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Rettendon Common
Rettendon Common photos
Displaying the first of 1 old photos of Rettendon Common. View all Rettendon Common photos
Rettendon Common maps
Historic maps of Rettendon Common and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Rettendon Common maps
Rettendon Common area books
Displaying 1 of 18 books about Rettendon Common and the local area. View all books for this area
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Memories of Rettendon Common
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memories of Rettendon Common.
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Living There
I was born in Rettendon in 1938. My father (Ernest James Hazell) and mother ( Ellen Wiseman) were both born in the village as were my maternal grandmother and great grandmother.
As a child I remember watching aircraft flying home from bombing raids in Germany with holes in and engines smoking. I remember the V2 that fell in the village and the incendiary raids on Rettendon Place farm that caused the haystacks to burn for days.
I remember the Scottish Regiment staying in Rettendon Hall, and marching down the main road with the pipes skirling. The hill beside Rettendon Hall was hollowed out in the early part of the war to facilitate the building of an underground field hospital to accomodate casualties from an invasion or from continental warfare. As far as I know it was never actually used, and lads from the village would go in and out to play after the war till the entrances were concreted over or were blown up.
I remember dances in... Read more
Poplars Farm
I would like to ask if anyone knows of Poplars Farm and its use during the Second World War as a training camp for the war, as my dad started his training there. I am trying to get photos and memories of all my dad's camps, and this is one of them. His name was Sapper Gordon Redman.
Vicki.
Mill House, Rettendon
This house I lived in when I was young, from 1933 untill 1954, but I now live in Devon near Exeter. I went to Rettendon School, and then to Wickford Senior School. Everybody knew me as Jerry Smith, it was a nickname, I used to go about with a local agricultural contractor, Mr Ranson who lives at Hillberry, in the village of East Hanningfield, he had bulldozers and tractors and did a lot of work for farmers.
1942-1949
I was born at Danbury Palace in Danbury and lived at Marks Farm bungalow in Rettendon. I remember getting frightened of the storms on the way home from Rettendon School. I remember walking home from school up Chalk Street. My Grandmother used to live in Chalk Street but her and Auntie Ruth emigrated to New Zealand during the war we think. We are not sure yet as we want to find out the year and the boat they went on. My Auntie Rachel emigrated in 1920 and met her husband on the boat out to New Zealand. I have found where all my relatives are buried now in New Zealand. It took a long time.
I used to be farmed out as we put it while Mum coped on her own as far as I can remember with the rest of the family. I had two brothers and two sisters.
I used to torment the chickens on Marks Farm. I used to run wild with my brother. I... Read more
Essex memories
Harrow Farm
My grand x3 grandfather James Sewell lived at Harrow Farm, he worked as a farm labourer. There was land named Sewells land which was auction by the Boggis estates and sold in 1914. Another ancestor, James, was a publican and wife Emily worked at the 'Leather Bottle' pub on the Downham Road. I have ancesters buried in St Peter's churchyard and also married at Downham. I wonder if anyone knows what happened to the land, farm or pub?
Wickford And Runwell Hospital
I got a job as a Junior House Officer at Runwell Hospital in March 1958 and worked there for a year, initially living in the hospital residence and then, after I married in Dublin, Ireland later the same year, moved into a very small flat in Wickford Hall on the Southend Road. I recall that it was a muddy place during that Winter! A Mabel and Curly Thurley lived in Flat 4 and were very welcoming to the new immigrants. Runwell Hospital was one of the premier hospitals in England for its Research and Treatment programmes at that time. I see that it may be now closed.
We made many friends at Runwell Hospital and in Wickford. The Sisters Skeggs and Jones were particularly welcoming and made the small village of Wickford a good experience for us. There was not much entertainment available but Southend-on-Sea and London were easily reached, so lightening the times. We moved to Virginia Water to a promotion in my work the following year when... Read more
Wickford And District Land Co Ltd 1932
I have just come across a resolution of the directors of Wickford and District Land Co Ltd dated 4th April 1932 and in it the shareholders were Mr H Hooper Mr R. D. Steel, Mrs K Fisher and Mr E.R. Ashdown. Messrs Hacker, Rubens, Gotelee and St Clair of 329 High Holborn W.C.1 were appointed auditors, and they made a purchase of part of the land of South Hanningfield Hall, Essex, from Mr William Fisher.
