Guestbook Comments 2011

Please add your own comments (click here) to this guestbook - maybe you have some memories of Eton Wick to share?

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You can read the Guestbook comment by year here

2011

24th November, 2011

Robin Lockhart

Wheatbutts Cottage

My father John Lockhart, known in the village as Jock lived in Wheatbutts around 1936-1938 when he was batman {army servant} to a Captain Douglas 2nd Battalion Scots Guards who was billeted there. He met and married my mother Grace Harman and spent the rest of his life in the village. He worked as a carpenter for Jimmy Ireland until he retired at 65yrs. He frequented the Shepherds Hut and Greyhound pubs until he died in 1995 aged 88yrs. There is a brass plaque in his memory on the wall in the Greyhound stating " Jock Lockhart a Gentleman ".

23rd November 2011

Edna McDilda

Neville Reginald Howse

I have deep roots in the Howse family born in Eton, Chalvey. I've just found Neville R Howse born in Somerset. He won the Victoria Cross in the Boer War. He was a surgeon. I've been told that he met my relatives in Australia, Neville went there in 1899. I'm told he is cousin to a Jesse Howse born 1872 in Datchet Bucks. Can anyone help with pertinent info to confirm or deny his relativity to me?

If you can help Edna with this enquiry, please send a message using the link at the top of the page and we will forward it to her.

16 November, 2011

Peter Stanley

War Memorials

Have anyone seen Herbert and Frank Hawkins on any memorial in the area. They are the sons of Thomas and Sarah Hawkins of Pigeon House farm (Dorney) according to C.W.G.C site. They are related to George Hawkins of Blacksmith/Pigeon House farm via one of his brothers.
If you can help Peter with this enquiry, please send a message using the link at the top of the page and we will forward it to him.

25th October, 2011

Peter Stanley

More family history

A family will in 1794 has given us some new names to follow who are connected to Webbs and Seddings of Dorney/Boveney. I wonder if anyone has connections. The names are Chitty, Dell, Windsor, Buckland, Grantham. The family may have been connected to the chairmaking industry.

If you can help Peter with his family history connections, please send a message using the link at the top of the page and we will forward it to him.

4th October, 2011

Robin Vincent

Eton Wick School 1963 to 1969

I just came across this site, and wanted to add to the comments already posted. I remember two people who have posted so far, Martin Deebank and James Moss from my happy days at the school between 1963 and 1969. I share Martin's memory of the 10 yard swimming certificate under Mr Nash and it seemed like swimming a mile in those days! I played goalkeeper in the football team, and James Moss was No 6 centre forward as I recall? I particularly remember our game against the Lee school in Slough where we played really well but still lost! (they were No 1 in the league after all)...

Some of the names here are familiar and I often wonder what happened to some others from my class, namely Steven Cole, Beverly Ross (living in Suffolk I believe), Angela Goldswain, Heather Talbot, Gillian Bowyer and many others, so would like to hear if anyone knows of them.

I lived in Broken Furlong throughout my time at the school and subsequently in Eton Wick in the late 1970s, now living in East Sussex as well as spending a lot of time at our house in France with my wife Mary.

My father Arthur Vincent sadly died on December 8th 2002, and I often visit his grave in the church yard next to the school in Eton Wick. Mum Florrie, is still alive aged 89 and lives near Abingdon where I see her when in the area.

Anyway, would love to re-live some old memories with anyone who remembers me and please get in touch if you do.

If you would like to contact Robin, please use the link at the top of the page to send an email, and we will forward it to him.

29th September, 2011

Sharon Paice

Sharon Paice

Hiya all ive just come across this website an omg does bring back alot of memories,, im the daughter of Jennifer Paice an grandaughter of Betty Paice sadly both passed now. i used to live opposite the sheppards hut then moved down to sheepcote road which my brother Peter still lives.i moved to burnham many years ago but remembering the old times at the wick is so great such a perfect place to bring up children seing all the names on the website an remembering alot of them more by name well if anyone has any pics that they could share with any members of my family ide love to hear from you im so glad this website has been put together :)thank you

14th September, 2011

Hazel Tester (Knightsbridge)

Awakened memories

I am amazed at the things I have read. The Wheatbutts, well, my mother worked there in the 1950's and I well remember an American couple living there in fact I received a dress from them when they returned to the States and I was about 8 years old then.

My daughter recently showed me the book of the history of Eton Wick and Eton, in it I found a photo of my father dressed as Aladin with my sister at the front as some kind of flower! there is also a photo of my great Aunt Mrs P. Dobson so as you can imagine its rather taken me by surprise.

14th August, 2011

Bill Paradise

Evacuee in Eton Wick 1940-46

Just came across this this website which I find most interesting.

I was evacuated from London to Eton Wick in 1940 and first stayed with Mr and Mrs Parrot in Sheepcote Road,later moving to the Jillians family in The Walk with whom I spent most of the war years. They were very kind to me. I am still in touch with their elder daughter, Ellen.

I have so many great memories of my time in the village-being sent to Chantler's shop at the top of The Walk for groceries, my best friend Johnny Bond, Mrs Newall from The Greyhound saving beer bottle tops for us to float in the stream down on the Common pretending they were racehorses, Pass's pigs at the back of the house and helping to milk cows on one of the farms on the other side of The Common.

I remember being in the class of Mrs Miles and then Miss Rooke at the village school before my parents moved to temporary accommodation in Eton which was on the first floor of an old pub, The Cricketers, at the back of Eton High Street, overlooking The Brocas. I spent a year or two at Eton Porny school where Mr Hardy was the Head and making good friends with Michael Knight and Brian Clinch whose parents had the baker's shop in the high street. The floods of 1947 are indelibly imprinted on my memory as the school was closed for three weeks which we all thought was marvellous!

So many wonderful memories, I could write pages but will not for fear of boring readers of this website. I would be very interested to hear from anyone who has recollections of me or my parents during our time in Eton Wick and Eton. I now live in Chalfont St. Peter.

If you would like to get in touch with Bill, send a message to the website and we will forward it to her.

12th August, 2011

Revd Peter Jacobs

Jacobs family history research

I am interested in Jacobs' Family prior to 1800s. can you help at all?

If anyone can help Peter with his family history, please get in touch using the link at the top of this page and we will forward your message to him.

26 July, 2011

Peter Stanley

Can anyone help?

As my family tree grows it seems that we are fully rooted in the Eton / Burnham / Dorney area and it seems we are linked to blacksmiths and farming primarily. This weekend we have found prove via wills that we are linked to Richard Sedding and Thomas and Mary Webb. I wonder if anyone has info on any of these families. Possible connection to the Neighbour family too.

If anyone can help Peter with his family history, please get in touch using the link at the top of this page and we will forward your message to him.

21st July, 2011

Richard Proctor

Dennis Swain

Elsewhere on the website there is a picture of the Eton Wick church choir in the late 1940s

Richard Proctor would like to find out if there is any link between the Dennis Swain pictured there, and a Dennis Swain listed in his grandmother's birthday book, whose birthday was on 30 March.

Richard's grandmother was Laura Proctor (nee Williams) 1872- 1936, who went out to South Africa in about 1900 from the Birmingham area.

If anyone has any information which would show whether Dennis Swain in Eton Wick church choir had any connection with Laura Proctor in South Africa, please get in touch and we will forward your message to Richard Proctor.

12th July, 2011

Helen Robson

Robson/Eton Porny

Hi and G'Day. I am travelling to Eton September to December 2011 and would love to catch up with anyone from my old schools Eton Porny 1965/66 & Dorney Reach school prior to that.

I grew up in HARCOURT ROAD Dorney Reach. Would particularly like to contact Chantler & Woodham families and Malcolm Ward my first love (age 11). Dad was Alex Robson, Mum Greta Robson (nee Charleton). They met at Eton Wick Youth Club. Grandad Dennis Spike Robson played dominoes at pub. Grandmother Hannabel Robson. I have a lovely Aunt Nancy and Uncle Alf Wiltshire & would love to meet cousins. Dad was youth club leader Eton Wick 1949 . I had an Uncle Dennis & Aunty Lynne and they had 2 sons who I would love to meet also. Did meet angel Frank Bond in 2009 and he was sensational. Please can someone contact me & make magic happen. Happy to buy cuppas in exchange for chat. Helen ROBSON Australia

If you would like to get in touch with Helen, send a message to the website and we will forward it to her.

10 June 2011

Debie Walker (nee Cook)

Eton Wick memories

I have just found your website - how wonderful - and have spent time paging through information instead of cooking tea! I lived in Eton Wick from 1973 - 1979 on EWR. My paternal family (Bond)came from Eton Wick and still have a strong presence. Frank Bond is a 'Great' Uncle of mine - followng in my great grandfathers footsteps of Fruit & Veg. Laterly run by my Uncles Tom & Bob Bond. My grandmother Ivy Bond, married Leonard Cook and subsequently my father (Barry) had hs own wholesale Fruit & Veg business with hs cousin Bran Maynard (Cook & Maynard).

I attended Eton Wick Youth Club for many years and have a photo of Frank presenting our Certificates for the Boys 5 a side football team and girls netball.

I read with interest the article on the great floods and was particularly interested in Mad Jack, who was my maternal grandfather. Sadly Mad Jack died 6 years ago - but he so often told the story of the Dorney common flood. He also enjoyed telling the story of how he used to walk across the common in front of the bus with a lamp when the fog came down.

16 April, 2011

Jennifer Harmer

Stephen Taffler

Hello,

I am the Hardy Plant Society’s Historian and am researching the early life of Stephen Taffler for a memorial lecture. Steve was a great plantsman. There is a reference on your on your very interesting website to his father’s shop – Taffler’s Antiques in Eton High Street – and I wondered if there are any photos showing the shop or do you have any other information about it. Any small crumbs that you have would be very much appreciated.

If you can help with Jennifer's enquiry, please get in touch using the link at the top of the page.

14th April, 2011

Athene Tarrant

Tarrant Family

Hello,

We are a branch of the Tarrant family in the United States. My husband is Bryan William Tarrant, son of Robert Valentine Tarrant and May Peck. We have four children, Sophie, Tamara, Alexander and Natasha, and Bryan and I are currently living in China where Bryan is working on hotels. Since the recession of 2008 there is no work in the US for his profession.

Thanks to Monica Peck we have found this website which is bringing back many memories to Bryan! I am working on the family tree, so if anyone has any information please let us know!

Best regards to all, Athene Tarrant

If you have any information for Athene, please get in touch using the link at the top of this page and we will forward your message.


13th April, 2011

Michael Palmer

Amerden House, Taplow

Hello, just found this web site and was wondering if anyone can help us, we are looking into our family history and wondered if anyone could recollect a caravan fire at Amerden Priory Caravan Site in February 1954 of which a 9 month old baby sadly perished in this terrible accident. We have been down to the existing caravan site and enquired but this has changed hands, which we expected. In the death record we have it names Amerden Priory but our question is would this existing caravan site be on the same site as the one of 1954 or has it been relocated due to the motorway.

We would also like to find old newspaper information regarding this. Can anyone point us in the right direction as we live in Derbyshire and find it difficult to research from here. Also, was there a chocolate factory in the Taplow, Windsor area in the 1950s. Any information would be greatly appreciated. We hope to come back to visit the area once we have gained a little more information. I myself was born at Old Windsor in 1952 and lived at Datchet on a caravan site up until the age of 6/7 years of age but when we came back last time I was surprised to see the particular site was under 20ft of water! (Queen Mother's Resevoir). Could anyone point us in the right direction to obtain a Ordnance Survey Map for 1953/54 for the area covering Marsh Lane, Dorney Reach, Eton Wick, area. Thank you for reading this letter.

If you can help with Michael's enquiries, please get in touch using the link at the top of this page and we will forward your information to him.

6th March, 2011

Phil Reader

Kathleen Triplet

First a Hi to Sally Kramer I remember you and your family well.

My Gran died recently Kathleen Triplet aged 101 originally from Donegal where they have printed an obituary in the Donegal paper which mentions her living in Eton Wick. We moved into the village Princes Close when they were first built late Fifty's. My gran lived with us and then had her own place nest to the school so lived in the village best part 50 years. See link to obituary. I lived in the village for 30 years and will have to put down some memories some time later.

6th March, 2011

Arthur Mylam (Dick)

Co-op Shop Alma Rd

My cousin Mr Paintin worked in the shop he still lives in Eton Wick

2nd March, 2011

Sally Dodd (nee Kreamer)

Alma Rd Co-op

My family moved to the village in Oct 1964, we (Peter, Pamela,Sally and Beverley) lived at the end of Bell Lane. The co op was open at that time and was close to a small factory, I think the shop closed soon after we moved in. I lived in the village until I was 18 when I went to teacher training college in south Wales.I now live in Nottingham and my mother, sister and her husband (Mark Hall) live in New Zealand.

1st March, 2011

Sue Lincoln

Alma Road Co-op

I was wondering if anyone can remember when the co-op store in Alma Road was converted to a bookmakers?

Sue later got in touch to say that the National Co-operative Archive had searched through their directories and found that a store first existed in 3 & 4 Melbourne Place, Alma Road in 1900. From 1905 it was listed as 23 & 25 Alma Road and continued up until sometime in 1965.

15th January, 2011

Peter Stanley

Tarrant Family

I am related to this family by Julia ( Tarrant ) who was married to James. Julie was the daughter of George Hawkins, blacksmith of Dorney and Boveney who died living with Julia and James (I have a copy of ther will) Julia is my great grandmothers sister. I was very happy to see a report by Monica Peck? And would love to get into a conservation with any living relative of either family.


If any of the Tarrant family would like to contact Peter Stanley, please get in touch using the email link at the top of the page, and we will forward your message.