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An American Granddaughter Remembers...

My grandparents, Fred and Rose Organ, lived at 67 West Way. My mother, Betty Eileen, and I came from the United States to visit on holiday in 1955. I was 6 years old at the time. I went to Heston School for a short time. Pop worked for the London Transport as a bus driver. I would ride my bike to Hounslow to meet him at the bus garage. I had a friend across the street whose name was Janet. Her back garden was full of wonderful strawberries which we would eat until our cheeks bulged. My mother was a bus conductor on Pop's bus. Nan would take in foster children and there was a boy named Lawrence who lived with my grandparents while I was there. Pop had a shed, which he built, in the back garden, he called the 'Wendy house'. I would spend many memorable happy hours playing in that shed. Pop was very special to me and he would take me to the garden to water the plants, and to the cinema in Houslow called the Odeon, which was where my mother worked during the Second World War. Once, during an air raid, Pop was told the Odeon had been bombed. Pop got on his bike and raced to the Odeon only to find out that my mother did not work that night. After a sigh of relief, he realized he was in such a hurry to get to the Odeon, that he had forgotten to put on his trousers! He stood there in his long-johns!
My mom worked at Job's Dairy helping to deliver milk from the horse-drawn wagon, when she was a child. Pop was an air raid warden during the Second World War. I remember his air raid shelter in the back garden.
My mother and grandparents have passed on but the memories are as vivid as if they happened only moments ago. Did you know Fred and Rose Organ? I remember putting three penny coins in the gas meter under the stairs. My grandmother was a wonderful cook. I am 60 years old now and have a granddaughter of my own. I live in Kentucky, USA and I am a school secretary. I miss England and so often wanted to move there. I long to read a Beano comic, or a Bunty magazine. I miss bangers and mash, fish 'n chips, all-sorts, jelly babies and a licorice sherbert. So many happy memories I have to share with my granddaughter. Thank you, Heston, for so many memories. God bless.

Written by Christy Rolf. To send Christy Rolf a private message, click here.

A memory of Heston in Greater London shared on Thursday, 25th June 2009.

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Comments

RE: RE: An American Granddaughter Remembers...

Dear Christy,

I have recently set up the Friends of Heston Village Conservation Area. It is lovely to hear your stories. Would love to see any old photos you may have.

Yours sincerely,

Michael Gibbons

Comment from Michael Gibbons on Wednesday, 19th May 2010.

RE: RE: An American Granddaughter Remembers...

gd to hear you...see southallknowhere ..site on google.....memories all areas....my gt gdad 1850 to 1960/80 heston.....went church fete mth ago.......see our photo boards....best wish

Comment from Yvonne Butler on Friday, 27th August 2010.

RE: RE: An American Granddaughter Remembers...

see free site comment there....southallknowhere....message board 10 yrs local people ..24 boards photos..heston northhyde...my family heston 1850 to 1980...sonia writes war heston cranford lane newsletter on google heston church web site...6 pages of hers vanstone.......we were hamilton lindsey timberlake langley tyler.wallbanks acres wingrove family..bowmer part of us

Comment from Yvonne Butler on Wednesday, 1st December 2010.

RE: RE: An American Granddaughter Remembers...

interesting graveyard says largest in country....many.many decades burials...family stones....and read noticed famous/interesting people there......interior church beauty......eng heritag huge cost new lynch english oak......wedding photos there...baptisms...bunny the butchers vicarage farm rd row shops.....used to be old dwellings cottages tiny down dip by old queens hd pub new heston rd...was huge flour mill there...queen eliz 1st stayed osterley gresham childs bankers.said heston bread basket england finest wheat best bread...she asked wall go round osterley he had it built immediatly that days..apples fruit strawbery.cherry.plums. rhubarb market gardening..photo war effort 1914 women work pitchforks my family 20 in photo...

Comment from Yvonne Butler on Thursday, 14th July 2011.

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