The New Buckenham Society met on 11 November 1994 in the (old) Village Hall in Marsh Lane. Pamela Clark summarised the evening's conversation, published later in Parish News, as shown here slightly edited and updated. Around 45 people attended when David Seville gave an excellent talk on his life as a boy in the village during the Second World War. He felt that the main difference between the village in the 194Os and now was that the community was agriculturally based then and few travelled outside the village. David also told us of Mr Pole's pigs opposite the cemetery, of Mrs Blair's ponies (kept where St. Martin’s Gardens is now) and of Mr Fox's bicycle shop in part of the house now called Foxes, although Mr Fox lived in Holly Lodge. David was born at No I Chapel Street (the No I which used to be where the George car park was, not the No l at the other end of Chapel Street!). He recalls the hand-cranked petrol pumps in Chapel Street and the red double decker buses which stood near where St. Mary’s Close now stands. Houses had cooking ranges and wirelesses had dry cell batteries and accumulators. Water was drawn from the pump in Chapel Street, from wells and water butts. The Wine Cellars acted as the air raid shelter for the children at the village school. David also remembers the Observer Corps at Spittle Mere and the village Home Guard. Then those who lived in the village during the war told their tales. People remembered the plane crash in Folly Lane and land mines on Darley's farm. A parachute came down on The Limes. A number of evacuees arrived from Hackney and were billeted by Ethel Powell, with two girls going to the Tofts’, two girls going to the Powell's and seven boys sleeping on mattresses in Holly Lodge. To cope with the increase in numbers, the school split into a morning school for village children and the afternoon for evacuees. Many in the audience had tales of the Home Guard who met at the Market Cross. Fully equipped with bicycles and uniforms, when the order came to mount the stalwarts climbed on to their ‘iron steeds’ and cycled off to defend the village. Fire bombs were dealt with by a horsedrawn fire engine. There were three telephones in the village during the war and you had to listen for how many times the 'phone rang to know which call was for you as the 'phone rang simultaneously in each of the houses. Imagine the chaos today! Entertainment was available at sixpenny hop dances. Music was provided by Mr Fred Humphries and the Bunwell Swingers. Skipper and the Hot Cats seemed to be another popular choice. The Silver Band kept going through the War in spite of so many bandsmen being called up. A Mrs Warner had a concert party which included the New Buckenham Belles. There were many memories of the U.S. Air Force who gave parties to the local children. Tommy Winser recalls being caught by the Military Police while riding on the tailplane of a plane which had just landed at Old Buckenham airfield. He even managed to hitch a lift to Scotland and back in a bomber. No one felt that the villagers were deprived. Rabbits were poached and left with the Italian prisoners of war for collection once the authorities were out of the way. The U.S. Air Force provided chickens. So, what about the pig? It appears that the owner of the White Horse pub used to slaughter pigs for people in the village for their own use, although this was deemed to be not quite legal. When the inspector from the Ministry of Food called at Ethel Powell's family home to check that all was in order, their pig was in danger of being discovered. While Ethel distracted the Inspector's attention by offering to make him tea, others moved the pig behind the sofa and out of sight. The evening closed with the sounding of the All Clear on a hand siren.