[1] John (Jack) Wales: Earith early years, born 1925
Close up of John Wales’ house upper window.
My surroundings, Earith High Street in the 1930’s.
[Written by John Wales while in the 3rd form at Huntingdon Grammar School]
I was born in the hamlet of Earith, which is on the extreme eastern border of Huntingdonshire.
It’s population comprises of about five to six hundred people, most of which are farmers and labourers.
Earith has no church of its own, but shares one with the adjoining village of Bluntisham. It has three chapels, one which is a Quaker chapel and there is no industrial life whatsoever.
Earith, which is on the river Ouse, is noted as a holiday resort and in the summer months many people enjoy themselves fishing, boating and swimming in this river.
John Wales’ house in Earith in the 1930’s.
Our house, which is situated in the High Street, commands an excellent view of the fens, and it overlooks the river Ouse. It was built in the year 1927, and it has a short drive leading up to it. Flower beds flank the drive on both sides and in front of it is a privet hedge which covers up a low wall. At the back of the house there is a large lawn upon which we play tennis and golf. At the right hand side of the back door is a bird aviary, a rabbit hutch with a lamb in it and a dog kennel with a black and white sheep dog.
At the rear of the garden we have an extensive yard where my father, who is a farmer, keeps his stock. The stock play an important part in my next chapters, as you will see …
Adolf Hitler’s warning: It would appear that God did draw a line in the sand and Hitler made a conscious decision to proceed with his plans. The facts come from a documentary “The Nazis: A Warning From History – Hitler’s Path To War”…
The bridegroom had been in the Army in WW1, serving in the Royal Army Medical Corps as a stretcher bearer over in France. The bride was the second daughter of Rev. John Haydon and Elizabeth, his wife (nee Batchelor). My story begins at my date of birth…
Continuing my real life story, some time in 1934, my parents and I moved to Woodford Green, and my father purchased a house there at 47 Parkland Road. I think that the price paid was £700. Whether he ever re-couped this amount, I cannot say, as we only lived there for approximately five years to the outbreak of WW2, and we never lived all together in our own house again…
Continuing my real life toddler story, there used to be a man selling sweets from a barrow outside the school, and I used to look enviously at some of the children who were allowed to purchase the Sherbet Dips, Liquorice Whirls and boiled sweets (all unwrapped)…
In my pre-war story, my mother and I often used to walk to the railway station at Woodford to meet my father off the train in the early evening. I remember all the men (hardly any women) alighting on to the platform wearing their bowler or trilby hats, and carrying rolled up umbrellas and briefcases…
2 Comments
Thanks for sharing that, it’s good to hear you are enjoying them. Have you seen the African Safari posts – Joe lives in the village as well. Peter
Enjoying these history/Earith posts as I live in the village now – right near the old school and just round the corner from this house. Thanks for sharing.
2 Comments
Thanks for sharing that, it’s good to hear you are enjoying them.
Have you seen the African Safari posts – Joe lives in the village as well.
Peter
Enjoying these history/Earith posts as I live in the village now – right near the old school and just round the corner from this house. Thanks for sharing.