Aunt Bertha . . . Continued

Further down the left side of Cannon Lane, when walking to Auntie Bertha’s, JH gradually became tall enough to see a rectangular field on the other side of which she saw a long row of trees. And JH recollects seeing rabbits and, less often, hares bounding over the field. {Why are harebells called harebells?} On the right side of Cannon Lane were smaller meadows:– in to the meadow nearest the entrance to Highfield Lane - the Fair arrived each year. One day, JH’s father had to make a valiant effort to prevent JH falling off a horse on a roundabout, in other words, we nearly both fell off the same horse – as far as JH, who was then still rather tiny, can remember. Even at that young age, JH was upset at seeing some of the younger boys, whom she recognised, being reduced to tears in the boxing ring. But, then, everyone was allowed to crash into an opponent’s car in the dodgems! And Candyfloss and sticky apples were really enjoyed – even if fingers and faces remained sticky ‘till the end of the day.

Also . . . the Hipsey Family visited the Steam Fair held on a field in the Shottesbrooke Park Estate. Daddy’s long-time friend and customer, Mr Maidment, owned a superbly preserved steam engine which could be seen in all its splendour parked by their rural bungalow. JH actually asked Mrs Maidment . . if a small boy of about 6, was hers . . . as - to this little girl - it was rather strange that Duncan’s mother was so grey-haired. Of course . . . it was revealed, eventually, that Duncan was Mrs Maidment’s daughter’s child, and said daughter did not marry until many years later – to ‘someone else’. Mrs Hipsey imparted this information to her daughter – amongst many other bits of gossip about persons we had known in the past . . . and JH took it all ‘on board’ {so to speak} without exhibiting any surprise.

The family of landed gentry who owned Shottesbrooke Park had the ‘common’ surname of Smith! But class distinctions were apparent. The landed gentry have closed the footbridge at the end of Cherry Garden Lane which was a turning off the Bath Road at the west edge of Maidenhead thicket. A footbridge spanned the Great Western Railway – across which Daddy, JH, and Ann used to walk into the fields, after we had had cups of sweet tea, costing about 6d, in the café at the end of the Cherry Garden Lane. {AE}Can't remember tea in Cherry Garden Lane, but having lemonade at the Beehive Pub + Smiths crisps + blue and white twisted salt accomp, White Waltham Shottesbrooke Park was large and criss-crossed with public footpaths which could also be accessed via a stile on the west side of the cricket pitch, where JH’S parents watched the cricket, and JH had another delightful moment of wonder . . . and wandered around in the sunshine on her own, but was occasionally 'supervised' by Big Sister. On the meadows cowslips exhibited themselves amongst the cowpats: picking the cowslips was not prohibited, then, and a yellow abundance still remained even after small hands had gathered a small bunch. When somewhat older JH observed that Daddy did his utmost to avoid the grazing cattle – of whatever size, colour, or gender . . . these avoidance tactics where somewhat surprising, in view of the fact that Daddy had lived in his father’s agricultural worker’s cottage in the early 20th century . . . on the other hand, JH does recollect the father of one of her fellow nursing students being gored to death by a bull.

[1], JH’s Red Cross Officer, organised a visit to Shottesbrooke Park for a group of 9-year old girls: we all picked bunches of primroses to give to the patients in Maidenhead Hospital. JH had an understanding that each one of us could take home a bunch of primroses to give to our mothers . . . but this was not to be. Mrs Mylon asked ‘have you put all your primroses in this basket?’; JH had not; she had retained a small bunch in the old metal picnic tin (which JH still has) in which she had put the primroses as she picked them; another girl said ‘Jeanette hasn’t!’ – she probably said this because she, herself, would have liked to take a bunch home. JH did, of course look very miserable as she handed over the remaining bunch – and as she did so she saw Mrs Smith look sympathetically towards her, and be about to interject: I am sure Mrs Smith was very sad on our behalf, and that she also thought that we could each have a bunch of primroses to take home ourselves. Mummy was silent, when JH returned home without any primroses.

Mrs Mylon also arranged for some of the older girls to go on some sort of camping holiday . . .perhaps it was some sort of practice in setting up some sort of field kitchen. I can remember seeing my big sister off; all her companions clambered into the back of a truck which had its usual Business painted on the sides: JH still wonders if Mrs Mylon’s husband ran some sort of transport business – or that Mrs M had hired the truck from someone who used the truck for delivering coal! In any event, our mother was not pleased when Ann came home somewhat dirty, and very exhausted. Furthermore, JH remembers being told my her mother that ‘Ann always needed her sleep, at first she was so tired when she came home each day from school, that I had to put her to bed for an hour or so, because she was too tired to eat her tea!’ Then it was not possible to attend school for half-a-day to start with.

[1]Dear Jeanette,

Thank you for your reply.

I have consulted the Berkshire annual reports regarding the people you mention and found the following information in relation to Mrs Mylon:
  Berkshire Branch annual report 1950, report for Maidenhead and Cookham' Berks/30, Maidenhead
  'Mrs Mylon goes to the Old People's Home at Cannon Hill to visit.'

Berkshire Branch annual report 1953, report for Maidenhead and Cookham,Berks/7 Maidenhead
  'cadets had diminished in numbers, but with the kind assistance of Mrs Mylon, the Cadet Officer of Berks/30, the team again won the Benyon Cup for Boy cadets.'

Regards,
Emily Oldfield, Curator
British Red Cross Museum and Archives