Refugee Fundraising in Devoran Village Hall Aid for Finland 1940 fighting against Soviet Russia

As reported on 19 February 1940 – Western Morning News. £7 in 1940 is worth £324 today. 

Usually whilst drives and dances at the Village Hall were for fundraising for running the Hall itself. In wartime they were often for good causes.

In this case, fundraising is for the Finnish Relief Fund civilian refugees from Finland, displaced by the “Winter War” fighting between the Finnish soldiers and the invading Soviet Russians.

At that time in 1939-40 Finns were our Allies and the Russians were our enemies, still in a mutual non-aggression pact with Nazi Germany. 

All that changed in Summer 1941 when Germany invaded Russia in Operation Barbarossa. The Soviets and ‘Uncle Joe’ Stalin became our allies and the Finnish army or leadership eventually sought military support from the German army. A case of “My enemy’s enemy is my friend”?  

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The Finnish Relief Fund was set up by former US President Herbert Hoover, in the then neutral USA. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnish_Relief_Fund

Devoran’s M.C. [Master of Ceremonies] was Captain Lewis Edison Letcher (b. Truro, 1891, d.1956) fought in the First World War. 

Appealing in Cornwall for the Finnish Relief Fund,  Lady Vyvyan of Trelowarren was Clara Coltman Rogers (1885-1976) who lived first at Tregye as part of the Powys Rogers family of Tregye. She had been a WW1 VAD nurse, explorer, travel writer, gardener and gardens writer,who later married Lord Vyvyan and  inherited   Trelowarren estate. She was a  close friend of Daphne Du Maurier.   

as reported / printed in the Newquay Express, 2nd May 1940

Some impressive names here amongst the ‘great and good’ of Cornwall. The Botanical Bishop of Truro Bishop Hunkin (soon to be a private in the Home Guard) supported the appeal. In 1942 he donated plants to Devoran churchyard to honour the Lobb brothers, local plant-hunters. 

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The Finnish Relief Fund or Cornish Finland Fund fundraising ceased in mid to late May 1940 – both funding for munitions and relief for displaced Finns was included. From January to May 1940, £2360 was raised in Cornwall, equivalent today to £109,362. 

Cornish Guardian, 23 May 1940

Dunkirk and the fall of France took place in this month that the Fund was finished https://devoranwarmemorial.wordpress.com/2020/05/05/devoran-in-may-1940-ww2/

 

The Agar Robartes family , landowners in Devoran and village benefactors were also involved in the Finnish Relief Fund appeal. 

Blog posted by Mark Norris DVH100, 13 April 2024