Miscellany of Merriott Memories

by David Gibbs

MM_01 IntroductionAbout these documents

MM_02 My Place in the CountryA look around the village as it then was

MM_03 Country LivingWhat was it like to live in one of those quaint thatched cottages?

MM_04 Village Shops and ServicesMM_04 An overview of the village retail and other services

MM_05 Suffer Little ChildrenSunday School at the Methodist chapel in Lower Street

MM_06 At War With The EvacueesThe wartime evacuees and their impact on the lives of village children.

MM_07 Sunshine CornerChildren’s services held at the Elim Four Square chapel

MM_08 War Memorial MemoriesThoughts about the village men whose names feature on the a war memorial, plus memories of armistice parades

MM_09 Fin Fur FeatherThe sort of things country boys used to get up to

MM_10 Mr Chedzoy's OilboySaturday work as an ‘oil boy’ that provided pocket money

MM_11 Red DominoesA child’s view of the arrival and departure of the American GI’s

MM_12 Fathers ShedPotatoes, coal, bicycles and the odd rat

MM_13 Grammar SchoolSchool days: fit-togethers, knitting and the divisive 11+ examination

MM_14 Ging Gang GooleeMemories of burnt bread twists, smoky cocoa and the freedom of camping

MM_15 Salad Server DaysPost 11+ education for children denied secondary education. We made wooden salad servers and grew parsnips instead

MM_17 The Merriott MarathonLong before the London Marathon there was the Merriott Marathon, twice around the village

MM_19 Smelly ToiletsRecalling my first job working at Merriott Mouldings in the 1950s

MM_20 Gwen or SisA brief memory of Gwen and Sis, conductresses on the Safeway buses

MM_21 Step Or Two In The Right DirectionLearning to dance, stepping out in more ways than one

MM_22 Moving OnNew horizons, new experiences