Kinoulton, Nottinghamshire

Mine and my Mum Avril's memories

My memories relate to the year 1977 when I arrived in Cropwell Bishop to stay with my Great Uncle Wilf and his wife Dorothy fresh from New Zealand. They lived at the old Post Office in the village of Cropwell Bishop. My Grandmother was Wilf's older sister Ethel May Johnson (nee Walker). I was instantly wrapped with the village and felt as though I had been there before. I and my siblings have grown up with all the stories and photo's of Cropwell so it felt like second nature to me.
I used to walk Uncle Wilf's dog Jilly all around the village and surrounding villages during that summer and came to know just about every nook and cranny. I remember sitting on Blue Hill and looking down upon the village with a feeling that i had been there before. Perhaps in a past life. Today I am battling with our family genealogy, and slowly getting there. My Mum Avril Johnson (nee Kelly) grew up in Cropwell with her father Jack in the Navy and her Mum Ethel running the Post Office and Uncle Wilf doing the morning mail deliveries. there are so many memories that I can write a book. My Mother married a New Zealander based at Langar during the war and emigrated to NZ after the war when Ethel and Jack followed. Both Ethel and Jack lived to their 90's respectively and are dearly missed.

Cotgrave Memories

Our grandad George Boultby was a miner at Cotgrave. Because we didn't have a car, we had to go on the old type Barton buses. We would walk from the bus stop to our grandparents' house. They used to live in two different locations, the first I am not sure of the street/road name but it's from the main shopping area, through the garages at the back and across the road. It was a nice house with a hot kitchen and a old-fashioned pantry. In the summer we would play in the large garden. Grandad would grow a few vegetables. I can remember collecting ladybirds from the hedge. In the other place, it was on Forest Road, a bungalow, I think number 4 but I'm not sure. When we went there Grandad would take us to look at the farm animals in the village and the fields. He would point out the pit heads and tell us what they were for. I also remember the journey home. We would all cram in grandad's old car. There was grandmother in front and my mother, brother, sister and me in the back. There were no seatbelts, or we never used them then. We always were tired after the long day. Our grandad will never be forgotten. If anybody remembers a George Boultby from the late 1960s and early 1970s who was in the miners' welfare club and died in 1979, please get in touch. We are trying to get his working life traced.

The Hornbuckle Family

On my grandmother's side, the Hornbuckle family dates back to this Church and this town from the early 1500's. So if you see any headstone's in the local cemetary saying HORNBUCKLE, "GAULTER OR WALTER", they are related to me.

He actually left his money to the Church for needed repairs and for something called MILN Brig....if anyone knows what that is.

CHILDHOOD MEMORIES 1939-1945.

My Dad, Sid Brooks was the rural village police constable (P.c.200) for Cropwell Butler, Cropwell Bishop and Tythby We, Mum (Dorothy) and my younger brother Mick lived in the Police House on Radcliffe Road, There was an old fashioned stem type phone connected to the manual exchange. Dad’s means of transport for work was a sit up and beg style Raleigh pedal cycle. See also 'Police House 1939-1946).

In the centre of the village, behind the green the kids spent many hours watching Mr Harrison at work,in his forge making horse shoes or wrought iron items and shoeing horses.

Nearby was Cheetham’s Bakery, Cheetham who delivered bread with a horse and covered wagon. On Hardigate Lane was Branston’s Bakery who delivered bread in a van. I loved being asked to collect our bread which usually arrived home minus the delicious crust. Milk was delivered daily by Cockaynes using a horse and cart. Milk was dispensed from pails into jugs. A grocer, Mr White, from Radcliffe or Bingham used to come on a Monday and take Mum’s order, for delivery on Friday.

The Rev. Lees conducted services at the C of E church which had a hand pumped pipe organ.. Nearby was a small shop (Parnham’s) and a Post Office. Lewis’s Bus Service ran a few trips a day from Cropwell Bishop via Hardigate Lane, Cropwell Butler and Radcliffe to Nottingham Starbuck’s from Cropwell Bishop ran on market days Wednesday and Saturday. along Radcliffe Road, to Nottingham. Every Friday Barlow the butcher from Cropwell Bishop called in his van.

There were some large houses in the village owned by the Green’s, Hawthorne’s and the largest, opposite the White House was belonged to Mr Radford who owned Griffin and Spalding, now Debenhams.. He was often seen in tweeds, a cap and plus fours walking in the village.

The village mixed school had 3 classrooms for ages 5 to 11 with 3 teachers Miss Starbuck, Miss Roworth and Miss Cuthbert, the headmistress. I started school in 1941 aged 5. World War 2 was in progress of course and we had to carry gas masks in a box with the strap over our shoulders. School windows were covered with a stuck on white mesh material. . .

Each teacher taught two age groups in each of the three classes talking to one half whilst the other got on with written exercises. Miss Cuthbert used to punish kids by hard slaps on the backs of the hand or in extreme cases, for older kids, with a strap across the buttocks.

School dinners were provided for 2/- per week. We also received free bottle of 1/3 of pint of milk a day to ensure kids received enough calcium, etc a day to prevent rickets. One village boy wore leg braces due to rickets. On fine Wednesday afternoons we attended to the school garden used for growing vegetables. Wwe were being urged to “Dig for Victory”.

The local area had about 26 RAF bomber, fighter and training stations and aircraft of all types were a common site.

Nottingham or a local RAF Station would be the target of a German bombing raid and sirens would signal the start of an air raid. We often heard the distinctive sound of German engines overhead and after the all clear siren a bright glow could be seen coming from the direction of Nottingham. We could also see searchlights and anti aircraft fire One night, the sound of German twin engines was followed by an extremely loud bang. A high explosive bomb hit Parkin’s farm about half a mile away in the village, killing Mrs Parkin. . On one occasion three incendiary bombs were dropped on our vegetable garden about 10 metres from the rear of the house. After that Dad often boasted about growing roast potatoes.

Prior to D-Day there would be heavy traffic on the Fosse and planes, D,C, 3’s or bombers towing gliders dropping hundreds of parachutists beyondr Hoe Hill In the field opposite some soldiers came one day and began digging trenches and practiced with mortars and flares. The kids would get up a little earlier to collect the small silk parachutes attached to the used flares. They were popular trophies or playthings at school.

At harvest time we loved watching the steam traction engine threshing the wheat.. Similarly, when a road had to be resurfaced by means of tar and stones, we used to watch the steam roller in action.
Often truck loads of guarded Italian prisoners of war were driven to farms to do the labouring work.

We had never tasted oranges or bananas and many other essentials and luxuries were denied us by the rationing. To compensate Mums gave children a spoonful of thick malt and molasses concoctions plus Halibut or Cod Liver Oil .

During the war Britain was on ‘Double Summer Time”, that is 2 hours daylight saving, supposedly to help the farmers. In June it was daylight until about midnight, making it very difficult for parents to get their kids to sleep.

Mum was Secretary of the Women’s Institute. Dad, with Mum’s help used to organise dances and film shows at the local Village Hall to raise money for local charities and for a social activity. Waste paper and scrap metal drives were often held in aid of the war effort.

Mum and Dad' friends included Ron and Marjorie Wells who lived at the “White House”, Edith and Cliff Dawson, Cattle Removers who had a farm off the Fosse Road..Mum was very friendly with Vera MacIntosh, later Mrs Ron Branston..

On hot summer days we occasionally had picnics and a bathe by the Grantham Canal. We tried fishing on a few occasions with a line and bent pin but without success. We did however catch tadpoles with a net occasionally.

I enjoyed life in the village but In 1946 Dad was promoted to Sergeant and we moved to Mansfield Woodhouse.

peterb6136@hotmail.com