Memory Day 24th May 2014.

They came from afar.

Australia, Nottingham, Norfolk and Wimbledon, were just four of the faraway places from where some of today’s visitors had travelled.  Others who still live in the Laindon area had made a considerably shorter journey to Laindon Library, where about 23 people gathered for Memory Day. 

Reunions of family, previous school friends and neighbours are always a joy and several took place involving plenty of chat, catching up and storytelling.  As usual the photographs on the display boards and the collection of postcards received lots of attention.  A couple of visitors brought various photographs and other items of interest with them to be scanned.

Another very successful occasion was enjoyed, showing just how popular the Archive’s Memory Days have become.  Here’s looking forward to the next one on 28th June.

Friends and family reunited. From left: Bryan Whitehead, Chris Ash, twins David and Douglas Merchant, Eric Pasco, Sue Pasco, Beryl Whitehead née Pasco.
Nina Humphrey
Old neighbours from the plotlands in Alexandra Road (off King Edward Road). Bryan Whitehead (Rosedene) and Nina Humphrey née Burton (Spion Kop).
John Rugg
Enjoying the memories. From left: Andrea Ash, Eric Pasco, Bryan Whitehead, Sue Pasco, Beryl Whitehead, John Rugg, Jayne Baylis.
Nina Humphrey

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  • I have just seen the pictures of your memory day the 24th May 2014, two faces that I have not seen for about 50 years looked back at me, Beryl And Brian Whitehead. I spent many happy hours with Beryl when we worked together and went to school with Brian. I can’t say I would have recognised either one of you if we had meet in the flesh, but it was nice to see your both fit and well.

    Sheila Attenborrow (nee Davies)

    By Sheila Attenborrow (19/11/2014)
  • Thank you Eric, 26/05/14 for correcting me as to the colour of Dick’s hair, a combination of old age and drugs do sometimes distort ones memories.

    For those of a later generation, who may not quite understand Dick leaping on to moving trains, I would like to explain this.    In those days, it was the responsibility of the guard to ensure all doors were shut before giving the ‘right away’.  To this end the guard would walk forward to check the rear coaches and get a hand signal from the station staff in respect of the front coaches. He did not walk back to the guards van but waited until it was level and there was an outside grab rail, a running board and a door that opened inwards to enable the guard to board a moving train.

    This often played a major part in some industrial disputes when as a substitute to striking, crews would employ a “work to rule” when the guard, before giving the right away, would walk the length of the train and back to the guards van adding six or seven minutes to each stop and destroying the running times in peak services, although as always it was the commuter which suffered, such is the nature of industrial disputes which penalise those who have no power to resolve issues.

    By W.H.Diment (27/05/2014)
  • My apologies for misspelling Eric’s name. I have checked the spelling of his surname and there’s no ‘e’ on the end.  I have corrected my mistake.

    By Nina Humphrey(née Burton) (26/05/2014)
  • William, I assure you the name is Pasco without an e.

    Also you are correct that Dick Pasco was a guard on the trains at one time, however he certainly did not have blonde hair. It was very dark hair.

    He later was at Southend Central as you suggested in a past posting

    Thanks to everyone for making Sue & I so welcome and to David & Doug for taking time to drop in and catch up.

    Thanks also to Ken Porter for the tour of St Nicholas Church.

    Regards to all

    Eric & Sue

    By Eric Pasco (26/05/2014)
  • While I am unable to attend such reunions and come from a different generation to those shown in the photographs, they still revive memories of bygone days. For example I can still see a Dick Pascoe with his blond hair (he never seemed to wear his cap) leaping on the guards van running board of fast moving trains departing the stations. Also I notice at last the name is correct, as it has several times been recorded in the archives as Pasco making me doubt my own memory. 

    Also the name Whitehead seemed to ring a bell, was their mother or other relative known as Jean, also there was  a Bella, or this may have been Whitehouse.

    By W.H.Diment (25/05/2014)
  • Thank you very much to the organisers, as well as fellow visitors, for making Jayne and my morning so very well worth driving to attend this wonderful event.

    We followed this with a visit to see an old classmate of mine and Tony James and his wife Helen and advised him of the next event to be held.

    Thank you all again.

    By Brian Baylis (25/05/2014)
  • In reply to W. Diment’s query, Bryan Whitehead’s parents were called Rose and Tom.  I don’t know of a Jean Whitehead in their family.

    Bella Whitehead was Laindon’s Carnival Queen in 1934.  She and her family lived in Tavistock Road and as far as I am aware, the two families are not related.

    By Nina Humphrey(née Burton) (25/05/2014)
  • Thank you Nina, I clearly remember Bella as being the carnival queen although I was a bit confused in respect of the surname.

    By W.H.Diment (25/05/2014)
  • Sounds as though it was an enjoyable meeting.  How nice to see a photo of Bryan Whitehead (doesn’t he look like his Dad?) with Nina.  I haven’t seen him for many a long year but remember Sylvie Short and I playing chase with him and Frankie South on the top field when we were very young.

    By Anne Burton (25/05/2014)

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