She got up but was knocked down again, had her hat knocked off and her hair pulled.

“I tried to get away,” she said, “and my mother appealed to a passer-by for assistance.”

A man came up and parted them.

Mr. Parker : Did you at any time strike Mrs. Peters? – Mrs. Parker : Only in self-defence. I put my hands up to defend myself.

Asked if she wished to question witness, defendant denied that she struck the first blow. In tears, she told the magistrate that within the last week her home had been destroyed.

William Seamarks, of Rushden, said he was near the Palace, Rushden, and saw Mrs. Parker and Peters in conversation. They were talking rather loudly and people looked. Later blows were struck and it was “rather a muddle.”

He said that Mrs. Peters struck Mrs. Parker first and Mrs. Parker tried to defend herself with her shopping basket.

Cross-examining Seamarks, defendant suggested he was a friend of Mrs. Parker and was favouring her.

Seamarks : I never saw her before. I would rather be at work than giving evidence here.

The defendant, Mrs. Peters, on oath, said that Mrs. Parker came up to her and accused her of spreading stories about her mother. Mrs. Parker struck her first, and all she did was to defend herself.

Rushden is now sheltering more women and children from other districts than it did immediately after the big evacuation of London in September, 1939.

Last Saturday, according to the weekly return prepared by Mr. E. F. Tomkins, Billeting Officer to the Urban Council, there were 975 unaccompanied children, 210 accompanied children and 210 adults in the town as organised evacuees. Also on the books were 563 children and 566 adults who came to Rushden as unorganised refugees.

The billeting authorities were therefore providing for 2,524 persons – 1,748 children and 776 adults. In addition to this host are many people – probably not less that 1,000 – who have come to the town as private visitors.