The South Devon Hunt welcomed a very special visitor to Kennels in August.
Diane’s father was evacuated to the Kennels from Mitcham in Surrey during the Second World War. He stayed there with his uncle (Diane’s great uncle), Mr Albert ‘Arthur’ Harris who was Kennel Huntsman to the legendary Claude Whitley MFH for 40 seasons. Along with his wife and five children, Arthur lived in one of the two cottages that came to make up the current house, but somehow found the space to take in an additional Kennel Boy during the Blitz! As a girl, Diane later holidayed in Pulsford in 1964, and asked if she might return during a recent trip to Devon. Of course we were delighted to oblige.
Diane very kindly brought her and her parents’ old photographs and has given us permission to share her story. She later wrote:
“I just want to say an enormous thank you for allowing our visit. I cannot describe how it made me feel to see the Kennels again. I often wondered if my memories were based on the photos I have (given that I was four when I stayed there). But actually seeing the place again I realised my memories were real and the visit brought back more. Joe was the perfect host and so informative, so a massive thank you to him too. I could have talked to him for hours. I was amazed that the place has hardly changed, which for me was wonderful. Comparing my photos to how the kennels are now, there are only minor differences. Sadly the weather wasn’t the best so we missed out on the views, but what a beautiful place to live.”
How lucky we are to occupy such well designed and constructed kennels that so few changes have been required over the decades!
