Stramshall memories
Here are memories of Stramshall and the local area. You can start now: Add your own Memory of Stramshall or a Stramshall photo.
When The Searchlights Came
When the searchlights came... During the Second World War, Uttoxeter hardly knew that the war was on, although our young men and women kept leaving, and rationing was severe. One change to us all, on the park side of the town, was the opening of the bypass in 1939. The war stopped operations, and of the dual carriageway (a source of wonder to me) only one lane was open, the nearside side, facing Stoke, the remaining lane remained in its raw construction state, frequently filled with water, and was not completed for 2 years after the war. We local children noticed the arrival of large army lorries on a field abutting the unused lane of the bypass, about 1940. Nissan huts went up, concrete roads laid, and to our amazement an assault course, with death slide over the River Tean, was constructed. Various rumours circulated. It was to be a anti-aircraft battery, then a barrage balloon site, then a prisoner of war camp, but we finally had the answer, four... Read more
Long Lost Relatives
I remember going to school in the village. My family were all from the village and worked for JCB, maybe someone knows my family, the Tompkinsons. It would be nice to heare from someone who knows them or relatives, as I have not been back for 20 years.
I Meet A Vagrant I Know
September 1958 I meet a vagrant I knew. In 1957, I was appointed to be Village Constable, at Lower Penn, Wolverhampton, an upper class district of wolverhampton. My station, was in Springhill Park. The beat was divided by the A449, The SW Trunk Road, no M5 in those days. One side of the beat was Lower Penn, the other Penn Common, both different. It was my wont to be on the main road, in the mornings, as a large number of vagrants passed in both directions, some coming out of New Cross, Wolverhampton, some travelling to New Cross from Kidderminster. I noticed a man sitting on the bench on Lloyd Hill, A449, he did not quite fit the description of the average vagrant. He looked familiar. I decided to speak to him. As I approached him, he said, "Hello, Jack, how is your Dad". I was astounded. I immediately recognised him, it was 'Jim', a Second World War veteran, a hard working man. I will not go into details, but his... Read more
Aircraft Crashes in The Second World War in Stramshall And Uttoxeter
I was trying to remember the number of crashed aircraft I had seen, and, in another life, dealt with. Despite the closeness of many airfields, Church Broughton being the closest if you ignore the Marchington airstrip, I could only remember one, during my schooldays. This was an Airspeed Oxford, it crashed in Hollington Lane, Stramshall, behind a house, which was lived in by the Arnolds, I vaguely remember a Wilfed Arnold being a contemporary of mine at school. I can remember the locus en quo, because my father's cousin, Albert, and his wife, Florrie, lived in Park Cottage, opposite Arnold's. Albert was killed in the 1944 Fauld Explosion. The crash virtually wrecked the aircraft, which was guarded by the local police. I cannot recall whether the crew were killed. I believe they were. Does anyone else remember this incident? I am hazy about the time, I would suggest it was about 1943.
Over Here
Over Here... The first American troops to arrive in our part of the world arrived in 1942. The came to what became know as Sudbury Camp (nearly in Marchington). A hospital was built at the present site of HMP Prison. A great marshalling yard was built outside Sudbury Railway Station. The first American troops were transportation types, not infantrymen. Firstly, they were all white, then black soldiers arrived. My First Observations.. The amount of money they had compared with our troops, the food they ate, the style of dancing, and their smoking packet after packet of cigarettes. Advantages, they had a steady supply of chewing gum, some of us managed to get into the base hospital, when Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and other Hollywood stars appeared. Exciting in the life of 1940s teenagers. Dislikes. The various obvious colour bar. White troops on one night, black on the other. All towns in reachable destinations had colour and white nights. Officers had no bounds.... Read more
Park Hill Farm, New Road, Uttoxeter (Parish of Stramshall) Staffordshire
My grandfather and grandmother built Park Hill Farm together, with hired labour for the roofing. My grandfather was a farmer, wheelwright and a skilled carpenter, his elder brother, Thomas, who lived at the original Mellor family home (called variously Hill Top Farm, Hill Top Cottages) near the bridle path which leads to the River Tean, was a master at most building trades. He was a valued help to his brother. The house was constructed about 1896. My grandfather had owned the Dowry Farm, Kingstone (he was 17 years old), then moved to Bottom House Public House and Farm, Leek, before making his final home at Park Hill. He had a multitude of children. The survivors, Mary, Maude, Muriel, Annie, Thomas, John James (my father), Harry (always called Dan) and several who did not survive childbirth. The acreage was about 100, later added to by extending to Bakers, The Hollow, Stramshall. It remained a working farm entirely under the control of my family until 1972, when it was sold. It... Read more
Our Local Bobbies With Guns. 1941/2
Our police officers, left after mobilisation and known to me, were PC Whale, Stramshall. Sergeants Anderson (Div Clerk), Sgt. Chamberlaind (Great War veteran) and PC Jack Blower, who was called the Black Abbot, I never knew why. All ARP activities were police controlled and during 1941/2 parachutes, clearly German, were found at Bramshall, Stramshall and Marchington. We were then treated to the rare sight of our police officers carrying sidearms, large revolvers from the Great War. Stop Points, I remember, were Three Tuns junction with Ashbourne Road, Hollow, Stramshall (outside my Great Uncle Tom's), Spath and Beamhurst. Sgt. Chamberlain was always on duty outside the Three Tuns. As a Great War veteran he would have no trouble using his revolver. After a few months, the police realised that the parachutes were dropped to upset and alarm the population. It did not work. The police took off their revolvers and Stop Points were abandoned.
John Mellor (John P Mellor., OBE., QSM., Ridder van den orde Orange-Nassau, Vier Dienst Kreuz mit... Read more
AWalk With Grandfather
A walk with grandfather
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A Walk with Grandfather.
I was about 11 years old, one summer's day, when I noticed my grandfather, who lived at Park Hill Farm, New Road, Uttoxeter (Parish of Stramshall) was preparing to go out. He had his walking stick, that meant no horse and trap. His name was Percival Jackson Mellor, and he lived with his family, and my paternal grandmother, Mary Ellen (nee Leedham). He said, to me, “Come for a walk”. We walked across the fields, to Campbell’s, and then to Titleys Mill. We gained the Ashbourne-Uttoxeter Road, turned left over the River Tean bridge, and then into Leasons Farm. My grandfather went and spoke to Mr Leason, senior, we then departed, turning left, and carried on until we reached Stevenson Bus Depot, the Yellow Bus service.
We then got onto the footpath immediately opposite the Depot. Grandfather then explained that the large grass mounds were the remnants of... Read more
Bombs During The War
Uttoxeter did not suffer much during the war. The first stick of bombs fell in a field at Loxley, and a further stick followed later. The only 'blitz' was on the Bailey and Mellor families, in New Road (parish of Stramshall) - exact date forgotten, 1941/2. I was at home at 57 Park Avenue. My father was on Home Guard duties (he was too old for military service) at Bamfords Ltd, not JCB.
I usually got up early in the summer, walked along the unfinished by-pass and down to Park Hill Farm, breakfasted with my uncles and cousins. Then to school, or I went off scouring the fields. On this day, I met a neighbour, Tom Simpson, veteran of the First World War. He had a strange stacatto speech. He said, "The Germans hit your grandma's". I told my mother and went to the farm. Some rescue and firemen were about, but no police. I saw a large crater in the front garden, some 30 feet across, and... Read more
Park Hill Farm, Stramshall Parish
My grandfather was enlightened in many ways. He permitted the children from the western side of the town, to bathe and swim, at The Pipe, boundary with campbells, The Basin, near to stramshall footpath, subject to no litter, and interference with animals. This was permitted long after his death by my family, until 1972, when the farm was sold, due to the deaths of my aunts.
Growing up With All my Relatives Living in Stramshall Parish
I was born in 1928, to John James and Olive Mellor, my grandfather was Percival Jackson Mellor, my grandmother Mary Ellen Mellor. They built with help Park Hill Farm, New Road, Uttoxeter, paying tithes to Stramshall Parish. All the family went to Stramshall Church, all my parents, uncles, and grandparents are buried in Stramshall Church. The first Vicar I remember was the Rev Charlon, an Anglican churchman of the old school. My great uncle, Thomas, lives with his wife Selina at Hill top Farm(Cottages). I spent my youth between the two farms and the surrounding fields. With the River Tean running between, it was an exciting place to grow up.
Memories of Staffordshire
Pitts Place Garage
The gap between Woolworth's and the next building was known as Pitts Place where Bert Mellor (my grandfather) ran a garage workshop where he maintained the vans for Devilles, the butchers, and the Uttoxeter racecource ambulance, which was an old WWII canvas sided vehicle.
Uttoxeter, Stone Road
Has anyone got a photograph of Stone Road before the flats were built in the 1970s? My grandmother Mrs Elizabeth Foster lived at 21 Stone Road from about 1910 until they were demolished in the late 1970s and she watched them being demolished from a flat across the road. She was a widow from 1918 when her husband Thomas died as a result of the First Wordl War. I remember Highland cattle at the top of the road (where the swimming pool is now), and the stonemasons and Morin's on the corner (ice cream!).
I remember Mr and Mrs Challinor who lived next door. Lovely terraced houses, no bathrooms, outside toilet, 2 rooms downstairs and 3 bedrooms upstairs. At one time Gran had 4 step-children and 5 children in that house.
A Sharp Reminder of my Schooldays.
Saturday, 20 February 2010 A sharp reminder of my schooldays. I attended Bradley Street, Church of England Primary and Junior school, Uttoxeter. Some teachers, remain in your memory, others disappear. I remember in particular Miss Kingshott, a tall, a dark,angular lady. Her teaching was always forceful, her discipline strong. I remember her telling us of a visit to Oberamagau and the Passion play. I do not think I thought of her again. After the Royal Marines, I became a police constable in the Staffordshire Constabulary, later to be the Staffordshire County Police, I was stationed in Willenhall Division at Tettenhall Station. Bill Ford from Uttoxeter was on my shift. In 1951 I became the second man at Compton sub-section, which comprised the villages and hamlets of Tettenhall Wood, Compton, Finchfield, Trescott and Wightwick. Very little supervision, only means of communication was a Police Pillar at Tettenhall Wood Cross Roads. In 1952, about April time, we changed from flat caps to helmets, and on my helmet's first outing I was in School... Read more
Idyllic
I cannot believe I have found this site. My dad used to work at JCB and we stayed in a little cottage (I believe is now privately owned) not too far from the factory. The cottage was originally owned by JCB and occupied for a time by my family - the Dellers - during what was to become my halcyon days. I am now 43 and still reminisce of the quirky cottage and adjacent stream and woods of the time. We found in the small orchard of the grounds a few fossils that our dog dug up (chasing a mole), most interestingly a prehistoric shark's tooth (52 million years old) dated by the History Museum which I still hold dear. I think my dad's boss was Mr Bill Hurst nearby. I used to go to Denstone Primary School in the next village. It is amazing to me that these older memories I still hold are dearer than recent ones.
Kathryn Butcher, nee Deller, daughter of Brian Deller.
The Cafe School
We moved to Alton from Somerset in November 1958. The primary school was closed for refurbishment. Mr. and Mrs. Carnwell who owned the garage and cafe played host to the village school, it all seemed quite strange to this 7 year old. There are many good memories. Rushing out at play time to wave to the steam train drivers after they left the station and Mrs Carnwell mothering us all. We played in the yard at the back of the premises and two classes shared a room. Mr. Carnwell had lorries which transported the first excavators for JCB. We moved back to the village school in 1959 after the toilets had been moved indoors and central heating installed. The winter was freezing and the walk to and from the village seemed long and cold. Mrs Carnwell used to heat up the bottles of school milk which were often frozen. Mr. Gilbert the Headmaster lived to the left of the bridge down in the valley in a bungalow. Petrol was a... Read more
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