Margaret Brown was born in 1928 and lived in Boleyn Drive on the Mentmore estate, Cottonmill Lane since she was 11. She shares her childhood recollections of wandering miles over the fields with her friends and scrumping apples. She remembers… More about ‘Childhood – Margaret Brown’»
Category: World War 2
Searchlight battery – Denis Mardel
Denis remembers during the war there being a searchlight battery behind Cottonmill Lane. He remembers the soldiers and the Nissen huts and the fenced in area with the searchlight which would have extended near where the bottom of his garden in… More about ‘Searchlight battery – Denis Mardel’»
Hatfield – St Albans Railway (Alban Way)
The Great Northern Railway (GNR) line from St Albans to Hatfield was opened on 16th October 1865 but there had been plans to construct this branch line much earlier than that. Local landowners were encouraged to form an independent company… More about ‘Hatfield – St Albans Railway (Alban Way)’»
Childhood memories – John Church
John recalls how he loved to go swimming in the Cottonmill Swimming Baths. He has fond memories of playing games, especially knock down ginger, in Pageant Road where he lived. He also talks about the slaughter house in Dolphin Yard. He… More about ‘Childhood memories – John Church’»
Wartime memories – John Church
John talks mainly about all the good food they had to eat during the war as his father had a big plot of land to grow produce and keep chickens and rabbits. He also remembers Italian prisoners of war who worked… More about ‘Wartime memories – John Church’»
Wartime memories of living in Tavistock Avenue
Val Goodyear-Burrow was born in 1938. She lived at 79 Tavistock Avenue during the war years and can recall specific memories of wartime: shelters, blackouts, gas masks and air-raid sirens. She also remembers watching the gliders coming from the Handley… More about ‘Wartime memories of living in Tavistock Avenue’»
Wartime – Mary Myers
Mary, who lived in New House Park during the war, shares her wartime stories: her father in the Home Guard, air raids, the Electrical Apparatus Company (EAC) which made munitions during the war, escaped sheep on the golf course, planes… More about ‘Wartime – Mary Myers’»
Working life – Winnie Jeffs and Betty Cox
Betty left school aged 14 to train at House and Williams secretarial college in Victoria Street and the she worked for Road Transport and general Insurance offices in London Road. Winnie was that much older and as it was wartime,… More about ‘Working life – Winnie Jeffs and Betty Cox’»
Roy Buckingham, RAF pilot – John Buckingham
John Buckingham’s cousin Roy, was a pilot with the RAF during the war. He was a brave man and had an interesting flying career which included helping spies and dropping supplies for the Resistance workers in France and Norway. He… More about ‘Roy Buckingham, RAF pilot – John Buckingham’»
From Durham via Changi Jail to Sopwell – Rob Edwards
Rob Edwards’ father, Bill, came from Durham. Rather than going down the coal mines, he joined the army. His troop ship was diverted to Singapore and he was captured by the Japanese and taken to Changi jail where he remained… More about ‘From Durham via Changi Jail to Sopwell – Rob Edwards’»
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