Fenny Stratford

Born in Fenny Stratford

I was born at number 8 Woodbine Terrace; in attendance was nurse Brinklow the local midwife and Dr Gleeve. My parents were Jim and Vera  Cusack.   
                 
Just after the begining of the war my mother, sister and grandparents moved to Fenny Stratford to be near my auntie Doris (mother's sister) and to be away from the dangers of London; they came from Dagenham and Hackney in the East End. My grandfather, Captain Walter Bates, had also just been assigned to the security at Bletchley Park. My father was in Burma in the Far East.                                    

Until my mother managed to rent the little cottage in Woodbine Terrace, they all lived with my aunt in Church Street. After the war my grandparents returned to London, they were lucky their substantial house was still intact, however, my parents' Dagenham home had gone so they decided to stay. It took my father a lot of 'getting used' to the country way of living, he was a real townie, however he managed, and worked until he retired for the GPO (telephones).                           

I was baptised at the Catholic church in Church Street, at only a few weeks old, mother was a wonderfull dressmaker, and made my gown from the parachute silk that she had bought in Cowlishaw's haberdashery shop, in Aylesbury Street. My first vivid memory is of being carried to the corner shop, at the top of Church Street, the lady who ran the shop was called Lelia, I would have been about eighteen months old. I also remember sitting on a high chair in Oliver Wells' shoe shop to be fitted with new shoes, that was at the bottom of Church Street as you turned right into Aylesbury Street. At that time there were more shops in 'Fenny' than in Bletchley Road and everything that you needed could be bought there, it even had a 'Dolls Hospital'in Victoria Road, several of mine had to be  admitted.                                          
In 1950 my brother Ken was born at the Redhouse nursing home, that was situated in the High Street, then just after the Christmas in 1951 we moved house, on to the newly built Manor Farm Estate. I started school in 1952 at the little Bletchley Road school at the end of the drive, over-looking the Leon Recreation Ground, where on a Sunday we might go to listen to the Bletchley Town Band play, my uncle Percy played the Trombone. Sometimes we would go to the Central Gardens, the Salvation Army Band would play there too. When the Manor Road school was opened in 1954, I moved school as it was so close.                                                         

A new Catholic church, St Thomas Aquinas, was built in 1956 on the  corner of Sycamore Avenue and Manor Road, and I was one of the first children to make their first Holy Communion there in 1957. I remember how big this new church seemed and how every little sound echoed, it was also very cold in the winter, there was no central heating then.                                                                                    
Next to the Spurgon Memorial Baptist Church in Aylesbury Street was Dickie Golding's sweet shop; he made award winning ice-cream, the queue on a Sunday after all the services was never ending! And he only made it in the summer months! Whenever there was a birthday party, we would run to the shop with a large pudding basin for him to fill, but we had to remember to take a tea towel, as he would put the basin into the freezer for a few minutes to get it really cold.

As us children got a little older we would go with our parents to the gravel pits, it was indeed like the seaside with the big sandy banks and boats, however it was also very dangerouse if you strayed too far, everyone enjoyed themselves there, it was the place to go on a hot summer's day. A child living in Fenny Stratford was a happy child, there were lots of places to go and play, and as far as we were aware in safety. The Manor fields were a favourite haunt, we spent hours there, even in the cold snowy winters when it was covered in ice.

I have ejoyed writing this little piece, thanks to Margaret for telling me about the site.

Happy days

When I was about 4 or 5 I moved from Water Eaton to Fenny. We lived with my gran, Mrs Gibson, in Church Street. We - my two brothers and myself, used to go to the Salvation Army Sunday School, we were only few doors away, and felt grown up walking the few yards away. I used to play the tambourine there (well, I used to rattle it about a bit). It was always nice and clean looking and felt homely. Next door was a 'house' that was used as a Catholic church, then next to that was our local fire brigade, all the kids used to gather round when the siren went off on the council offices, knowing lots of men would be running like mad from wherever they worked - mainly as cooks in the brush factory in Victoria Road. A year later I was old enough to go with my brothers to the County Cinema, just through a walkway opposite the house.
My gran was one of the first people around to have a TV, on Coronation Day there were people standing in her front room and sitting on her wall at the front with the window open and the sound turned up. A few years later, Mrs Dick started up a beetle drive, I went with her every week and helped her put the tables and chairs out, waiting for the people to arrive 99% of them were ladies. Although I was young they were all local, so we all knew each other. It was always a very friendly evening, even now, writing about it it brings a smile to my face, and that was over 50 years ago (I'm only 61 now!) - happy days and pleasant memories.
I've only been using a computer for a few weeks. I never thought, in my wildest dreams, that I would ever be doing this. It's good INIT??  I will be back anbother day.                                                                    
Hi again. Sorry, I forgot to say the men doing the running to the fire station, were all volunteer firemen. Bless em!