Frimley Green memories
Here are memories of Frimley Green and the local area. You can start now: Add your own Memory of Frimley Green or a Frimley Green photo.
Barrow Hill School, Frimley
I come from Battersea, SW London. My mother sent me to Barrow Hill School when I was 8 years old, I stayed there for 3 years. We lived in dormitories. The head master at that time was Mr Churchill. I had a nice time there, sports day was good. My mother used to come and visit me. There were places there where we used to venture out. The army used to leave all their ammunition lying around, it was out of bounds to us kids. It would be nice to have some pictures of the old school then if anybody has got any please email me.
Blast From The Past.
Wow, did that ever shake me to the core. The names Richardson and Fairminer, Long and a few others sprang to mind as fellow pupils at the local Primary School. In those days I lived in Worsley Road. I can remember fishing the Basingstoke canal at Frimley Green and seeing the last barge go by which I beleive was scuttled just before the flight of locks. I have lived and worked in the area for a number of years but now retired, live just outside Basingstoke. Any past friends and aquaintances are welcome to contact me. My email is chipieman@msn.com and I look forword to reading more.
My Grandparent's Home
I received information from my cousin Leslie about this photo. Now that I have found it I am delighted. My grandparents were Thomas Benjamin Fairminer (1881-1954) who married Louisa Florence Smith (1880 - 1944). They raised 11 children, some of them at Bedford Lane. Their birth dates range from 1900 to 1924. My mother Florence Louisa (known as Ciss) was born in 1905. I remember visiting Bedford Lane as a very young child, one of my mother's brothers, Alfred, lived a couple of houses down. A Mr D F Richardson shared information about this photo in April 2006. He says that he went to school with one of Mr Fairminer's sons, who must have been one of my uncles. I wonder which one it was? I am researching my mother's family and this is a lovely piece of information for me to include. During my research I have been able to get in touch with a number of cousins, many of them and their families still live in Frimley Green... Read more
Burrow Hill School
Dear Burrow HIll lads, I don't know why some of the lads have not got in touch with me lately, I have got 4 books of Burrow Hill School waiting to be sold, anybody that would like one please let me know. It took me a year to complete this book. Hope to hear from someone soon. PS, Roger Hibbrd, Frank Thurlow and Colin Schulman said the book is fantastic. Your Burrow Hill lad Eric Morris.
Burrow Hill School
I enjoyed the memories of Burrow Hill School. I worked there for a few years in the new school as a Housemaster. This was in the new school, which housed 140 boys. At that time is was run by the L.C.C. and headmaster was Mr. Churchill. Later it was a private boys school but sadly became redundant. At that time we had a Scout Troop and an Army cadet force. Happy days.
Burrow Hill School
Hi to everyone that were as Burrow Hill School. I have published a book about Burrow Hill School dating from 1914 to 1988. It has 78 A4 pages, loads of information and pictures. If anyone would like a copy contact me on email: morriserick1@aol.com. Regards, Eric Morris
Orme Family
My nan and grandad lived at Glenmount Road in the early 1930s with their 3 children. Does anyone know where the nearest graveyard is and whether there is an Edith Irene Foss buried there? A needle in a haystack but who knows :)
Post Office
My gran & grandad started their new life here after they were wed in 1934. They had 2 more children then my gran took her bike to the local newsagent where she was knocked down by an army lorry. She died later, leaving her 3 babies. Only after my dad has passed away, her last child. I have dicovered her name Edith Irene Foss aged 25. I would love to find the newspaper clipping or know where she was layed to rest. My grandad never mentioned her or kept one photo or letter. I've since found her sister's grandchild but she's as blank as me. If I do find anything I will post it on here.
Burrow Hill About 1944/46
I was at Burrow Hill School in 44/46 I think, quite a few years ago. I also have fond memories of this place. I was sent there as I suffered from TB. I remember finding live ammo on the Heath and also the Badger sets in the woods. Coming from the East End of London this was a child's paradise with all the heath land and woods nearby. As it was the years at the end of the war I remember the German Prisoners who worked on the farm and in the market garden that was at the entrance to the school. These guys had big round patches sewn to their uniforms. The house names were, and please correct me someone if I am wrong, Orchard, Woodlands, and Garden perhaps someone can confirm this. All I know is that I had a ball there and the staff were dedicated people doing there best to make life good for us kids. We were not allowed out on our own in those days, On Saturday... Read more
Playing on The Lake
This is a memory I have of when I was seven or eight in Frimley Green, Surrey. We had a lake calle Bransen (or Bransted), off of Wharf Road. I used to go there a lot, especially after I heard voices behind the rhododendron bushes. I found a gap in the metal railings and I crept through. The voices were ladies, who were based in the private house. They were known as the ENSA girls who put on shows for the troops during the war. They gave me sweets and biscuits. I kept this to myself. The lake was beautiful, and a path ran almost all the way round. There were rhododendrons either side of the gravel path, with little breaks of lawn on the lakside. I got caught one day by the gardener or odd job man. He followed me along the path till we reached the ladies, and told them I wouldn't be bothering them again. But it didn't work. They said I could visit them any time,... Read more
Memories of The Basingstoke Canal at Frimley Green
I have many memories of the Basingstoke Canal at Frimley Green. I used to swim next to the Kingsmead Bridge. One day I was on the parapet of the bridge, I was grabbing a branch and swinging off the bridge. The branch broke and I hit the bridge wall below. I don't remember any more until I came round. Apparently I was knocked out. I came round and was pushed along by a soldier on a bike, wet through and fuzzy-headed - he saved my life. He told my mother everything, then he didn't give his name and left. I wish I had met him again, he certainly did me a favour. He could have been stationed at Deepcut, Pirbright, Blackdown or Mychett. I'm here today because of him. It was about the late 1940s.
Added by the Frith Memories Archivist on behalf of Mr D R Richardson, a Surrey Boy, now a Dorset Man.
Memories of The Horse-Drawn Barges...
I have many memories of the horse-drawn barges on the Basingstoke Canal at the Kings Head boat house and lock. The barges probably started from Aldershot, and on through Surrey. I used to wait for the horse and walk under the bridge to the boat house. The bargeman would unhitch the horse and I would walk with them both to the Kings Head pub, through a gate, turn left and up over the bridge to the lodge on the other side. I would hold the horse beside the lock. The bargeman would cross the lock, untie the rope and bring it back over. I felt really proud holding the bridle of the big horse. The barge man would hitch up and town the barge through the lock, over the aquaduct and on his way. I never felt scared. The barges were huge, all wood, with just enough room to go through the locks - made to measure.
Added by the Frith Memories Archivist on behalf of Mr D R Richardson,... Read more
During The Second World War...
This story is a memory during the Second World War. My father Samuel Fredrick Richardson was the air-raid warden. There was a brick shelter, built on the village green. Most of the village used to use it. One night we were in the shelter for almost the whole of the night, the air raid went on for ages. During the early morning a Dornier bomber dropped bombs in the village. He had been shot down and gotten rid of the bombs. My brother and mate Johnny Hicks were in Wharf Road. They told the story when we came out of the shelter. The pilot saw them and fired at them. They dived into the ditch. The Dornier crashed into what we called the saw mills. Between the chemist opposite the shelter and Singleton's paper shop was the allotment. One of the bombs demolished it. Also the other bomb landed on my father's allotment. We didn't know till we went to get produce for Mum, there were two massive great holes.... Read more
Miss M E Foster
Miss M E Foster is shown on a Pathe News news reel on her poultry farm in Frimley Green sitting amongst her hens. She then starts her motorcycle combination to go and deliver the egss to the station. The title of the news reel: 'Miss M E Foster'.
Miss Foster was a distant relative.
BURROW HILL SCHOOL
Dear friends of Burrow Hill School, my name is Eric Morris. I am asking you if you knew my brother Raymond Morris, he was at Burrow Hill School when I left in 1953, Easter time. He was there about September 1953 until sometime in 1954. Hope you can help. My brother has no computer so my email address is morriserick1@aol.com
Burrow Hill School 1952 - 1953
Dear friends of Burrow Hill School, has anyone got a picture of Mr and Mrs Rees's red sports car, I think it was an MG open top, can you help me please? Regards, Eric
Burrow Hill
My name is Eric Morris. I was at Burrow Hill School in 1952 for a year. I have pictures of Mr. Rees standing next to the football team and 3 more pictures. I am going to see a man named Frank, he was at the school for 4 years. He has pictures too and information. I enjoyed myself at the school lovely place, lovely staff. I would like to hear from someone to share memories. Regards Eric
The Parkers
Hi, I am trying to find any info on my family history in Frimley, does anyone know of brothers Edward George Parker (born 1902), Frederick William Parker (born 1900), and cousin William Parker (born 1910)? They lived in the Potteries Mytchett / 2 Station Cottages. Thanks, Dave Parker thedaveparker@hotmail.com
The Hatches
Living in Mytchett and going to the Infant school in Frimley Green during the war years, I had the choice of walking two ways home, Yes we walked then, not picked up in the family car. Through the Hatches to Mytchett via Farnborough North or past the green along Mytchett rd and Home via Hamesmoor rd. Towards the end of the war there were work gangs of Italian prisoners of war at work in the Hatches. They were very friendly.
There were air raid shelters in the school playground and we spent a fair bit of time in them. If the weather was very bad in the Winter we would be put on the Yellow bus( from Camberley) to Days stores in Mytchett and then I would walk through the Potteries lane to home
A Boy at Burrow Hill
I was a boy at Burrow Hill School. I remember the head master's name was Mr Tangy, my house was Orchard, I was there for about a year. Some of the boys I remember were, Macmanus, King, Clark and one boy who always wore a bow tie but I can't recall his name, I think it was Webb, we never used Christian names. Most of the boys I knew were from the London area as the school was run by the Greater London Council. I came from Hampshire. It would be very nice to hear from anyone who has memories of that time.
Burrow Hill - Today
Burrow Hill School is now derelict. It closed in 1998 and I have just walked past the boarded-up site this afternoon. Although I have lived in Frimley Green since 1993 and seen one of its main buildings from within a housing estate at the bottom of the hill, I have never known what that building was. Entry into the school is really off the beaten track and in effect the school is really hidden in the local community. Anyway the sight of a derelict school intrigued me so I did some searching on the internet after my walk and discovered that it was a boys' school, it closed in 1998 with around 57 pupils and more intriguingly that it was part of Wandsworth Borough Council, but located in Surrey! Reading the comments below was interesting. The whole area to the south of the school all the way to Farnborough is now housing. The Hatches is now an expensive housing area of Frimley Green. The gravel pits, towards Farnborough North railway station,... Read more
Woodlands Dormitory Pranks
I was at Burrow Hill school from 1952 until 1956. I was sent there due to acute asthma and bronchitis. I have lots of fond memories of my time there and remember a boy called Alan Whittaker and a boy called Edward, surname Adrian I think. I also remember Mr and Mrs Reece and Mr and Mrs Cleaver who took over the headship from Mr and Mrs Reece.
We used to go under the buildings with our torches and one night four of five of us went out exploring about 2 o'clock in the morning with our torches through the fields. The police were called and members of staff searched for us. We all got a ticking off, of course, and because it was my idea I was branded the 'worst boy' in Woodlands dormitory by Mrs Cleaver.
I have many other memories and would love to share them with others who were there. I would particularly like to find Alan Whittaker who I believe came from Liverpool.
I have... Read more
Burrow Hill School
My name is Roger Hibbard from Staveley, Derbyshire, I was at Burrow Hill School from Easter 1952 to Easter 1953. I went there because at that time I suffered from severe asthma but I was never ill once during the wonderful year I was there,
I remember the headmaster Dai Reece and his wife Ida, teachers Mr Allen, Mr Stevenson and Mr Martin and one of the house mistresses Miss Spence.
My friends were Andy Davidson, Alan Blackham and Micheal Thorpe I also remember a lad called Dodd from Burnley and a big blonde haired lad (can't remember his name) who I saw on television several years later winning the British heavyweight boxing championship.
I also watched the 1952 Farnborough Air Show from near the school and saw the experimental plane DH110 explode over the airfield when a number of people were killed
I would love to hear from anyone else who was there at the time
Burrow Hill School
I was there for two terms in the mid 1950s, it is so long ago that I can't be sure of the year. I remember headmaster Mr Rees and his wife, and teachers Mr Bellis, Mr Jarman, Mr Horwell, Mr. Stevenson, Mr Allen and housemothers Miss Rempy and Miss Harwood. The houses were Orchard, Gardens and Woodlands. We watched the Farnborough Air Show from the grounds one time. After living in Shepherds Bush, it was like another world to be there. My best mate was Terry Mulligan (Mugsy) from Wandsworth.
Hatches
I remember paddling in the stream and enjoying lazy days of peace and quiet. The hatches were then grazing land with cattle. You then could see the abbey and grounds in the distance, we then watched them dug out and they made way for gravel pits. A little lad drowned in the lakes.
Burrow Hill School
I was at Burrow Hill for 18 months, having been sent there because of poor conditions at home. It was the happiest time of my life. We lived in dorms that were built for wounded GI's during the war. They were built on stilts and had stable type doors. We used torches at night to move from building to building as there were no lights on the paths. Supper was a mug of cocoa and a thick slice of bread and dripping. For a boy from a London slum it was heaven! I would love to hear from anyone who was there about that time or has any photographs.
After The War
I lived at 257 Frimley Green Road- where Warrens' garage now stands - 1942 to 1954. There was an air-raid shelter on the Green which we watched being demolished. Every Nov 5th there was a gigantic bonfire on the Green, fired by paraffin donated by Percy Warren; squaddies would come down from Deepcut and add to the tumult, one year detonating the Gents at the Rose & Thistle. Whenever I'm in the south I have a wander round the village, which has changed remarkably little; even The Mons is still there (or was in 2006) run by Mr Clapshaw, later by Mr Heap, who was one of the few shopkeepers who didn't object (usually with good reason) to the village boys. My friends were Anthony Harrison, Geoffrey & Mervyn Ellis, Chris Dawes, the Warren twins, Ron ("Freckleface") Riley...any of them still alive?
Frimley Green Memories
My Dad was Charles Cheyne, the village chemist in Frimley Green - famous for his cough medicine - the report in the local Camberley News when he died in 1963 reported "It was dark brown in colour and had no name. Word spread far and wide about Mr Cheyne's cough cure, and soon people were sending for his medicine by post from as far away as Gibraltar and Holland." My Mum was Joan Jarman - the local District Nurse, and one can only guess how she and my dad got together - bearing in mind their professions! I have lovely memories of living over the shop - and particularly our telephone number there - Deepcut 5! Dad had moved to Frimley Green in 1928 and opened his own chemist shop at 261 Frimley Green Road - it is still a Pharmacy today, but owned by a large chain rather than private. I would love to hear from anybody who remembers my Mum or Dad, and the time when Frimley Green... Read more
Memories of Surrey
Early Days
I was born at home in Coleford Bridge Road in 1935 and grew up there, went to school in Frimley and lived in Mytchett until emigrating to Australia in 1964. In those early days life seemed very simple, only a handful of cars, making street cricket safe. Every body walked, our nearest shops were through the bridle path to the main Mytchett road, there we found Days Store, Dawes the butcher and on the other side of the road was Eades the shoemender and the Post Office, where I had a post office savings account as I grew up. Outside the shops was the bus stop for the Aldershot & District Traction Co (green) bus service between Aldershot & Woking and the yellow bus service between Guildford (I think) & Camberley. The nearest train station was Ash Vale, Southern Rail to London (Waterloo). I remember that the train arrival times coming back never tied up with the bus, so most times we had to walk home. There were two farms... Read more
Mytchett Post Office
My family moved to the post office in Mytchett Road in 1956 when I was six. I used to catch the bus at the bus stop opposite to go to Ash Vale Primary School. Yes, on my own, clutching my penny ha'penny bus fare and reciting in my head 'half to Ash Vale please'. I came home for lunch on the bus too. As I got older my friend and I would save the fare by walking home and spend the money in Mr Hudson's fish and chip shop - he also sold cheap sweets. Next door was a hardware shop (Eades) and a bit further towards the Miners Arms and Frimley Green there was a big white building that was a cafe. We used to run along there to get ice cream sometimes. Opposite was Rorkes Drift, a gravel road where I learned to ride my first bike. A large overspill council estate for bombed out Londoners was built up here but I remember a large disused garden,... Read more
Mytchett Road.
My aunt and uncle used to own a large old house in Mytchett Rd. It had a long driveway leading down to an orchard and fields, where my cousins and I would spend many happy hours. In one field was a large pond with a willow tree on the bank.The geese, led by the gander, would often walk down the drive and round to the pond. Occasionally they would take a short-cut through the bushes which led to the pond, the one time we were sitting in there! The gander wasn't exactly 'friendly', so there was only one way out for us, straight into the pond! The pond and the fields have long gone, but the willow tree still stands in what is now the playground of the local primary school.
My Father's Past
My father was born in 1922 at Coleford Farm Cottage, Mytchett, Frimlet, to his unmarried mother Hilda May Hockley. She married my father's dad a month after my dad's birth. My father's name was Henru Reuben Fisher. My dad's father was also Henry Fisher. They lived together with my dad's mother and father. My dad's mother was also born in Mytchett Farm, Frimley, which I believe is the in the same place as my father was born. My dad's mum's dad was John Matthew Hockley and her mother was Harriet Ellen Hockley, nee Gunner, so the family lived at Coleford Farm for some time. I would love to know more of them and where they lived as we know very little. I am not sure where my dad went to school. He moved while young to Farnborough. I know he had brothers called George, Robert, and I think there was a Ronald too, but am not sure, and two sisters, which I am sure were Dorothy and Olive.
Memories of Bedford Lane.
This cottage is in Bedford Lane. I lived in the house called Connemara which is still in Bedford Lane. My father Samuel Frederick Richardson and his brother George were both bricklayers. Both were demolishing the cottage and they were burning the thatch. My brother John was playing dare. He walked through the outer edge of the white ash and dared me to walk through the middle. Unfortunately I did and was very badly burned. Mother rushed round all the houses, collecting tea leaves to put on my legs. In those days people didn't empty their pots every brew. They just topped them up with a little more tea and hot water. To this day, I do not know where Mother got the idea of the tea leaves. It certainly worked. Just a few little scars and they are hard to find. After demolishing the cottage, they built a red briick pair of houses. A Mr Fairminer... Read more
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