Real-life stories: wartime children and African safaris
Christine Reason, a wartime child of WW2, twice evacuated, then on to romance, marriage and self-employment. 1930 to 2019. Working for the British Government on African Safaris in the 1950s and 1960s.Fires in caravans, crawling caterpillars in a line, a dog in a bar likes a tipple, marbles as gifts, no brakes on a cliff…
[1] 1922 to 1930 my story Christine Reason
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…
[2] 1931 to 1935 real life toddler story
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…
[3] 1935 to 1937 Daddy’s office
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)…
[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…
[4] 1936 to 1938 pre-war story
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…
[5] 1939 my story – war declared
Yes this was my real life story 1939. A few weeks before the outbreak of hostilities during the summer holidays, my Mother and I left London, never to return, and travelled to Buckinghamshire to stay with my Haydon grandparents, and so that I could be a bridesmaid for my Aunt Edna’s Wedding to Robert Brown…
[6] 1939 to 1940 evacuated to south coast
In my real life story, after the September 1939 wedding, we did not return to Woodford, supposedly because of the threat of the German Luftwaffe bombing London, and I was sent down to Rye in Sussex to live with my Aunt Rene and Uncle Arch by myself. They were childless at this time…
[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…
[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…
[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…
[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…
[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…
[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…
[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…
[12] Earith parades 1936 to 1960
George V Jubilee Day 1936 at Earith. Recreation Field, Earith circa 1938-1939 Conservative Parade circa 1950-60
[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…
[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…
Not Many Wise