Growing Up In Bockletton

A Memory of Bockleton.

I moved to Bockleton in 1954 and lived in Leasow Cottages North which is just opposite Sid and Nancy Stone's cottage with their children Les and Edna and subsequently Bea and Richard Smith. I had already passed the eleven + and in the autumn of '54 went to King Charles 1st in Kidderminster along with Peter Feakes, whose father was the gamekeeper on the Col Prescott estate. We both lodged in Kidderminster during the week and in later years had to travel back on a Saturday to play in the school teams which meant a bike ride into Tenbury, park the bike in the Cage Pub alleyway, catch the 291 and then back again after the games! Homework was a minimum of 2 hours per weekend which did not leave much time for socialising with the local kids.
My dad, Vic Wilson, worked on the Home Farm along with Frank Carter, whilst Mum worked occasionally cleaning at the manor house for Miss Prescott. It was very much an era of 'doffing your cap' to the Squire, but everyone did and it did not seem out of place. We were given a row of potatoes and swedes and turnips from the field which were stored in clamps for use during the winter and my dad grew most of the other vegetables for our use. They were fertilised by the contents of the bucket toilet (no flush toilets in those days) but they tasted delicious from what I remember.
The Skyrmes with their children, Freddie and Derek, (who also passed his eleven +), lived next door to Frank and Mrs Carter with their daughter Eileen but they moved away in 56/57. I believe they started a haulage business. Don and Marg Badley moved in next door to us with their children before they moved to Australia in the mid to late 60's(?).

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