Diment Family

Four Generations of the Diment Family

Diment Family
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Teenage Peggy Diment née Hunt
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Wedding of William and Peggy
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Peggy Diment
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William Diment
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Chief Inspector Tom Diment Essex Police
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Graduation of June Diment
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Tom Diment with the Calgary City Police Force
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Tom Diment and Son Jonathon
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Graduation of Laura Diment
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Jillian Diment (later Evins)
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Ross Evins
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Dale Evins
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Casey Evins Graduates with Hounors
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William S Diment
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Since the 1920’s’, four generations of the Diment family have lived in Laindon. I enclose photos and some brief parts of their history.

My father, William S.Diment.

Born in the east end of London during the reign of Queen Victoria. Moved his family to Laindon in 1928, where he later died at thge age of 92, having lived in the reigns of five monarchs.  The young boy in his photo was an older brother whom I never knew as he drowned in Enfield Lock before I was born.

Lilian A.Diment.(nee Clements).

Born in Hackney Wick in 1884 and moved to Laindon in 1928 where she raised her family and died in Billericay in 1962.

Walter J.Diment.

Born in London and moved to Laindon in 1928 but was over school age and moved out of the area but later returned to Laindon where he died. He left a daughter, Barbara, who still lives locally.

Violet H.Diment.

Born in London and moved to Laindon in 1928. She attended Laindon Park Primary School and Brentwood County High School for girls, where she became head girl.  She married a local boy, Stanley Clegg  and moved to Hendon. She later returned to the area living in Pitsea and was a supervisor with Carreras. She died in 2006 in a care home in Plymouth which was near to her children.

Ivy G.Diment.

Born in London and moved to Laindon in 1928.  She attended Laindon Park Primary School and Laindon High Road School. In 1927 she became ill and was admitted into a sanatorium on the south coast. Her discharge coincided with the outbreak of war when she obtained work with the Admiralty and lodged in London where she met her husband who on his demob worked for Carreras at Boreham Wood and relocated to Basildon. Fred, her husband died and Ivy suffered a stroke but at the age of 93 is still alive in a care home at Leigh on Sea.

Myself, William H.Diment.

Born in the east end of London and after moving attended the local schools of Laindon Park Primary and the High Rd.  I still live in the same house 72 years after this photo was taken.

My wife, Peggy Diment (née Hunt).

Born in St. Marylebone and moved to the Dunton plotlands in the early 1930s’.  She attended Dunton and Laindon High Rd. schools.  During WW2 she served on AA gun sites in London.   After the war, she worked for John Wagner and Yardleys.  She died in 2008 at the BUPA Care Home in Ghyllgrove after years of almost complete incapacity as a result of a stroke.  We had three children, William, Thomas and Jillian.

My son, William.

Attended Laindon Park Primary School and Fryerns.  He joined HM Customs and Excise where he is still employed as a customs officer, but nearing retirement.

My son, Thomas.

Attended Laindon Park Primary School and Woodlands where he became head boy.  He entered into an apprenticeship at Marconis and obtained City and Guild qualifications in electronics.  He joined an oil exploration company, but after several spells abroad in remote places returned and joined the Essex Police, where he rose through the ranks from constable to Chief Inspector.  He also spent time with the Special Branch at Stanstead Airport.  Later was a firearms commander with a tactical response unit.  He then took charge of the Essex Traffic Police.  During his service he studied and obtained a post graduate degree in forensic subjects. On his retirement he moved to the Canadian Rockies where after a couple of years again entered law enforcement with the Calgary City Police Force.  Tom and his wife June had two children, Jonathon and Laura.

Tom’s wife, June Diment.

June was a Scottish girl, who after graduation joined the Essex Police where she met and married Tom.  June did not stay with the police but took a position at the London Stock Exchange, from where she was recruited by Reuters International.  On moving to Canada she retained her position with Reuters by working from home for three weeks in every month and one week at the New York Exchange.

Tom’s son, Jonathon.

Attended St.John’s School in Billericay and Brentwood County High for Boys. He is now in his third year at Calgary University.

Tom’s daughter, Laura.

Attended St.Johns School in Billericay and Brentwood County High for girls. She has graduated and will enter The Calgary Academy of Nursing.

My daughter, Jillian.

Attended Laindon Park Primary School and Woodlands  and on leaving worked in a city office but disliked commuting and joined the Essex Police where she met her future husband.  She left after 8 years to become a full time mother to her three children, Ross, Dale and Casey.

My grandson, Ross.

Attended Buttsbury and Mayflower Schools.  On leaving worked with the London Omnibus Theatre Workshop, where he made many educational films for the police to be shown in schools. He also played the leading man in the musical “Grease” at the Towngate and Grays.  He then felt there was insufficient future prospects in the theatre and joined the Essex Police.

My grandson, Dale.

Attended Buttsbury and Mayflower schools and on leaving joined a private security company.

My granddaughter, Casey.

Attended Buttsbury and Mayflower schools and Canterbury University from where she has just graduated with honours in criminology and sociology.

Comments about this page

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  • Fascinating article by William Diment. There are quite a few of us in Dorset, although my wife Claire and I have just returned from eighteen months in Greece, we now live in the West Midlands. Greetings to all Diments.

    By Paul Diment (16/03/2015)
  • This article by my uncle Bill is fascinating. I am Robert Clegg, the son of Bill’s sister Violet. I was born at Sissinghurst in Langdon Hills in 1946. I grew up in Hendon but returned in 1963 for an apprenticeship at the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company.

    My paternal grandfather was William Clegg. He was the Laindon postman for many years and lived in Laindon High Road at the offices of A. G. Butler the funeral director whom he also worked for. A huge house where we had many happy family Christmas gatherings.

    I currently live in Devon. Sadly we have just been back for William Diment’s funeral. Always a bitter-sweet occasion as we mourn a loss, remember a life well lived and meet friends and family once more.

    By Robert Clegg (09/10/2014)
  • I enjoyed reading this article because my mother and Peggy were friends. Mum arrived at the Plotlands, Laindon just before WWII. Dad was born in Dry Street, Langdon Hills – he still lives in Laindon. Also, I have fond memories of Jillian, who was a year older than me at Laindon Park Primary. My brother’s attended Laindon Park, too. I would dearly love to be put back in contact with Jillian; especially as it looks like we are not too far away location wise. (Perhaps the organisers of this page could help us out on this one?) Best wishes to you all.

    Editor: Hi Karen, we will endeavour to do this.

    By Karen Harvey (14/07/2013)
  • Love the article grandad.   Learned lots about our family history but surely you have a more recent picture of me.     I’ll send you one 🙂

    By Ross Evins (26/10/2012)
  • I have come across this article by chance I would like to add I know and have worked with Tom Diment and was proud to do so.

    By Bob Rosenwould (26/08/2012)
  • I’m Jon Diment, grandson of William who wrote this article. Upon reading this article I learnt many things I previously had no idea about. I must compliment my grandfather for this very interesting and compelling read. I must also add how amazing I believe it to be, that now in our modern world, my family has spread to different corners of the globe (myself living in Canada) but we all call this tiny corner of Essex our home. Makes the world feel small.

    By Jon Diment (13/08/2012)
  • It is with sadness that I add to this page as my sister Ivy has died, July 2012, leaving me the only survivor of the family who moved to Laindon in early 1928. We came from London to an alien and somewhat primitive environment, a village called Laindon, where roads had no pavements, but hedges and ditches. The housing was without what is now called basic requirements and were simply shelters from the elements but were truly ‘homes’ in every sense of the word. Outside there were fields swarming with wildlife, with wild flowers, blackberry hedges and places to pick mushrooms, but most of all a sense of freedom and belonging to a community which more than compensated for the things we lacked. It is said that  “Time like an ever rolling stream bears all its sons away. They die forgotten as a dream dies at the opening day”. 

    Yet while their memories live on with their descendants, the archive ensures that people are remembered by friends they met in the passage of time in “our village”.

    By W.H.Diment (31/07/2012)
  • William, your addition to the article on your family and its sincere sentiment is what this archive is all about. 

    Thanks as always for your contributions and support which has added great content to the Communities Archive.

    By Ian and Patsy Mott (31/07/2012)
  • What a handsome and learned family you are – and mostly Laindoners! How proud you must be. Kind regards.

    By Andrea (nee Pinnell) (22/07/2012)

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