I spent the first twenty years of my life in Calstone being born in 1917 at Theobalds Green. My family had Calstone connections for the two generations before me although I cannot say if my Father, Ernest Whitfield Heath, or my Grandfather, Thomas Heath were actually born in the village. My mother was Lillian Sterry who was living in Blackland at the time of their marriage.
(the photo above shows the Heath family outside cottage Theobalds Green – early 20’s on site on Ambaley bungalow)
My parents owned two lots of semi-detached cottages at Theobalds Green. One lot stood behind the other where Ben Barnett’s bungalow now stands. In the 1920s, the rear pair of cottages was demolished and my father built another house on the site. I recall the bricky was a man called Buzzy Horton who lived on the high pavement at Quemerford. There were six of us children – Fred the eldest, Hubert (Tom), Honor, me, Edward (Ted) and the youngest Bob. Jo Quart Rivers lived in one of our houses after leaving Greens Lane.
My parents were very involved with the Wesleyan Chapel at Theobalds Green where my Father was a Steward. My Grandfather, Thomas Heath, had a lot to do with the original building of the Chapel around the mid 1860s. He and others wrote letters for donations – that was how it was built. A lean-to was later built by my Father, Bill Cleverly who lived at Theobalds Green and Ern Cleverly (Shook Cleverly’s Father). This was used for the Sunday School.
Father was a carpenter, trained by a Mr Bowsher who lived at Blackland Cross Roads. Father had a withered hand which I was told was caused by having a fit in his teens. It didn’t seem to affect his carpentry. He built the lych-gate at Blackland Church – I recall my Mother taking me across the fields with his tea while he was building it. He also built two carts, one of which was used by George Summers at Calstone Mill for his milk round. The carts were built in our garden and I recall Shook Cleverly’s Father asking my Father how he was going to get the carts out of the garden. He did get them out – I think he took down a bit of hedge! Father also worked for two builders in Oxford Road, Calne – Harry Brown and Walt Weston.
The Sterry family, who were Church of England, were not very happy when they realised my Mother was to wed my Father. This was for two reasons – for Church of England to marry Wesleyan was considered marrying beneath oneself. They were also concerned that my Father, with a withered hand, might not be able to support a wife and eventually a family.
My best mate during my Calstone schooldays was Jack Kepner whose brother Bill was killed in the Second World War. They came to Calstone from Dorset. Our schoolteachers were a Mrs Swain and Mrs Pitt. Aaron Wootten looked after things for Bowood and lived near us. We all kept out of his way. We called him Big A, little a, r-o-n. During this time, I went to Bath or Bristol on a trip. It was the first time I ever pulled a loo chain and I was afraid as I thought it was going to flood everywhere!
My Father ran an agency of the Devizes branch of The Wilts Friendly Society and people called at the house to pay their dues. My brother, Fred, took it over after he died.
The Reverend Matthews was the vicar. His wife had a strange manner and kept to herself. She rarely went to Church and, when fetes were held at the Vicarage, she didn’t come out. Towards the end of his days, Bill Hazell did odd jobs for Rev Matthews. Although they were complete opposites, I always thought they enjoyed each other’s company. I once recall there was an accident in Quemerford where a man was killed. The man was identified as Bill Hazell and they went to his house in Greens Lane to tell his wife. Mrs Hazell remarked, “That’s funny – he’s upstairs in bed” and so he was!
In about 1924, a Mrs Brown who lived in the cottages at Barrow Hill (just near East Farm), was going to Devizes Market in a horse-drawn vehicle. It carried about five passengers and was on Cannings Hill when a steamroller engine made the horse shy. Mrs Brown was killed in the accident.
Another person I well remember at that time was a carter called Alfie Holmes who called at the village. I believe he carried goods for Slopers in Devizes and I know he went to Wroughton. He was a nice man, nearly a dwarf and wore leather leggings. He was known for walking with the cart instead of riding on it!
I well recall the day of the thunderstorm when Mr Hill Maundrell was killed. When thunder was about, my Mother would cover up all mirrors and open the windows. On this particular day, the crack of thunder was so loud that Claire Cleverley (Bill Cleverley’s wife) who lived next door to us, jumped clean through the open window into the house. There was such an explosion of the tree which killed Mr Hill Maundrell that there were pieces of wood right down by the river behind East Farm.
Before the Second War, there were concert parties at the Reading Room – I recall Herbie Webb, Bill Deacon and Fred Daniels and people came from outside the village to perform. There were Club Nights for the boys only. Girls had to stay at home.
The Village Band played at the Church on Armistice Day and each Boxing Day the Band would play at the Black Horse, Cherhill. In the Band were Harry and Bill Goodship, Walter, Frank and Jim Sterry and Bill Cleverley and his son, Jack. Fred Nicholls was conductor – he was also a very good cornet player who, I was told, only had one lung probably as a result of service in the First World War. Younger people joined the Band but some didn’t last at it. Some joined the Calne Band later.
When the Second War started, my brother Ted joined the 6th Battalion Somerset’s, 4th British Division and I joined the Ordnance and later the REME. I did my basic training at Hillsea Barracks, Portsmouth. I was in North Africa for some time and I will never forget a very memorable moment at Christmas/New Year 1940/41 coming up the Red Sea on the Troopship Strathard when all the troops sang ‘Silent Night’. When we docked at Alexandra there were some Italians but few Germans. I was at El Alamein and particularly remember the 151 Brigade 50th Northumberland Division known as ‘Tyne to Tees’. All their vehicles had the insignia ‘TT’. Another memory of North Africa was of a shed full up with those cylinder type paraffin stoves. I never could work out what they were going to do with all those stoves!
There was a system in operation where you could ‘claim your brother’ which was a way of keeping families together in wartime. It meant you could apply to join your brother’s unit. Ted wasn’t allowed to join me as they were short of infantry, so I transferred to be with him in the 4th British, meeting him at Caserta, Italy. I didn’t see a lot of him but knew he was alive. We were in the Forli area and then nearer Rome. One night I knew he was going ‘into the line’ and about a month passed when I wondered if he was alright. Then I was in a cinema in Taranto and saw him right at the back and we had a big reunion. I didn’t see him again because I was sent to Greece but letters from home told me he was alright. Our youngest brother Bob had also joined up and we all came back safely. Mother, who had been widowed since 1931 when Father died aged 57 and was then living in the front pair of cottages at Theobalds Green, was so pleased to have us home. Although we all left the village, Mother spent the rest of her days in that house before she passed away in the mid 1960s.
Bert Heath, Quemerford, Calne. Spring 2001