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A Memory of Tilshead.

I lived in Tilshead from about the age of five until I was 12. My surname then was Cruse and we lived at West End. I have very fond memories of my life in Tilshead. I still write to Mrs Ruth Kyte and used to go to their Sunday School every week at the Baptist Chapel. We used to have outings and I can remember going to Greatwood camp with the Sunday School.
Me and my brothers used to spend a lot of our time playing up at the lodge, it was a great place to be, lots of space and trees and walks etc, although it is now closed off to the public because it is military land.
We used to attend the school summer fete every year and take part in the maypole dancing. Our teacher then was Mrs Davies who was lovely, she was quite strict but fantastic, I've heard since that she sadly died in a road accident. We used to have lots of dressing up clothes and I used to love dressing in these long fancy dresses. Once when I was at school I was a bit naughty and it did get me into a lot of trouble, we used to have two school pet gerbils and were told never to put them together, well me being me and having to doubt what I was told I put them in together which resulted in one of them biting the other's tail off, I ran and locked myself in the toilet because I was scared of the trouble I'd be in.
We also had Mrs Taylor and I can remember we went to her house in Heytesbury for a picnic, she had a lovely big garden with a river at the bottom.
In the summer we used to make huts out of the straw bales in the surrounding fields, real old village fun we used to have, bet it didn't amuse the farmer too much though.
We used to have the ice cream van come around and I'm sure then they only cost about two pence (if I'm not mistaken).
I used to play with Christine and Debbie Carter whose parents owned the garage at the time, we used to spend a lot of time dancing and again I'm guilty, we used to take sweets from their garage shop. We had a lot of fun back then.
I can remember the jumble sales they used to have in the Village Hall.
June White was one of my best friends, she lived down at Imber Place, we still keep in touch now.
When I was a bit older I did a bit of kitchen work in the cafe on the corner and one day we had a visit from David Essex and we managed to get his autograph.
Tilshead will always be a special place for me as it was where I spent the majority of my childhood. Maybe one day I'll return, I'd love to as I like the countryside and village life. I see our old house is currently for sale and if the time was right we'd seriously consider buying it, the size of the garden is just what we'd like.

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