Charles Arthur Samphier Born12 5 1937 Wyatts Green

A Memory of Doddinghurst.

My parents bought Wyatts Stores in about 1936 and moved from West Ham, E.London., with my two sisters. Dad kept about 300 chickens in the back field. I was born on Coronation Day at Wyatts Stores . We lived there fore 3 years before my fathers work took him to St Albans where we moved in 1940. We often visited Doddinghurst and spent many happy holidays there, being only too glad to get away from the war problems in St Albans. The shop was rented out and Dad also had bought Upton and Portway which were so named after the Lane and house they used to live in at West Ham, and they were let to the Pyners and McDonalds families. We used to stay in the bungalow at the back of White ? Farm. Kate Stallwood owned the Bungalow up the field and Fred London owned the farm. At the shopw we had no mains water then but the standpipe was just opposite Wyatts Green Lane, although we had a pump in the kitchen at the shop. There was no electric and I can still recall the smell of parrafin we sold in the shop. I stll have the takings book of the shop from the early days. Very little traffic came down the lane and the bus which we caught by Watsons cafe used to sound its horn as it went to turn at Allens Corner so we had time to catch it on the way back. I always remember Mrs Speller as she had lots of apple trees. And Mr & Mrs Gray whose house was wired for electric all ready for when it came to the village. Mr Danbury owned the barn at Doddinghurst, and held dances there from time to time. Mr & Mrs Britt lived in a very small house in Wyatts Green Lane, and Mr & Mrs Marsden had a large garden with railway carriage along the lane opposite. It was up there that a bomb landed and exploded down a well. They had a son Freddie. well thats all for now. My home here in Devon is called Plovers Barron

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