Leigh, Surrey

Betchworth Village Shop

A school friend at Reigate Grammar was Joe Cheffings; his parents ran the village shop and bakery about midway to the church, on the left of the picture. An elder brother, Tony, helped at home when on holiday from St. Paul's school, and had a penchant for very elderly motorcycles, picked up for nothing from a quarry dump towards Dorking somewhere. 2 dogs, and 2 donkeys completed the household! I used to cycle over from Salfords and have a wonderful time, birdnesting, fishing - and eating some of the wonderful cakes and buns that were produced, and which were so difficult to come by with the strict rationing in force!   
  There was a large German P.O.W. camp somewhere around, and the Cheffings had a couple of German bakers assigned to help in the bakery: years later I heard of various shennanikins taking place over these!
  The blacksmith was active in his shop opposite The Dolphin, and the cobbler worked in his tiny shop around the side, and attached to, the pub.
   Joe Cheffings went to Kenya to work on a coffee plantation, and later ran a safari lodge. I believe the parents split up, and Cheffings senior returned to Hull, and Mrs. Cheffings moved to Sunny Cottage on Snower Hill, and at some time taught at Brockham School. My last contact with any of them was over 50 years ago, and I would love to hear from anyone of their whereabouts and any contact possibilities with relatives or heirs.

Priory Road 1962 to 1988

My father, William J Smith (Bill) had a newsagent at 47 Priory Road between 1962 and 1988 which was opposite Ports the Bakers. I remember seeing queues of people coming out of the Bakers on a Saturday morning to get their shopping. My fondest childhood memories were of living above and behind the sweetshop and playing with friends in Priory Road when there were just a few cars in the street, not like it is now. I remember the Butchers at number 50, the Greengrocers, the Cliff's Fish Shop and the handy shop. Nurse Banks the local midwife lived further up the road on our side, I don't know the number but it was past number 35. I also remember the Tuck Shop in Allingham Road opposite the Co-Op, the Post Office with it's dark wooden interior and all the wooden drawers behind the counter.
I also remember both the corner shops, on the corners of Allingham Road and Eastnor Road and Eastnor Road and North Road. I think it's a shame that all of these shops have become houses and that new people to the area would never know that Priory Road was such a thriving village at one time.

Doodlebug exploding in village, WW2

I was just 3 yrs. old staying in my aunt and uncle's bungalow in Newdigate, (they were working in a local munitions factory).   My mother and baby sister were there from Sth. London with me.
It was a lovely sunny day, I was in the garden playing when the Doodlebug engines cut out and it came down in the field next to the bungalow. The lady(Emily) in the next bungalow gathered me up from the garden and took me into her home and we hid beneath the table, whilst all the soil thrown up from the exploding bomb settled.
My mother and sister were trapped beneath a large porcelain sink they had hidden beneath as the roof was blown off the Wood's bungalow by the explosion.
My legs were cut by flying glass otherwise I was excited by the event, but mother refused to settle and insisted my father collected us and so we spent the war years, particularly the Battle of Britain period, in the safety of our cellar in Balham. Can you please give me the lat. /long of the field where the doodlebug landed, if you know it. Many thanks.

Wounded World War One soldiers?

I'm pretty sure my great grandfather Hubert John Cavell, was brought here after becoming wounded in Ypres, in Belgium. He died on 22/04/1917. Does anybody have any information? I know that the Queen Alexandra nurses trained there.