World War Two evacuee Harry Kane returns to Cambridgeshire village
Harry, now 90, lived in the county after World War Two
Last updated 2nd Sep 2023
A man who fled to Cambridgeshire after World War Two said the village he grew up in helped pave the way forward in his life.
Harry Kane moved to Stretham as a child to live with foster parents after his mum died in a house fire when he was 10-years-old.
Born in London, he was one of several Jewish children to move to the village.
Harry, aged 90, has since returned to Stretham which has seen some changes over the decades:
“It’s been a long time on my mind the last couple of years to come back and see it all again,” he said.
“It seems to be more grown up, so many cars now whereas it used to be the odd horse or two.
“The people were good to me, they were nice people; except the fact I always had to be in at 7 o’clock at night!”
While in East Cambridgeshire, Harry attended primary school in Stretham before going onto Soham Grammar School where he began to compete in inter-county athletics competitions.
In 1952, he was a 120 and 200-yard hurdle champion at the British Athletic Championships, four years earlier from perhaps one of Harry’s most notable achievements in competing in the 400m hurdles at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne.
And while living in Short Road, Stretham, it was not just athletics that he was interested in.
“The main thing I enjoyed was getting back after school and going across to the recreation ground, playing football, cricket, whatever the season was at the time,” Harry said.
“There was nothing we had to worry about; you had thoughts now and again of your folks being back in London.
“They would come down and visit every so often, once every couple or three months, and bring us down treats.
“Other than that, things went on and went to school in the morning, came back, played sports, listen to the radio as there was no television then.”
Harry now lives in London but during his time in Cambridgeshire, learnt some key skills.
“I think it made me care more for people (living in Stretham); my foster parents taught me the way I should live and treat people, and they were good to me.”