b'What I RememberEdward WalkerIpaddock and my mother suddenly think my father started his business as a joiner, wheelwright andshouted: Hes fallen off the horse! Joe undertaker in 1911. Where he workedFletcher often rode a horse up and down from I have no idea, but I believe hethe paddock; sadly his foot got fast in lived at the Mill house, down Mill Lanethe stirrup and the horse galloped along, just at the entrance to High Belthorpe.dragging Joe with it. He died from the I know he did the woodwork on afall. I dont remember whether he ever bungalow at Spittal. The bricklayerbecame conscious or not.was a Mr Gospel. They also workedThere was no running water in the together on Fishers house, but thisvillage, so all WCs were situated as far was before I was born. as possible from the houses. Many had In 1913 he married my mother,double-holed wooden seats, and ashpits and shortly bought No 16 from a Mroutside the WC. All the waste had to be Clint. I am afraid the house was veryburied in the gardens or manure heaps.run-down, and only the two frontBob Adamson was postman for the rooms were really useable. The backtop half of the village and several of the was used as a kitchen and a dairy.farms on the Wolds. This took almost The pump and well were just outsidehalf a day. Bob was rather eccentric and the back door. The water was lovelythe lads teased him and played pranks and clean. The toilet or closet was aton him. When he retired, George Watson the top end of the yarda fifty or sixtytook the job. He also made and sold ice-yard walk! cream - he adapted his bike to enable My father built his workshop as ahim to travel about the countryside. lean-to on the barn with a corrugatedI once remember George climbing a zinc roof and walls. One end had aladder up the Church steeple, when door leading to the orchard, but therepairs were being carried out. He was end facing the house was open - veryEdward Walker c1925 inalso Church Sexton and grave digger. cold in winter and hot in summer. a school photograph He was my cousin by marriage and lived I came along in 1916 and mywith my Aunt and Uncle at No 14 Bishop sister in 1917just a year and 7Wilton. I used to make little lead balls months between us. I dont recall any happening till Ifor him to use with his catapault. But I dont know was ready for school at 5 years old, but I could readwhether he ever killed a rabbit or anything else.and write by then, which was very handy. Mr and MrsI remember the old Fleece Inn being pulled down, Dearnley came to the School at the same time as Iand the new one being built. In fact I have a painful started. While Miss Dobson and Miss Hilda Dales tookmemory of it, as while exploring the new work I fell the Infants, the Dearnleys were my teachers nearlyastride a wall and you can guess the rest!all the time I was at school. Mr Rhodes and his wifeWe had no playing field, and most of our games arrived shortly before I left. I met Mrs Dearnley manywere played on the middle road, especially cricket and years later after the warshe lived very near to us infootball, which we often played with a blown-up pigs Hull. bladder.The few things I remember: There was a very bad epidemic of diphtheria; The trees planted along the roadside at Theseveral children died as a result and one or two adults Chestnuts grew very tall and became dangerous, andbecame very ill. My father made several coffins. had to be felled. My father got the job. Most of theHe always trusted to his very smelly pipe and plug trees were made to fall onto the lawn, but I remembertobacco to keep him safe.one came over the road and beck, and almostWhen I was thirteen I was confirmed, along with touched our house. These trees measured about 15Rene Boyes, by the Bishop of Whitby. I then became a inches in diameter at the base. Please note there wasserver, and have attended many eight oclock services no such thing as electric saws, only cross cuts andwhen the Vicar and I were the only congregation. This hand saws. By the way, Mr Fletcher got trapped underbrings me to the time when I left school, at Easter one of the trees, but was not badly hurt. 1930.One day my father, mother, sister and myself were having lunch (or dinner as we called it before we allTo be continued .got posh). Our window overlooked Mr Fletchers 108 BULLETIN 7'