Tuesday 13th June, 1961

On By Sue JenkinsIn 1961 lettersLeave a comment

Leonard to the family:

Dear Alec June Susan & Carol

Many thanks for your letters received this morning & phone call on Saturday evening. Very glad to hear you had a good journey and no trouble from the girls – sorry you went ‘off course’ a couple of times but eventually made main road. Must get the A.A. to plot one out for me that route. Expect June’s father & mother were pleased to see you & the call made a break before reaching Ruislip although I expect you called at some point en route before arriving at West Drayton. It was very quiet here after you had gone but about 10.0 a.m. we went to Library and then I changed into gardening togs and started work again. It was a delightful week and I’m sure we all made the most of the time – weather was kind too.

Saturday & Sunday were not good days and yesterday – as you must know by your visit to Bristol – was a proper soaker. It rained continuously from 10 a.m. until 9.0 p.m. & we had a wet journey to Staceys in Bristol – dry overhead coming home but roads very wet. The rain was badly wanted and has enabled me today to break up those heavy patches of ground.

You mention traffic moving to the West on Saturday – according to Sunday’s paper they had the usual summer weekend block in the Honiton area so it looks as if you missed trouble by a fortnight. I know Frome fairly well but not from motoring point of view. Warminster of course is very easy – straight through after passing the Minster at Frome end of town. Andover I do not know anything about or places thence to London.

Well the holiday is over once again but all things considered I think you picked a pretty good fortnight – the weather not interfering with your activities at all. Fancy moving the coal bunker on Sunday morning – must have been feeling energetic after the rest? Can imagine the cider and some of the wine went for a ‘Burton’* after the combined effort of yourself and neighbours. Sorry Mr Grey had trouble with his car when returning from their holidays – you were one up on him this time in spite of heavy load.

Note you were also busy with dahlias and chrysanths over the weekend. Yes it was a good idea to cut back the Ivy when planting and I was going to mention this but forgot. Presumably the extra weight being put on during the week was responsible for the deck chair giving way. That makes two of us as I expect you noticed ours was splitting across and it will only be a matter of one or two more ‘sits’ and it will be gone.

Will keep in mind your need of three suitable poles – each 5’6″ – for your wind shelter – nothing available at the moment as you know.

Both Susan and Carol must have had a vgery happy holiday – they seemed to be on the go the whole of the day and Mum and I were delighted to see them looking so well. Our friends here who saw them have said ‘what bonny children they are’. Susan soon wanted to arrange the flowers in a vase – she has quite a good memory and I’m sure she won’t forget the pond in a hurry.**

The pond incidentally seems to be maintaining its level although we must not overlook the rain yesterday. The water has become very clear and the odd shrimp, minnow etc. can be seen occasionally – not so much time spent looking into it just now as have been busy today putting in plants. On Saturday I potted up 48 Cinerarias and destroyed the four tomato plants in greenhouse that seemed to be failing – I fancy they had got hold of a tomato virus so are better out of the way.

Have only been down to the river once since you left to bring up the log. I wanted to go down today but was too much occupied with other things until it was time to pack up. The pebble Susan & Carol brought me back from Budleigh Salterton I’ve written on with a Biro to keep as a paperweight. What did Grandfy Baker think about his? They are going to be busy then having the place redecorated and you have eyes on your bathroom too. We shall have to repaper one of the bedrooms sometime but at the moment we are taking it easy to recuperate.

How did you get on at Bristol Monday? and I wonder how you found things at Paddington today. Saw and heard Beeching on TV last night. Seemed pretty forthright in what he had to say. Going to bring in some more outsiders.

No we do not like the Field as much as Country Life but Joan buys them and we are pleased to have them when finished with at Lyng. You know the old saying “Beggars cannot be choosers”. Have not asked them what they think of the book compared with the old one.

Did not want to use the Sun Shield yesterday but as you know it is now fitted on windscreen and I’m sure it will be very useful. Again many thanks for it and also for the pair of socks you so kindly brought up from Exmouth.

Had a card from Astons at Eastbourne this morning – they had rain yesterday but otherwise are having nice weather. They are due home Saturday & Roy & Mrs Hewett due back on Wednesday i.e. tomorrow.

Note you had a lot of correspondence on the mat when you arrived home – surely it was June’s birthday? Have you contacted Geoff yet to hand over Stella’s ring?

Well I think this is all for this week – will let Mum have back page this time for her effort.

All our love to you both and lots of kisses for our two darling granddaughters.

Mum & Dad

*The expression ‘going for a Burton’ may not be familiar to younger or international readers. The version of its origin that I’ve always believed was that in a series of adverts dating from the First World War one character was asking the other “Where’s [your missing workmate]?” and the answer would be “Gone for a Burton”, i.e. that he had gone off to have a pint. It’s an attractive idea and I can virtually picture the relevant cartoon, but apparently no such adverts ever appeared! Leonard’s meaning, at any rate, is clear; cider and wine were dispensed in return for the help Alec got from his neighbours.

**This, presumably, was the occasion when I managed to fall into the pond on the last night of the holiday. 8-(

Eva to the family on the remaining full side of Leonard’s paper:

Dear Alec June Susan & Carol

Many thanks for both your letters, glad you got home alright & that you had a good holiday. We feel lazy this week but have had to jump to it. I used the sprinkler on the flower beds this morning but before finishing managed to nearly soak myself. It freshens up the flowers alright.

On Sunday morning Norman Allen phoned up to say that Marion had a son & everything O.K. He saw you in Old Church Road on the Saturday morning going back.

We can hardly see out of the window at present everybody seems to be having a bonfire. We have picked strawberries every day and some of them are very big. Have made a little bit of jam. We have had to take the net off the strawberries & put on the red currants, the birds are thieves. Not long after I caught one in the net & he would have been a dead one soon as he got so entangled. Good job I saw him.

Moores have painted their house a bright blue & white, I think there is only yellow left for somebody to have a go.

The flowers Susan did for me are still alive & will last a bit longer. Fancy her remembering that.

We went to Staceys on Monday, don’t much like the look of either of them. Mrs Stacey is coming down next Thursday for the day as Peggy & family are away that week.

Well I expect June had a nice little wash again this week any how it stayed dry enough to let her get on with it.

Roy Hewett came up today enjoyed their Irish trip very much but is not at all brown. I will say cheerio now with best love from Mum and Dad.

[Illustrated in biro with a drawing of a vase of very droopy flowers and what appear to be holly leaves.]

Sunday 11th June, 1961

On By Sue JenkinsIn 1961 lettersLeave a comment

Alec to his parents:

Dear Mum and Dad

Well we got back safely as you know, so thank you for a very nice week. We all enjoyed it very much and are only sorry that it is all over for a while. We had a lot of correspondence on the mat when we got back including one from the office to say I am required to attend a meeting at Bristol on Monday. Shall have to go on the Bristolian so will not see much of the office at all until Tuesday. Cant get round to thinking about work yet so expect I shall be a little vague at the discussion.

The girls stood the return trip very well. We made but poor progress in the early stages as we had to keep stopping to read signposts and lost our way a couple of times. The route is not a bad one at all. After Radstock there are many miles of good main road with no traffic on either way. Some of the roads would take four lanes of traffic too. Cars moving towards the West were many and continuous but there was not an awful lot going our way. Plenty of road hogs though. Frome was a little strange and Andover quite a problem to pass through due to succession of traffic lights immediately following a level crossing. We decided not to past through Staines again so turned off the A30 to cut through Wraysbury and Datchet. This route took us to Iver to we dropped in at Yiewsley to see the folks. Had lunch there and got here about 4-0pm, Took some time to clear all the bags and baggage from the car as you might expect but all travelled safely.

This morning at June’s request I have moved the coal bunker with assistance from Doug and Ronny. It now runs parallel to the path. It took a bit of shifting – the lid weighs about 2cwt. That job and the clearing up that went with it took all the morning and part of the afternoon. We got so much involved that lunch was very late and it was impossible to get the children ready in time for Sunday School so they had to miss that for this week. Of course with the bunker moved a temporary fence had to be put up to keep someone in. That job done, I attended to the Dahlias. From those saved from last year and put in boxes I have divided into 36 separate plants and put them out in garden plot, and also had three clumps over which I gave Mrs Benn. The lawn could do with cutting. There are many long shoots sticking up all over the place making it look most untidy. The roses are nearly over but we returned in time to see them. Some of the chrysants have revived after watering so they are not a complete loss.

After all the jobs had been done, I sat down in the deck chair but after five minutes of that the canvas split and I nearly landed on the lawn between the shafts. Packed it up and had a bath – more restful.

Have read some of the Field but do not think much of them. Do not see what the idea is in changing.

Dougs car broke down on return from holiday – bearing gone in back axle – had to ring A.A. Did the last twenty miles at 10 m.p.h. and all the load off the defective wheel.

Note you have brought the log up, have there been any more catches yet? Well will close now, understand June is writing a few words. Love from us all.

It’s time to talk about the Huguenots… Part Three

On By Sue JenkinsIn HuguenotsLeave a comment

So, let’s recap. June’s 5x great-grandfather was Mathieu Mocquard, occupation unknown, who married Ester Michelle. Her 4x great-grandfather was the first John Macord, who was a butcher but who also potentially started the family’s ‘property empire’; he married Ann or Agnes Gandey. Her 3x great-grandfather was the next John Macord, carpenter and undertaker, 1749-1816. His first wife was also named Ann, but further details are elusive; however June is descended from him through his second wife, Mary Armstrong, via the second Daniel Macord, 1792-1835, who started life as a carpenter but by 1822 had become a publican and victualler. He was in fact the earliest (so far) traceable licensee of the Horse Shoe public house in Grange Road, Bermondsey, an establishment which existed for over a hundred and twenty years before eventually being bulldozed; a block of flats known as ‘Trocette Mansions’ is now on the same site. Daniel and his wife Mary Smith (such an easy name to trace in records!) had four daughters – Mary, Rachel, Sarah and Lydia, as well as a baby son who died at five months old.

Daniel the victualler seems also to have gone in for property owning and management, although there is no clear evidence of him having done any of the actual construction; it’s far more likely that he just bought, sold and managed existing property. Unlike previous generations, however, Daniel’s holdings extended south of the river; as well as the Horse Shoe he also owned – or at least insured – two adjacent properties, one of which was an oil chandler’s yard. This sounds like an uncomfortable neighbour to have, and a good insurance policy was no doubt considered a necessity!

Daniel’s will – proved in February 1835, although the precise date of his death is still unknown – distributes a lot of silver spoons, plates, ‘milk pots’ etc., as well as two magnificent-sounding watches – one gold, one ‘engine-turned’, which in those days would have been a luxury item indeed. Given the history of engine-turning as a craft, there is a good chance that this watch – left to his eldest daughter, Mary – was of Huguenot work and may very possibly have been a family heirloom. It was certainly considered superior to the gold watch bequeathed to his second daughter, as she also had her late mother’s ‘gold hair ornaments and trinkets’ as well as a ring, brooch and earrings, to make up for the deficit. (Her mother, Mary, had died in 1833 at roughly forty years of age.) Clearly, victualling in Bermondsey in those days was a lucrative business – albeit probably very hard work, and in one of the less desirable areas of London.

Daniel’s second daughter Rachel was deaf, which is revealed in the census entries relating to her. In one, her name is actually given as ‘Rachua’, which may indicate the way she spoke – i.e. slightly indistinctly – which in turn possibly indicates that she had been hearing impaired from birth, or a very early age. She married John Adam Daniel, a customs officer, in 1844, and they had seven children together. Rachel is the most recent ancestor in this line to have borne the Macord surname; Colin Gronow, of the Macord One-Name Study, is descended from her sixth child and third son, Robert Macord Daniel, who was born in 1858, whereas June was the grand-daughter of Rachel’s fourth child and second daughter, Alice Ester Daniel, who was born in 1854. Alice married William Augustus Baker in 1882 and was the mother of the ‘Baker bunch’ as described extensively elsewhere on this blog.

And this is where we end our present brief sojourn in the company of the Huguenots. This is still an area for active investigation, not least because the records are confusing. Huguenot clergy were very keen on making notes of their congregations and tracking their births, marriages and deaths, and most of these records have since found their way into the central archives of The Huguenot Society which goes above and beyond to make this information available to researchers. However, many Huguenot places of worship were short-lived – and language confusion and transcription errors over three centuries or more have resulted in difficulty in matching up family members to one another. Two brothers, for example, who may have married at the same place but a few years apart, could easily be recorded with different surnames, especially in the earlier generations when varying Anglicizations of French surnames tended to be used. The same problems occur with new emigrants to the USA who had to go through Ellis Island, and also with the Chinese-descended population in Australia. Whether or not the immigrant was literate, whoever received them into the new country (where there was a formal process at all) may not have been, or not to the same extent, and names and identities were inevitably lost – in most cases forever. It’s really pure luck if existing records in the country of origin can ever be matched up to members of the immigrant population, and usually the fact of a family having relocated due to political, economic or religious upheaval puts a full stop to any line of enquiry – which is where we are obliged to leave it for now. However, as mentioned in the previous post, Mathieu and Ester had approximately 300 traceable descendants in their son’s line alone, which is plenty for any aspiring genealogists to get their teeth into!

It’s time to talk about the Huguenots… Part Two

On By Sue JenkinsIn Huguenots, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Well, this is a big subject with a lot of ramifications! Apart from anything else, the present database contains over 300 people descended from Mathieu and Ester Mocquard – and that’s only the line through their eldest child, John (Jean Enry)! The line from their second child, Ester, is fairly well-established and is available online, but it seemed too massive an undertaking to incorporate it as it would very likely double the contents of the database – if not more. As for their third child, in a way he is the most interesting of all – although not to posterity, as he died unmarried and as far as we know did not father any children. He did, however, have a brief but fascinating career at sea, aboard HMS Cambridge, which I suspect he may also have helped to build as she was laid down at Deptford near where he lived. His name was Daniel, and he is the first in a series of Daniel Mocards/Macords whose brothers were very often called John. Daniel will, at some point, merit a post all of his own.

Given that families in those days tended to be larger, it’s quite possible that there were other siblings that we have not yet been able to identify – or, sadly, who were born and died in rapid succession without making much of a mark upon the world. For the time being, it is probably wise to assume that John, Ester and Daniel were the only ones who survived to adulthood. Similarly we have, so far, no information about the dates of death of Mathieu and Ester, although we suspect this information probably is available somewhere.

So, for now, let’s follow the first John Macord – also known as Jean and Jonathan. He was born in 1721 and baptised at the French Protestant church in Soho Square. He earned his living as a butcher, and was married at the Fleet Prison or thereabouts in 1748 to a woman named Ann or Agnes Gandey or Gander; their eldest child – another John, of course – was born in 1749 and baptised as St. George’s in the East which became the family church for many generations to follow. Whether in that case they can still be described as ‘Huguenots’ is a moot point, but they certainly remained staunchly Protestant!

We do not know for certain where they lived at this time; however in later years the family lived at a house on Old Gravel Lane which had been built a few years earlier in what was then a semi-rural area. Given that succeeding generations of Macords were deeply involved in house-building and buying, selling and letting property, it might be possible to conclude that the first John (the butcher) built his own house before he married Anne – and it was no doubt his place of business, too.

Again, although families at the time were often larger, we have firm evidence for only three children from John and Anne’s marriage – John II, Margaret, and Mary. John II was born in 1750 and in about 1770 he married a lady named Ann of whom we have no further details at the moment. They had five children, beginning with another Ann in 1771, at which point they lived in Pennington Street and John II earned his living as a carpenter and undertaker. I like to think that he, or another member of the family, may have made coffins for the victims of the Ratcliffe Highway Murders.

John II’s wife Ann seems to have died before 1785, and so did their son (yet another John!) who could not have been more than five or six years old. Subsequently John II married Mary Armstrong; the connection between the Macord and Armstrong families goes back at least to the first Daniel, the mariner who served aboard HMS Cambridge; Francis Armstrong was one of his shipmates and to judge by the fact that their enlistment numbers are only two digits apart it seems likely that they had been boyhood friends and/or workmates in Deptford and had signed up together in the Navy in search of adventure and booty!

Without wishing to complicate things further at this stage, I’ll conclude today by saying that John II moved into the house at Old Gravel Lane – presumably built by his father – in 1777. He continued the family tradition of building and owning properties, among others a small development of four houses and one workshop or outhouse between Choppins Court and King Street, very close to the St George’s Workhouse. This was in the part of London later excavated to make way for an extension to the docks; a canal between Shadwell Basin and Spirit Quay now runs through this area.

No pictures or descriptions of Macord’s Rents have yet been traced, but ‘rents’ at the time are best summed up as small and no doubt dark individual rooms opening onto a gallery or landing such as the wretched dwellings described by Charles Dickens in ‘Little Dorrit’. They would all have shared a privy and had to use a nearby pump for water. The only rational conclusion to form from this is that the Macords – who may have had many fine qualities otherwise – were at this time almost certainly slum landlords and were contributing to the poverty and wretchedness of London’s underclasses rather than doing very much to alleviate them.

On which note, we will step aside here and return with the next generation of Macords in a few days’ time.

This picture (source unknown) shows the rough present-day location of Macord’s Rents.

It’s time to talk about the Huguenots… Part One

On By Sue JenkinsIn HuguenotsLeave a comment

Just as we can’t discuss Alec’s (Atkins) family history without involving the fascinating Chinese-Australian line, we can’t really go very far back on June’s (Baker) side before we run into descendants of the Huguenots. In fact, if my deductions are accurate – and that’s a very big ‘if’ at this stage, and may always remain so – June’s 5xgreat-grandfather was one Mathieu Mocquard, born in about 1695 at Lille, Nord Pas-Du-Calais, France. This man was married to a certain Ester Michelle, also of French descent, and they were the parents of at least three children – one of whom was ‘Jean Enry Mocard’, later known as John – or Jonathan – Macord, who was baptised at the French Church in London on 11 December 1721.

Before we go into the implications of the marriage between Mathieu and Ester and the children, grandchildren, etc. who emerged from that union, it’s probably a good idea to take a look at who these people were in the first place, and how they ended up in London at all.

Huguenots were French Protestants, usually members of the Reformed Church of France which in turn owed its origins to adherents of the theologian John Calvin. The origins of the term ‘Huguenot’ itself are disputed, but that isn’t especially relevant to this particular story. What is relevant, however, is that Huguenots in general were despised and persecuted by the Catholic majority in France – perhaps most destructively on the occasion of the St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre of 23-24 August 1572, as a result of which up to 5,000 people are believed to have been killed.

As in England and elsewhere at this particular period of history, different rulers had different religious leanings – even when they were members of the same family, like the half-sisters Mary and Elizabeth Tudor – and sought to impose these upon their subjects. Thus a new king could reverse the policy of his predecessor, and this is what appears to have happened with the Edict of Nantes in April 1598, which granted freedom of worship to French Protestants (Huguenots and Lutherans alike). If the French Protestant community relaxed at this news, however, they were to be disillusioned less than a century later when the Edict of Fontainbleau (22 October 1685) was enacted, which revoked the Edict of Nantes and removed their legal protection. The practical outcome of this was that those whose consciences would not allow them to return to the Catholic faith felt obliged to leave France by any means they could – and, because the Huguenots were on the whole hard-working, ingenious and creative people, this exodus has been described as a kind of early brain drain.

Naturally – especially for those who lived near the coast – England, with its restored Protestant monarchy and its thriving links to the New World (itself supposedly a haven of religious freedom), must have seemed like the best place to go. At the very least, being only twenty-one miles away across the Channel, it was probably one of the cheapest to reach. French Protestant Refugees therefore flooded into London, and Mathieu Mocquard was no doubt among them.

Unfortunately it is not possible to make much more than an educated guess about the family’s origins earlier than the birth of Mathieu, and if there is a record of his baptism and his parents’ names anywhere it is no doubt buried in some French archive. (Many of these have vanished over the intervening centuries, though.) However the surname ‘Mocquard’ apparently suggests the trade of moquette-cutting, which would place the family among the ranks of the distinguished artisan silk-workers who were such a major component of the Huguenot refugee community at this time. Many of them gravitated to the Spitalfields area of London, where a house has been converted into a ‘time capsule’ museum portraying how some of the more successful Huguenot refugees lived.

Whether or not Mathieu was a silk weaver – or indeed a moquette cutter – is still unknown. His sons, as far as we are aware, were not – and this perhaps indicates that he was able to get them apprenticeships in other, less overcrowded, lines of business. What London needed then, and what it has always needed and will always need regardless of the era, were builders and coffin-makers. This was how young Jean Enry Mocquard – or John Macord, as he at some stage took to calling himself – chose to earn what turned out to be a very successful living.

But that, as they say, is a story for another time…

Sunday 21st May, 1961

On By Sue JenkinsIn 1961 letters, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Alec to his parents:

Dear Mum and Dad,

Thank you for your letter with, all the latest news. Glad there was another effort by Susan. I understand that there is a page or two for encloseure [sic] again this week. Susan was up with the lark on her Birthday as you may imagine. She and Carol came into our room and the presents and cards were examined when the tea was brought in. Birthdays tend to be joint affairs with these two. To start with we always contrive to have some little thing for the non-Birthday girl and in any case large articles have to be bought with an eye to joint ownership. There were rows of cards for Susan which covered the mantlepiece and the T.V. We bought Susan/Carol a scooter which is causing problems of synchronisation. Susan had a nice tennis raquet [sic] (toy-size) and they both had large plastic spades each for the sea-side. Lots of books mace their appearance and some nice things to wear. There was no party this time, but we shall have to see that they get their share. Susan has already had another Birthday Party invitation. She will attend on Tuesday of this week. Apparently Susan must have told all the boys and girls that it was her Birthday as a little boy who we had not previously heard about gave her a small plastic baby in a bath.

Have done no more to the cupboard so that will now have to wait until return from holiday. So far there has been no attempt to open the cupboard by the girls, but I expect I shall have to fit a lock of some kind. Some game with Cornish though.

We have noticed that the weather is much colder, and June is of the opinion that we shall get no change until the moon changes. (After the holiday of course). We shall have to send a spaceman up to change the moon occasionally.

Not an easy trip to Tiverton by the sound of it? I expect it can be made easier by going out round Exeter – no point in going to look for trouble. In any case I have no definite plans to go there.

Not much joy from one bucket of cockles then. Would have thought there would have been enough for an army.

I remember that Exmouth was supposed to be Mum’s first job away from home. Wiveliscombe was another I believe, also Bridgwater.

Note horse has been away for a change of diet and to gather his strength for visit from two small girls.

You ask about school. Susan turned up early from school one day last week (lunchtime) and when tackled about it, said that she had come home to play with Carol. When June took her she reported the matter only to find that they had not missed her. (Where have I heard all this before?) That resulted in Susan being marched up to the Headmistress. We do not know what was said.

Our freiends have just left, or rather I have just taken them back to Hillingdon. There [sic] children are among the least well behaved, but to-day they were much better than I have known them. Still bad.

Hope the visit from Headstone Lane goes well. Seems a long drag just for a few hours, but he has been doing that for years – must like travel.

I cannot be too sure about the rose cuttings. One is certainly taking root and shoots indicate progress, but the other two seem to make no movement although leaves are still on.

Why Labour In your ward? Is this the first time? Should have thought the West End was true blue, or slightly pink. Do not really know who got in here. We voted, and that was that. We do not take a local paper.

Rhubarb wine progressing. Brought in a large handful of lemon balm and put straight Into the ferment together with almost half pound of sultanas. After a week strained off the fermenting juice, put in the sugar (three pounds) and a tablet of wine nutrient, and bunged the lot under fermentation lock. It is kicking away merrily at the moment with plenty of white froth. Will look forward to your various brews.

I am afraid peas are a crop which seems to do badly these days. I never hnd much luck with them. The bean varieties do much better.

Have passed on the news about the nest. Hope it is still there when we arrive.

I suppose the reason that the Spencers have not sold their house is due to the price asked. Drewetts went all right and so did the one next to you. They will have to cut their price if no buyers come forward soon.

Nice try by Mum apparently but should not have liked the tannery.

I suppose we shall pass through Wincanton any time between 1–/0pm and 2-30 next Saturday if all goes well. Do I gather fron your enquiry that you may be there? If so perhaps you will let me know where to look out for you. *

We shall look up Aunt Lydia and Uncle Joe when we are at Exmouth.

Well will close now and look forward to seeing you again very soon.

Love from us all.

*To reiterate: Alec at this stage is nearly thirty-nine years old. This level of mollycoddling utterly defies description.

Tuesday 16th May, 1961

On By Sue JenkinsIn 1961 letters, Chinese relatives, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Leonard to the family:

Dear Alec June Susan & Carol

Many thanks for another newsy letter and drawing (from Susan) received today. Thank you very much Susan – it is such an important day for you isn’t it? Five years old today – how do you feel? We have been thinking of her quite a lot and pictured her telling all her school friends “I’m five years old today”.

So you have all but finished the cupboard in front room and find it is a good alternative storage place for wine – have you put a lock on it? You would want one if you kept it in Cornish’s house here. He knows where to find it and does when Mrs Cornish is out shopping etc.

Noted June not keen on broad beans – I must have misunderstood your previous reply on the subject. Am hoping we shall have a few carrots ready for the girls – its those I’m bringing on in one of the frames.

Yes you seem to be having a very busy time in the Work Study Section and I expect you are looking forward to your holiday – which reminds me the weather this week although dry so far is very much cooler and not nearly so pleasant as when we were away. Hope it will improve by the time you start off.

To get to Exmouth from Clevedon I suppose the shortest route – and the one we took a couple of years ago – would be via Cullompton, Pinhoe and Countess Wear (near Whittlesea)* but another way is via Honiton then on the Sidmouth road as far as Sidford then turn right to Newton Poppleford then left to get on to the Budleigh Salterton route. I reckon it would take 2½ to 3 hours direct Clevedon to Exmouth. Yes Tiverton to Exmouth is an hour’s run – 26 miles – but one has to get through the City of Exeter which at times can be very difficult.

So you have had mussels – I hate the things but enjoy cockles. Frankly a bucketful does not go very far once they are shelled but it’s worth it to go out and gather them. The best time to go out is about three hours after full tide has turned when the cockles are left stranded. They quickly burrow down about four inches and remain there until the tide returns. Incidentally as soon as the water has left them uncovered the gulls get busy as usually at this moment the shells are open and cockles feeding.

Regarding the sketch I sent you I meant ti have indicated that from the point shewn where you enter the area until you reach Morton Road** the distance is approximately one mile perhaps just under. Yes there are plenty of facilities for the children and given nice weather I’m sure you will enjoy the holiday. It is a place Mum and I like very much and you may remember Mum telling you it was her first place away from home – in Tuckers a big shop near the main shopping area.

No I don’t think Mrs Cornish had any cause to examine the fruit trees. At the moment the horse is away on the farm doing a little work but we expect it back any day now to get on with the job of clearing the grass.

So Susan was not very energetic when she went to the front on the first occasion – thought she liked washing. How is school going? You did not comment this week.

Can remember the name of Clegg at the wedding but am afraid I cannot picture Mr & Mrs Clegg now. There were quite a lot present including all the Uncles and Aunts and it would be difficult to recall them all. Still we expect you were glad to see them once more although perhaps did not anticipate seeing them at that particular time.

Note more friends visiting you this coming weekend. As you know Geoff and family are coming down on Whit Monday. Down on the 9.5 a.m. Paddington and back on the 4.35 Taunton – a very long journey each way and only just over five hours here but we shall be very pleased to see them.

Glad to hear you think three of the rose cuttings are pulling through. Fresh shoots should however be soon showing. Am afraid the slugs ate most of that clump of Chrysanths you gave me but it is possible I shall save one.

Since writing the above Norman Baker has brought back the horse so have been down the field to see him in safely.

Not a lot of local news this week again. Had local election on Tuesday last and the Labour candidate got in for this ward although the Conservative candidate polled more votes than the Conservative winner last year.

Your rhubarb brew should be alright – there is quite a lot of the yellow variety about but generally it is not quite so sweet as the red or raspberry kind. The addition of lemon balm leaves would improve it in any case. I’ve strained off my parsnip wine into the two sweet jars you gave me – filled one up and nearly filled the second. It is clearing very quickly and the taste is quite good.

When I next write Don & Joan – later this week – will tell them we shall be calling on them, as invited, on the afternoon of Wednesday 7th June. We asked them to look up this week while Don still on leave but they say they are very busy but would like to run up later on.

Bill Aston went on outing last Saturday and said that the happiest people present were the retired members – all the others were grousing about this and/or that. The lunch was not up to standard either. However he had a most enjoyable time and got back about 10.0 p.m.

The ground here is still like lumps of concrete and I’ve used hosepipe a lot to water runner beans and keep bath full. The greenhouse takes a lot of water carrying. It does not look as if I shall get much success with my second row of peas – not up yet and they should have been showing a week ago. I am fairly certain the soil is too rough altogether this year but must try once more. Picked peas are better than those you buy in a tin.

Found a thrush nest last week with young ready to fly – in fact they went next day. The nest is in the hedge between Heels and our garden within about four feet of the house. I had noticed the parent birds about for some time and thought nest was in Golden Privet hedge but could not find it. Anyhow unless Heel removes it shall have at least one to show Susan & Carol although the birds have flown.

Well I think this is about the lot for another week.

All our love to you both and lots of kisses for Susan & Carol.

Mum & Dad

[Scrawled at top of first page as if in afterthought: “?Time at Wincanton 27th May”]

*’Whittlesea’ in this context is the bungalow where Leonard’s parents/Alec’s grandparents, Tom and Emily Atkins, used to live. Its name was not taken from the railway station in Cambridgeshire, but instead from the town in Victoria, Australia, where Tom’s sister Mary Maud lived with her Chinese market-gardener husband and their descendants. It’s impossible to know when contact between the two branches of the family was lost, but as Mary Maud and Tom died within six months of each other (she in late 1940, he in April 1941) it would be fair to suppose that it was at some point during the war. Alec did have vague recollections of ‘packages’ from Australia being delivered during the war, but in later life treated the ‘Chinese relatives’ as a bit of a silly rumour incapable of proof. As far as I know his researches never uncovered the existence of that particular branch of the family, nor indeed of Mary Maud herself.

**I suspect this would be the first ‘two centre’ holiday we had. We stayed one week with a Mrs Le Dieu, presumably in Morton Road, and this looks very much the sort of establishment we were in – although obviously very much improved since those days.

Emily outside ‘Whittlesea’, about 1936

Eva to the family, on the remaining three-quarters of a sheet of Leonard’s writing paper:

Dear Alec June Susan & Carol

Very nice drawings this week. I believe we’ve got nearly twenty altogether. We have been very busy tidying up this week. This weather is lovely & hope it will last for your visit to Exmouth & here.

Spencers have not sold their house yet, it seems to hang fire somehow. I believe they are asking too much for too little. Gibsons have not moved into Drewetts house yet although they are doing extensive operations inside the house. All the Capels have gone to Holland & Germany for a holiday.

Somebody has got me on cleaning the lectern for a few weeks while they are busy. Mrs Cummings is out of hospital but can’t do much yet so may be doing the mags again this time.

We had a good journey to Morlands Rug factory at Glastonbury. The first five minutes was a bit revolting as we visited the tannery but after that it was A1. The loveliest rugs & bootees & slippers, they didn’t slip us any only a few samples of sheepskin all colours. Some were going to make puffs of the pale colours. They gave us a nice tea however.

On June 1st we shall be going to Cannington Farm Institute then on to Taunton for rest of time & Maynards & tea.

The horse is back with a difference, he has had a fourpenny all off & looks a bit bald after what he was.

Well I think this is the lot. Note that I have allocated the singles for the girls so you will not need the cot mattress.

Love from Mum & Dad

Sunday 14th May, 1961

On By Sue JenkinsIn 1961 lettersLeave a comment

There is no letter from Leonard and Eva in the week preceding this, but as they were on holiday at Exmouth that week it’s likely they sent either a postcard or a very brief note at best.

Alec to his parents:

Dear Mum and Dad,

Thank you for your latest letter. Glad you had an enjoyable time in Devon. Did not see Susan’s effort last week, as all enclosures put in envelope by June after this letter had been typed. Do not know quite what you will get this week either.

Further activities to the cupboard this week-end. Bought the hardboard for the top (3 inches too short) but have cut it in such a way that the join does not show. The whole of the triangular back part of the cupboard has now been turned into a wine cupboard and all the bottles and jars (full) have been transferred to it from below. The original glass shelf has been replaced in the front part, and the odds and ends of books, albums etc. have been returned there. The glass fronted doors have been faced with hardboard and the four sets of electric wires run in through a hole in the base. One small piece of hardboard remains to be obtained and fixed at one of the end pieces and the whole thing then requires painting to match the woodwork of the room. It would probably make a carpenter/joiner weep, but the general appearance is not too bad.

Sorry to have to say that June is not over keen on broad beans but the rest of us like them, or did when they were last served. I hope there will be some for us in due course.

We have seen the L.D.C at Maidenhead and agreed to start there during the first week in June. We also start Acton Yard the same week. What with the promise to the signalmen that we would start them shortly we seem to be heading for a busy time.

You were right to assume that Eric was Eric Benn, but I did not know that you had not heard of Ted Rouse, He was in the D.S.O. when I first went there (doing the special train notice). He is now the Head of the section dealing with Coach Working and Dieselisation in the D.T.M.O.

Thank you again for the card and note you had something of a scramble to get it to the post. I am very surprised to learn that it only takes you about 2.5 hours to get to Sidmouth. I would have thought it would have taken you much longer. What would be the running time direct from you to Exmouth? You seem to have seen the families at Tiverton and glad you found them well. Do I also gather that the running time from Tiverton to Exmouth is only one hour? Will take a hint about Beer, and will keep away from it (especially when driving).

Did yourselves proud, what with the cockles and stopping up all hours of the day and night. I have never tried cockles and am a bit doubtful thereon, but I have had mussels after a bit of an effort. Is there there a special reason for getting the cockles at 6-0 p.m. or was that a convenient time in advance of your return to Tiverton. How far does a bucket go?

Thank you for the sketch of the district. It is very clear but no doubt my navigator will get mixed up as usual.* We shall certainly go over to see Uncle Joe and Aunt Lydia when we are in Exmouth. We hope of course that the weather will be as good as you had it ,or even as good as this week-end if possible. Good to hear about all the facilities for the children. We shall patronise them I have no doubt. Note Mrs Cornish looking after the things for you again, and this time had an additional chore – the horse. Was it necessary for her to go the orchard to assess the prospect of the crops ?

I am very surprised to learn, that your parsnip wine stlll going strong. This must be over two months now. I should be inclined to drop in a few Campden tablets until the yeast is killed and then release the C.0.2. (gas). I have got four pounds of rhubarb fermenting in a bucket at the moment and am in some doubt quite what to do with it. The fruit was not too good – rather more yellow than red, but it is ticking over O.K. I have as yet not put any sugar in and am wondering what to put with it. I : expect I shall put a clump of lemon balm leaves in with the brew.

To-day we went to Sunday School with the children. It is the 14th Anniversary of the school and all parents were invited. Susan had to go out the front on two occasions. Once to act the part of a Mother washing clothes – she stood like a dummy – and once with two others to say a piece of poetry. She did rather better in this.

Afterwards we went to West Drayton where Mr and Mrs Clegg and Michael were present. You may remember them, they attended the wedding, and I have not seen Michael since. He has since married.

We shall be glad to visit Don and Joan on the date you suggest, and take in some other landmark during the morning,

Not much of great note to report this week. Next week-end we have June’s friend Vi from West Drayton calling with her family, Hope they have simmered down a bit since the last time.

There appear to be three of the rose cuttings surviving, No additional leaves have been formed but the originals look healthy enough. June helped me to rake and hoe over the square plot yesterday and the soil is now ready to take the dahlias.

By the way June says the drawing is supposed to represent at the top – the mouse running up the clock, – the sheep and the three bags of woll [sic] – Jack and Jill going up the Hill (back) and some tale that goes “one two three four five etc.” Christine did two of the drawings.

It has been a lovely day again to-day but a bit cooler than yesterday. The heat returned with the sun during the middle of the afternoon but now it is quite cool.

Well there it is again until next week. Love from us all.

*Because of course no mere woman could possibly navigate or read a map! Later in life this task fell to me. We would get ‘strip maps’ from the AA and I would read them out as we went along. On one memorable occasion the road sign contradicted the map; I told Alec that it was not this turning but the next and he insisted otherwise and was of course wrong. I therefore tore the strip map into shreds, threw the pieces out of the window, and told him he could just bloody well navigate for himself in future if he wasn’t going to listen to the person who had the information. This resulted in violent recriminations, naturally; however it also resulted in a lifetime rule – the driver drives, the navigator navigates, and neither gets to criticise the other. Although now that we travel with the aid of (a) a Sat Nav (b) two phones with Google Maps and (c) a road atlas, I have far less patience with any driver who decides he knows the route without having to check and promptly gets lost; there is absolutely no excuse for that these days.

Sunday 7th May, 1961

On By Sue JenkinsIn 1961 lettersLeave a comment

Alec to his parents:

Dear Mum and Dad,

Thank you very much for your last letter duly arrived at breakfast as usual. Yes I heard about Phasey but did not know that you knew him or knew of him otherwise I would have mentioned it.

Susan still being taken to school, and this seems to be the rythm of things for the time being. The party duly took place last Saturday afternoon but there was no invitation for Carol so we had to run her over to see Grandma and Grandad Baker. When we dumped Susan off at the party Carol wanted to go but we managed to weather that storm.*

The weather yesterday was not too good but to-day it has been much better so that assume your week-end at Exmouth was similarly favoured.

Glad your horse is still surviving. The children are looking forward, to seeing him when they come down, While on the subject, it will not be very long now will it? Re horse it did not take him long to find out that the grass is always greener in the other field, Note we shall ave to make a circular tour when we visit the field or alternatively first find out which way the wind is blowing.

Most of the carpentry in the front room was completed to-day. The table-cum-platform-cum-cupboard is now fixed in position but we intend to get a sheet of hardboard to cover the top and then paint the whole thing. It does not look too bad although I say it myself.

No trouble since with the car, and this week-end it has had quite extensive use. It seems to lose about one pint of oil every 100 miles. Does this accord with the rate when you had it please?

Glad your decorating work has turned out to our satisfaction, I expect the electricians left the house in a bit of a mess. By the very nature of their work this must be so. At least it will give Mum a chance to get new curtains etc.etc.

Note you have cut your lawns but I am afraid those this end are still uncut. Torrential downpours during the week have left everything sodden but the drying wind overnight and to-day has improved things somewhat.

June likes broad beans and so do I. I cannot remember if the children do, but we can cope with any number available.

When we are with you, I am sure Susan and Carol would like to see some birds nests but if there are none there is not much you can do about it.

Our Elections passed off very quietly so far as we are concerned. When I was about to get the car out and go round to the school it started to pour so that was that.

There’s not much point in putting more yeast in a must that is already fermenting as you do not know how near it is to finishing. Best to put one oz. in right at the start. By the way my latest carrot whisky – made about end of first week in April has ceased to ferment and is now in a new gallon storage Jar – bought yesterday. I bought the packets of powdered yeast pellets from a firm in Harrow called “Heath and Heather Ltd”.

Last Sunday’s journey was quite interesting but there was not in awful lot of traffic on the roads. At the time we went there is not too much about.

Did not know that the Spencers house had a small kitchen, I supposed that it was the same size as yours was before the alterations.

I am not surprised that Weston is a bit fed up with the hooligans. We get a lot in London as you know. The latest craze is wearing leather jackets.

On Friday night we went over to Highgate to Norman’s flat. I drove over to Greenford from where we all went in Roy’s car. The route is the came as the one that I passed over the previous Sunday. It is not too difficult driving in London, it is a thing that you get used to doing. On Saturday we had an early trip out to get the meat then later to take the girls and June to a hair appointment in Eastcote. In the afternoon we went over to Yiewsley and this morning we went over to Pinner Park as the sun was shining. It was quite warm there first thing but it clouded over later and we returned home by 10-0am. This afternoon I went over to Hanwell to play a round of golf with Eric and Ted Rouse. Apart from one sharp shower of rain and a high wind it was most enjoyable.

Ken Lay and go to Maidenhead on Thursday to hold a consultation meeting for the purpose of introducing investigating staff into the goods there. I gather that I am intended to do this work. I seem to be collecting all the staff and now they are handing over all the work. I feel sorry for Lay as he is obviously unsuited to be the Assistant. He keeps saying that he wished he had not got the job and anyone can have it etc. Also says that he has only a few years to do and would prefer a quiet time.

Got the first two reports on the Parcels Office through McDonald on Friday and they are being typed this week. He seems to be quite pleased at the way things are going and so far we have managed to keep one jump ahead of him. We had a small strike at Kensington last week (which please do not publicise) over the Bonus scheme for cartage staff there. They were told they could not retain their vanguards if they wanted to retain the bonus scheme. They have since returned to work but were to have held a mass meeting to-day to decide what to do next. We have the parcels handling staff lined up for an appreciation course this week. Have started the handling staff at Acton a couple of weeks ago but will see the L.D.C. Staff Sec on Tuesday with a view to starting the Yard Staff. Have given an undertaking to do the O.O.O. Signalmen in about four weeks time so all in all shall look forward to my holiday.

Notley has been in Venice this last fortnight amongst other places. I had a card from him.

Well there is not much else I can think of at the moment so will end again for another week. Love from us all.

*Here we go again. There is a difference between treating children equally and treating them fairly; one of these options Alec and June managed, but not the other. For many years they were unable to distinguish between their daughters and did not allow anyone else to do so either, so everything had to be tailored to the lowest common denominator. When they finally learned how to tell the difference between us they decided they had one ‘useful’ and one ‘useless’ child, and proceeded accordingly.