Gordon & Vera May

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Gordon May born 1933 was the son of George & Doris May at Darvills Hill

Edna Vera Pink born ?

Gordon and Vera married in 1958

Gordon and Vera had 4 daughters

Gordon May was one of the first five writers and researchers on The Local History Group.

Gordon reported on occasion in Hallmark for the Methodist Chapel, Lacey Green

In Hallmark. Gordon wrote the following of his schooldays and time in the Boy Scouts. (click 1940 Scouts for more about this troop)

20 HALF DAYS OFF SCHOOL. I enjoyed my schooldays during the war.   Another job that some of us boys had was to go potato picking, for any farmer who wanted us.   We had a permit from the school for this.   We were allowed 20 days half days off per year.   The only farmer brave enough to employ us was Mr Reg Tilbury (click Reg & Rose Tilbury) for more about Reg) who lived at Parslows Hillock (down the lane from The Pink and Lily).   We boys would cycle from Lacey Green to the farm, and had a very enjoyable afternoon away from school.

A HOLIDAY JOB WITH THE BODGERS. Another job, which I was landed with during school holidays in wartime, was to cycle to Hampden Woods, where the chair bodgers had turned thousands of chair legs over the years.  My oldest brother and I would have to work one end of a cross cut saw, while a man was at the other end.   This was hard work, which I did not enjoy very much.   My brother, being older and stronger than me, was allowed to hold the handle of the saw, while I was a yard away, pulling on the end of a rope.

THE MEDICINE RUN. From the age of twelve in 1945, until I left school, one of my jobs was known as the “Medicine Run”.   I had to miss a bit of school to carry out this job.   Every Thursday evening, after school, I would travel to some of the outlying districts of the village to collect empty medicine bottles.   Some of the homes I visited were the Hickman family (Albert & Sarah Hickman) at Turnip End, Mr. Redrup, a cripple, living at the bottom of Lacey Green, and two families in Portobello Row.  I had permission from the school to take time off on Friday mornings to catch the Mr Farmer's Buses, which ran from the Church end of Lacey Green to Princes Risborough, where I went to Dr Edward’s surgery (Old Cross Keys).

Every bottle the same. Dr. Edwards always looked out for me, and took me straight in to fill the medicine bottles, as he knew I had to get the return bus back to school.   Then on Friday evenings or Saturday mornings, I would have to go round to deliver the medicines to the families concerned.   One day at the doctors, when I was collecting the medicine, I peeped through the curtains.   It appeared to me that he took some grey powder, mixed it up with some water, and poured it into all the bottles.   I thought it odd at the time, that they all had the same medicine!

A present of half a crown. I did this job until I left school.   On the last morning, I said to the doctor, “This is my last run, as I am leaving school”.   He gave me half a crown (now equal to twelve and a half pence).   A few years later, when I was taking a group of children to Sunday school at the Methodist Chapel, he came by in his car.   He got out, wanted to know how I was, shook my hand and wished me well.

1947. A FROZEN HOT WATER BOTTLE. (click 1947 A Bitter Winter or more about 1947).

Albert & Sarah Hickman lived in Turnip End Cottage at Turnip End about 500 yards down a woody stony lane.   The house had no electricity or gas.   In the winter 1947 I was detailed, as one of the scouts, to go and live there.   It was so cold that it froze the hot water bottle.    I always had to get up very early to break the ice and feed the chickens and rabbits, before running home for breakfast and then on to school.

NEAR THE PUBLIC TELEPHONE. In 1953, aged 20, I was sent to sleep at my grandparents Fred & Clara Rixon in Portobello Cottage no 4, where I used to deliver medicine.    My grandmother was very ill, and if needed, I could run to the public telephone.  The back room of that cottage was another place where my hot water bottle froze.

POT SHOTS AND SCRUMPING

Mr Redrup, who lived at the bottom of the village was to me a little old man, bent double, who used two walking sticks.   He used to tell me stories of the First World War when he was detailed to go and find German snipers.   He said how difficult it was to hit a man a mile away.   I found him very interesting, as he had a no 3 garden gun, which he let me use to take pot shots.   He had a lovely apple tree in the corner of his garden, near the school.   A lot of boys went ‘scrumping’ there

Research note by Rosemary Mortham'''From an early age Gordon attended Lacey Green Methodist Chapel and as an adult, he held several church offices. When the building was closed in 2001, he had been a member for 70 years, 37 of them as Super-intendant of the Sunday School.

Gordon also played football and cricket for Lacey Green for many years.

For the whole of his working life he was employed in the retail trade in High Wycombe.

Click 2008 Harold May. where Gordon wrote his brother Harold's obituary

Dennis Claydon and Gordon May were life long friends.

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