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Ludgershall memories

Here are memories of Ludgershall and the local area. You can start now: Add your own Memory of Ludgershall or a Ludgershall photo.

Spray Leaze

Biddesden Lane c1965
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We moved to Ludgershall, this street (No 5, third house down) in 1975. My father was with the MOD and worked in the REME workshop in Ordnance Road in Tidworth. By then the road although still a close, was much longer than it shows here with lots more houses. As a boy it was a great place to grow up, as you were right on the edge of the country side with so much to do. There was a triangle of unused land just a bit further down Biddesden Lane which we knew as the common. Each autumn we would build a bonfire to compete with the huge one that was built each year at Wood Park for November 5th.
It was in these woods and fields that we built dens, caught rabitts, scrumped apples and behaved like boys did in those days. Ludgershall was a village with some real characters, good and bad and although I was glad to leave home and the village at 17 there can't... Read more

My Parents Were Married Here

St James' Church 1901
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My parents were married here in August 1953. My mother was raised in the area; my father was in the RAF and had been brought up in the RAF, so had travelled widely.

Memories of Hampshire

Childhood Memories

Nepaul Road c1965
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My mum Dorothy Elizabeth Pratt was born in Nepaul Road in 1927. I was born in Salisbury Infirmary in 1950 and lived with my mum and granny and grandad (Bill and Eileen Pratt), I had a great time when I was little playing on the Garrisons football pitch, I use to sit in a tray and slide down the hill onto the pitch. The Ghurkhas were posted at the Garrison at the time and they were so friendly. My best friend Barbara Harris lived down the road with her family. My grandad worked in the office at Bulford Camp sorting out the supplies. He use to come home at 1pm for his dinner, and then the big army lorry would come and pick him up and take me with him. I always remember, even though I was only about 4 years old, I was left in the office on my own for a few minutes, but in that time I managed to stamp... Read more

Flooding in These Cottages

I lived with my parents in Zouch Avenue nearby but did go to school with a girl who lived in one of these cottages.  The River Bourne is/was directlyopposite and every winter it overflowed, ran across the road and flooded the downstairs of these cottages.  The pianola lived permanently on a pile of bricks.  The way upstairs here was a ladder in a cupboard.  I did envy that child as I was only about 5 myself.  The same families through the generations seemed to occupy these cottages but they were all pulled down when I last visited. They also had outside bucket toilets and every Wednesday afternoon the emptying lorry came and the smell standing at the bus stop opposite was quite dreadful. Buses came hourly to Andover.
Joan Battershill

Choir Practice in This Churchu

Holy Trinity Church c1965
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My friends and I were all in the choir here - I think it outnumbered the congregation usually.  We had to share a vicar with Ludgershall.  Choir practice was on a Friday evening.  When the War ended in 1945 they were desperate for bellringers so us kids all got to help. It was not much of a holy peal though.

I spent many happy sumer days sitting on the ivy covered wall outside waiting for Sunday School to start.  My father's funeral service was conducted here in 1947 as the Military Cemetery does not have a church closer to it. The vicar's name was a Mr. Miller  He was a lovely Christian man and always came to the wedding receptions after he had married the couple.


Joan Battershill

Jean & James H Whitwell

Hi Joan,

We're trying to locate Susan Whitwell born 1960 while living at 32, Zouch Avenue, can you help?.

David Thompson

Ram Inn

We moved in 1948 and on return to visit friends my mother and I were told that someone we knew had "won the pools" and had "run off then with the barmaid from this pub". I believe he won only a couple of hundred because next year he had returned and life was as normal.

Joan Battershill (was Norman)

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