As related to the British Legion recently

Now I come’s up from Harwell
I’ve been here since I was a lad
but I remember how things were
and the fun that we all had
Just boys and girls enjoying
in those summers so full of sun
No need for mobile phones or I pods
just days of endless fun

Kicking a football against the Tennis court fence
Climbing the wrong way up the slide
Getting told off by old Bungy Blissett
If we were too slow to hide
“Get on up the meada “ he used to shout
his arms waving about like a load of fresh eels
we’d all run so fast to the top of the rec
with his dog Tiger snapping at our heels

Running through Gordon Bosley’s orchards
Nicking strawberries and cherries off the trees
being chased by a speeding Land Rover
then tripping and scraping your knees
Trying to dam the Harwell Brook
Having cycle races round Orchard Way
Building go carts out of old boxes
and speeding in them down the Holloway

Playing football along the High Street
waiting for Bob Napper to open his shop
So we could deliver the papers
a £1 a week was all I got.
Now Bob didn’t have very good eyesight
and one morning when he was running so late
he drove right over Michael Dearlove’s pushbike
and crashed his car right into the gate.

No 4 x 4’s to take us to school
we’d all walk together down School Lane
There was no messing about in the classroom
or Bill Smith would give you the cane
Dick Pateman. Ann’s Elderfield and Young,
David Williams and Dennis Lay
Twins Yvonne and Sue Froud
who Dennis would marry one day
Ray Hinchliffe and Yvonne Doyle
who later would become man and wife
we were all friends together
and still remain later in life.

There were three butchers then in the village
Alan Bosley, Den Dudden were two
Baden Powell the other who sold out his business
to Joe Dearlove who took over his queue
Now there’s many a tale about Dearlove’s
And everyone has their own views
but one thing that was pretty certain, it’s where
you caught up with the latest village news.

Along with the butchers we had two grocery shops
a CO OP and a garage as well
a newsagents, a coal yard, an off licence
and a doctors if you didn’t feel very well
there was no need to go to Didcot
No need for a Giant Superstore
You could get it all in the village
But sadly that’s not the case anymore.

There were five pubs as well in the village
at the Chequers there was Harry Bill and Marge
they spent most of their time arguing
I never knew which one was in charge
In the Crown there Mrs Muriel Mulford
with customers like Larry and Glad
Ken King , Sandy Powell and Georgie Mac
we miss them all ….. so sad.

The White Hart was run by Ken Rodgers
The Crispin by Mervyn and Jean
it became popular to the younger brigade
and the home of the football team
The Kicking Donkey had Alf Gerring
a local in the true sense of the name
and the Legion had its home in a mission hut
perched on a bank down Kings Lane.

Now there’s many a tale about that Legion hut
the dodgy electrics and the toilets outside
where the brambles grew through in the summer
and tickled you up the backside.
The two Cyrils of Balderstone and Hambridge
Rob Campbell , Douggie Belcher and Tom Hart
Jock Cowie, Steve Prior all names from that time
But they all had the Legion at heart.

But time stands still for no man
The village has changed no doubt
but I’m not sure it’s all for the better
some of it we can do without
It’s all in the name of progress
that’s what we always get told
But I sometimes wish we could all return
To those happier days of old.

Charlie East, 2010

This item was published in the Harwell News, Edition 162, June 2010.

Many thanks to Charlie for permission to publish it here.