My family moved to Purton Stores on 31st January 1944, just prior to the end of the Second World War. We had only travelled a short distance, previously living at Chieveley, where we had electricity. Now we had to endure a completely different source of energy – oil lamps and candles, which my mother didn’t find easy when it came to sewing and darning. We also missed our beautiful Bush radio, which meant that Dad had to acquire a portable, run off a battery and an accumulator.
The latter was recharged periodically by Mr George Simpson, Senior at the garage that was the forerunner to Brand’s Windows. Dad had the electricity installed in February 1954 at a cost of £60.11s.6d (approximately £60.60).
His first quarterly bill paid in the following June was £1.14s.2d (approximately £1.70).
There were very few residents with mains water laid on; generally they had to draw water from outside wells, of which there were probably five in the village. We were fortunate ourselves, having our water supply coming from Beedon House from the reservoir at Red Lane, Stanmore. The main water supply was piped through the village in 1950 by the firm of Gilmore; they mainly employed Irish navvies with their picks and shovels. I remember their beautiful tans above the waist.
There were also very few telephones in the village and certainly no public telephone kiosks – or was there one on top of Beedon Hill, or maybe it came later.
There were few luxuries in those days. The lavatory was on the edge of our plot of ground – it felt as though it was on a bus route! During January, our family normally had a Christmas party late in the day. I recall my Aunt’s ordeal when they required the “little house” during the dark evenings. They would summons my brother Victor, or me to stand guard by our back door, whistling while they were away. Toilet paper was newspaper cut or torn into 6” (150mm) squares and I remember you used to have to monitor the contents of the bucket – you certainly didn’t need an overspill. Of course you always had healthy gardens.
Very few people worked outside the village, as the majority would be working on the land at one of the five farms.
Beedon Manor Farm employed about twenty three men. Jack Carter and Bill Breakspear were the two tractor drivers, Jack driving a Case and Bill an Oliver 90. There were six to eight horses worked by two or three carters, Smiler (a great favourite of my brother), Prince, Punch, Duke, Flower and Jolly; the other names escape me.
Frank Roberts was the shepherd of a large flock of sheep. His home was Pond Cottage but he would spend the lambing season away from home, in his caravan.
Frank had a brother named Job who also worked at Manor Farm, in charge of the first combine harvester, a Massey Harris (probably a sack model with an eight foot cut (2.4m) purchased by Peter Butler. Peter Clark would operate the sacks. My cousin (Ray Smith) and I were privileged to ride on the machine and often helped Peter with the sack mechanism.
Other employees at Beedon Manor Farm included Fred Giles, a good rick thatcher and woodman and Harry Cummins the herdsman – “forty to milk and the day’s work is done”. The other dairy farm at Beedon Common had Dick Bolland in charge.
There were also several Clarks, including three brothers known as Punch, Judy and Little Dog Toby. I cannot remember the names of all the manpower but I remember Earnie (Nonny) Neal who coul;d turn his hand to anything. Nonnie married Winnie Lambden, a girl from Burghfield, Reading, who was lodging with my family at the time but actually working for Smiths at Downend Farm (Elm Grove). Incidentally there was a Womens’ Land Army Hostel at Chieveley, opposite Cann’s Yard and the Post Office. I believe Bill and Frank Clark were Carters, then there was Les Green, Clare and Mr. Mundy and John Kidner was the foreman.
There were no more than a dozen cars in the village. Our schoolmaster, Corrie Mills, owned one of these, a Morris 10. During winter months, after attending school for about 3 or 4 years, it became my turn top help get his vehicle started. It was garaged in one of the redundant buildings of the former brick kiln works on top of Beedon Hill, on the right hand, southbound side. When our names were called during morning class, “Stockwell, Smith, Palmer and Pocock”, we knew what was expected of us. We were required up to the top of the hill and push the car, with Corrie Mills in the driver’s seat , from its garage space out onto the A34 northbound, down the hill in the direction of Oxford. It would usually “fire” when we were part way down whereby we then had a ride to the Stanmore junction (what a treat!).
As the school playground overlooked the A34, during playtimes we would spend a great deal of time watching the different types of vehicles that used the road, e.g. transported fair amusements, circus equipment and HM Forces convoys including the Queen Mary aircraft carriers.
It wasn’t unusual to see tramps walking the roads (Kings of the Road or Milestone Inspectors, as they were called), sometimes pushing a pram or bicycle, and often their language was not to be desired. Another familiar sight was the horse and cart and sometimes the pony and trap which belonged to Miss Maberley and Miss Ross, the owners of Beedon House. That was their mode of transport. Americans would also pass by, often throwing candies, or sweets as we called them, into the playground; I don’t recall being lucky, or perhaps quick enough, to catch any of them.
The school was sold and redeveloped around 1964 and now standing on the site are 2 bungalows, Lindern and Playground.
A Prisoner of War camp occupied a piece of ground at Stanmore, approximately 500 yards Along the East Illsley road (Ball Pit Lane) on the right hand side. My Dad supplied the camp with their main vegetables and other items for the cookhouse. We would transport their goods by bike and an ex-army jeep trailer tied to the bicycle underneath the saddle. On the return journey, Dad would ride in the empty trailer – once I nearly tipped him out, having ventured too close to the bank below South Stanmore Farm. I nearly lost my job!
When it ceased to be a camp, Dad bought their wooden worktop, which was used in the cookhouse, and it remains as the counter of Purton Stores today (as of 2002).
Fred Cousins was the village Carrier. If and when we required his services, we would push a long stick in the ground with a white card inserted into a split at the top. Fred and his wife lived at College Farm (now home to Elsa and Brian Matthews), which was 3 cottages then; they lived at Weston’s housing estate end, Harry Cummins and his family lived at the opposite end with Carter Smith (who worked at Ashridge Farm and his wife in the centre.
As children we were allowed on the land and also in the woods, so different from today – understandably, with all the large and expensive machinery. At the age of 9 or 10 years we would lead the large Shire horses during harvest time for Phillip Butler of Manor farm. We received sixpence (2-1/2 p) an hour but I would have done it for nothing; we enjoyed the men’s company.
At the age of 13 and 14, I spent many hours at Ashridge Farm, tractor driving for farm bailiff Steve Wickham, cultivating, rolling and harrowing, but too young and not clever enough to plough! I was also privileged to drive a jeep, which was used for feeding the pigs in Ashridge wood and collecting eggs from the chickens, which were on the outskirts, normally filling 2 buckets.
During the years of 1950-51, several youths decided to build an oval track on the meadow between the 4 Snowcemed council houses and Purton. We painted our bicycles red and called ourselves the “Robins” aptly named after our football club. If I remember correctly the boys were Ray Smith, Stuart Stockwell, Clarence Palmer, Tony Bishop, my brother Victor and I. It gave us a great deal of pleasure and many cuts and bruises! After a good rainstorm, it was an even better track.
What a lucky lad I was!
Taken from Homespun the Beedon Book and the memories of Peter Pocock in 2002
Community Ramblings 