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Bussage memories

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Firwood

The Village c1955
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1958 our family came from the US to settle our Aunt Ethel & Uncle Edmund Smyth's estate Firwood. Edmund had been the 1st Bishop of Lebombo, Africa & Ethel had been a missionary & painter. Firwood had a dairy on the property & my sister's & I played with twin sisters that lived there. The sisters had us go to Brownshill & ride a teenager's motercycle. I loved the village & people there. If anyone knows about Firwood or the people who now own it, we've heard it's called Smyth Estates. (I could be wrong) please contact me. ... Thank you for the fond memories. ....... Terri

Memories of Gloucestershire

Firwood

Firwood
1958 our family came from the US to settle our Aunt Ethel & Uncle Edmund Smyth's estate Firwood. Edmund had been the 1st Bishop of Lebombo, Africa & Ethel had been a missionary & painter. Firwood had a dairy on the property & my sister's & I played with twin sisters that lived there. The sisters had us go to Brownshill & ride a teenager's motercycle. I loved the village & people there. If anyone knows about Firwood or the people who now own it, we've heard it's called Smyth Estates. (I could be wrong) please contact me. ... Thank you for the fond memories. ....... Terri

Valerie & Rosemary West Firwood Farm

The people, last name West, living on Firwood Farm had four children, Valerie, Rosemary, Kathleen and John. I've heard the farm is still there. My sisters' names were Sharon and Sally, mine is Susan. Firwood is now called Smyth Meadows. If anyone knows of the people I've mentioned or the owner of Smyth Meadows please contact me. We were at Firwood for a month in 1958. There were two older maids there. One was named Olive, the other Mrs. Hutchins. The owners of Firwood were Edmund Smyth who was 98 and Ethel Smyth who was 99 when they passed on so Brownshill was part of their everyday life for many many years. We have many fond memories of your town and country.

THE WAR YARS 1939 1945

Hi I am Derek Hyde.  I with my sister arrived in Eastcombe late afternoon on the day war was declared, Sept 3d 1939.  We had been evacuated from Birmingam, we were to live with our grandparents for the duration of the war, we were the lucky ones to be with them, many others who came later did not know who they were to live with.  We were related to the well known Bond family.  I only ever remember very fond memories of all the people I got to know during that period. Boys of my age were Derek Dowdswell, Hedley Law, Maurice Greenwood. I worked on the farm owned by Mr Andrews. I was also a choir boy in the local church.  I am now 76 years of age. I have from time to time revisited Eastcombe on my own and quietly sat on the green and reflected my life. No other place has ever had the effect on me that Eastcome has.  My very best wishes to all in... Read more

My Grandmother

My Grandmother was born in The Round House, Chalford in 1901.

Early Life in Chalford

I was born in Chalford at "The Little House" in Chalford Hill in 1932 and lived there until March 1940. I was the youngest of six children who all lived in the cottage and have very lovely memories of both the cottage and the local school which I attended. My Mother was a local girl who was a clerk in the post office beore her marriage. Her name was Florence Emily Griffin, and she married my Father Christopher Hugo Chatteris in 1924 when they moved into "The Little House" prior to that the cottage was occupied by my Grandmother who died in 1932. I recently returned to Chalford, and although I remembered the hill was steep, at my now advanced years it was hard to believe how we used to walk up and down at regular intervals to the railway station when my brothers & sisters went off to boarding school. I think next time I would be better off using a 4 X 4.

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