Annie Charlotte Funge

Ever since I was a young boy I had an interest in knowing where my grandmother was born. She was born 1883, the youngest daughter of James William Funge and Annie Hayward.
Sadly she passed away in Christchurch, NZ in 1963, reaching there as a war bride in 1918 after marrying my grandfather Percy Gourdie, at Wadhurst Parish church 27 April 1918.
In 1966 I started working as a shipping clerk and my goal was to travel to England and visit Cousley Wood and see my Great Aunt Frances Funge whom I had heard so much about.
In 1968 we learnt from her nephew Raymond Ralph she had died after illness. In August 1968 I left NZ arriving Heathrow 1 September. Towards end of September my first visit to Cousley Wood took place with the help of my 2nd cousin Raymond and we motored down to Sussex on the A21. We first visited the Wadhurst Parish Church and I saw the resting place of Aunt Frances and my great grandmother Annie Funge. We travelled down many country lanes and I remember a big estate close to Cousley Wood which may now be covered went the big lake formed.
We stopped at the school house and Raymond introduced me to Nel Payne whom my grandmother often spoke about.
During the period of 1968-1970 I lived in Peterborough, but I did manage to visit Cousley Wood again and chat with Nel when she continued to live at the school house.

In April 1990, I was able to return to England and I made a point of staying in a hotel near Wadhurst railway station . The availability of transport to Cousley Wood was not the best at that time but I still had good legs and walked the distance.
The school house where my great aunt lived was being renovated but externally not much had changed. The store of Mrs Benge across the road had not altered nor had the hotel and post office. The village atmosphere was still much the same.
My Grandmother was never able to return to where she was born and it has been up to some of her grandchildren to witness where some of our ancestry was formed.