Glentham, Moncks Arms Hotel, Caenby Corner 1953

Middle Rasen farmer sires two Mayors for Grimsby

My 2nd G/Grandfather, Robert Milner (1794-1870), married Mary Ann Norton on 25th April 1821 in St. Peters Church, Middle Rasen, winessed by Thomas Miller, Nicholas Danby and Frances Popple.  They had ten children, all born in Middle Rasen, and the family remained there until my grandfather Christopher Miller (1865-1937), grandson of Robert Milner, moved to Grimsby and later became Mayor of that town in the year 1912/13.   Walter Banyard Smith (1913-1993), a 2nd G/Grandson of Robert Miller, was also Mayor of Grimsby in the year 1980/81.   

Childhood

Me and my sister used to go and stay in the school holidays with our great nanna, Mrs Hilda Pocklington, in her cottage at Walsbey Road, we used to love our time there. The tennis courts were out the back, and we often used to sit and watch them play tennis in the summer and often wondered whether any of them would end up at Wimbleden, or indeed ourselves - childhood dreams I guess. I also remember she had a coal shoot on the side wall and the coal man arriving and tipping it in and cleaning out the grate and re lighting the fire on cold days. I now have a fake coal fire that brings back memories. The Sellars lived over the road in their bungalow and a Lady Jessie lived next door in a big white house and a man called Jack lived next door to Nan. His house is no longer there, after being rebuilt. My nan's cottage is now almost unrecognisable due to being modernised, but it will always be a quaint little cottage to me with its roaring open fires, coal shoot, the railway lines passing at the back.
Garnets sweet shop was the place to go to spend pocket money, then to the park round the courner for a muck about waving to the trains as they sped past, or fishing in the streams next to the park - not that we ever caught anything. I remember going up the chippy in Queen Street for our tea on Friday nights and the old Co-op on the market. I also brought my first ever record in Market Rasen, 7i-nch plastic vinyl, can people still remember them? No cd's or i pods in them days. Yes that was a special childhood for us and some good memories that will never leave me. Or Mrs Banks cooking her bacon and eggs and boiling the kettle over the fire, my nan's friend.

Royal Air Force

Basic training days over, my first posting "Scampton" with 230 OCU. I remember having fire duty sitting beside the control tower as fighter pilots converted to bomber, the exercise being circuits and bumps with the Lincoln bomber, some of the bumps were were heavy, good job the aircraft was well built. I am proud to have served, it was a wonderful experience.

Memories

I was born in Upton in 1961 and was brought up and attendent at the infant school there as well as attending Sunday School and being in the church choir for quite a few years. The people I remember are Mrs Gibson the headmistress at Kexby School along with teachers Mrs Garner and Mrs Jones. Then the vicar Mr John Knight an ex military vicar but friendly and at that point soon to be the RE teacher at my secondary school in nearby Gainsborough. The other locals - Nev Barnes, the Mrs Longdon who had the chip shop in the village and the Mr and Mrs Broadbent who had the shop and post office. These were happy days and how I wish they could have continued for ever. Of course all these people have gone now but they will never be forgotten, well, not by me anyway.

Nickersons and Blacksmiths Arms.

I left Caistor Yarborough School in 1961 and went to work for Mr Joseph Nickerson as a telephonist in a big house where his offices were (Nickersons Seeds had their labs too I believe), it was on on the hill leading to Cuxwold. I remember there was a lot of staff, most of whom I still remember the names of. We all used to go down to the Blacksmiths Arms for our lunch.They were good days, it was a beautiful village full of daffodils in Spring. I was only 15 at the time and I remember being very much in awe of Mr Nickerson, I used to make the tea and coffee for everyone and when Mr Nickerson 'was in' I was always terrified at having to take his tray down to his office! We lived near Cuxwold and before I left school we used to go to the Youth Club which was held in the Hall attached to the Blacksmiths that was the highlight of our week had some great times there. (I Didn't know about the ghost though!) Mr Mercer, one of our school teachers who lived at Rothwell, used to help run the Youth Club along with the vicar at the time, Mr Sharp, who also took my wedding when I got married in 1965 at Cuxwold. Fond Memories.