1 _MILT
2 DATE 20 AUG 1955
2 PLAC Service Number 2701295 Corporal RAF -Wages Clerk
Fred worked for Fry in Keynsham Bristol England for many years. He helped Dad distribute the greeting cards that Dad pilfered from the card factory where he was a part time security guard.
1 _MILT
2 DATE 20 AUG 1955
2 PLAC Service Number 2824132 LACW -WRAF
Margaret went to visit uncle Ted in Oban Ayrshire Scotland and for this occasion Mum made her a brown coat trimmed a the collar and cuffs and lapels with yellow tartan. Margaret also went to Aldeburgh when she has bad kidney problems before WWII. She remembers going to Church in Aldeburgh with Great Aunt Harriet but this was a normal church. She then went to the Plymouth Brethren church where the worshipping was much more fundamental. The service went on for hours (or so it seemed) and they did the shaker type worshipping where the body shakes with emotion and intensity.Margaret was evacuated in WWII to Cornwall and was the second youngest to be evacuated from Edmonton at that time at 5 years old. She travelled from Silver street in a non corridor train carriage to Cornwall with brother Dave , Ron and Ted.
She was billeted with Dave because of her age with a family and had a fight with a girl she was sharing her room with over a dress. There are photos of her Dave and Ted on the steps leading to the beach in Cornwall. Margaret was shot at one day by a German fighter plan was it strafed the town after it had bee shot down and crashed into the nearby sea. The machine gun bullets hit the walls above her head a she ducked for cover thus missing her altogether. Brother Ron got lost by the people managing the evacuation and dada got very angry at this and borrowed a lorry to retrieve his children. He drove al the way from London to Cornwall in those days it would have taken 10 hours or so and the authorities had removed all road signs so his job was made very difficult but he found his was and retrieved Dave, Ted and Margaret and then went looking for Ron. Eventually he found Ron along with a number of other children being held in a barn by a farmer who appeared to be using many children as slave labour which was unknown to the authorities.The boys were later evacuated to Saling/Brainteee in Essex.
1 _MDCL Diabetic
Harry was the fifth child born to Edward and Florence Lodge. He was born at home at 49 Montague Gardens in Edmonton, as were a most of his siblings. Harry was born prior to the start of WWII and as such lived his early years in the tumultuous London of that time. With evacuation of his siblings and the general disruption in society life in those early years was difficult for the whole family.Harry's education to say the least was very poor; this was due to the system at the time. Harry started school at 5 years of age at Montague Road infant's school. He was there until he was 7 years old. From there schooling took him to Brettenham Road Juniors until the age of 11. The education system at the time then forced all students to take the notorious 11plus exam. This determined your future if you were in the lower 65% of the population you were consigned to a secondary modern education system, in Harry's case this was Montague Road Senior school. Montague road school was not interested in education and by the time you were 15 you left the school environment to become factory fodder. At the time these secondary moderns were generating poorly educated teenagers fit for lower paid labour intensive industries that were prominent in north London at the time and I guess that was true of much of the UK at that time. Harry's opportunities in life would be left to him to make for himself the system had done all it was willing to assist.
In these days after the war there was a complicated method of managing apprenticeships as national service was in full swing and so at 18 all eligible men were going into the Army for two years thus disrupting any apprenticeship schemes they would be enrolled in. Harry got a carpentry apprenticeship at the BOC factory in Lower Edmonton. Harry left there after 6 months as the pay was terrible. It was 33 shillings a week and of that Mum took 1 pound (20 shillings) for board. Harry was left with a sum of 13 shillings and Harry didn't want to be limited to this as he wanted toe enjoy the rewards of his labour with fun times. He then took a number of other jobs over the years all paying much more than the would have been receiving at one stage earning 13 pound a weeks this was nearly double what Dad was earning (7 pounds a week as a coal man).
Harry emigrated to Australia on the ship the Himalaya at the age of 20 or 21 (1956 or 1957). When he arrived he went to see Ted at Murrayville in Victoria but soon after that the had to get work and went to where Dawn and Ted had started from Dareton and started picking grapes on the dried fruit blocks in the area. Harry picked up enough money to see him move to brother Ron's place in Newcastle where this industrial city was more likely to provide better wages than picking fruit in rural Victoria or NSW. After working in an umber of places in Newcastle his wanderlust urge prompted him too look at other part of Australia and ended up over in the far west in a place called Nullowought near Geraldton in WA. By this time Harry had met some friends one of whom was a New Zealander (Kiwi). They worked together and had a good time before Harry moved on but they kept in contact. Harry was true to form and was chasing a girl across the country and ended up in Kalgoolie in WA and then after the relationship ended Harry moved on to Whyalla in SA. He worked there for a while and also at Woomera the rocket base in outback SA. His travels took him on to Bell Bay in Tasmania and it was here that a letter caught up with him from his Kiwi mate and invited him to his wedding in New Zealand. Harry had money at this time and so took the opportunity to travel to a new country and have a look around after the wedding.
Harry traveled the length and breadth of New Zealand seeing both island and working in a lot of places and in a lot of industries. Eventually Harry met his wife Jannet and after a serious car accident where they were both hurt (Jannet seriously) which seemed to bring them together and marriage followed. They settled on the central plateau of the North Island around the very beautiful and seismically active Rotoroa. Harry worked for a long time with New Zealand Forest products in the mill operations and eventually the changing ownership of the mill meant extensive layoffs and Harry took the opportunity to leave. he set himself up with some properties in the local town and started his own book shop business in the local town of Tokaroa. Harry and Jannet had two daughters Kaye and Maria. Now they have a grandchild in Tyler and after a hectic life of many experiences friendships and adventures Harry is settled and content and able provide support to his family.
1 _MDCL Ovarian Cancer
Kathy was born as one twins and the onl one to survive.
Kathy remembers King George VI death and Queen Elizabeth II coronation.
Sister janets birth and the deaths of our Uncles George (industrial accident at British Oxygen) and Jack who was killed on a tractor on his farm.
She also remembers Nellie May Hawkins long and paiinfull cancer induced death.There were happy memories of first day of school, passing the 11plus exam and first day of secondary schoool. The memories of Marg and Freds wedding and the births of all three of their children are milestones. The trip that Kath and Andy took around Europe just prior to their marriage was a great event.
Quoted notes from 2003;
I am not one of the members of our family who can remember and recount lots of family stories. It ismore likescens in my mind. The first is coming out of primary school at age seven andebing told the King had died and bursting into tears. Also its rembering that Ron always bought himself bottles of fizzy drink on a Friday and we werent allowed to touch it. Dad buying sweets and comics on a Friday and Sunday lunch with Mum and her mackerson Stout, Dad with his Forest Brown ale and us kids with Tizer.
Living at Momntague Gardens and visiting Aunt Nell and Gran at Ellenby Crescent in their appartment. Our neighbour who had a shrimp and winkle stall which hepsuhed around thestreets on Sundays. Moving to Lansbury Avenue and Janet being born on thestrength of which I was made gypsy queen at the maypole dance at schoool. Margaret getting her first bikewith drop handle bars. Harry pressing his trousers and getting ready for the Boys Brigade. Also when he was older his rocker suede shoes and his drape coats and drainpipe trousers. Margarte and Freds wedding with Harry playing cards with Marg and Freds friends with cards that had bare ladies on - that left a mark on a young 12 year old girl. Susan parker being born.
Rosetta, Shirley,Ray and Janet getting scarlet fever and being hospitalised and being home alone and the oly onegoing to scjhool and Chrsitmas without them. When they came home they all had their presents waiting and I felt very isolated.
Dads terrible cars.Wearing shoes from a jumblesalethat Mum had dyed for me to wear for school, and when it rained I ended up with white socks and black dye on. Visiting dave and Joyces Bishops Stortford in their first houseand going on a train with Mum and Dad an dhaving sandwqhihes to eat on the train.
days out at Clacton, Walton-on-the -naze with Dads firm. Going to Holiday-on-Ice with the BOC at Christmas. Outings with the London City mission.My first real holiday with my friend Jll Everton and family to Wells next the sea in Norfolk when I was 12 years old.
Mum wanting me to elave Totenham High School whenI was 12 to move to thetEchnical College where she thought I would be better off learning to type. I was anxious noyt to leave as I ahd made friends.
Helping Mum with her machine work when we came home from school.
I am sure there are a lot more but these are the things that come to mind immediately.
Worked for Tollworthys on the other side of the River Lee. He drove a cart and 6 horses. George was trampled to death by a horse??
1 _MDCL in infancy
Mother Sarah Ann Little trudged through country roads during a thunder storm, cradling a sick, 8 month old Harriet, from the farm in South Woodham Ferrers to the nearest doctor in Woodham Ferrers only to have the baby die in her arms en route.
1 _MDCL has Alzheimers disease
1 _NAMS
2 PLAC Frank Durstan
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