Early And Later

A Memory of Four Elms.

"Come on children, all in the shelter." The air raid siren was the initiator of this quiet but determined order. It meant an enjoyable singing session with (I believe it was) Miss Smith on the old upright. Collecting empty aircraft bullet cases, which had been distributed over Four Elms by the aircraft from Biggen Hill was another wartime occupation. The only serious occurrence was the Doodle Bug that blew the side out of the cricket pavilion, I believe this was on a Saturday morning, because it frightened the two girls that were feeding the school rabbits to death.

Born in the village in 1939, the son of Francis and Jack Cole, who lived in Brookfield, I had the luck to be raised in Four Elms, in the most, a one big family village.

The cricket field was our teenage growing up club. We learnt to smoke, tell jokes, how to mow a table, and of course how to play cricket. And later when we had reached the correct age, we were introduced to the art of dart playing in the public bar of the Four Elms. Style and Winch being the lubricant to keep the darts straight, was consumed under the control of our fathers.

In those days we used to play football on the Cross Roads. Now and again some one would shout "Car coming" whereby we would all move to the side of the road, and wait for it to pass slowly by, as we greeted the driver with a finger to the forehead, in our best servile manner.

Long gone, but they were good old times, taken with serenity, and love and respect for the people, and all connected to the village.




Added 12 February 2010

#227261

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