Kingston St Mary, Somerset

Post Office West Monkton

I lived here from around 1952 until the late 1960s with my parents RF and WM Marsh who ran the Post Office and Stores. My father used to deliver groceries to customers over quite a wide area, some of whom lived in Coombe (in another photo) and some lived across fields further into the hills where geese used to try to... [more]

Monkton House

I lived with my family in this house for a few months when we first arrived in England from Northern Ireland, it was being renovated by one "Gassy" Harris and was full of the smell of sawn timber. A few years back I revisited the house briefly and met with someone who I think was doing some temporary gardning, though... [more]

narrow escape (probably between 1958 and 1961)

a few years after this photo was taken WH Smiths which was located to the bottom left of this photo completely collapsed following a prolonged spell of wet weather. This happened very early one saturday morning in the run up to christmas, prior to staff arriving for work. I don't think anyone was injured - a few hours later and the... [more]

Combe Florey Primary School

The village school in Combe Florey closed in about 1958 I believe, it exists as a private house now, but I can still remember the mile long walk to and from it, through the lanes every morning and afternoon. Mum would accompany us with younger siblings in a big green metal pushchair, so for her it was twice the distance.... [more]

An evacuee's memory

I was evacuated to Over Stowey in 1939 at the start of the Second World War. I was lucky becauseIi was with my mother and brother and sister, who was a babe in arms. I was ten years old and my brother was eight. Two ladies were owners of the house where we stayed, which is the house next to the... [more]

Mother's memory

My mother is now 86 years old and her short term memory is failing fast. She can remember things from her childhood more easily. She was born in Silver Street, Milverton in 1921, the daughter of Percy Frank Moore and Hilda Winter. Percy was a local baker and he would take her on his bike to deliver bread around the village.... [more]