Childhood In Upper Heyford

A Memory of Upper Heyford.

I lived in Upper Heyford from 1946 until 1965 when I was married in a double ceremony with my twin sister at St Mary's Church. I moved to Bicester. My  sister who married an American from the base moved to the U.S.A. a year later.
My family, Walton, lived at 18 High Street, the thatched cottages. Later we moved to 1 Rising Hill. The cottages were nicknamed Bunny Row as everyone kept popping in and out, or so we were told. I remember the old Three Horseshoes with Dennis Chard as landlord. We used to sit in the passageway on a settle with a lemonade and packet of crisps while dad had a drink. When we were older the new Three Horseshoes was where we had our first proper drink. The other pub in the village was The Barley Mow. The Post Office was run by Mrs Reeves and was at the top of High Street on corner with Somerton Road. The Co-op was opposite the pub and later on Callows Store was opened up in the old chapel. It was at the chapel that we went to Sunday School which was run by Auntie Gladys and we used to have bible stories told to us and illustrated with felt figures stuck on a board. The highlight of our early teens was the Christmas Party given by the American Airforce at the base. There was a bus laid on and all the children would go to this amazing place with decorations we had never seen the like of before, food that was alien to us and singing and dancing and a visit from Sant Claus with a gift for each child.
The village school was on the green, the infants was the little building, and then you moved up to the big building when a little older. The canteen was in the big building and Mrs Hudson used to do the dinners. The dreaded school dentist also used the canteen for his visits. We all had to have a medical when the time came to move to secondary school at Steeple Aston, the doctor came to the school and checked everyone over. A regular visitor was Nurse Ashby, the nit nurse, who also checked our nails as well as our heads. Nature walks were one of my favourite lessons as we used to walk along the towpath. Nobody fell in the canal or river and just one teacher came with us. I'm sure this would not be allowed today.
In those days we had to make our own entertainment so we rambled everywhere, down the canal, up the playing fields, down the farm (Manor Farm), we would walk to Lower Heyford or Somerton by road then come back along the towpath. During the summer all the children would swim in the canal, we were out for hours and only went home when we were hungry. Our parents didn't worry and we all survived.
Two more annual events were eagerly looked forward too. The first was in May, the May Day celebrations. It was always on the first of May and some of the mums would make a big garland of flowers which would be paraded around the  village followed by the May King and Queen and the other children. We would stop at everyone's door and sing May songs and collect money. Afterwards there would be a tea in the main school building.
The second event was the Flower Show, plus Hatwells Fun Fair. A Flower Show Queen would be chosen for the day and everyone's prize home grown fruit and veg would be on display, homemade cakes and jams plus flower arrangements were also chasing prizes.
We would save up what money we could get all the year long to spend at the fair. Though very tame by today's standards, the Galloping Horses, Swing Boats, Shooting Gallery and other stalls were magic to all of us and we were allowed to stay out after dark.
The village is very different today, no school, shops, Post Office, only one pub and no American Air Force Base.
I still go back from time to time when my sister visits from America but now most of the people we knew are gone and the village looks different somehow.

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