Hi it's me again[yes the evacuee],there has been quite a lot on the television lately regarding the battle of Britain,is there anyone in the Pelhams that can remember the dog fight over Brent Pelham?,a German fighter plane was shot down by ours,fortunately for the pilot he managed to escape by parachute and was captured and taken away to serve the rest of the war in England.
Did you also know that Brent Pelham had a "Royal Observer Post" in one of the fields,and they would plot all the aeroplanes that flew over the area,the man that I lived with,Frank Berry and his wife,[he was a volunteer],would bring home the books that he had to learn from,so we would try and learn together,I must have known every plane that was flying during the war.
Have bored you enough so I will say cheerio to you all.
Regards Alf[the evacuee].

I can`t find anyone that remembers a German aircraft being shot down at Brent Pelham.One, I believe a Ju88 crashed at Ginns road, Stocking Pelham. Due to the wide diversity of nations fighting in the RAF there was room for some confusion as to who was on what side.A Polish pilot crash landed at Laundry Gorse, near The Causeway. He then walked to the Observer Post. then located behind the village hall in what are now the gardens of Pipers End,to seek assistance. The men manning the post assumed, due to the strange accent, that he must be German and sent off a boy to fetch the rifle. By the time he returned with the nescessary implement a correct identification had been made.
On another occassion a Spitfire crashed on New Closes, near the new Observer Post. It was one of the first to be armed with 20mm cannon and they kept jamming which may account for it being shot down. The pilot again had a strange accent,I think South African. He landed in Bury Meadow, between Beaches and Frank Berry`s house at Grey`s cottages. As he landed from every direction came men, women and children armed with whatever they could lay their hands on, billhooks. pitchforks,pickaxe handles, Thompson Guns etc. Again his status as an ally was discovered and he was suitably refreshed by Frank Berry and the Beaches cellars.
Frank Berry was, I think, a Londoner. He came to Brent Pelham after serving with The Kings Own Norfolk Yeomamry during WW1 Where he had been my Grandfathers orderley.He was butler at Beaches. (The Norfolk Yeomanry were nicknamed "The Kaiser`s Own" as they wore black spiked helmets in full dress).
The Observer Post was moved to it`s present location off the Anstey road after WW2 and later had a nuclear bunker added to monitor fallout. It stopped being used about 1990 and it was sold back to the estate. It is in quite good condition.

HI Ted thank you for the your reply,looks like I have got a bit mixed up about the dog fight,but I do remember there was quite a few people around when the plane came down,and I was one of them.I was only a kid then,so I hope that you forgive me.And speaking of Frank Berry,who I lived with,you could not have met a better man.Was your Grandfather Squire Barclay,and your Dad Major Barclay?.

So do Greys cottages still have the well in the garden?,we used to get our drinking water from it.
All the best to the Pelhams,
Regards Alf.

Nearly right! The Squire was my Great Grandfather and Major Barclay my Grandfather.You might remember The Major`s children , now all dead , Charlie ( my Father ) , Billy ( KIA 1944 ) and Pamela ( or "Bobby").
The well was there until a few years ago but I think is now filled in . I believe it worked from sepage from the roadside pond and would not pass any modern health checks. Beaches and Greys were put on to mains water in 1958 after we all got Scarlet Fever from the Beaches borehole.
I remember Mrs Berry well. In her later years she had a delighttful Irish shepherd named Sam Hughes lodging with her. I was once told That Sam`s Uncles had gone to the U.S. and made a fortune from banks and railroads with their boss Jesse James . I do not guarantee the truth of this one!

HI Ted,I remember Major Barclays daughter Pamela, because she used to drive around the village in her pony and trap [or should that be with ]?. Must say that I cannot remember the boy's.
Mr.& Mrs.Berry looked after me like a son,and so did Mr.& Mrs.Whiffin,and Mr.& Mrs Miles,great people to live with.
Hope to hear from you soon,Regards Alf.

Hi Bestmate I have been researching aviation events 1939-45 for 30 years in the Herts district. Sadly no German aircraft was shot down over or near the Pelhams. The nearest was a Junkers 88 that exploded over Bishops Stortford in October 1940. I have just had my book War Torn Skies Hertfordshire published which you may find interesting, it has detailed accounts of all 7 of Herts Luftwaffe crashes as well as USAAF collisions and a whole host of anecdotes from locals. One thing I have found out is that when and American or British plane crashed nearby young children were almost always told "it was a Jerry" perhaps to comfort them in times of extreme stress. Kind regards Julian
PS I can be contacted directly on j.evenhart@ntlworld.com

do you know of any records of gardeners for the Barclays - around 1900?