1931 Douglas Brett in Lacey Green

click Well Cottages for the home of the Brett's

Autobiography extract by Douglas Brett

OUR CONDEMNED COTTAGE. see Well Cottages

My mother, older brother Stanley and I, came to Lacey Green from Chiswick, London, via Naphill, about 1923/4 when I was 6/7 years old.    My father had abandoned us, paid no maintenance and had severed all contact.    We lived in one of the thatched cottages opposite the famous Tennis Court in Church Lane.   Our house had been condemned but the law was not enforced.  It was rented from Fred Floyd, a local farmer.   It was very basic.   One bedroom, living room and tiny kitchen.   There was a public footpath right through our garden and a pond 100 yards away.   Because of close proximity to a small farm (Lane Farm), we were often overrun with rats which ran riot under the thatch and floor boards and there were masses of cockroaches.

MOTHER GETS A JOB & I GET PUNISHED. Mother obtained the job of gardener at the Vicarage, a hard and poorly paid job for a woman and my brother Stanley and I started at Lacey Green School about 1923/4. There were only 3 classrooms and 3 teachers, each taking more than one class.   Some, I believe had had little or no formal training.   In the infants’ class I had my first punishment metered out – I had to stay behind after school finished and write out 50 or 100 lines “I must not talk”.   After completion Teacher asked if I would now tell her what I was talking about.   Reluctantly I said “I was asking Miss, if you were married”.  She smiled and sent me home.   I was unaware at that early age that the title “Miss” signified an unmarried state.

click Lacey Green School Reunion 2000 for Douglas's school memories.

THE SIMPLE LIFE. In many ways life was simpler then.   No mains water or electricity, no radio or television, no media hype brain – washing children to demand designer clothes, trainers, etc. and the computer hadn’t been invented.   In many ways though, I think we were more contented with the simple things of life.  In the early 20’s there were no buses and only 3 or 4 cars in the whole village and many children walked long distances to school.   Pocket money was unknown.

MICE FOR THE CLASSROOM. Harvest time was a source of great excitement for the boys when the corn was cut and brought to the farm for thrashing.   Stocken Farm, above the school, was a favourite haunt and we would stand round in a circle with sticks and as the sheaves of corn were pitch-forked onto the thrashing machine out would tumble numerous rats and mice.  These we attacked with great gusto.   Sometimes we went in the dinner hour and put a few live mice in our pockets – these we took back to school to release in the classroom in mid–afternoon, to the consternation of teacher and the girls who stood squealing on their seats.

STRAW MUFFLES SOUND AND THE BELL TOLLS. The absence of cars meant that the main traffic was from horses and carts.   I remember when someone was very ill near the school, straw was spread across the road to muffle the sound of cart wheels.   Although no one had private telephones news spread quickly when someone died.   The Church was notified and the bell tolled slowly once for every year of the dead person’s life.

MONEY AND JOBS. Money was short.  The recent World War I had left economic depression and the weekly wage was little more than £2.   There were only 2 village shops and for clothing, shoes, etc., we walked to Princes Risborough.    A baker from Risborough used to deliver bread round the village by pony and trap.  He would wait outside when school finished and together we would go round the surrounding villages – Speen, Highwood Bottom, Flowers Bottom, etc., delivering bread in a big wicker basket.  At other times I went to Fred Floyd’s Farm Dairy.   A large wooden churn was filled with cream which I would turn until converted into butter.   Sometimes I delivered milk.   We were not as mercenary as today’s children and either performed tasks freely or for a few coppers.

COOK HOUSEKEEPER TO REVEREND RICHARD GEE. My mother later became Cook Housekeeper to the Vicar Reverend Gee and his wife.  They had been Missionaries in India before coming to Lacey Green. It meant early rising, especially in winter, when it would be quite dark on leaving home.  We would stumble round Church Lane, through a small spinney into the Vicarage grounds, our way lit by a candle in a lantern.   On arrival to the Vicarage my first job was to pump water from the well (tank) to fill a tank in the house. The range would be lit and when hot enough I would take a long fork and make the toast for the Vicar’s breakfast.   Mother and I would then go to the dining room, kneel down and join the Vicar for prayers after which I had my own breakfast and then school.    We didn’t leave the Vicarage until after the evening meal.

STANLEY TO GO TO AUSTRALIA. Mother’s health was not very good and Mrs Gee, I believe, was largely responsible for persuading her to allow my brother Stanley to go to Dr Barnardo’s Home, which caused us considerable anguish.   When he was 12 or 13 he came home for 2 or 3 weeks summer holiday and Barnardo’s made the shock announcement that on his return to London they would send him to Australia.    Mother refused to send him back in spite of threats of legal action.  He returned briefly to St. John’s School in Lacey Green until old enough to leave school in1931.

SOCIETY WEDDING. A member of the Carter family from Grymsdyke House was married at St. John’s Church.   The whole village was ‘En Fete’ and the school closed for the day.   Many of the young girls formed a guard of honour as the bridal couple left the church.   Each girl had a light dress and carried a basket of rose petals with which to shower the bride and groom.   Marquees were set up in the field below Grymsdyke, the band played and refreshments and entertainment provided for the whole village.   The revelry continued until the evening.

INJURIES. Boy’s lower leg amputated – Henry Arthur, son of Carter’s groom, got too close to a farm machine cutting hay.   The long blade severed his leg below the knee.    He was later fitted with a wooden stump which seemed to do little to impede his mobility.

FIREWORK DAMAGE. One Guy Fawkes Night a great friend of mine, Charlie Claydon, was foolishly holding a lighted Thunder Flash in his hand.  The explosion damaged his hand and blinded one eye. Epidemics – Seasonal outbreaks of measles, whooping cough, chicken pox, etc, were common.   Medication was limited and antibiotics hadn’t been invented.

SEVERE WINTER One winter the snow fall was so great that it filled the roads to the top of the hedgerows and the village was cut off for a week or so before the roads became passable again.  We children had great fun walking on top of the hedges.

DEPARTURE & RETURN. When the Revered Gee left Lacey Green, my family moved with him to Olney for 2 years or so.   We then returned to our cottage in Church Lane.  By this time Head Mistress Grey had retired and was succeeded by Mr. Aldridge. In 1929 my mother remarried and we moved to Naphill.   As I had only 18 months to go before leaving school I obtained permission to continue at St. John’s, Lacey Green School and I cycled to and from Naphill every day until I left at the age of 14 years.   I started work at Ellis’s in High Wycombe to learn French Polishing, 7.30am – 4.30pm every day.   Wage 10 shillings (50p) per week.   I was made redundant at the age of 16, so I left home and moved to London.   In 1935 I joined the household of Sir Arthur Penn as footman and valet.