This and
associated pages are hosted by the staffshomeguard
website (whose subject is the Home Guard of Great
Britain, 1940-44). They bring together various
memories, all recalled by the author in old age, of a childhood in
Streetly, Staffordshire (as it was then
called) and life in it during the period 1936-1961;
and of holidays in
Devon
during the same period..
FROM
FROGMORE TO KEYNEDON - Summer
1937
Imagine, if you will, that you
are being driven down the hill through
Frogmore. You're in the family Ford and your
big brother is in the front seat, standing
up, head out of the sunshine roof and
holding Dad's cine camera and getting ready.
I have to imagine it as well, because I'm
too young to remember it later, even though
I'm there.
It's summer 1937.
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At
the bottom of the hill there is a turning to
the left, towards Sherford. There is a signpost
to show you the way, not that we need it.
And also how to get to Torcross and
Dartmouth.
The turning is a very
sharp one. It's been like that for ever. But
in five or six years it will change, widened,
improved, suitable for the huge, six-wheeled
army trucks which need to use it and it'll
be the Americans who will have made it
happen. |
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Into the narrow lane.
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And onward, past hedges and trees and gates and
open farmland. There is no traffic apart
from us. |
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On the next bend,
in the distance, there's a figure by the roadside
.
It's a lady in a
straw hat. She's sitting there as we
approach. There must be a bench, by
the telegraph pole. After all, it's
quite a walk to Frogmore from Sherford or
one of the outlying cottages or farms.
Is she looking at
us as we approach? But there is no
wave of recognition and so she doesn't know
the car ..... |
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| Buildings start to
appear on the left-hand side of the lane. |
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We pass them and
the lane carries on. And on.
Then
more buildings. We are nearing our
destination.
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There is a track down to
the left, even though we can't see it.
At the
bottom of it is a set of buildings, a farm.
They call it Heath's Farm. It will be quiet,
because it always is. You never see anyone
around. I've never been down there and never
will. It always looks a bit gloomy and
forbidding.
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And then, ahead, just
past the track and a little bit further on,
we can see another farmhouse. It's Keynedon
Mill. It's where we are going.
There
are farm buildings on each side of the lane
and then the house beyond them. Closer and closer we get
as we slow down .....
And
then we stop because that's where the car
stays when we're not using it. The lane
curls around the side of the house and
on up the hill, inviting us to carry
on to Sherford. But not for us.
Or
not today, anyway.
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There's no one at
the gate.
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But
then Mrs. Cumming, our hostess, appears in
order to greet us.
Have we been out for
the day?
Or is it the end of a
hot, day-long journey from our bit of
Staffordshire on the far side of Birmingham,
through the centre of every city, town and
village on the way, from Birmingham to
Kingsbridge and East Charleton and Frogmore?
And the very start of our holiday?
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When we are settled in, my mother
looks at us from an upstairs window.
As, from the gate, does my brother, the
cameraman, who has left us this memory of
driving from Frogmore to Keynedon on a sunny
summer's day, 87 years ago.
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Some
other time,
I'll probably tell you a bit more about the
house, the family who live there and our visits
to it.
(Meanwhile. Google StreetView, eat your
heart out! You weren't the first to drive from
Frogmore to Keynedon and create a record of the
journey...... But if anyone is
disappointed with the dreadful quality of
the images and wonder whether they are even
worth a glance - as does the webmaster - please remember Dr.
Johnson's words: "(it is) like a dog's
walking on his hind legs. It is not done
well; but you are surprised to find it done
at all.") |
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INDEX
Home Guard of
Great Britain website 1940-44 |
 |
INDEX
Streetly and Family
Memories
1936-61
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INDEX
Devon Memories
1936-61
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L9DDevonMemoriesLane, September
2024.
Text and images
© The
Myers Family 2024
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