The Family was increasing at a rate of knots! As I’ve said before, Dad did not waste time when home on leave, and Kath was born in October 1918; then came Margaret Joan , known as Peggy, on 29th February 1920 with a Birthday only one in four! A year later I was on the way to Boarding School, King Edward VI’s School, Chelmsford; a boarder at 8, Lord help us! Miss Boughtwood’s was bad enough! What sort of trouble was in store for me? I was already in trouble enough over simple things as for instance, one day I arrived at School late and could not get the door open. So in despair I went home. It being Summer, I sat in the long grass in the field behind the house, and waited for the Church Clock in the Village to strike twelve before going home. That was OK but what about the next day? I was frightened to go to School, so I sat in the field once more ’til twelve o’clock. The next day, sitting in the field for the third time, I must have dozed off because I miscounted the chimes and went home soon after eleven o’clock.
I was put to bed and got a tanning when Dad came home in the evening. The next morning I was given a note to take to School to explain my absence. When I got to the Railway Bridge at the Station I was afraid to continue the journey, so I tore up the note, chucked it over the railway bridge and went home again. This time I did not sit in the field and I was eventually taken back to School by someone, I can’t remember who it was, and all was well, or as well as could be expected!
We were a real family. I the eldest stood out from the others; thin, pale, hair that did not look like anything, always in trouble, at least that’s what it felt like! If I kicked a football it was bound to knock some apples off the best tree in the Front Garden. Ray and Stan were tougher. Nice blond curly hair, well behaved, a couple of creeps… not really. I don’t remember much about Kath and Peg. They had a Governess to look after them, she even came on holiday with us!
After the War we always had three weeks holiday in August. We used to go in those early days to Southwold (in Suffolk) , a good spot for sands and walks. Dad used to hire a large car, it took the whole Family including the Governess. Had to have a chauffeur of course. Dad did not drive in those days, in fact he did not learn ’til I taught him in 1932. We never missed out on Pantomimes, Firework Nights and visits to friends. Our main friends who visited us were from Dad’s office; the Fairbairn’s, the Sui….’s (sorry Dad – can’t read your writing – can anyone help?), the Levanski’s, who later changed their name to Beach.
Mother’s Parents visited us a lot and stayed quite often for long periods, especially during the War. Grandma looked like Queen Mary (the Wife of George V). I reckon they exchanged hats and used the same umbrella! (Check out the Photo of Annie Rebecca Fell (I95) on the Family Tree website – see Five Trees link) She was a real tartar! The Queen I mean! She would be wouldn’t she, after all she was a Kraut called Mary of Teck (? Dad she was actually British but descended from the German Dukes of Wuerttemberg). Anyway it was George V who changed his name to Windsor from Guelph (? Dad, he changed from the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha) George was a cousin of Kaiser Bill (Wilhelm II) (check out Georgie boy on Wikipedia if you are interested – see link) I must not say too much because Grandma Harries’ name was Jacobi and her half brother was a General Von Jacobi on The Kaiser’s Staff. Annie Caroline Jacobi – her Family later changed their name to Clarke and the Jacobi’s in England to Jacoby.
Mother’s brother Ron, was a fine chap. There’s a story to tell about him later if I get to it. He was in the War in Mesopotamia (now mainly in modern Iraq plus parts of Turkey and Syria – and known as “The Cradle of Civilisation”) fighting the Turks. His Regiment marched all the way from Palestine to Basrah via Damascus and Baghdad, fighting most of the way, and finally ending up in a Battle at Shaibah just outside Basrah, where there is now a Large rock named “Victory Fort”. I spent a year there in the last War (WWII). More about the relatives later.
Dad used to go off for weekends sometimes and took me with him, usually to Burwell in Cambridgeshire, where his Uncle and Aunt ran the Village School (a reminder that most if not all of the Family whom Dad writes about can be found at Cousin Louise’s “Five Family Tree” Website – just follow the link). Uncle Isaac and Aunt Emily had a house in the School which was a Church of England School. The only trouble was if the School was working when we went up, I used to have to sit in the front row of the class!
Grandma Harries was an old witch! She was always trying to make trouble between Dad and Mum, without success.
Time was passing. I was getting on and old enough to go to School. Stan and Ray were firm friends, despite Ray using Stan as a dartboard and a carving fork as a dart! Mother had had a haircut. I remember one evening Dad suggested she had her hair bobbed and offered to do it. She had lovely long hair done up in a bun, but no longer…! It looked terrible after he had finished with it!
Living in the country was good fun. We used to go into the woods to play, catch rabbits, even collect moor-hens eggs and cook them over wood fires and eat them hard boiled. Mother told us that one of her Uncles had been blinded. It was on Firework Night and coming home he looked up at a rocket and the stick came down in his eye and blinded him.