Here is a record by Jim Pearse of his time at Honeydale farm (formerly part of the larger Coldstone Farm) where he grew up as a child and where in 1952 his family bought the part called Honeydale. Honeydale Farm was a place Jim could call home all his working life, until its sale to present owner Ian Wilkinson in September 2013.
Jim records many anecdotes and key events at Honeydale, all of which will be of great interest to visitors of Ian Wilkinson’s FarmED which now occupies the site.
Here is a snippet from one of our many Oral History audio files. In it, former 1920s Shipton Court resident Dorothy “Dor” Thomson tells the apocryphal tale of Mr Samuda and his Model T Ford.
Catherine “Bay” Thomson and her first child Dorothy, known as “Dor”
Left to Right: Siblings “Dor”, David and Joan Thomson
Dorothy Thomson with Mary McNeill 2004
Transcript
“Mr Samuda was a great character who at that time lived at Bruern Abbey, and he was well known to all of us because he was a gentleman that always drove about in a cart, a sort of dog-cart with a cob, a nice smart cob, and to everybody’s surprise – it was very early in the twenties – he suddenly bought a T-model Ford which was really quite adventurous ‘cos he was quite an elderly gentlemen at that time. And his stud groom whose name was Tustain was absolutely horrified at this. However, Tustain was told that he had to learn to drive this terrible thing.
And they drove around the roads, the two of them – they could both drive it- and the story went around (I don’t know how true it was) that one day Mr Samuda was driving, and he’d had enough, he got rather bored with it, and he said to Tustain as they were bowling along the road “I’ve had enough of this Tustain, now you can take over”.
And in the old days of course, with carriages, you just passed over the reins to the other man. Well when you’re driving a car it’s not quite as simple as that, so the two of them had to cross over while. – it never occurred to them to stop the car meantime – they had to cross over and fortunately it was a straight road and fortunately they survived, but this story went round the locality for quite some months.”
The Full Interview
In this set of reminiscences, Dororothy Thomson recalls many details and anecdotes from her life as child and growing up at Shipton Court. The 2004 WLHS Journal No 19 [ available here ] contains many excerpts from these memoirs, as well as a summary of her life during and after her time at Shipton Court.
The Reverend Doctor Thomas Brookes was the Rector at Shipton from 1773 to 1814. The story of how his rather powerful portrait came to be returned to Shipton in 2013 was told in the Wychwood Volume 34 number 2 of 2013, and is also available here >>>
Recently the Wychwoods Local History Society heard from a lady called Vicky Sangster who lives in Sydney. She is a direct descendant of Dr Brookes’ daughter and wondered whether it would be possible to see his portrait while she was on holiday in England.
Vicky duly came to Shipton and, although time was tight, we arranged for her to see the portrait in the Prebendal where Dr Brookes formerly lived and St Mary’s where he preached.
Here we publish an extract for our series of excerpts from our many Oral History audio files. In this one , Cissie Carpenter talks about a serious accident which befell her as a child, and her fond memories of the extraordinary care she received.
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Cissie Carpenter with Trudy Yates 22nd March 1993
Dr Roe and the Founders of the Shipton Bowls Club
DR Roe
Transcript
But I’ll have to tell you about the little incident that I say in the winter which is Fox and Hounds and we used to make all the fun of chasing one another, you know. It was great fun. We had the packs for the hounds and the packs for horses and this sort thing, you know. All pretence, of course, but it, it was, they were happy days. You used to have just lots of laughs.
And one day I must tell you that I was playing with my brother up in the orchard and we were having, we were chasing, he was chasing me rather, and I was going down the path, a steep path from the orchard, down into the back door. And at the bottom of the path was a big grey water butt. I can see it now.
Well, of course, I chased down there, and thinking that I’m going to get there first. And I run into my grandmother with a, she’d got a big saucepan of hot boiling soda water. And I run straight into her and I got very badly scalded off. And it was the time that we had, it was Dr Roe then, and he was absolutely marvellous. He used to come in three times a day and dress my scold because I had blisters right, hanging right down.
(TY “On your neck and chest”)
Right from my, under my chin here, right down from my neck to the bottom of my chest Anyway he was so wonderful and then he wanted to send me to hospital I think you know because.
(TY “You probably would have been petrified to go away from your mother.”)
My mother said “No if she’s going to die, she’ll die here”. But he attended me so well. But he always said that I was his pet patient because he used to come in three times a day and put all this, it was like laurel leaves. It was a sort of a very thin green paper tissue, like.
(TY “Huh, I wonder what it was.”)
I don’t know what it was. But I remember him putting it on, dressing it with this and then ripping it off. Every time he come in and putting another lot on.
(TY “No ointment or salve under it?”)
No, nothing like that. It was all this green. I couldn’t tell you what it was. Never knew.
(TY “I wonder what it was. Still, it did the job. How long did this take?”)
Oh, twelve month. Twelve month.
(TY “For a four year-old”)
Yes, I was twelve months in bed with this. But on my, must have been my fifth birthday, I remember him coming in the front door with two parcels. It’s so vivid, isn’t it, when you’re a child? And Dr Roe come in with these two parcels. He said “You’ve been my”, what did he call me, pet patient I think. “And here’s something for your birthday”. One was a doll’s tea set and the other was a doll’s furniture set.
(TY “Oh, bless him.”)
Yeah, yeah, marvellous, wasn’t it?
(TY ”And by that time you were up?”)
I was up, yes. Yeah. I don’t know, I was still in bed, mind you, but I mean I’d got over the worst, I think. And I remember him coming in so vividly with these parcels. I can see him now.
(TY “How kind. Imagine a doctor doing that now. They’re all too busy aren’t they?)
Yeah, yeah wonderful, wasn’t it? Anyway, I got over that.
(TY “And now that that must have been before you went to school.”)
Oh I was at school at the little Baptist, up by the Baptist Chapel then.
(TY “Oh you were in school then?”)
I was in school then, yes.
The Full Interview
The interview with Trudy Yates includes memories of Cissie’s early family life, and her time at the infants school and then the Grammar school in Burford. Then her later time as a housemaid, including at Shipton Court. It includes her marriage into the close-knit Carpenter family . Cissie’s reminiscences also feature childhood games, memories of the local shops and businesses in Milton and Shipton, an outing to the the Scottish Highlands, and particulary this dreadful accident she had aged about four and her treatment by Dr Roe.
Here is a short extract from one of our many Oral History audio files. In it, RAF veteran Albert “Bim” Champness includes a summary of his extended family and also recalls Wychwoods village characters, in a clip from a 45-minute conversation. The full 23rd March 1995 interview covers wide-ranging details of an interesting life from difficult beginnings.
Albert Champness, known as Bim 1919-2014 Served in the RAF during the Second World War servicing aircraft used by the Dam Busters.
Albert Edward Champness born 2 May 1919 – 29 October 2014 Always known as Bim. Served in the RAF during the Second World War servicing aircraft used by the Dam Busters.
Listen Here
Bim Champness Remembers. Interviewed 23rd March 1995
Transcript
After a ten-year gap, Steven arrived and then four years after that when my wife was 39, Sarah arrived. But of course, we were very thankful for her because, as I said, we were to lose our eldest daughter.
I got my leg pulled with a friend on gapping out the children, as he put it, and he very cheekily said, “Well if you will go to bed on Sunday afternoons, what do you expect!” I didn’t touch him, but I felt like whacking him one!
Anyway, so that’s a bit about the family.
Well, what have I done in the village? I’m afraid I’m guilty of not taking too much interest in village life, although I did really. I used to love to watch the cricket and the football matches. I became, I suppose, more engaged with the Chapel than any other activities, but I thoroughly enjoyed village life.
In those older days we knew everybody and there were real characters in those days — Jackie Miles the Postman, Ridley the farmer, Wally Rawlins who owned half Milton, Shipton, Bournemouth, Reading and I don’t know what else he didn’t own but was a real character, and some of the men who worked in Groves’s Yard too, I remember well.
Not to mention the sportsmen — Perce Bridge who was a superb fast bowler, Doggie Pritchard who could mix it up with speed and spin and could act the fool at most of the matches, and one or two fine footballers, such as Frank Miles who played for the County on one or two occasions, and I remember another sportsman from Shipton, Buckney Slatter, who was urged to turn professional but played for one of the famous London amateur clubs which I think was called the Corinthians in those days.
Summary of the Full Interview
The interview is by Janet Wallace and covers Bim Champness’ life story. It includes his early life after being adopted in London, his adoptive family’s move to Milton in the early 1930s when he was 12, following many family visits to grandparents in Fifield, his apprenticeship and early working life in Milton, his marriage, wartime service in the RAF, subsequent career and retirement, family life, and involvement in village activities especially the Baptist chapel.
Here is another in a series of extracts from our many Oral History audio files. In it, former 1920s Shipton Court resident Dorothy “Dor” Thomson tells of her meeting in later life of Mrs Wiggins (nee Coombes), whom she remembers from Mrs Wiggins’ days at Hathaways Stores.
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Dorothy Thomson, interviewed with Mary McNeill: 2004
Transcript
“I can also remember, thinking of recollections of the village, that what I believe is now called the Village Store was at that time Hathaways, because it was run by a gentleman who had been Captain Hathaway in the First War. And you had to call him very carefully ‘Captain Hathaway’, because he was very proud of having been a captain, and he ran the shop, and it was a splendid shop and everybody used it.
And also I can remember Miss Coombes who was the dragon in the Post Office, and she used to terrify the children – we were really quite frightened to go in. She was quite harmless really, I suppose, but we were a bit frightened of her. And then some years after that- I mean, we thought she was quite old then- and then suddenly to everybody’s astonishment she got married. And she married Mr Wiggins, and became Mrs Wiggins which was very difficult for us to remember to call her Mrs Wiggins.
Since I came to live in Bampton I read a number of years ago in the Witney Gazette that she had just retired, and I happened to be in Shipton and I went to see her. And I was so delighted because she remembered me and remembered the family, and we had quite a good chat. Her husband I think was still alive then. And I was so glad I’d been because I think it was three or four years after that she in fact died, and it was very nice for me that we’d made this contact late in both our lives”.
Hathaway’s shop High Street Shipton 1930s. Originally Dees stores, the shop was built in 1919 when Mr Dee moved from his premises opposite Shipton Lodge. The drapery section was upstairs with the groceries below. Deliveries were made to surrounding villages by Stanley Gorton seen here with Mary Barnes and the Model A Ford van. The railings around the shop went in the war effort in 1940
The Full Interview – and Additional Reminiscences
There are two separate audio files of Dorothy “Dor” Thomson’s memories in the WLHS archive.
She is interviewed by Mary McNeill at her home in Bampton, where she talks of the arrival of her family in 1919 at Shipton Court, where her family lived until 1934. She recalls the Wild Garden, and reference is made to the lack of motor traffic – but there is an amusing anecdote about Mr Samuda of Bruern Abbey and his Model T Ford. There are especially detailed descriptions of the stables – which were prominent in the lives of the Thomson family. Some interesting details of the main gate into Plum Lane are also recalled.
Inspired by this interview, Dorothy recorded her own set of additional memories for the society, creating rich and varied insights into Shipton and Milton life over several decades from the 1920s, as well as stories of her father’s gambling and interest in horse racing.
Here is a snippet from one of our many Oral History audio files. In it, Dulcie Arundell tells the story of a night-time meeting at Shipton Station.
Here is a photo of Dulcie in later life (2007): The Society invited Wychwood senior citizens to view archive photographs Dorothy Shepherd (Dulcie Arundell’s sister) , Dulcie Arundell, Kath Cooper
Listen Here
Dulcie Arundell with Trudy Yates: 2nd April 1993
Transcript
“There was a lot of work. I met an American serviceman, working late one night, and I shan’t ever forget him. I was in the office. We had one office staff, one outside staff, always on late duty. And he’d come from a convalescent home somewhere, and he was going to RAF Lyneham.
At least the American Air Force was at RAF Lyneham. And he’d been sent to Shipton, as we had such a lot of both goods and people come to Shipton station for Lyneham.. But it wasn’t our Lyneham.. It was Lyneham in Wiltshire, you see.
And at that time of night there was no possibility of getting out of the village really. And I felt so sorry for him. I said, “Right, well, I’ll ring through and I’ll see what I can do”, and I was itching to get home.
And it took me almost, I think, an hour and a half before I could get anybody to do anything about it. And I said, “Something’s got to be done. He’s just come from a convalescent home. He can’t stay here on the station all night.”.
And eventually, they agreed to send a truck out for him. And I’ll never forget him. He opened out his wallet, and he said, “Now, I want you to have all this.” And I said, “Well, don’t be silly.”
And he said, “I know my number’s up.” he said, “I’d like you to have it, because wherever they send me, I know my number’s up.” And I said, “No, on no account.” I said, “You take the chance like anybody else.” I said, “And we shall all pray for you.” And I said, “I’ll tell you what I will do. I’ll take one of these $1 notes.” And I’ve still got that $1 note.
I’ll always remember then, because I felt so sorry for him, because he didn’t look well. Anyway, they sent the truck out for him. What happened to him? I don’t know. But I’ve never forgot that fellow.”
The Full Interview
Dulcie’s grandparents were from an agricultural background, grandfather was cowman to the Hartley family in Shipton. Mother, Winifred Emma Powell married father Leonard Hill Shepherd – he came from Stonesfield, a butcher’s roundsman.
Descriptions of family life and growing families, and of school attendance- especially the opportunities for social mobility for pupils showing ability – Dulcie was one such beneficiary.
A lively and in-depth interview with references to many Wychwoods family names, village and community activities, shops, postal services, the telephone exchange, her sister’s shocking accident, and with special reference to Dr Scott and his paternal care for village families in need.
Among many anecdotes is this touching story of a GI soldier who arrived late night at Shipton station, looking for Lyneham in Wiltshire. Many such stories and anecdotes pepper this extensive interview.
In this extract from the WLHS Oral History archive, we find George Bradley telling the story of his one single failed delivery during World War II.
George Bradley’s Bedford lorry used in his haulage business. Note the masked headlights as used for wartime service
Listen Here
George Bradley with John Rawlins: March 17th 1988
The Transcript
Before and during the war, I was delivering products for the wood-working company and that took me about 100-mile radius around the country, as far as Sheffield, Leeds, Birmingham and London.
At that time of day. That was before the war. Well then, when the war came, this work got more restricted you see and they did a lot of sub-contracting to shopfitters, you see, across here. And I delivered their products to the various shopfitters round the cities, London, Birmingham and the like.
Well that dropped off of course during the war very much and I was delivering some of their products during the war when the aircraft were coming over, when they were bombing London. That was sometime around 1940.
Well then that went on and only on one occasion I had to bring some stuff back. And we put the load on over the weekend. On the Sunday, that was a Sunday when the Germans came over and plastered the Dock area of London.
On one weekend in particular. On the Sunday night that was their one point was to plaster the Dock area of London. Which they did in some order and the Dock area was knocked about bad on that occasion. Including parts of East London, you see, that was where we used to deliver.
One of the places we went to deliver was still on fire. We went in the morning and I never saw such a thing. The road was absolutely covered with hoses. Fire engines and hoses all over the place. That was in Snow Hill just behind the Old Bailey. That was the only delivery I wasn’t able to do and I had to bring that back.
The Full Interview
George and Megan Bradley lived in Station Road, Shipton. George had a haulage business and brother Reg ran a garage business. Originally in Station Road, they then moved to centre of Shipton to new premises used by the Americans during the war. This informal conversation with John Rawlins was recorded on March 17th 1988 . This is a single conversation in two parts, divided simply because of the arrival of Megan Bradley halfway through.
Here is an extract from an Oral History audio file of Megan Bradley’ s March 1988 conversation with John Rawlins
George and Megan Bradley: 50th Wedding Anniversary 1987
Among memories of evacuees, low-flying Spitfires, and requisitioned land for aircraft maintenance, Megan has several anecdotes, and a particularly touching one about the arrival at her house of three big men “asking for potatoes”… These turned out to be three exhausted Canadian soldiers looking for a place to rest up and get a wash!
Listen Here
Megan Bradley with John Rawlins: March 17th 1988
Transcript
I can tell you a story about the war.
One morning I was bathing Ralph, what was he, about two, and a knock come at my kitchen door, and down Meadow Lane you knocked at the door, and you walked into the kitchen. There was no porch or anything. There were three of the biggest men I saw, I think.
They were in uniform, and they looked dreadful. And they asked me if I’d got any potatoes to sell. I said, “Oh no”, I said,” I’ve got no potatoes to sell”, I said. “Why?”, I said, “What do you want to buy potatoes for? Where have you been on manoeuvres? “.
I could see by their uniforms they were Canadians. And they’d been on these manoeuvres anyway. And so, I said “Well I can cook you some breakfast”. “Oh, we’d rather have a wash ma’am”.
And so, I said:” Right, would you come inside?”. And I thought to myself then, there’s these three men there and there’s me by myself, my husband gone out. Anyway, in they come and I started pumping water, because you only had a pump.
And so, they said: “Oh no we won’t wash in here. If you let us have a towel and some soap, we’ll wash in the river” – which was at the side of our house. Which they did. They took the towels. I give them towels and soap.
And while they were doing that, I had a pig on the wall. A ham, a bacon side, and off come some of this ham and I cooked slices of ham. We had chickens, no end of chicken’s eggs and bacon I cooked for them.
And they sat there, and they ate that breakfast and one of them looked up on the wall and he said “It’s a long time since I’ve seen that”, he said. “We used to have one hanging at home”, he said, “but I hope I’ll be able to go home and see it”. I often wonder whether the poor fellow did.
But you know, they went out of the house. They were, they couldn’t thank me enough. They asked me what I wanted in money. I said,” No thank you”, I said, “You go away, you’re not supposed to have eaten that”. But do you know what they done? They put their hands in their pockets and pulled out money out of their pockets and dropped it on the table and they said:” If you don’t want it, give it to your little boy”. It was only a matter of shillings and pence. That was for the baby. They had a good wash and I lent them father’s razor.
(John Rawlins comments: “It’s amazing now when you think that in this day and age this wouldn’t happen. But in 1940 or 1941, whenever that was, there were a lot of strange children about, there were a lot of strange men about, all different nationalities and yet you felt entirely safe. When we were children, we went with these soldiers all over the place, rode in their vehicles sometimes, against the rules mind you, but you never felt in any danger. Even in the black out. Half of them were strangers. You felt entirely safe”.)
We invite Wychwoods Local History Society members and friends to consider contributing their own WWII memorabilia to an important OU and Heritage Lottery funded initiative.
Bring your stories and objects relating to the Second World War to the Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum in Woodstock. The Collections Day is part of a nationwide campaign organised by Their Finest Hour.
Objects will be digitised and recorded: the items themselves will remain with you and your family.
About “Their Finest Hour“
Their Finest Hour is a University of Oxford project that aims to collect and digitally archive the everyday stories and objects of the Second World War.
Share your family’s Second World War stories and objects for an online archive
Opening from 11am – 3pm, Saturday 1st April 2023
Museum Open Day – free admission to the museum throughout the day
See Second World War living history displays, kit displays and art exhibitions in the museum galleries
World War II stories are fast fading from living memory, so we believe it is vital that they – and the wartime objects that often accompany them – are preserved for future generations.
Here are some ideas:
Stories about your family’s wartime experience
Diaries
Letters
Medals
Journals
Ration books
Page from the POW Diary of A J Wallis (Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry)
All these and more will be recorded, digitised and then uploaded to the Their Finest Hour online archive, which will be free-to-use and will launch in June 2024.
Cigar Case – example of a WW2 Object brought to the museum in Woodstock
‘Villa Patricia’ an object donated to the museum by a Woodstock resident, a dolls house made by a Prisoner of War during World War Two
Why Else Visit on April 1st?
The museum will waive its normal admission fee on the day – entry will be free to all on 1st April.
SOFO will also be hosting a range of other Second World War-themed events and exhibitions on the day. Visitors will be able to enjoy displays from 1940s living historians inside the museum and view a recently installed replica Anderson Shelter, as well as a number of exhibitions.
With often limited parking in Woodstock, Blenheim Palace will also be kindly supporting this event, offering free parking to those attending to share their stories. The museum is just a short walk into town through the palace’s Woodstock Town gate.
Attending Living History Groups Will Include:
Winston (Churchill)
Doing Their Bit (Home Front)
Oxfordshire Home Guard
Ham & Jam (Second World War British Airborne troops).
Collector John Noott’s expansive exhibition, The Art of World War II, will showcase a diverse range of perspectives of the era all produced during the conflict, while the Aces High gallery will have a range of impressive prints – including many signed by veterans – up for sale.
Visitors can talk to museum staff on the day about donating items to the museum’s own collection if they wish, but the focus will be on digitisation – photographing objects, recording stories and scanning documents – so original items can remain with their families.
The project team is especially interested in collecting contributions from people from under-represented backgrounds in order to increase the diversity of people benefiting from Second World War heritage.
Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum, Park Street, Woodstock, OX20 1SN
Registered Charity No. 1145408
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