Harry Floyd

Harry George Floyd born 1906 was the son of Fred and Caroline Floyd See Fred Floyd

HARRY GEORGE FLOYD. Obituary by Rosemary Mortham

The end of an era. That is how several people have described Harry's passing and in a way this is true.  Harry was born in 1906 but due to the early death of his mother, he was brought up by his grandparents, and became familiar with their memories of the previous century and their Victorian values. He was the last in a long line of Floyds, dating back to at least the seventeenth century.

His grandmother Floyd must have been an interesting woman - she came from Aston Clinton to work as a servant in the Vicarage at Lacey Green. The Vicar, recognising her intelligence, made her the first teacher at the newly opened church school.  Harry, unfortunately, did not enjoy school, and must have missed quite a lot of education. He was often ill, suffering several bouts of pneumonia, resulting in a permanently weak chest from which he suffered for the rest of his life.

Life was hard for everyone in the village. When the weather was suitable, working in the fields was considered more important than schooling.  From a very early age Harry was driving a horse and cart, sometimes delivering hay to the breweries in Wycombe and returning with spent hops to be used as fertiliser; and in times of drought making innumerable trips to the stream, near what is now the Cherry Tree Nursing Home in Saunderton, to collect water for the cattle. He also spent many long days ploughing the Stocken Farm fields with horses.

At the age of sixteen, he began driving his father's Model 'T' Ford. The village policeman soon put a stop to this and Harry had to wait till he was seventeen before venturing out again on the village roads. He loved driving, and often acted as  unofficial taxi service for villagers who needed to get to and from Princes Risborough or Saunderton railway stations. He also used the car for many years to deliver the milk which was produced on Floyd's Farm, both when it was owned by his father, and later, when it belonged to him.

He was always grateful for the help in the farmhouse of Lily Adams, who was the wife of his great friend Tony. By coincidence Lily was born on the day that his mother died.

Through the milk round he became a familiar figure in the village. Milk was delivered by churn and ladled into jugs at the customer's house. ln any case, Harry must have been well known to most villagers. He appears to have been related to almost all of the original inhabitants. Joan West produced a most interesting family tree for him, showing how this came about.

Harry's grandparents, on his mother's side, had owned Stocken Farm. When they died it was sold

to Dick West, father of John who still runs the farm. Dick's wife, Hilda, was a kind and friendly woman. She generously told Harry that he would always be welcome at the farm.

When he was taken seriously ill, she suggested that he might stay with them for a while till he recovered. He remained at Stocken Farm for 40 years, eventually retiring with Dick and Hilda to ‘Cotswold’ on the corner of Kiln Lane.

Harry had no illusions about the romance of working on the land. He knew it to be very hard work. However, he loved his garden and he was an extremely good gardener. Much of his produce was sold in Bert's shop (now Hickman's Stores). ln later years he took over the vegetable garden at 'Pondside' in Kiln Lane (where he lived with Doris and Rosemary Oliver), turning it from a heap of

clay, covered in weeds to a well organised, productive plot. He had no great love for flowers - he said you couldn't eat them! He much preferred a bunch of radishes.

He loved music which had, what he called, a good tune. He would sing along or whistle to his radio.  He had been a choirboy in his youth, when his father was churchwarden. Another churchwarden

was his uncle, who was father of Doug Tilbury. He also loved the theatre, and enjoyed many happy

trips to London with Hilda West, and in later years with Doris Oliver.

Although his roots were in the last century, Harry was definitely a man of the 20th century; seeing

the multitude changes which altered Lacey Green from a poor agricultural community, to a desirable

area for affluent commuters. He accepted the changes as inevitable, and did not resent them. He gladly embraced the innovations of modern life, and was more than happy to use them to make life easier.

Several articles were published in Hallmark giving Harry's memories.