Reginald Ellmore

Reg Ellmore was the son of a Rabbit dealer in Caistor. In 1915 his father's business had gone bankrupt the family struggled to pay the rent. However, he and his brothers worked hard. Reg became a poultry farmer, but also worked as a bus driver, taking many generations of Caistor children to school on one of the Brown's buses. He sold off the Poultry farm equipment in 1970, but continued to live on Nettleton Road.

In 1933, he met Ivy Stevenitt Jordan while playing tennis and four years later proposed. They were married on 20 Oct 1937, remaining together for over 60 years. He was a keen footballer before the war, but Ivy wasn't so enthusiastic about this. Reg attended many football matches after the war including 15 FA Cup finals and the World Cup Final in 1966, with seats close to the Royal Box. Having seen the England victory, he never attended a live match again! They found mutual enjoyment playing golf and Reg would become president of Market Rasen Golf Club and was for many years its senior captain. A hole in one was a 77th birthday present to himself. He was awarded a life membership for his services to the club. His brother was also a keen golfer and had helped construct Grimsby Golf Club. Reg had to give up his golf in 2001 due to ill health.

During the war Reg lived with his wife and their young daughter Joan, born in 1938 at Harman House. A son Michael followed in 1945. On the family passport from the 1950s, Reg is recorded as having blue eyes, fair hair and 5 foot 7 inches tall, the same height as his wife.

While Reg was driving the POWs around places on his bus in Lincolnshire he got Joan to talk to the POWs. He said they will have children of their own at home so will likely openly talk to her. She was to listen very carefully to what they said, remember it and repeat it back to him when they got back. The POWs built her a dolls house.

Reg told Joan just before he passed away that his only worry taking on the role was that if we had been invaded that they would be taken and used as hostage like what was happening in France. But that he didn't have to worry as he was told plans were in place for them to be collected and evacuated to Canada so he could carry on with his active duties.

He regularly travelled all over the county with Browns bus company. If there was anything he saw or herd of interest on his travels he would often stop off at a telephone box and made a call. He made regular stops. He was listening for fifth columnists and looking for anything unusual or things that shouldn't be happening.

Reg was always on the look out for parachutist. One time a Lancaster crew had bailed out at Caistor top but Reg had only seen the parachutes. Reg jumped on his bike a shot off up the hill on Caistor bypass to find out.

He made frequent visits to meet up with others at Swiss Cottage (now demolished), Yarborough Estate near Jubilee woods. Frank Bemrose, the game keeper, lived there. It was across the field from Captain Dudley Parker (Area Commander) at Cabourne Parva. Dudley had an airstrip in the field near to that part of the wood. Joan recalls visiting a hideout near there but can't remember where.