Ashley Memories From About 1947

A Memory of Ashley.

I was born 1944 in Ashley, Cheshire at Birkin Farm. My granddad, Harold Lanceley was head of forestry for Clibrans Nusery, Hale, Cheshire. Found out a lot about his WW1 history. Harry Lanceley, sailed with A company, 1/5 Cheshires in 1915 and served near Ypres. He became Sergeant and was slightly wounded after the battalion moved to the Somme. He took part in the battle of Gommecourt on 1st July 1916, alongside 2nd Lieutenant Arthur and was posted missing. (I have a book that has my grandfather's picture in it with the history of what happened). Badly wounded in the head and thigh, he crawled back to the British lines. Hospitalised in Scotland, he spent time at Kinmel Camp, North Wales where he was commissioned in 1918 and joined C company 5th South Wales Borderers. He was in some intense fighting on the Marne but survived the war. He subsequently became head of forestry at Clibrans Ltd., Hale, Cheshire. He died in 1971. Both Harold and his father Robert had always been gardeners.
My Dad, Alfred Edward Sant, born local but not Ashley, was away during WW2. He started off as a dispatch rider and was one that got back from Dunkirk having swam to a destroyer. Became a tank driving instructor. He went up to Hitler’s hideaway at Berchtesgaden.
Mum lived with my gran & granddad through WW2. Ian, my brother, was born 1941, me and my twin sister were born 1944. Although I must have only been about 3, I recall we had a German POW, name of Arno, who was lovely to us kids, he worked on the land. My brother, me and twin sister were christened at St Elizabeth's Church, Ashley. We lived at Birkin Farm until 1947 when mum & dad got a new council house in Bowdon Vale. Spent many weekends visting gran & grandad and sneaking off across a log over the River Birkin into the Tatton Park estate, picking up spent gun cartridges from the gamekeepers - such fun for us. More family history is ongoing by my brother, Ian.


Added 31 May 2012

#236642

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