Council helps evacuee find war-time home

A 78-year-old Birmingham man has finally found the Ross home where he was evacuated to during the Second World War - thanks to Herefordshire Council's Tourist Information Centre.

John Ferriday from Great Barr has tried three times to find the home and the only things he could remember were that it was near a church and a row of cottages.

Mr Ferriday, together with his wife and son, Jon, toured all possible streets they could come across in their car but had no success.

Refusing to give up, Mr Ferriday made a last-ditch attempt to find the home he lived in for one year from 1939, aged just nine, and visited Ross-on-Wye TIC.

Staff at the TIC immediately contacted a Rossonian who then arranged to meet the family at The Royal Hotel.

Rossian Joan Crisp was able, after a few minutes of conversation, to work out exactly where John had been billeted because she knew the family he had stayed with.

Joan then took the Ferriday family to visit the home and its current owner, in typical Herefordshire fashion, showed them around.

Councillor Adrian Blackshaw, Herefordshire Council's cabinet member for community services and economic development, said: "There were tears all round when Mr Ferriday finally found this house which meant so much to him.

"It is wonderful that our staff have such good local knowledge and can help people in this sort of way.

"This was certainly an unusual request but shows that our staff are always pleased to help and everyone was overjoyed with the result," he added.