The Blitz babies at Ashridge House. (Image: )
Some 100 "Blitz babies" have been reunited 80 years or more since they were born in a temporary maternity unit during the Second World War.
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These proud members of what became the Greatest Generation - all now at least octogenarians - came into the world at historic Ashridge House in Hertfordshire, an estate that was once the home of King Henry VIII.
The regal residence operated as an extension of the emergency wing of London's Charing Cross Road Hospital during the dark days between 1939 and 1945, offering a safe haven for expectant mothers evacuated from the bombed capital.
The facility treated more than 20,000 patients as well as welcoming some 2,700 babies in its makeshift maternity ward. And on Sunday, 100 of those newborns came together for an incredible moment in time.
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Among them was 100-year-old Margaret Wilkins, who gave birth to daughter Rosamund Ford in 1945.
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Brian and Maureen Prior (L), and Rosamund with mum Margaret Wilkins. (Image: )
Margaret said: "I remember I was wheeled into the house on a trolley, on a very foggy day in November. I was in labour all day and eventually gave birth at 11pm.
"During my stay, it was the first time I'd experienced an electric blanket. I remember a man coming into the ward every so often to fuel the fire - he seemed embarrassed to be around so many ladies in nightgowns.
"I also remember a lady coming in every day with a wind-up gramophone and teaching us exercises to do on our beds.
"The house was very comfortable. I remember the days after giving birth to be quite peaceful. I went home after spending 10 days at Ashridge House. The memories of this beautiful place lift my spirits." Daughter
Rosamund, 78, added: "It's a meaningful, magical place to me and my family.
The wartime maternity ward. (Image: )
"We really enjoyed coming together with so many other babies, bonding over our shared history."
Once a playground for King Henry VIII, whose daughter Queen Elizabeth I was raised there, Ashridge House, Berkhamsted, is now a Grade I-listed country house - regarded as one of the finest examples of early Gothic Revival architecture - and is used as an events venue set in 190 acres of gardens. Those born at the one-time hospital, and their descendants, were tracked down for a celebratory reunion to honour the resilience and courage of those who lived through the tumultuous war years.
Fears of mass civilian deaths and casualties prompted the evacuation of expectant mothers, children, mothers with infants and the infirm from London as well as other towns and cities during the SecondWorldWar.
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Evacuation took place in several waves.The first came on September 1, 1939 - the day Germany invaded Poland and two days before Britain declared war. Over the course of three days, 1.5 million evacuees were sent to the countryside.
Evacuation was voluntary but the fear of bombing, the closure of urban schools and the organised transportation of school groups helped to persuade families to send their children away to live with welcoming strangers.
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