Not Many Wise

Author: John (Jack) Wales

  • [1] 1930s Earith National Fishing attraction

    Earith National fishing attraction: Every year they’d ring direct to mother because they lived well with us, you know, home cooked ham and eggs for breakfast, mainly from the North- Lancashire people. Coach loads used to come to Earith from places like Nottingham and Sheffield to do fishing…

    John Wales on holiday with 8 family members.
  • [2] Old bridges at Earith

    Here is a picture of the Earith Suspension Bridge – known then as the Earith High Bridge… Below is the old Seven Holes Bridge at Earith where there were seven sluices. The modern sluice now stands at the same location…

    The Seven Holes Bridge at Earith.
  • [3] Remembering 1930s Chapel Road Earith

    This used to be a lovely kitchen garden at Earith, Cambridgeshire belonged to Miss Parren the big house on the front. We used to go and play croquet there. Very old red brick wall — hand made. Threw stones at pear tree and cut the pear off – just like that!…

    Earith British School, Colne Road.
  • [4] 1930s Pubs in Earith an evocative walk

    1930’s Pubs in Earith, there was a lot! Earith was well served with Public Houses. Beer was brewed on the premises and many people supplied their own tankard, which was kept at their preferred public house. ‘The Anchor’ (situated near the pond) was kept by Walter and Violet Broughton…

    A Black Bull pub sign.
  • [5] 1930s Bridge End and Earith High Street

    The cows used to walk through Earith High Street, here to the Washes. These good ladies complained bitterly about the mess on their doorsteps. Mrs. Harradine used to ride a tricycle and she would hold on to a cow’s tail to be pulled along. Pledgers and Darbys cowherds as well as our own all used…

    Cows walking down Earith High Street.
  • [6] 1930s St. Mary’s Bluntisham cum Earith Church graveyard

    On my evocative Earith walk I remember Derek Broughton’s 8 year old brother got knocked over by the only car in the village, broke his leg and went to hospital and then died with Meningitis whilst still in there. I can remember standing on George’s corner and Lew provided his lorry. It was covered in…

    St Marys Churchyard, Bluntisham.
  • [7] Skating at Earith in the 1930s

    Earith skating: Her father said; “Come on, get your skates on we will skate over to see Uncle so and so at Houghton (skating all the way on the river). The river was frozen and they could do in those days. So they skated all the way from here (Earith) and got to St Ives…

    Skating on a frozen river.
  • [8] Earith Bonfire and fireworks – before health and safety!

    Arthur Thoday who had three young men, sons still at home, he was very keen, he always made the Guy to put on top of the Earith bonfire and Mr. Russell also had three sons kept the shop that sold fireworks and he was a bigger kid than all of us he was always trying…

    Lighting a firework on the ground.
  • [9] Flooding in Earith in the 1930s

    As children we used to have a great time down there (Earith flooding: the Causeway) when the water was only about, say, a foot deep and the cars used to try and get through and they’d get stuck…

    Two girls from John's family standing under an umbrella.
  • [10] At school in 1930s Earith

    Lessons with ‘Gandhi’ at school in 1930’s Earith. Before each day’s school the bell on the roof was rung by an older boy and we all lined up in the playground under our respective teachers and filed quietly in. When I was in Standard two we had ink pens to write with…

    Earith British School for primary school children.
  • [11] 1930s school playground

    1930’s school memories: I remember when I was in the infants class Mr Jewson, who lived nearly opposite the playground in the house called ‘Cavendish’ used to go to Mickey Day’s sweet shop and buy a large paper bag full of liquorice Allsorts. He then came to the playground railing and threw the sweets out…

    Two chickens. 1930s school playground.
  • [12] Earith parades 1936 to 1960

    George V Jubilee Day 1936 at Earith. Recreation Field, Earith circa 1938-1939 Conservative Parade circa 1950-60

    Earith parade with children dressed up.
  • [13] Earith farming in the 1930s and 1940s

    Jewson’s gave casual work to many villagers, portering wood from barges to their yard. But farming was the biggest Industry (around the Earith area) and with the busy weekly market in St Ives livestock was put on the local train to Somersham and then distributed to local farms by pony and trap…

    Earith farm work with horses collecting hay.
  • [14] Huntingdon Grammar School days

    Being in the third form of Huntingdon Grammar School we have a fair amount of homework. We have Physical Education twice a week and a games period on Friday afternoons. We play football in the winter, cricket in the summer and in between these two we have cross country runs. In the Physical Education period…

    Huntingdon Grammar School in the early 1900s, now The Cromwell Museum.
  • [15] Earith WW2 and evacuees

    Jack’s father and his father before him were calf dealers, and along with many others in the Earith area, they would keep four or five cows in a small holding on the fen, to supplement their meagre agricultural earnings…

    High Street, Earith looking west.