The above photograph was taken at the same time (I'm the one on the right trying to pull over the maypole). My Mum is seated (four people to the left of me in the photo) in the black cardigan. Next to her (on the left) is my grandmother holding my new baby sister (although she is barely visible) who had been born on 13 May. The girl to the left of me in the photo wrote to me a few years ago and I was intrigued by her memories of coming to our house to watch The Lone Ranger. This might explain why I felt an affinity with Wyoming, when I visited there!
I was surprised to see the school mentioned at all, as it was such a tiny private school in Luton. I loved it there and remember the May celebrations well - the flowers they used were beautiful and every time I smell lilac I remember those days. The school consisted of a Little Class and a Big Class! I remember progressing to the Big Class and learning all about Mistle Thrushes in my first lesson .....
Funny how one little e-mail can give your memory such a jolt.
Around that time, to join the Metropolitan Police the following qualifications were necessary:
to be over 21 and under 27 years of age
to stand clear 5ft 9ins without shoes or stockings
to be able to read well, write legibly and have a fair knowledge of spelling
to be generally intelligent
to be free from any bodily complaint.
The bodily complaints for which candidates were rejected included; flat foot, stiffness of joints, narrow chest and deformities of the face.
Between 1888 and 1891 the name of Jack The Ripper was regarded with terror by the residents of London's East End, and was known the world over - I wonder what Henry's experience of the situation was?
Henry lived not far from Charlie Chaplin, who went to school in Kennington Lane and whose occupation (then aged 12) in the 1901 Census is given as Music Hall Artiste.
During his Metropolitan police career, he was stationed at Marylebone, Lambeth, Westminster and Whitehall. He was pensioned on 26 September 1911 as this document, nearly 100 years old and still in pristine condition shows:-
After leaving the Metropolitan Police, they returned to Braunton, where Henry was again a policeman - I have a hazy photo of him in uniform, directing the traffic in Braunton during the 1930s in the middle of a flood.
The following photo, showing Henry on the left (with the very long legs!) was possibly taken at Braunton Burrows just around the corner from where he lived at 17 Barton Lane..jpg)
Aged 84, he died on 29 March 1947 (having being driven into by an American woman’s car, whilst he was on his bicycle, or so I have been told – I would like to find the documentation). He is buried in the graveyard of St Brannock's Church, Braunton, Devon.
I bought a little book which explained the fascinating history of Bibury, a former weaving village. Most of the Bibury cottages date from the 17th and 18th century when the village prospered due to the wool trade - Cotswold sheep were considered to produce the finest wool in Europe. The cottages in Arlington Row housed weavers and Rack Isle was an area where the woollen cloth was "racked" after fulling (washing) and dyeing. Rack Isle is now a wildfowl reserve.
The Swan Hotel, Bibury (seen above with the necessary swan!) was advertised in the book and it was good to see that lunch is served in the Brassiere!
Today we got up a bit later and had a leisurely breakfast before returning via Lacock - a village almost entirely owned by the National Trust and a popular film location (Pride and Prejudice, Cranford, Harry Potter). After a walk around the village we stopped for morning refreshments at the 13th century King John's Hunting Lodge and sat in the restful flower-filled garden.
Then it was back home for lunch prepared by Clive ... what a star!
