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Debden Green
Debden Green maps
Historic maps of Debden Green and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Debden Green maps
Debden Green photos
We have no photos of Debden Green, although we do have photos of these nearby places:
Debden| Wimbish| Thaxted| Newport| Elsenham| Great Easton| Saffron Walden| Great Sampford| Wicken Bonhunt| Audley End| Stansted Mountfitchet| Littlebury| Great Dunmow| Stebbing| Birchanger
Debden Green area books
Displaying 1 of 18 books about Debden Green and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Debden Green
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Essex memories
Bank of England Printing Works at Debden
I was priviledged to be given a guided tour of the Bank of England Printing Works at Debden. I had just started work at the Bank in the City in 1963 and my tour formed part of the induction process for all new staff. Our group of a dozen new staff were given directions to take a Central Line tube train from the Bank station in the City out to Essex where the Bank's Printing works had been built just ten or so years earlier. We walked by fields from Debden station to the works where we were very closely shepherded around the first floor gallery of the main printing hall and were able to watch through one-way darkened glass and see the printing staff minding the machinery as new bank notes were produced. The security was immense as you can imagine and this left a lifelong impression of the seriousness of the Bank's responsibility to produce our country's money. There were other functions carried out, as much of... Read more
Picturing My Mother
I have no doubt that my lovely young, 23 year old mother, Elma , a WAAF stationed at Debden fighter aerodrome, during WW2, cycled this lovely lane at some point.
It was around here, in the summer of 1942, that my life began when my mother and still unknown father 'sparked' me into life. He apparently named John, according to one source, guarded a radio transmitter from a small hut out in the Essex countryside, safely away from the aerodrome. A perfect place for my beginning, I imagine !
The unfortunate part for Elma was that she had to leave the WAAF and travel home to Kirkbymoorside in Yorkshire to have her first child. She died in 1947, when I was only 4 years old.
I have researched her past, as best as I can, and tried to get the 'feel' of her life as a plotter in the operations room at Debden at such a critical time in our country's history. I managed to get in... Read more
Wartime Watering Hole
More than likely The Fox was a popular watering hole for the pilots, mechanics and WAAFs at Debden Aerodrome during the war.
The Summer of '42
Another view of The Fox, one of 5 local 'hostelries' which was frequented by the Debden Royal Airforce crowd, including, most likely, my dear mother, Elma Rivis,a WAAF.
Burnt House Cottage
This was of course taken long before Burnt House Cottage was built. This was where my grandmother Ruth Hare lived. The cottage is now to the right of the road. In the background are accommodation blocks at Carver Barracks (Debden Aerodrome). Burnt House Farm is to the left of the picture where the Boutwood family lived in the 70's.
Morris Dancing
My memories of Thaxted are very dear to me. My parents, unfortunately now deceased, were Queenie and Denzil Roberts. Denzil was a Pharmacist and purchased the property known as the Chemist Shop and refurbished the property so we could all live above the shop. We lived in Thaxted for a few years and made many friends. I was able to participate in many of the May Day festivities and was an avid fan of the Morris Dancers and their dancing. Dorrie Field still lives in Thaxted, with her son Howard. Dorrie's sister, Pat Bayley, lives in Saffron Walden. When I am able to visit my family, I always make a trip to Thaxted where a visit to the Church is an absolute must. Another favourite is a visit and a meal at the Fox and Hounds, which I believe is now named Thaxted Hall. Dorrie and her husband Philip were married in the Church on July 18, 1956. Thank you for allowing me to contribute my childhood memories. Beryl Roberts... Read more
Where my Mum Was Born
Thaxted is where my mum was born in 1907.
