18th February 1943: Eric Rudsdale’s wartime diary of Colchester

Today (18th February), an entry from Eric Rudsdale’s wartime diary of Colchester was posted online in the diary blog. This is a project to post entries from the diary on every day possible, 70 years to the day after they were written, beginning on the 3rd September 2009 with the start of WW2 in September 1939. The edited diary was published in 2010, titled “E.J. Rudsdale’s Journals of Wartime Colchester”, and edited by Catherine Pearson, who also manages the diary blog. The diary blog includes material which was not published in the book and vice versa.

Eric Rudsdale (1910-1951) was born in Colchester and attended the Colchester Royal Grammar School. In 1928 he began working at Colchester Castle Museum as a museum assistant. He combined his interest in history, archaeology and buildings in his job and with his journal-writing. His wartime diary provides a unique record of his experience of Colchester at war, and an interesting insight into the workings of the museum and heritage management at the time, as well as hard archaeological information.

Today’s entry, for the 18th February 1943, includes:
‘… Went into the Castle to see Shenstone’s photos of the Norman building in Foundry Yard, which still hang most inappropriately in the Crypt.  As I came out I met Councillor Blomfield, who had come over to see if Hull’s office still remains locked.  It does.  We talked for a few minutes, but nothing special, then I went back to the office.  Butcher tells me that the Chairman, Councillor Blomfield, and Councillor Smallwood, are coming down to the Castle on Saturday to make a thorough inspection.  Funny that Blomfield did not say anything about it.
As we went through Parsons Heath tonight I heard sirens, and wonder if there would be an attack in the sunset but nothing happened, and Joy said all-clear went in 10 minutes, so it was probably another mistake …’

Eric Rudsdale worked for museum curator Rex Hull, who is a significant figure in the archaeology of Colchester; his books “Camulodunum” (Hawkes & Hull 1945), “Roman Colchester” (Hull 1958) and “The Roman potters’ kilns of Colchester” (Hull 1963) are still extensively used by the Trust. Eric himself was involved in the efforts to save the important timber-framed building in Culver Street from demolition; when these failed, he was instrumental in getting part of the timber frame saved and reconstructed in the Castle Museum. The timber frame has been on display in the museum until now, but the current redevelopment of the museum (2013) involves its removal and there is some debate over this. Eric Rudsdale discovered the site of the Roman north gate at Northgate and conducted an excavation next to the town wall at 27 Roman Road. He was also involved in the illicit excavation of some Roman burials at the Abbey Field. He compiled an album of old photographs of Colchester which he deposited with the National Monuments Record as a permanent archive, in case Colchester was destroyed by aerial bombing; the Trust discovered this by reading the published diary and subsequently acquired a photocopy of the album from the NMR.

The diary also records other aspects of life in wartime Colchester, with many well-known town-centre buildings, from tea in Jacklin’s restaurant and visits to the Odeon cinema, to fire watching on the roof of Colchester Castle and the town being full of servicemen.

The diaries are held by the Essex Record Office in Chelmsford.

Follow the diary blog at http://wwar2homefront.blogspot.co.uk/

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