Doreen Ash statue reminds Somerset village of WWII evacuees

The statue depicts Doreen Ash sitting on her crumpled suitcase at Donyatt Halt, a former railway station that has been refurbished by its local community.

Doreen arrived in the village of Donyatt, located between Chard and Ilminster, on September 3, 1939, after being evacuated from London at the age of seven. 

She was taken in by a childless couple in the village, Mr and Mrs Hutchings of Park Bungalow, and was said to be very happy with them. 

Another evacuee, June Knight, was taken in by the same couple. 

Brian Harper of Donyatt, who managed the station’s restoration, had a letter from Doreen's mother and started a search to find her in 2007.  

The letter said: “If I sent my little girl pocket money, will you give her a penny a day?”

Brian managed to get in touch with Doreen, who by then had the surname Grinham, lived in Ashford, Kent, and had five grandchildren. 

She returned to the village in 2009 once the former train station's refurbishment and the statue of her were complete. 

Her statue was sculpted by Ian Edwards of Chard, whose grandfather Billy was evacuated to Donyatt at the same time as Doreen.

Her story has served as a long-standing reminder of the county’s role during the conflict in providing children with a safe place to live. 

In April 2020, a protective mask was placed onto Doreen’s face, making her a symbol of Somerset’s determination and kindness through a very different crisis.

The fascinating history of Donyatt Halt

Donyatt Halt opened on May 5, 1928 as a single platform station with wooden sleepers and a small wooden shelter.

Every day, five trains operated from the station in each direction on a line between Taunton and Chard – a 15-mile journey that took around 45 minutes to complete with stops at Thornfalcon, Hatch, Ilton, Ilminster and Donyatt.

The station was once part of the Stop Way Line, a defence system designed to stop an invading enemy from advancing from the west. 

The defences ran for 50 miles from Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset, to Seaton, Devon. 

Some of the defences are still visible, including ‘dragon’s teeth’ – concrete anti-tank blocks.  

The railway line was abandoned in 1962 as part of the Beeching cuts, a plan to increase the efficiency of Britain’s nationalised railway.

The last train out of the village ran on September 11, 1962, before the tracks were torn up.

Donyatt Halt was restored between 2005 and 2009 as part of a wider project, backed by the Heritage Lottery Fund, with the aim of teaching people about the line’s history and its association with evacuees. 

The project included eight new interpretation boards providing historical and environmental information about the area, as well as new benches and signposts. 

The former station was worked on by volunteers from Donyatt, Ilminster, Chard and Knowle St Giles, and it now sits on the National Cycle Network between Chard and Ilminster. 

A grand 1940s-themed opening event was held in June 2009 at the station and Donyatt Bowling Club, featuring old-fashioned games and stalls, rural craft displays, historical displays from Chard Museum and Heritage of the Ile, and Home Guard artefacts. 

The statue and a storyboard detailing Doreen’s tale were damaged in an arson attack on November 25, 2015, which also saw the halt’s shelter burnt down.

The melted, damaged statue was removed and then completely rebuilt at a cost of £3,000. 

The storyboard was also replaced and a new brick hut was built thanks to the Let's Rescue Doreen committee, Donyatt Parish Council, local residents and nearby businesses at a total cost of £67,000.  

Brian told Chard and Ilminster News during the fundraising effort: "We really do care and we want to put her back to how she was. 

"Considering the original cost of the statue, we believe this charge is a most generous offer by the original sculptor Ian Edwards who is equally upset by the mindless damage to his work."

In October 2020, locals installed a new oak Donyatt Halt sign, costing £400, after the previous sign (which survived the arson attack) needed to be replaced due to damage from the weather.

David Light, a parish councillor who took charge of the project, said: “We decided to replace the sign earlier this year (2020), in around March or April.

"It was decided to rebuild it in oak as this would last much longer than the old sign.

"Hopefully, with a solid oak frame and a double thickness of one inch of marine plyboard, the sign will probably last a lot longer than most of us will."