Reminiscences of My Life in Helmdon

an article by Cec Harrold

Cec at the barbie at the Fellowship summer garden party in July 2010 in the
Harrold’s garden.

We arrived in Bell Close, Helmdon in May 1995 to discover much to our horror that the builder’s handyman was still putting the finishing touches to many parts of the house!! My introduction to life in the village was clearing out the garage so that we had somewhere to store our goods and chattels until we could actually move in!!

Occupation of our new home did have its compensation in some respects. Our previous neighbours in Bucks had kindly given us a hamper full of goodies as a farewell gift, and that, plus medicinal water, helped very much to soften the blow!!

First Helmdon Resident
The following morning, having roughly made some order, we discovered that despite our “meticulous planning”, we had everything for breakfast except BREAD!! Undaunted, having seen a sign “Bungalow Stores” in Station Road, I made my way there, only to discover it was Closed. However, I knocked on the door and to my surprise and delight, it was opened by the owner and proprietor Harold Seckington. I explained my situation and his response was “Welcome to the village, if ever you need anything ,always come and ask “. Needless to say we used the store many time and I struck up a friendship with him which was very close and we often, in his later years, would watch, talk and exchange tips on horse racing! Harold was of the opinion that, if the Grand National could not be run at Aintree, it should be run at Towcester Racecourse because if had a very demanding uphill finish. (Sadly, Towcester has now closed.)

That incident was the first of very many that typified the “heart” of the village and convinced us that we had “done the right thing”.

Cec and Jan with

Wilf Forgham (right)
on a WEA outing

to Kew, 2003.

My house borders Bell Fields, and at the time of moving in was only separated by a very low stone wall which created a problem. Sheep could easily scramble over it, and horses, most certainly could, and did, make a meal of anything planted!! I went to see the farmer, Ben Humphrey, who ran the sheep and also owned the Hunters that grazed there. Much to my surprise and relief it turned out that he knew another sheep farmer in E. Sussex who turned out to be the husband of my cousin!!! Explaining my wishes re fencing, etc, his comment was “Do what you want, you break it you pay for it!”. Needless to say, another friendship was formed.

Ben was also a member of the Grafton Hunt. During one meet the hounds got completely out of control and poured into Bell Fields and then over my 6 foot fence into the garden and then into Church Street – and away – oblivious of anyone or anything. At that time our Collie and Siamese were both snoozing on the patio, but very very fortunately the hounds had other ideas. Following that incident I believe a few words were exchanged between the Chair of the Parish Council (Terry Glassett) and the MFH of the Grafton !!!

Cec at a WEA class 2004

flanked by Jenny Overson (left)

and Judy Cairns (right)

Betty Acton was the second Helmdon resident we met, Our first Sunday morning and a knock at the door. There was Betty with her Red Cross Collection box. “Oh lovely to see you “. I saw lights on your house for the first time and I thought, “how nice it is that it is now occupied”. Betty was another great character who lived in a small cottage on the Wappenham Road and amongst its many features was a LIFT which was “State of the ARK!!”. Betty was a very convivial lady and given to holding many social events despite her limited accommodation. Ross Vicars and I were many times asked to “serve” the drinks. We HAD to be fully booted and spurred. Dinner jacket and bow tie an absolute necessity!!!

Shortly after moving to Helmdon … the spectre of a re-opened Great Central Railway raised its head. I was given the task of interviewing village people (of whom I had no knowledge whatsoever!!) to ascertain their views on the proposal! It was on that occasion that I had the unexpected pleasure of meeting someone I had only “known” in a photograph !”, Reg Bachelor, a handy man. His photograph appears on p.255 of the publication “ONE DAY FOR LIFE”, a book commissioned by the Duchess of York to raise funds for Cancer Charities. From that first meeting, we became firm friends. He was a mine of information regarding village life/politics which I found extremely useful in future situations!!

Although my 2 acre plot is designated “Agricultural”, I cannot have horses !!! So, we decided to go “ aux naturelle”, and put hedge plants (over 300) around the boundaries and plant a mix of indigenous trees and shrubs, and, to attract wildlife we decided to enlarge our dew pond. To achieve that, we enlisted the help of farmer Geoff Gulliver, the well known raconteur of agricultural anecdotes. About two years later, we entered the village Wild Garden Competition and achieved second place!

The Churchyard
An appeal for volunteers to help with clearing away decades of overgrowth in the churchyard gave me an opportunity to be a volunteer and also to try out my recently acquired Strimmer. After two hours of what, to be honest, was pretty hard graft, I was very pleased to discover, approx. three feet S.West of the Northern boundary two commemorative stones, the existence of which had not been known in present times.

The Parish Council
It occurred to us that one way of finding about the village would be to attend Parish Council meetings. I duly went along and found myself the sole member of the parish actually attending! To be perfectly honest my first impression compared the meeting to an audition for “The Vicar of Dibley”!! However, I persevered despite being the sole parish member to attend over a full year!! At one meeting, still being the sole parish member, a vacancy occurred and I was invited to exchange my solitude to become a member of the Parish Council! I was pleased to serve for five years.

My late wife, Jan, and I became involved in the pantomime productions, Jan generally working with Sue Wallace on costumes, and myself working with Willy Watson, a farmer, on backdrop presentations. The backdrops were generally laid out on the floor of one of Willy’s grain barns kneeling on the hard cold floors and painting was quite a chore despite Will’s best efforts at providing some heating. However, the “reward” was seeing your efforts as the backdrop of the pantomime on the opening night.

Friends of the Church
I served as Treasurer for a number of years and was involved in many fund raising events …Two in particular stand out Wine Tasting, held at The Old Rectory (now Helmdon House) – Alex Corrin was the only person to correctly identify all the wines. Auction of Donated furniture, garden tools,fish tanks etc., etc. Auctioneer Mervyn Humphry. Vanessa Vicars, David Powell and myself were running the procedures, etc. Before the auction started, Jean Urban breathlessly came in with a rather sad looking marquetry table – “Was told it is Georgian, don’t think so” and off she went. Just after, a dealer came straight to the table and said “I will not be at the auction on time but I will bid £50 for it”. A rather intense discussion took place between us three as to the “morality” of a £50 bid. Finally, it was agreed that we would bid up to £50, each bidding in steps of £10, when I raised the bid to £40, Vanessa then bid £50 – sold !! There was a round of applause from all with the exception of Ross Vicars. He was not in on our plot and believed that Vanessa had bought the table!!! His face was a picture!! The dealer duly paid the £50!

Cec (third from right) at an ICT course, 2001, with tutor Danny Moody.

Helmdon Primary School
Having chaired an ABPI Committee on Education for a number of years and also at one time, very involved with schools and colleges, it seemed logical to become involved with the school at some point. I served on the Governing Body for 14 yrs., 12 of them as Chair. That period was very rewarding and I had the opportunity also to deliver to Yr6 courses on various aspects of commercial activities. There really were, and no doubt are now, some very very bright pupils. On the sporting side, I was asked to coach cricket during the lunch breaks – no problem (at one time I played three/five times a week). It was gratifying that the Helmdon team came second in their first competition.

The Helmdon Ball
Held in the grounds of Helmdon School – always a splendid occasion and my wife and I would attend whenever possible. The main fund raising event was always an Auction of promises, entrances to various functions, sport, etc. One year the main”promise” was a helicopter flight for two, sponsored by Robert Alfandary. Both of us being keen on aviation, I entered the bidding and unfortunately got pipped at the post ! ” Never mind w” was my muted reaction….. The Sunday morning after the ball, Peter Finch, one of the event organisers called. He said “ Good Morning, I have come to collect the money for the helicopter flight”. It transpired that the top bidder has reneged on the deal!! Our very good luck!! We went to Robert’s business premises and there was the helicopter in all it’s glory! After introductions, we discovered that the pilot was a very, very experienced chap and one of the UK’s top aerobatic display pilots! The flight took off and the pilot said “Where do you want to go? I do know this area”. Jan, being an excellent navigator and map reader said “I will show you where to go!!”. “OK”, he said, and off we went. We “buzzed” Easton Neston, then (still) Lord Hesketh’s pad , Towcester Racecourse, Stowe School, NT Stowe and the outskirts of Buckingham, then spent an hilarious 20 minutes “buzzing” Helmdon before returning to Robert’s where the pilot gave his swan-song, various “wheelies” and “fence-sitting”!! All in all , a fantastic experience! The Millennium Whist still on the Parish Council, I was given the task of finding out what the village would find appropriate to mark the occasion Simple? No way, and finally a commemorative mug was selected. It featured The Viaduct and St Mary Magdalene Church (illustration, Will Watson). Also at that time, the Church Commissioners approached me, as Treasurer of The Friends of the Church, to offer a sum of up to £10k for the PCC to commemorate the occasion. Very sadly, the Commissioners had to withdraw the offer because the PCC had not been able to offer a viable project.

First page of the dedication document.
Helmdon War Memorial and the enigmatic Bishop of Leicester
In June 2014, I was part of a group from Helmdon WEA researching the names on the Village War Memorial with a view to publishing the research. It was fascinating and also humbling! I was privileged to be able to hold and read a letter dated September 1916 from a soldier to his parents. He died 4 November 1916, aged 19! During our research we discovered (courtesy of Terry Glassett), a copy of a document “DEDICATION of WAR MEMORIAL CROSS”, a ceremony conducted by the then LORD BISHOP OF LEICESTER. It did not include the Bishop’s name. The document named the printer, J. Smart & Co. Typo. Brackley, but had no date. I managed to track down a fellow who had worked there but unfortunately he told me that when the firm closed; the “secretary” took all paper-work with her. Also, we still did not know the name of the Lord Bishop. However, the production of a printed record went ahead and was made available in November 2014. On an assumption that the Memorial was erected 1921/22, I started extending my research. I started with the then Bishop of Leicester, my letter to him at The House of Lords was not answered! A letter to the The first page of the dedication document “Four Shires” magazine following their article on the origins/dates of War Memorials drew a blank! A request to the Director of Communications, Diocese of Leicester did not help very much. I continued my enquiries as and when I had spare moments. Finally, I struck gold! November 2016 I contacted the then Chaplain to the Bishop of Leicester, The Rev’d Adrian Jones. He sent me an extremely detailed reply. In 1921-22 The Suffragan Bishop of Leicester was NORMAN MacLEOD LANG . I sent the Rev’d Adrian Jones a copy of the Dedication document.

A Mix of Memories
Writing these reminiscences has triggered all sorts of memories about my life in Helmdon and the little events that have happened along the way. Here are a collection of memories that have popped into my mind:

Walking along Church Street to Manor Farm to a summer Fete, I met a very pleasant gentleman, farmer Jim Watson, and he wanted to pass the time of day. He talked about his roses and invited me to College Farm to view them. Then he pointed to a house on the other side of the road from where we were standing, the Old Bakehouse. “I was born there”, he proudly stated.

During one of the village “surveys/research” projects I was involved in I met Nora Nicholls, who lived in Bridge House, and was a mine of local knowledge. During the course of our chat she mentioned that it had been a habit of hers to retain all receipts on “butcher’s spikes” which she kept in an out-house. I was amazed at what I saw, an almost complete receipt-trail of her life!

Enjoying the pleasure on Will Watson’s face when he took delivery at The Old Glebe of an £80k Steinway! Equally enjoying his playing at many musical evenings when he would also introduce “up and coming” musicians. Will’s party piece would be to take, say, a piano score from Mozart, and then play it in the style of Grieg, then Chopin, then Brahms. He was a very accomplished musician!

Poignant flash-back. 2015 WEA course “Shakespeare’s England – Behind Closed Doors”. Elaine Rawlinson dedicated her presentation of this course to my wife Jan as the course was the result of discussions between them.

Air Raids! Being quite near to the airfields at Turweston, Sywell and Hinton in the Hedges, it was almost a daily experience to get low flying aircraft buzzing over you. On one occasion one pilot took that to the extreme and “buzzed” me for a full hour!!! Having already noted the aircraft’s registration number I contacted The Civil Aviation Authority to register a complaint. To my surprise I was told that within a five mile radius pilots do NOT have to advise the CAA! However I was given the details of the registered owner and took the matter up myself.

The Mercedes site in Brackley is built on what was one of the grazing fields belonging to farmer Jim Watson.

Kissing gate (no romance, hard work!)

Not quite sure how I got involved, probably due to my neighbour at the time, Iain Kinghorn. However, 1995, early 1996, I found myself in company with Iain and Terry Glassett, carrying out repairs to the kissing gates between Church Street and Bell fields and Bell Fields and Wicket. The hard labour was made acceptable by the endless supply of tea and cakes provided by Lesley Kinghorn and my wife Jan.

Sheep and Dogs

At one time, sheep in Bell Fields were constantly being worried by dogs not on leads. On one occasion, a young lad let his dog off the lead and all hell broke loose amongst the flock. I went into the filed to endeavour to catch the dog – despite have played rugby I could not it. I told the lad to fetch his mother. In the meantime attempts to catch the dog continued. Eventually his mother turned up and capture of the dog was successful.

That episode prompted me to write an article for the then village journal Helmdon Talkabout. In that article I drew attention to the fact: Quote “the law requires that – dogs are also kept on a lead of no more than 2 metres near farm animals” unquote. By law, farmers are entitled to destroy a dog that injures or worries their animals.

Today, I am pleased to say, I have only witnessed one “loose dog” incident ad I hope the owner reads this.

November Lamb

Sheep were still in Bell Fields and it was snowing. One night ewe caught my attention. It was going back and forth over 75 yards to a particular spot. Using binoculars I could just make out a lamb!! This back and forth by the ewe continued for about 20 minutes then it ceased. I waited an hour but the ewe did not return. Armed with a pile of towels provided by my wife Jan I went into the field and “rescued” the lamb. It was just about “with it”! I phoned Ben Humphrey, “Keep it”, he said. Common sense prevailed and I took said lamb around to his farmhouse. Annie took charge and put the lamb on a bottle whilst Dottie, one of their sheepdogs, stood guard!

Arson – Jeff’s Coaches

One evening vandals set fire to several coaches – the exploding tyres and the burning of diesel created quite an inferno.

That was in the days when Helmdon had a village policeman and it did not take long for him to “collar” those responsible.

Cec Harrold

2020

Editor’s note: The War Memorial Dedication document mentioned above can be seen in entirety at the end of the war memorial project on www.helmdonhistory.com.