You are here:
All Cannings
All Cannings photos
Displaying the first of 15 old photos of All Cannings. View all All Cannings photos
All Cannings maps
Historic maps of All Cannings and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all All Cannings maps
All Cannings area books
Displaying 1 of 12 books about All Cannings and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of All Cannings
No memories of All Cannings have been shared yet - be the first!
Add your memory of All Cannings
or of a photo of All Cannings.
Wiltshire memories
The Roundway I Remember
In 1954 Roundway was the site of the Royal Army Pay Corps Training Centre. Nothing now remains of this except a plaque erected by the local council to commemorate the fact that thousands of young men conscripted for National Service were trained there. Most were only there for ten weeks and were then posted elsewhere to complete their 18 months (later increased to 2 years) service.
I arrived in nearby Devizes on 7th January,1954,and after my basic training spent the remainder of my 2 years there. The training was very hard but it turned boys into men (and soldiers). The camp was spread over a large area of Roundway and straddled the road to Devizes. During the day a Regimental Policeman was always on duty where the road divided the camp,the guardroom being close by. The camp was actually two units, the Training Centre and the Regimental Pay Office for the R.E.M.E. There were 2 drill squares, a sports field, dining halls and a large number of buildings... Read more
Prison Buildings by Side of Canal
Hello,
My name is John Ryan and I can remember Devizes when I was evacuated there in 1940 from Tilbury Essex. I was 11 years old.
I can remember where we all assembled in what I think was the Catholic school, which I believe was St Joseph's. There was about 40 of us and I happened to be the last to be picked for accommodation with a local family.
I remember the lady, her name was Phyllis Hillier and she was very kind to me as the rest of the family were. I remember going down a big hill towards the canal and crossing a small bridge and turning left down into the building which was originally a prison but it was converted into flats. It was a ground floor flat which was very nice and comfortable. After settling into my new home, I remember starting school where we had to walk along the canal or back up the hill to the town where the school was... Read more
Notes From The Frith Files.
During WW2 the hut at the top of the building provided shelter from the weather for members of the Observer Corps later known as The Royal Observer Corps.
Quaker's Walk
I was employed to fell the elm trees lining the walk during the Dutch Elm disease crisis that cleared so many beautiful trees from a lovely area. My only consolation was the glorious view up to Oliver's Castle which is now sadly blocked by housing estates.
Wilcot School
I went to Wilcot School from 1943 to 49. Miss Brooks taught little ones. Big boys had to fetch water from the well for each classroom. The crate of milk bottles stood next to the tortoise stove that heated the classroom but we had to drink every drop whether we liked it or not. In winter we went for nature walks along the canal, maybe we were running short of fuel for the stove. The worst memory I have is the school dentist coming to pull teeth. No electricity in the school so if he had to do a filling I suppose he had some primative means. G.I.s readying for D Day often passed by in jeeps and called out to us smiling and waving. I remember getting little tins of "emergency rations" from them containg gum, chocolate and malt tablets. I remember wonderful socials in the hut on the green when everyone had a good time. On Acension Day all us children had to walk... Read more
Childhood Memories
In the early 1950s I used to go and stay with my great uncle, Arthur Furnice and his wife, Flossie, at the stables owned by a Mr Blagrave, where my uncle was head lad. We used to get off the bus from Newbury and climb a fence and walk across a field to the stables. The main house was next door and my best memories are of a driveway lined with a wonderful display of daffodils. It was also magical to wake early in the morning and hear the sound of the horses' hooves on the coblestones as they went out to exercise on the downs. When they returned my aunt would cook the most incredible breakfasts for everyone. She came from Calne. Happy days.
Family Connections to The Limes.
The house in the photograph is The Limes and has a family connection. A great uncle on my mother's side purchased this property. He was Alfred William Reynolds, who was an innkeeper in the White Hart pub opposite the house. He combined publican and greyhound coursing trainer for a period in the early 1900s. He is said to have purchased The Limes after training the winner of the Waterloo Cup in 1908. A photograph taken around this time shows outbuildings to the left and a thatched cottage.
The property is still in existence today and seems little changed. The White Hart is also still a pub and also little changed on the outside. Alfred's son, Alfred Louis Reynolds also trained greyhounds in coursing particularly in Odiham, Hants. After his wife's death Alfred William married again and one of his two sons by this marriage, Leslie Reynolds, trained track greyhounds mostly at Wembley Stadium. His greyhounds won the greyhound St Leger... Read more
