Foxlease 19
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. . . home, looked after by the people of so many places, even while they were amused at being asked to dust "Hampshire" in the morning.
By this brief account it can be seen that much went on at Foxlease during the second world war. The gardens were perhaps the hardest hit, but instead of being daunted by the lack of labour and other difficulties, Mr Craze the head gardener, with the help of garden students and land girls, brought 12 acres of vegetables and other crops into cultivation instead of the usual three. Camping however was not allowed, as Foxlease was just the wrong side of the road and came within the "10 mile from the coast" ban.
An account of Foxlease during the war years would not be complete without a mention of the Christmas parties, which became a war time institution. Each year a group of Guiders who would have been alone, or who wanted to get their Mother, Father, or Aunt away for a peaceful Christmas met and had a party in the short time that the house would normally have been closed. Once again the house showed itself particularly fitted for such an activity. During the time a party was always given to the evacuee children in the area. Invitations were sent to the boys and girls who spent the first fortnight of the war years at Foxlease and it is these contacts, which otherwise would not have been made, that will stand out in the memory of those who spent 1939 - 1945 in the heart of the New Forest.
Evacuees Enjoy Christmas at Foxlease
