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ProvidingNewsandViewsformorethan30yearsPage38ThequarterlymagazineispurchasableatJWalsh(Newsagents),LANGFORDCOTTAGE%u2013WATCHETLANEIwasrecentlyabletochatto Margaret and Alec Weddell to hear about their family history. Margaret%u2019s mother Flora Langston was born 1904 in London.Later in her life she worked at Springfields in Great Kingshill.There she metArthur who she got engaged to, his parents lived opposite Springfields.They married in 1923 at Cryer%u2019s Hill Baptist Church and had four children Eileen,Vera,JohnandMargaret. They rented a property in Watchet Lane.During the war Flora and Arthur had a houseful ofchildren, up to ten children, mostly families from London who had evacuated to the safety of Buckinghamshire.Arthur%u2019s work wastosellthevegetablesthathe had grown in the plot next door with extra vegetables bought from Aldridge%u2019s in Wycombe.He delivered to everyone in Holmer Green with his horse Nobby pulling the cart.Nobby was stabled down in the garden and his feed was supplemented by helping farmers at haymaking, to use during the winter months.The dung heap was added to the landtohelpgrowtheproducefor sale.Arthur helped at the British Legion and Flora was a founder member who helped organise dances for the troops stationed nearby.The Legion, where Arthur played dominos, had a drama group this all entertained the troops stationed at Penn Street and Cosy Corner.One Sunday morning. Margaret remembers her mum Flora being in the kitchen when there was a knockonthedoor.Aserviceman was asking for a drink, which she provided, then the whole platoon drove up and parked in the field opposite and she provided drinks for them all. When they left, they gave her supplies from the canteen truck as a thank you.Abrother ofAleclived atthe bottom of Howe Hill Lane and encouragedMargaretandAlecto get together.Alec lived in Southall, West London and regularly visited his brother.Whenheleftschool,hebecamea wood machinist at Beaver and Tapley, chair and furniture makers in Scotts Road where he worked all his life.Margaret worked as a copy typist.Many people at that time worked for Crown and Cork bottle makers.Many new people moved into the area for work.Margaret worked in the evenings at Scott%u2019s Emulsion Medical factory where theymadewhitemedicine.When Margaret%u2019s father, died in 1968, they moved to Holmer Green to look after Flora.Initially they wanted to build a home on the meadow,butitwasgreenbelt,so application was turned down, instead, they extended the cottage.Alec travelled to Southall in his Austin 7 for thirty years. There was not much traffic in those days he would drive via Denham.He leftat5.45ameach morning and every day he would visit a neighbour in Southall to checkshewasokbeforestarting his work.We chatted about different buildingsinHolmerGreen.Going down Watchet Lane towards Hazlemere were four terrace cottages near, to now, Heath Close Margaret would leave her bike there each day before catching a bus to Wycombe to work at J Rivett.In another house, with the curved windows, lived Elsie and Wilf Stevens of Steven%u2019s Garage fame.Stan Pearce lived next to Langford Cottage where he kept exotic water birds.Margaret says there was no electricity in Langford Cottage till she was eighteen.Water was fromthewellwhichwasalsoused as a larder, rainwater was collected from the roof.When Flora was alive, she had chickens and kept a pig shared with the Palmers of the Beech Tree pub (now a care home on the mini roundabouts).This was divided between the two families.Margaret has always been involved in the village and when I cametoHolmerGreenfortyorso years ago I was involved in scouting she was always fund raising.She got involved in 1968 when Mrs Payne asked her tohelp.They went around knocking ondoorstogetpeopleinterested. Sheranjumblesalesatthehutin Parish Piece and dances in the village hall.But I remember well the summer barn dances held in themeadownexttotheircottage forthescoutgroup.Itwasgreat fun with the campfire and hay bales to sit on.They are also Members of the V.P.A.association and helped with the catering duties.Overall,Margaretand Alecaretypicalmembers of oldHolmer Green whereeveryone knew everyone and looked out for them.Not the same any more as many organisations are struggling to recruit new members.In1950theymarriedinChristChurchHolmerGreen.SonextMarchtheycelebrateseventy-five years of marriage. Many congratulations to them.LindaMeatyard