Mr Bill Farley

Bill came to Wood Street in 1929 as a 3-month-old. They lived at 48 Oak Hill “ Oaklawn”. From 1929 to 1986.  The price of the house in 1929 was £550.   House believed to have been built in 1926 by a Mr Frederick Mercer. He worked at Drummonds from 1943 to when it closed in 1980.

He remembers the little Blue Bus driven by Tom Denton, who lived on the Green.  He also recalls the RAF aircraft that crashed near the railway line in about 1935.

Ray Farley b 1944.

Ray was the Wood Street Village postman for 27 years.  He retired in 2009 and was presented with an engraved plaque by the then High Sheriff of Surrey, Lizzy Toulson at a special presentation at the Oak Hill Post Office.

 

Bill Faithfull.

Bill came to Wood Street in 1941 & lived at ‘Rosemary’ just off the Village Green.  He worked at Vokes for 50 years.

 

Mrs Iris Murdock nee Finbow.

She came to Wood Street in 1938 and lived at 38 Oak Hill called “Siwah”, newly built.  She went to the village school from 1943 to 1950.   Her father, Edward E Finbow  A.M.Inst.B.E together with HF Greensted had an electrical supply & service shop at OakHill Stores, Wood Street, around 1940s.  It was a grocer’s store and now is the village post office.

 

Walter Henry Fisher

Moved to Wood Street in 1940, aged 36. They started a market garden at Righttime Nurseries, 22 Frog Grove lane.   He became an ARP warden at the beginning of WW2. ARP wardens were volunteers in part of a wider organisation known as Air Raid Precautions (ARP). Its remit was to protect and support civilians in WW2 air raids. A Mr Morris was Head ARP Warden.

The ARP depot was the studio at the Forge of Mr Crossly Cooke, returned to him after the war.

He along with Alf Phillips organised the reopening of the Village Horticultural Society, that had been dormant during the war years.  He helped organise the annual village show that grew into a major event.  In the 1950s he was elected Parish Councillor.  He undertook to open all the village & parish footpaths after they had been closed during the war years.  Much of the common had been ploughed up for growing food & the footpaths removed.

 

David Fisher

Lived in the village 1940 to 1959.  He came when he was about 8 years old.   He was heavily associated with St Alban’s church from Sunday School to Chorister.  He was responsible for ensuring the church clock kept regular time, winding it once a week.  The clock was removed when the old asbestos clad church was demolished and was due to be reinstated, but it never was.  ( Believed to be outside the house in Worplesdon Road where the clock smith used to be ).

He recalls helping Bill Austin make the side shows for the village shows. He recalls that several bombs and incendiary devices fell on Wood Street during the war. One of his school friends was killed picking up one of these.  He remembers Rev Langdon, the vicar at St Albans from about 1942 to 1945.   The Boys Club at St. Albans started as the Boys Brigade by Rev Wynne Jones and later disbanded by Rev Wilson who changed it to a church youth club.

He recalls Alf Phillips, who worked at Dennis where they made tanks for the Army.  Alf also made wooden toys for deprived children & gave a lot of time to village activities. He made side shows with Bill Austin, Gerry Edmonds.

The stream behind the school was dammed up in the 1930s by the school headmaster to make the pond, with its own diving board.  It was used by the school children before the war for swimming lessons.

He witnessed the air crash in c1953 between an RAF and USAF during a training dog fight. . He saw the Sabre jet fighter coming vertically to the ground over Pinks Hill direction. Several RAF Meteors & Vampire jets flew over & over to position the crash.  He went on his bike to see.  There was an enormous crater that the USAF repaired. & rebuilt the damaged track.

Mr Tony Forward.

After 30 years as a Surrey Policeman, he retired in 1987.  His new role was a Toastmaster, in 2000, being awarded Fellow of the National Association of Toastmasters after becoming an associate & then a full member.   He won a national humorous after-dinner speaking competition & has performed speeches worldwide.  +photo.

 

 

Mr & Mrs Frapwell

The Frapwells lived at Frog Grove House from 1923.  He worked in the stock exchange in the City. The Frapwells had two cars at the time – a Rover and a Buick.  In 1935/6 he paid for land drains to be installed in the village green by local volunteers.  + photo Mr & Mrs Frapwell & dog.

 

 

 

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