My Mothers Memories Of Ledsham

A Memory of Ledsham.

I would sometimes go to Downing Street if I had a day in London but I always worked at Chartwell. They were very nice people to work for, Mrs Churchill never wanted me to leave, I can't remember why I did.

Mother, Pop Gamble and Charles had gone to Yorkshire to live at a little place called Ledsham, as Mr Wheeler wanted a man to work on his estate in Yorkshire. There was a nice little house attached to the job. They had only been in one week when they were flooded out, there was no help in those days. Mother and family had to go and live in Ledston Hall until the house was made fit to live in again, Mother got new furniture bit by bit and soon got the place comfortable.

I was still living in Kent and when I had time off I would visit my grandparents in Ospringe and go and stay with Aunt Alice and Uncle Bill at Kemsley near Sittingbourne, they made me so welcome.

I had a long holiday so I arranged to go to Yorkshire, having never been before. I caught a coach from Victoria bus station, in those days it took one full day to travel up, then I caught the bus from Castleford to Ledsham. It seemed very strange, there were no shops just a little inn, closed on Sundays. Mother used to bake her own bread and baking. The landlady at the Chequers Inn was called Mrs Tindal but we called her Agnes, she had just lost her husband Ted. She had two children, Margaret and John. Her sister Jessie and brother stayed with her, they were very nice people and made us welcome when we went across.

There were just a few farms. It was a pretty place. People would walk from Castleford to Ledsham in the summer so Agnes at the pub would make afternoon teas, we were able to help in many ways and enjoy the company.

We soon made a lot of friends in Ledsham. There were dances in the school that we went to.

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