Forton, c1910

Church Farm

I lived at Church Farm, Longparish in the late fifties & early sixties. The farm was then a working farm and my father was dairyman. I went to the primary school just after it was rebuilt, the teachers were Miss Munday & Miss Tari. The school playing field was rough grass, it was then relaid with no fence by the river yet we never came to any harm. At Church Farm there was a big old barn next to the granary. In the barn was an old covered wagon like Wagon Train. I played for hours in there. The granary had owls in, we used to spend hours looking out of our bedroom windows watching the owls come and go. The farm foreman was Mr Reg Ball, he used to ride a bike and deliver all the wage packets on a Friday to the workers who were scattered far and wide, you would not do that today!  The dinner ladies were Mrs Plummer, Mrs Dobson, & Mrs Smart  - she used to make chocolate crunch, lovely! The railway line was not used but the track was still laid with old trucks stored on it. One day they took them away and the army blew up the bridge over the A303 at midnight one saturday. When I lived at Longparish it had two coalmen, two shops, a cafe, a post office, a taxi, two pubs & an off licence. We used to have jumble sales in the village hall opened by Muriel Young who lived at Forton. I remember when Cliff Richard opened the fete, I payed 6d for his autograph. My mother used to make butter for Mr Wills at Middleton House, wish I had some now. Sadly when Mr Wills died the milking cows were sold and we moved on, I don't think I have lived anywhere so nice since.

7 Training Battalion Reme

I remember doing my 6 weeks basic training at 7 Training Battalion REME Barton Stacey. It was rough, I was only 18 and never been away from home before, and the discipline came as a bit of a shock to us all. Some of the NCO's were particularly cruel to some of the soldiers, especially the ones who didn't respond quick enough to an order. They could be quite degrading at times.
I never got to go into Barton Stacey, but did get a couple of afternoons out in Winchester and Andover. I have often wondered what it is like now where the camp used to be. Is there anything left, I don't suppose there is, after all it was 55 years ago.

On Parade

March 1954. I had been in the RE's 10 months when I first set eyes on the transit camp in Barton Stacey better known as Barton Stalag. I was sent there on transit for Korea along with another half a troop ship load of squadies. I remember a Sergeant Major who lived there and had a wooden bungalow with what seemed umpteen kids and was in charge of our draft. For some unknown reason we would parade each morning on the concrete paths around our huts and in front of his bungalow and not on that huge square for some unknown reason. He would carry a large stick this a big knob on the end which he used to demonstrate a point when telling us some of the type of women we might encounter on our travels.
I remember many guard duties there walking round the camp thorughout the night in the rain or standing in that little sentry-box outside the guardroom.
I was at Barton Stacey Four times in all during my three and a half years service. I went back August 1956 being recalled for the Suez crisis the same Sergeant Major was still there trying to turn Teddy-Boys back into soldiers.
When I go by that area now I swear I hear that Sergeant major shouting even now.

Brightwells Cottage

In 1979 my then boyfriend and I viewed Brightwells Cottage in The Square at Sutton Scotney. It was, to put it bluntly, a hovel ... mud floors, lead covered wiring, an Elsan Toilet and holes in the thatch, but we loved it. The lady who was selling the place was at that time living in a care-assisted bungalow in South Wonston, we'd made an offer through the estate agents but had been rejected. On visiting her and convincing her that we wanted to restore the cottage to its former glory, she insisted that the agents sell it to us for the princely sum of £11,500.  

Six months later we had the home of our dreams, a beautiful cottage with all the mod cons but still retaining its character. The people in the village were so welcoming and I for one was very sad to leave in 1983 when we decided to move back to Andover.