Fred Coldicott
Fred Coldicott was born on Michaelmas day 29th September, 1910, in what was then his family home, now the Direct Imports shop, next door to the then Infants School, now the library. Being in such close proximity to a place of learning did nothing to fire his interest in education of the formal kind. He felt that schooling got in the way of learning about life, which perhaps explains why he was a regular absentee, especially on ‘Fair Days’, often to be found sitting on the sheep-pen hurdles, engrossed in the business of the market.
On leaving school and finding employment at the practical end of civil engineering he followed many youthful passions. Amongst them were the keeping and racing of greyhounds with his father, water-colour painting, boxing - at which he was regarded as more than proficient – and, perhaps most of all, poaching. This activity was his main delight and brought him great satisfaction, both in the game that ‘came his way’ and the fact that he was never caught. As Fred would say, “The family knew, the butchers knew and the police knew. But knowing isn’t proof.”
Fred became the proud owner of a motor cycle, which took him to Evesham ‘pictures’ in ‘luxury’. He also had a driving licence, which enabled him to land the job as Pyment’s lorry driver. A problem with an expired driving licence found Fred in court with a fine of 10/-. This he felt Mr Pyment should pay, which he did, because the only time Fred drove was for him. He drove to many parts of the country delivering carvings and other work produced in wood and stone by some of the ‘Guild’ craftsmen.
During the ‘30s’ he became a family man, marrying Millie and becoming father to Betty. He was a member of the local Fire Brigade, remembering his finest hour as the time that he and Ossie Stanley were the only men to respond to an emergency call. They fought a ‘blaze’ in the High Street after first pushing the hand-cart from Sheep Street in several inches of snow. “The fire was in the roof, we set into the hydrant and managed to put it out, just the two of us. We were fair knackered at the end of it,” Said Fred. He was also a member of the Army Reserves and went with other reservists into full-time Army service at the outbreak of World War II, where he reached the rank of sergeant.
He carried on working for Pyments after the war until he formed his own building business with one of his closest friends, Valentine Hobbs. The post-war period saw Fred in many guises as a member of the British Legion concert parties. He also resumed his Fire Brigade duties and served on the Town Council. Fred lived life to the full and in 1994 his memories were published through CADHAS, though perhaps, not quite to the full.
Ray Plested came from an old Campden family and he was proud of his home town. Ray had been keenly interested in photography since his schooldays, an interest that he maintained throughout his life. When the CADHAS Community Archive was set up Ray lent some of his photos to be scanned in and he became a major contributor with his own folder on the computer. His love of Campden is clearly captured through his camera lens, particularly the parish church of St. James.
Among the many photos he loaned to our Archive is a comprehensive record of the removal and subsequent reinstallation of the bells in the tower of St. James following restoration work in the mid-eighties.
We also owe him a debt for ensuring that pictures of Campden life, such as the football teams and local events, are saved for future historians.
Mary Koster (nee Jones) writes:
Mr George Haysum was my uncle. In 1910 he married the sister of my mother Miss May Maria Keyte, known as Aunt Molly, and from 1929 they lived at High House, Sheep Street. Uncle George served in India in the Great War and shortly after his return he bought two horses which had been used in the fighting in France, together with a wagon, and so commenced his work of bringing up from the railway station the goods transported by train.
The next step was success in his application for the franchise for the Great Western Railway, not only to transport goods but also passengers to and from Campden and the station.
Time passed and the horses were sold. My father was consulted and he went (if I am correct) to Cowley, Oxford, to the Morris motor car manufacturers to meet with their designer and together they made drawings for the bus which eventually was built. Uncle George could not drive a vehicle, so my father sat in the passenger seat and Uncle George in the driving seat. My father explained how to drive and they drove up Sheep Street, round the land known as the Pike at the top of Catbrook/Westington (in those days the island was a grass area with a large tree in the centre) back down Sheep Street, and my father then told Uncle George that he could drive!
A garage was built by the Landgate Brook and a wooden garage in the orchard. Later Uncle George acquired a lorry and an Austin car which was used as a taxi. To use the bus the fare was 6d and the taxi 2/6d. Uncle George was busy – he had to time departures for the taxi and bus to go to the station with the passengers and then the lorry to transport goods all over Campden. Aunt Molly did all the bookings which she kept properly in a diary.
Fanny Bertha Coldicott nee Greenall died on 23rd December 2005, aged 93 years. She was born on 28th March 1912 in Park Road, one of four children born to George and May Greenall nee Pinchin.
While still at school she worked each evening and at week-ends for the well known Guilds-man Wentworth Huyshe and his wife, then residing at Pike Cottage on the junction of Sheep Street and Catbrook.
From time to time Fanny would also help her eldest sister Gertrude with her work for the Guilds-man, sculptor, Alec Miller at and his wife at Saviour’s Bank.
On leaving school she was first employed in the Old Grammar School as a dormatory maid before moving on to employment with solicitor Mr Guy Pemberton, living at that time in Sheep Street. From the Pemberton residence she moved to the Police Station to take up the position of nanny to the newly installed Divisional Police Commander, Superintendent Jones and his family. On the deaths of her parents, aged 23 she married Charles Coldicott of Honeybourne. On her death she is survived by two children, three grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.