Leonard Flitney (1880-1953) a third son for Eli and Ellen.

Leonard Flitney was five weeks old when Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield stepped down from his second term as Britain’s Prime Minister. Born on the 14th March, 1880 Leonard was the third son of my paternal great grandparents Eli and Ellen Flitney. The weather showed great promise that spring, but July bought violent thunderstorms and heavy floods. The rain being so persistent that hay was spoilt and wheat damaged. The weather may not have been the only thing on Eli’s mind as he toiled in the fields close to his home at Chalkshire in the parish of Ellesborough. He like many other farm works must have been aware of the general decline in farming. [The opening up of the American prairies to cultivation and the advent of cheap transportation had a devastating impact in Britain. Wikipedia]

It was fortunate then that Ellen could supplement the family income by turning her hand to the plaiting of straw. Straw plaiting to make hats and bonnets was a major cottage industry in Buckinghamshire, although that too would begin to decline as imports of cheaper lighter plait started to arrive from China and Japan. It's easy to imagine Ellen busy plaiting while her sons played at her feet. Albert the eldest of her boys now five may even have helped his mother by clipping the finished plaits. It was quite normal for very young children to learn the art of plaiting so Abel may also have lent a hand. But, by the time her new-born son Leonard was old enough to be of use the industry was in steep decline, and the Education Acts of 1870 and 1880 were beginning to have an impact meaning more children were required to attend school.

Wednesday 24th August 1887 must have been an unforgettable day in the life of the then seven-year-old Leonard. With a fire burning out of control at Chalkshire Farm, it’s easy to imagine the commotion.  The alarm was raised at Aylesbury Fire Station at 9.41am, and the brigade arrived a little after 10am. On approaching the farm they found eleven hayricks and several farm buildings alight. Messages for assistance were sent to Wendover and Princes Risbrough Fire Stations. An account in the Bucks Herald of 27th August reports; The Princes Risborough Fire Brigade, which had not been called to a fire for several years, was hastily summoned. The bugler gave the alarm at 10.15 am, and in fifteen minutes the members of the Brigade had assembled from various parts of the town and set out with their engine for the scene of the conflagration.  Despite a plentiful supply of water, the fires continued to burn for more than twenty-six hours. The Princes Risborough Brigade left in the evening, but the Aylesbury men continued working all night and until mid-day on Thursday, by which time they had succeeded in putting out the fire, and the remnants of the burning ricks - which were worthless - were pulled to pieces, and a watchman left in charge.

I have a picture in my mind of Leonard, his brothers and the rest of the village children in a state of high excitement while all this was going on.  It can’t have been much fun for the adults, although another report in the same newspaper is careful to point out that the farmer, a Mr. Richardson was insured. 

With his school days behind him, it would be reasonable to assume Leonard would follow his father and brothers into farming. Perhaps he did for a while but the continued decline in the industry, coupled with low wages meant many young men were looking for work elsewhere. Leonard chose to stay at home and by 1901, found employment as a rural postman. By this time, his mother Ellen (recorded as Eliza E - in the 1901 census) was widowed, Eli having died in 1899 at the age of 45.

A month after his twenty seventh birthday, Leonard married Maria Hall the daughter of James and Martha Hall of Great Barrington, Stow on the Wold, Gloucestershire. The wedding took place on the 16th April, 1907 and early the following year Maria gave birth to a baby girl named Hilda Maria. Sadly, the baby lived for just ten months dying shortly before her 1st birthday in 1909. Maria's father passed away in October of the same year and was laid to rest on a stormy afternoon in the New Cemetery at Great Barrington. His obituary in The Cheltenham Chronicle of the 23rd October 1909 reported;  the rain descending in driving showers as the choir and mourners sang hymn number 499 (What a friend we have in Jesus) at his graveside. The report continued;  James Hall earned the respect and esteem of the whole neighbourhood during his more than 30 years as a blacksmith. It was said his hearty genial manner was known to all his many employers. He was a constant worshipper at the church, a member of the choir for 30 years and a churchwarden.

Following the death of her child and her father, Maria might have been pleased to see the back of the old year. By then heavily pregnant with her second child, she was probably looking forward to happier times. In the spring of 1910, she gave birth to a baby boy. The joy at his birth must have quickly changed to heartache when less than four weeks later Arthur passed away.

They say history repeats itself, and for Leonard and Maria it certainly did.  

Less than a year later, Maria gave birth to her third child another son named Leonard after his father. The 1911 census records the couple living at Chalkshire with their new-born son and a visitor. The visitor's name was Sarah Ann Wheeler, and her occupation that of a ‘monthly nurse'. I was intrigued by that term not having come across it before. It appears Sarah was engaged by the family around the time of Maria's 'lying-in' to look after her and her new-born son. Sadly, she would also be called in to lay out the dead, and as in this case the two types of visits often coincided.  The baby lived for only a few short weeks. I probably don't need to tell you childbirth was far from straightforward in the early part of the twentieth century, and infant mortality was high.

The 1911 Census, showing Sarah Ann Wheeler  'monthly nurse'. It also shows that Leonard is now employed as a Gardener Domestic.

It would be easy to presuppose the couple gave up the hope of having a family, but on the 13th April 1915 Maria gave birth to another son (George). This time their joy at his birth was not to be cut short.

Leonard and Maria whilst preoccupied with the loss of their first three children, and the birth of their new son would still have been aware of events in the wider world. April 1912 saw the Royal Flying Corps established reflecting Britain’s recognition of the growing importance of military aviation. This significant occurrence was overshadowed when a few days later the Titanic sank with the loss of 1503 lives. In June 1913, Suffragette Emily Davison threw herself in front of the king’s horse at the Derby, and died in hospital a few days later. On 28 June 1914 the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated by Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo. This must have felt like a remote and insignificant event in the lives of Leonard and Maria, but the conflict escalated sharply and would ultimately result in the outbreak of World War One.

From the available records, it's clear Leonard served in the army during the First World War but with 60 per cent of soldiers' service records destroyed in 1940, discovering what he did and where he went is proving difficult.  I have a copy of his Medal Index Card, which shows he was a private in the Essex Regiment (service number 325487) and in the labour corps (service number 6840430).

The bottom left hand portion of the Medal Index Card should include the Theatre of War first served in and the date of entry therein, unfortunately in Leonard's case its blank.  According to The National Archives British Army Medal Index Cards 1914-1920 this indicates he went to France in 1916 or later. He was awarded the British War Medal and Victory medal. [The Roll Number LC/101B28028460 is the old reference for the actual Medal Roll in which he appears.]

Interestingly Leonard appears on both the 1918 & 1919 absentee voters list.

The entry for 1918 shows; 

Flitney, Leonard Butlers Cross 325487 Pte. (private) 9th Essex
While the entry for 1919 shows;
Flitney, Leonard 325487 L Cpl (Lance Corporal) 1 8 Essex L.C

From that it is clear Leonard was still in the army in 1919, now promoted to Lance Corporal. Oddly enough Maria also appears on the 1919 absent voters list. Perhaps she and her young son were staying with family while Leonard was away?  Between the years 1919 and 1922 Leonard left the army and the couple with their son move to Sunnyside Cottage, East End, Hendon, Middlesex. According to the electoral registers, they were there from 1922 until 1931.  

The trail went a little cold after that until thanks to the recent publication of the 1939 register, I found them again. Leonard now widowed was living at Pinner Lodge, Moss Lane, Harrow with his son George.  According to the register, Leonard was working as a gardener and George a clothing salesman. Leonard died in 1953. I'm unsure when Maria died as I’ve yet to track down a death certificate, but I can safely say it was sometime between 1931 and 1939. Finding the actual date is firmly on my to-do list. 

Other things on the to-do list are to find any children of George and Ethel Florence Flitney (Dakin).  George married Ethel in the third quarter of 1939 in the district of Hendon, Middlesex. Happily, George outlived both his parents dying as he did in the 1970s...

As ever this is a work in progress, and I would be glad to hear from anyone who could add anything to the above.

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Chalkshire is in a picturesque part of Buckinghamshire in England close to Chequers Court, the Prime Minister’s official country residence. If you are thinking of visiting the area there are some wonderful walks through the hills and valleys within the Chiltern’s area of outstanding natural beauty.

Source Documents

England and Wales Birth Registration Index, 1837-2008, database, FamilySearch(familysearch.org/)

England and Wales Death Registration Index 1837-2007," database, Family Search   (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2NRT-ZB9

County of Buckinghamshire, Aylesbury Division. Absent voters list Yr. 1918/1919

The 1939 Register database accessed via FindMyPast

British Army WW1 Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920 for Leonard Flitney, accessed via Ancestory.

Absentee voters lists Wendover Polling District Parish of Ellesborough accessed via FindMyPast

The National Archives British Army Medal Index Cards 1914-1920

Wikipedia Great Depression of British Agriculture

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This is the sixth in a series of posts about my Great Grandparents Eli and Ellen Flitney and their children and grandchildren. The following is a list of the previous posts with a link to each one.

(1) Eli and Ellen Flitney

(2) Albert Flitney and his son Leonard - A Sad Tale
(3) Abel Flitney - Second Son of Eli and Ellen
(4) Arthur Denis (Jack) Flitney - Searching for my Grandfather from Belgium to Butlers Cross
(5) Just how many sons did Eli and Ellen have? (to be published soon)

Albert and Leonard Flitney – A sad tale

This is the second in a series of posts about my paternal great grandparents Eli and Ellen Flitney. If you wish, you can read the first part of their story here.  In this and following posts I will be writing about their sons and grandsons. 

Eli and Ellen's eldest son Albert was born in Ellesborough, Buckinghamshire in 1876. By the age of fifteen, he was working as a farm labourer and by 1901 he was a carter on a farm at Little Hampden. From there he went on to work at Rectory Lodge, Great Hampden as a groom, gardener and domestic.

The Plough Inn, Terrick (now a private residence). 

A story in the Bucks Herald from January 1896 leads me to think Albert might have enjoyed gardening and singing in equal measure. According to the report, he and six of his contemporaries sang at the Allotment Holders Supper. The supper, hailed a success, took place at the Plough Inn, Terrick and ended with the singing of God Save the Queen. 

 Parish Church, Little Hampden via

Albert married Emily Brackley at the Parish Church Little Hampden on the 11th October 1897 and in May of the following year, Emily gave birth to a son also called Albert.  I only became aware of Albert’s birth whilst searching newspaper archives for something totally unrelated. During that search, I stumbled on this death notice in the Bucks Herald from the 27th August, 1898;

Flitney - At Little Hampden, on the 25th inst., Albert, infant son of Albert Flitney.  

At this stage I wasn't at all sure if the infant in question was anything to do with 'my' Albert and Emily, but then I remembered something I had seen and disregarded on a census return from 1911.

I had previously assumed the crossed out line of text was unimportant. However, further scrutiny revealed the following; Albert Flitney, son, followed by his age, which is unclear (probably four months) and one final word – dead.   It makes me sad to think of Emily and Albert including their sons name on the census return several years after his death, but it does provide a poignant reminder of his short life.

Emily gave birth to a second son, Leonard, on the 5th January 1900. Leonard was fourteen when Britain declared war on Germany and sixteen when his father received his call up papers.  Albert reported for duty on the 20th July 1916 and was assigned to the 1st battalion Royal Garrison Artillery. According to his army service records he saw service in India and South Africa with the Royal Army Service Corps and the 1st Reserve Mechanical Transport, 18th battery. He was declared unfit for duties (disabled) on the 8th October 1918 and was demobilized on the 3rd March 1919 returning to his then home of 6 Mobwell Terrace, Great Missenden four months after the end of WW1.  

6 Mobwell Terrace

While his father was away Leonard was working as a blacksmith but the Military Service Act of January 1916 specified that single men between the ages of 18 and 41 were liable to be called-up for military service, unless they were widowed with children or ministers of religion. As neither criterion applied to Leonard, he was compulsorily conscripted on the 22nd January 1918.  He joined the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS), and in April of the same year, was transferred to the fledgling RAF.

The Royal Air Force came into existence on 1 April 1918 by the merging of the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service. After starting in 1914 with some 2,073 personnel by the beginning of 1919 the RAF had 4,000 combat aircraft and 114,000 personnel.

I don't have a photograph of Leonard but according to his service record he was 5ft 4" tall with brown hair, brown eyes and a fresh complexion. Leonard began his training at the Royal Navy Air Station in Redcar, Kent. Details are sketchy but it appears he was then attached to the air armament and gunnery school at Eastchurch, which came under the control of Leysdown airfield in Kent. On March 27th 1919, he was sent to No 1 Aircraft Depot at St. Omer in France.  

During the war St Omer had grown into an immense enterprise. Over 4300 technical personnel were directly employed in maintaining, modifying, repairing and salvaging aircraft and associated equipments.

 Read More at The First World War Aviation Historical Society

 

Re-assembling aeroplanes at No. 1 Aircraft Depot at St. Omer. (Image via the Imperial War Museum)

By the time Leonard arrived at St Omer the war had been over for a few months but there was still a great deal of work involved in unravelling the war machinery of the RAF whilst at the same time maintaining the needs of the Army and RAF who had entered Germany as the British Army of Occupation on the Rhine.

I can only imagine the relief felt by everyone back at home now the war was over. Albert and Emily must surely have assumed their son was safe. Imagine their horror then when on the 8th May 1919 just a few short weeks after his arrival in France Leonard was the victim of an accidental drowning.

I've yet to find out precisely what happened to Leonard his casualty card records his date of death as the 8th May 1919, the place of death France and the nature and cause of death as accidental drowning.   I have a copy of his death certificate on order and if that should provide further clues, I will include them as a footnote to this post.  I've received a great deal of assistance in my search from the following people; 

Alan Greveson http://circlecity.co.uk/wartime/index.php

Andrew Pentland http://www.airhistory.org.uk/

Thank you both.

It has been suggested to me that Leonard may simply have gone swimming in a local lake and got into trouble. Few people learnt to swim in those days, so it is a distinct possibility, but I would still like to know.  He is buried at Longuenesse (St Omer) Souvenir Cemetery; the inscription on his headstone reads “Rest in Peace”. Somehow it doesn't seem enough.

Of Albert and Emily there is not much more to tell. Records are few and far between although I've found a registration of death for an Albert Flitney, who died in the autumn of 1931 at the age of 55.  I've also found a registration of death for Emily Flitney in the spring of 1951, at the age of 74. Both deaths are recorded in the district of Amersham. I have a hunch I'm on the right track, but I can’t say more than that. The next step is to order copies of their death certificates, but it is becoming an expensive business so it may have to wait for a while.  As always, this is an ongoing search so if you have any information please get in touch.

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Footnotes; 

Leonard is remembered on the war memorial at Butlers Cross (see the Buckinghamshire remembers website). You can read more about the memorial here.

He is also remembered on a separate memorial at Great Missenden Church (and on a wall plaque in the high street.

Leonard is buried at Longuenesse (St Omer) Souvenir Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France. Grave or memorial reference V.F. 60.  In Memory of Aircraftman 2nd class Leonard Flitney 247280.

Sources;

Forces war records
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Great War Forum
Air History Org UK
Alan Greveson's World War One Forum
Aerodrome de Saint Omer home to the British Air Services Memorial
HM Passport Office General Register
The National Archives

Find my past
The First World War Aviation Historical Society
Imperial War Museums

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I've now received the copy of Leonard’s death certificate. Sadly, it just confirms what I already know.  What actually happened to him still remains a mystery, but I will keep on searching for information and if anything should come to light I will include it in a later post.

Farming at Ibstone, Buckinghamshire and Thame, Oxfordshire in the 1940s and 50s

This week’s Sepia Saturday prompt sent me rushing for the family albums. My dad and brother were both farm workers, and much of my childhood was spent riding around on tractors. I don’t claim to know anything about these machines because I was only about four when the photographs were taken. My brother Tony is ten years older than me, and I'm guessing he was about fourteen in the first picture.  

My brother hard at work on a Fordson Major tractor.

Me Barbara Fisher (nee Flitney) when we lived in Ibstone.

My dad is driving this odd-looking caterpillar/tractor type thing. I'm not sure who is on the Combine Harvester. It might be dad’s brother Owen (Flitney) or a German Prisoner of war.  My brother and sister both remember the POWs, who worked on the farm. I have only vague recollections of the stories my parents used to tell. I know they became particularly close to one of the prisoners and talked about him all the time, but sadly I can’t remember his name.

Even before the German surrender some of the POWs were put to work as agricultural labourers. After VE-Day, all prisoners were required to work. Most POWs were employed on farms, as Britain urgently needed a high level of food production, and there was a shortage of agricultural workers.

At first, it was usual for groups of about thirty men to be escorted by armed guards to the fields where they were to work. They were kept under close supervision at all times. However, following the German surrender, the British government allowed some prisoners to be billeted on the farms where they were employed under minimal supervision. Typically, one to four POWs would live at each farm, often taking their meals with the farmer and his family. In this way, close bonds were forged between the farmers and the German prisoners. Source Wikipedia 

Update December 2017 – the caterpillar is a Fowler FD3, and the harvester is a Grain Marshall 568 Combined Harvester. With thanks to my brother Tony Flitney. 

We were living on a farm at Ibstone in Buckinghamshire when the photographs were taken. My sister and I have vivid memories of trees being cut down in the woods around us.  The noise of tractors and heavy chains is something you don’t forget.  I looked online to see if I could find out what this machine is called and stumbled across several pictures of antique logging tractors that look very similar so maybe this is the one used for the logging. [Update December 2017 – my brother confirms this was the caterpillar used for logging and the trees being felled were large beech trees, which were taken to High Wycombe for use in the furniture trade. There is an interesting article about furniture making in Wycombe here]

The photographs of the Claas Combined Harvester that follow were taken on a farm near Thame in Oxfordshire, my dad is driving the tractor, and my brother Tony is up top. 

Fast forward thirty plus years and my brother is still hard at work.

In the first of these two photographs, he’s showing Sarah, Duchess of York the controls. The second picture shows Prince Andrew and Sarah standing with the digger.  These were taken during the very early stages of the building of Sunninghill Park in Berkshire destined to be the new home of the (then) happy couple.  

Fast forward another thirty years, my brother is retired. Andrew and Sarah are divorced, and I'm sharing photographs with friends from around the world, how times have changed. Now it’s time for you to plough a straight furrow over to Sepia Saturday to see what my fellow Sepians are reminiscing about.

This is my contribution to Sepia Saturday 272 : Tractors / Agriculture / Wheels

 Sepia Saturday

Eli and Ellen Flitney

See previous post here

My great grandparents Eli and Ellen Flitney had eight sons born between 1876 and 1898. When the first of their sons was born the family were living at Chalkshire a hamlet in the parish of Ellesborough in Buckinghamshire. Later, they moved to Hill End, Ellesborough, and it was there that Ellen continued to live after the death of Eli in 1899.

Hill End

Ellesborough lies on the northern slope of the Chiltern Hills, with the highest point being Combe Hill, at 852 ft. The Upper Icknield Way wanders from the main road, running from Little Kimble Church to Wendover, through Ellesborough village and the hamlet of Butlers Cross... (Read more at British History Online.)  At the time of the First World War, the principal occupation of the male inhabitants was almost entirely agricultural, while the women were more likely to be lace makers or in domestic service. By 1911, six of Ellen’s eight sons would be working on the land. Of the other two sons, Leonard was a rural postman and Fred at the age of thirteen was a telegraph messenger.

Hard work was a way of life for many families at the beginning of the 20th century. Wages were low and working hours long. Away from work family life often revolved around the church, with its choir and Sunday school. In Ellesborough and surrounding villages the big event of the year was the Annual Flower Show organised by the Velvet Lawn Cottage Garden Association. A varied programme of events was on offer each year and in 1912 the main attraction was an Old World Fair with swing boats a coconut shy and a variety of stalls. The inclement weather didn't diminish the fun, and much merriment accompanied the contestants in the spar boxing competition as they attempted to spar while sitting astride a damp pole raised some way from the ground. Elsewhere in the show Mr. T Walker of Thame was responsible for judging the horticultural section. He awarded Mrs. Flitney a first prize for her display of geraniums. The report in the local paper doesn't include a Christian name, so I don't know if this was Ellen or another member of the family.

In 1913 the Ellesborough Brass Band, the Athletics and the ‘bowling for a pig game’ presented by Sir Lancelot Aubrey Fletcher with prizes awarded by Lady Fletcher were the most keenly attended attractions.  Mrs. Flitney again won a prize but this time it was for needlework.

Ellesborough Brass Band (year unknown) 

In 1914 war intervened and the show was abandoned; 

The assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife on the 28th June 1914 set off a chain of events that would change the lives of millions of ordinary people.  Austria-Hungary (supported by Germany) declared war on Serbia on the 28th July. This was followed by Germany declaring war on Russia and France. On the 4th August, German troops marched on France, taking a route through Belgium. Britain had agreed to guarantee Belgium’s neutrality, and immediately declared war on Germany and life would never be the same. 

Many of the menfolk of the village volunteered for active service and when conscription began in January 1916 more would follow.  

A recruiting depot August, 1914.

By August 1917, three of Ellen's sons, Sidney, Abel and Arthur would be dead and all but one of her other five sons would be serving their country.

To be continued...

Source documents;

The Bucks Herald
http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/
Census returns
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/

For God, King and Country.

During a holiday to Buckinghamshire in July 2013, Terry and I visited the war memorial at Butlers Cross. We went to pay our respects to my paternal grandfather Private Arthur Denis (Jack) Flitney. It turns out Arthur is not the only member of the family named on the memorial. Abel, Leonard and Sidney Flitney are also commemorated there.  This came as a complete surprise and since the holiday I've been finding out as much as I can about each of them.  My research is ongoing and will be shared in future posts but for now I want to concentrate on the memorial itself. The original wooden shrine erected in 1917 was replaced by a modern war memorial in 2006, but it’s the earlier shrine that interests me.

The Bucks Herald from 3rd November 1917, described it as a neat wayside shrine erected to the memory of those who died for God, King and Country. Located at the crossroads in Butlers Cross it is a unique structure, manufactured from timber removed from HMS Britannia a cadet training ship at Dartmouth. The shrine was paid for by a Mr. J. K Bateman of Ellesborough and manufactured by Messrs. Hughes, Bolckow.  

According to Wikipedia; HMS Prince of Wales was one of six 121-gun screw-propelled first-rate three-decker line-of-battle ships of the Royal Navy. She was launched on the 25th January 1860. In 1869 she was renamed HMS Britannia and under that name served at Dartmouth as a cadet training ship until 1905.

Her use as a training ship declined, and she was sold in 1914 and then resold to Hughes Bolckow, ship breakers of Blyth, Northumberland arriving at their Battleship wharf in July, 1916.  Hughes Bolckow employed skilled craftsmen to manufacture a wide range of furniture and other items from salvaged timber.  They had a showroom in Dover Street, a prestigious location in the West End of London and issued catalogues in which were designs for several memorial shrines.

c1901 HMS Britannia at Dartmouth.

The dedication of the wayside shrine took place on the afternoon of 27th October 1917, the reporter for the Bucks Herald described it thus:  the clergy, churchwardens, and choir met at Ellesborough House, and together they wended their way in the bright autumn sunshine. The choir comprised both men and women with the females wearing confirmation handkerchiefs as headdresses. Following these came the churchwardens with their official staves and the clergy, the Bishop of Buckingham, Rev. G. Kennedy Cooke (rural dean), Rev. F. J. Winterton and Capt. The Rev. Sellwood, Senior Chaplain at Halton Camp. The hymns sung were O God of love and On the Resurrection morning. 

Following dedicatory prayers, the Bishop of Buckingham, in a short address, said the memory of those men who had fallen in battle would never fade from the hearts of those who loved them, and it was only right that their memory should be perpetuated in a permanent form such as they saw before them. He added though there had been many shrines erected in churches he hoped a movement such as they were adopting that afternoon would become general.

At the time of the dedication just ten names were inscribed on the memorial;

Sergt. Charles Ayres, 1st Grenadier Guards

Pte Francis Bamforth, 8th Royal Fusiliers     

Pte Charles Burch, 1st Oxford and Bucks L.I     

Sapper David Charles Cox, R. E     

Corpl. Charles Eldridge, K.R.R       

Pte Herbert Eldridge, 5th Oxford and Bucks L.I      

Driver Abel Flitney, Royal Sussex     

Pte Arthur Flitney, 6th Oxford and Bucks L.I      

Pte Sidney Flitney, 2nd Oxford and Bucks L. I      

Lieutenant Ronald Gibson 110th Mahrattas      

Pte Henry Wells, 1st Oxford and Bucks L.I 

An eleventh name that of Gunner Archie Bowden would be added a short while later and by the end of the first World War the number of names would grow to nineteen and Leonard Flitney would be added.

By the autumn of 1917 shrines such as the one at Butlers Cross were appearing in many towns and villages, and the writer of the following letter published in the Bucks Herald on the 10th November 1917 hoped that in time, all villages would have a memorial of their own.

 Dear Sir, the Bishop of Buckingham at the close of his address at Ellesborough, on Oct, 27, said he hoped a movement such as they were adopting that afternoon would become general. Recently I visited the shrine and was greatly impressed. Maybe there are other such wayside shrines in Buckinghamshire, and I hope the whole country will comply with the Bishop's wishes. I should like to point out that there are villages connected with town parishes which may not be able from their own resources to erect such shrines, and I would like to suggest whether a shrine could not be placed in each of those villages with the help of their stronger neighbours, so that the wives and parents might have a fitting memento of their glorious dead near their birthplaces and homes. I shall be glad to assist in a movement for this object, and commend it to Mr. R. W. Locke, Mayor of Aylesbury, for his kind consideration. Yours Alfred Morley, Dunsmore, Wendover, November 5, 1917.  

I don't think Mr. Morley needed to worry as it wasn't long before shrines were appearing all over the country culminating in the Great War Shrine unveiled in Hyde Park on the 4th August, 1918. Unlike shrines elsewhere this one didn't carry the names of the fallen, instead it was a memorial to all who were serving, had served or been killed during the war. Twenty thousand people were reported to be at the unveiling, and organisers claimed more than two hundred thousand people laid flowers in the first week.

Hyde Park, 4th August, 1918.  (Photograph courtesy

 Daily Mirror 05/08/1918).

An article in The Daily Telegraph on the 19 June 2009 suggests the shrines didn't come without controversy. Prayers for the dead went against the Thirty-Nine Articles of the Church of England. Furthermore, J. H. Kensit of the Protestant Truth Society said that the shrines inspired idolatry. Such shrines attracted, too, the interest of Catholics and Jews in the East End at a time when joint prayers by people of different faiths were not countenanced.

No doubt there will always be controversy but whatever the rights and wrongs, I'm pleased my grandfather's name is remembered. He died for his country and his sacrifice and the sacrifice of all those who fought and died should not be forgotten.

Source documents;

The Bucks Herald 

The Daily Mirror 

The Telegraph 19th June, 2009

Leaving Lower Farm, Pitchcott By John Flitney

View of village green Quainton, circa 1860, showing whipping post. 

Courtesy Quainton Windmill Society.

So I had saved my feet from getting burnt but had to walk home with puddles in my wellies. Then when mum found out what had happened, I got my ears ‘burnt’ hearing how stupid I had been. By the time I dared to return to the scene of the crime the fire had burnt out and the ‘dragons’ had gone. The ash was cold.

Talking of cold, one winter while we were at Lower Farm it snowed several times and the snow remained between each fall so the countryside stayed white for several weeks. In places it had been blown into deep drifts. The stream-bed beside the road at the bottom of the big field was about five feet below the road level. The snow, where it had drifted, had filled in the ditch to the same height as the road. The water was still running and was coming out of, and running into white tunnels. It was quite a coincidence but at that time I just happened to be a famous Arctic explorer. Famed for hunting Polar bears in the wilds of Buckinghamshire. (Such imagination! Must have done a good job though, I haven’t heard reports of any sightings there since!) One morning I decided to find a really deep drift to dig myself an ice cave where I could hide and ambush the bears. Behind one of the sheds was a drift higher than me, so I was at it straight away. As I dug into it I noticed that the snow was in distinct layers, some separated by thin layers of ice. One was powdery, one had larger crystals of ice where it had perhaps thawed a little before freezing again and been covered by the next fall. Another layer was softer and made super snowballs, ideal for attacking those bears. The bottom layer was quite compacted by the weight of those above. So explorer and scientist too, never did finish the ice cave though. Funny how just getting cold hands, toes, ears and nose can put you off a good scheme. Hence the expression ‘getting cold feet’ perhaps?

I have mentioned the road at the bottom of the sixty-six acre field in front of the house, it was, and still is called Carters's Lane. It was a good adventure in spring time to take the dogs and search the dividing hedge between the two lower fields on the way to the pond near the lane. Once there check out the water for frog spawn or tadpoles then go on to the road and turn right.  Further along there were hedges both sides of the lane with large patches of wild Violets on the verges. I also remember for some distance along the lane, on either side grew huge majestic Elm trees whose branches formed a high arch above the road. Way up in the branches were dozens of Rook's nests and the noise the disturbed birds made was quite amazing. On the way home we would pick mum a posy of the sweet-smelling Violets.

My recollecttion of the time at Lower Farm is full of happy memories, I don’t recall having any tedious daily chores to do. There were times, when Dad had sawn an old telegraph pole into short lengths, that Richard and me would spend ages chopping the logs into kindling. It was enjoyable work as the wood split so easily. With three dogs as company, and for a while a pig as well, while roaming the fields, sheds and barns to play in, mostly in summer time when the animals were out, trees to climb, bikes to ride. Life was idyllic for two boys. Then on rainy days we had toys indoors, a quarter size snooker table, a Meccano set and Dinky toys, then later an electric train set. Weekly we would look forward to the arrival of ‘The Eagle” comic. My favourite story in that was Dan Dare and his adventures in space. I think also, about that time, there was a programme on the wireless (radio, nowadays) A series of plays called ‘Journey into Space’ which was both exciting and at times scary, especially with the weird sound effects. There were Jet Morgan, the captain, Doc, Mitch, engineer and Lemmy, crewman. The later was played by Alfie Bass I believe. These, I think, started my liking for science fiction and I now have a small collection of favourite stories with Eric Frank Russell my first choice author.

Dad had got some solid wood models of aircraft and these intrigued Richard to the point where he started to build, from kits, flying models and it was always exciting to witness the maiden flights of these. There were also trips into Aylesbury for shopping, the usual groceries and clothes I expect but I don’t remember much of that just the pleasure and excitement of visiting the toy shop and being allowed to choose a new toy. Also back at the bus station we would go to the cafe and have a meal. My choice was always egg and chips. Other bus trips we took, on, I think Greenline coaches, were to Aunt Mary and Uncle Fred at Boxmoor a village near Hemel Hempstead. I liked Aunt Mary a lot and always enjoyed those visits and the pleasure of the watercress sandwiches she did for tea. (Later when I had my own transport I would go and visit her and Fred. Then years later, not long before she died, they surprised us by coming to see us here in Devon. Although she was then confined to a wheelchair she was still her usual cheerful self. A really special day.)

Aunt Mary and her Mum, Granny Flitney.

There must have been other outings from Pitchcott but how they were undertaken I cannot say as I have no idea if we owned a car at that time. Dad had started working for Bob Kirkland in his spare time. Bob was an engineer and had a place at Blackgrove. From there he would go out and fix all manner of machinery from farm tractors to industrial stone crushers or cement mixers to diggers and cranes. With the extra cash Dad may well have bought a car as I can recall visits to Ellesborough and Combehill, Butler’s Cross to see Aunt Margaret. Visit Great Aunt Flo or go to Holmergreen to see Mum’s friend, from her school days, Ivy Knowles.

Mum and Ivy, in later life

We even had outings to Bournemouth and to Brighton. On one of these visits, Bournemouth I believe, I got lost for about an hour. In fact it is the only thing I remember of either visit to the seaside. I had been allowed to go for a paddle and while enjoying myself had unwittingly moved along the shore line. So when I had had enough of the water and went straight up the beach, as Mum had instructed, I was in the wrong place with no familiar faces in sight. What I did next who knows, I must have turned the wrong way in my search as I was a good distance from where I started from when eventually Mum appeared. All I remember next is walking along the beach crying and a woman stopping me to ask the reason I was so upset. On explaining she suggested I sit down with her and wait for Mum to come along, “If you keep roaming about she’ll never find you”. Now whether that dear lady put the word out about having found a lost boy I don’t know but I shall be eternally grateful for her kindness and wisdom for not long after Mum came along. 

Me at the beach.

Also we went to Murcott to see Granny and Grampy Moore. One time I got to stay with them for a week and managed to get into trouble then as well. They kept a pony and had a very elegant four wheel cart too, as Grampy at one time, when they lived at Holmergreen, had delivered goods around the area. The buggy was well sprung, and I could sit on the seat and get it really rocking and bouncing along the dusty prairie trail at the head of the pioneers wagon train while the indians fired arrows at us all. (Well I’d seen the pictures in a book at home you see.) What really spoilt things was being betrayed by the sheet on the hayrick. Close by the rick was an apple tree with a branch laden with fruit within reach from the top of the rick. So one hot sunny day I climbed up, got myself an apple and settled down to eat it. Now me being in ‘wildwest’ mode at the time the height of my vantage point gave me good cover for shooting all manner of enemies. Now what I didn’t know at the time was that canvas sheets create a ‘bloom’ as they age. Unfortunately, this will attach itself to anything it makes contact with, especially young boys squirming about bumping off baddies. The storm broke when I got called in for tea and I realized I was green from head to foot. So no more ‘cowboys and indians’ or buggy riding.

Richard and John at Murcott

Overall my memories of life at Lower Farm are of happy and carefree times. Young enough not to be troubled by adult issues and old enough to have a good imagination and the freedom to be able to act out those dreams. Richard, I think being older, took life a little more seriously and maybe already had plans for what he wanted for his life in the future. We had very generous and loving parents. Things, obviously, were not so carefree for Mum and Dad. Dad had taken more work to earn a bit extra. Mum was becoming more and more concerned about her parents not being able to cope as they got older. Aunt Ada (Mum’s sister) had not married and lived with them until her death.

Aunt Ada

After this Mum would occasionally cycle the twenty plus miles to Murcott to see how they were. These visits became more frequent as Grampies health deteriorated and he became bedridden. Gran was finding it increasingly hard to cope so Mum would stay for days at a time. Eventually Mum, Dad and Grannie agreed that as the house was big enough we should move there so that Mum could care for her parents full time. So sometime in 1954 that is what we did.

The Cottage, Pidgeon House Lane, Murcott

To be continued...........

Previous episodes here, here and here  

Guest Post; My Sister Remembers - Part Four

Memories of Susan Poulter nee Flitney; Sue is my older sister (although she looks younger!)

Previous instalments here, here and here 

Great excitement came to the village of Ibstone in 1953. It was the year of the Coronation of Elizabeth II which in Ibstone meant a sports day, decorated cycle competition and many other events. Tony and I entered the best decorated cycle competition and spent hours putting red, white and blue crepe paper around the spokes in the wheels and everywhere else we could add a bow or flag we did – but we did not win a prize. Most of the village turned up to watch the ceremony on our TV, and I remember mum was in her element making tea, handing round cakes etc.,

In the summer life would be really good (as long as mum and dad were talking), dad would take us all to Shiplake where we would paddle in the river and have picnics. Summer in my memory was always hot and sunny, apart from the thunderstorms, which I hated. I spent many hours in the woods making camps with my friends, swinging from ropes on trees and pretending I was in the circus. I always imagined that one day I would move to the other side of the valley, have a big house and horses, shame dreams get shattered!

    Rene Flitney (left) and Denis Flitney (right) in the river with Tony, Sue, Barbara & friends       

It was hard for mum and dad to keep up with all the demands for uniform, items for cooking classes, material for needlework classes, gym kit and so on at High Wycombe school and I would often be the one that didn't have all I needed. This led to other children being really nasty and the fact that my dad had an old car also meant I got a lot of stick. Homework would take me hours as I was so anxious all the time, so it was with some relief that I learnt my dad was looking for a new job and we would be leaving Ibstone. Mr. and Mrs. Andrews had decided to get rid of the Jersey cows, which were my dad’s pride and joy, and replace them with pigs which, although we had some when we lived at Twigside for our own consumption, he didn't like working with.

Mum was really upset as she had friends at Ibstone and a lovely modern detached bungalow but, dad being dad, did his own thing and got a job on a farm near Thame in Oxfordshire and moved us all in to a much older, inner terrace house. This was a real come down for mum who was most unhappy with it.  I was about twelve when we moved, and I think the farm was at Scotsgrove. Excuse me (Barbara) butting in here, I just want to confirm the farm is at Scotsgrove. Terry and I visited in July 2014.

The house at Scotsgrove in the 50s - could that be mum in the doorway?

The same house in 2014, the only noticeable difference is the size of the hedge!

There was a large carthorse called Captain  who I was allowed to ride and as horses were my great love I started to relax. I took myself off on long rides at the weekend with no tack other than a rope halter. There were lovely bridle ways around Thame so summer was a joy; I used to ride down a track which ran outside the grounds owned by Sir Lawrence Olivier (the English actor) and his beautiful wife Vivian Leigh. I always thought I might see them one day, but no such luck.

In the winter the meadows opposite our house would flood and then freeze so we would all go ice-skating whenever we could. My sister, Barbara, remembers going out in the meadow before the water froze, with a little boat belong to my brother Tony.

I do remember it Sue. I don’t know how old I was, but I hadn’t started school – so not very old. Tony had a sailing yacht, and I thought it would be fun to float it on the flood waters. I crossed a road in front of the house and then walked a fair way down a track to the fields. It wasn't long before the water was over the top of my wellies but it didn’t deter me.  I must have been playing in the water for at least a couple of hours when I heard shouting and looking up, saw mum, dad and several other people heading towards me through the floods. It’s probably one of the only times I ever saw dad looking really cross!  By the time they found me, half the people in the village (including the local bobby) were out searching. I remember dad scooping me up onto his shoulders and carrying me back home through the floods – quite an adventure but one I didn't repeat!

By this time, life was a little better for mum as Thame was not far away and there were more shops, and she could get out easily by catching a bus at the stop opposite the house. I went to Aylesbury Grammar School and found it was much nicer going to a mixed school. My dad had been a prefect there in his school days and some of the older teachers remembered him, so I was made to feel very welcome and put into his old “house". Sport became my first love. I was in the school hurdles team and did quite well. I also sang in the school choir and because I was more relaxed, my academic work started to improve.

Thame High Street and Town Hall, 1957

My Auntie Babs and Uncle Fred lived in Aylesbury. They were competition ballroom dancers before retirement and my Auntie was also a pianist. They said I could have dance or piano lessons and I choose the piano. I used to go to them after school one day a week and I think I loved the tea more than the lessons. My aunt always served up small cucumber sandwiches and little home-made cakes on beautiful china and I was very impressed. I had a piano at home (it had been left me by a different aunt when we lived at Ibstone) so I thought it would be lovely to be able to use it properly. Of course, I could not practice as much as I should because living in a terraced house it upset all the neighbours!

Unfortunately my time at Aylesbury School didn't last long as within a year my dad had fallen out with his employer and we were on the move again. I think he had numerous interviews, but the one we children remember best was one for a job on the Isle of Wight. The journey across was awful with a really bad storm; I remember sitting up on the deck where I felt safest and chatting to a farmer who was taking sheep over to the island. When we got there we went in dad's car to what seemed the centre of the island to this most beautiful farm. The farmer and his family seemed very nice and friendly. They had dogs, horses, a tennis court and swimming pool – all the things that were quite impressive to us youngsters. The house that went with the job was a really large very old farmhouse and mum hated it – said that it reminded her of Twigside, and she was not going back to “the dark ages”. We were very disappointed, as I think was dad. On the way back to the ferry we stopped and picked some lovely white flowers – well we had never seen wild garlic before - the car smelt awful for days!!

Sue and Barbara on The Isle of Wight 

To be continued….