DURING the Second World War, my parents, Frank and Ivy Pratley, and my three siblings lived in a large dwelling called Beara House (now Church Farm House) in Church Road, North Leigh. It stood next to the Harcourt Arms pub which has long since closed.

Dad worked on Field Farm, North Leigh, for a farmer called Sammy List and the house went with the job.

It had numerous rooms so my parents took in refugees, including the Hopes from London, the Hoskins’ family from Stoke Newington and two families from Poland.

The Polish refugees were Dr Korabisi (spelling uncertain) and his wife and Mrs Wagner and her two children, Christopher and Olgierd.

Memory Lane this week

Another man lodging there at the start of the war was Charles ‘Charley’ Dowson, who hailed from Yorkshire and worked on Webb’s Farm.

Charley stayed at Beara House for a time and was, by all accounts, very well thought of by my family. He eventually joined the Navy, apparently around the time of the Dunkirk evacuation (1940).

I enclose a copy of a picture (above) that he sent to my family showing him and his fellow sailors, possibly on a training ship. He is in the back row, second from the right. On the back is a handwritten message that training had finished and he was about to go on active service.

This was the only postcard Charley sent to my family and they never heard from him again.

I wonder if any other readers know what happened to Charley or can identify any others in the group.

TERRY PRATLEY
School Road
Finstock

 

Oxford Mail:

IN THE picture (above) of the Oxford speedway team in 1937 (Memory Lane, March 16 and April 6), the rider sitting on the sidecar outfit (No 1) is John Browne.
He lived in Carterton and was a very good friend of mine. He was a member of the MG Club and president of the Southern Centre Grasstrack Association.
MIKE KEEP
Milestone Road
Carterton

 

Oxford Mail:

I RECEIVED an email from Paul Bedford, former manager of Blackbird Leys swimming pool in Oxford, after my appeal for information about who painted the mural (Memory Lane, March 30).It was painted by children from a Blackbird Leys art group, who approached the pool management team for help with an art project.
Perhaps some readers can recall taking part in this project in the 1990s?
TERRY BREMBLE
Swimming teacher

 


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