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My mother’s paternal family name was Matthews; she was the youngest of four children, William Alan, Audrey, Rene Beryl Lois and Phyllis Monica. William Alan, always known as Alan was the eldest son of my grandfather William Reginald, always known as Reg, who in turn was the eldest son of William Henry Matthews. William Henry was always known as Billy […]
MoreHorace Colgate died nearly a hundred years ago at the tragically young age of eighteen… his death was not unusual at that time; millions of young men were giving their lives on the battlefields of World War 1. Horace came from the quiet Surrey village of Bletchingley where he had lived with his mother, step-father and four younger brothers and sisters. […]
MoreA couple of weeks ago I was eating out at a buffet-style restaurant and came across tabbouleh which I had not had for years. Wow, so delicious! I’ve been making it ever since using different grains including millet and couscous and lovely fresh herbs from the garden. I came across some flageolet beans in the freezer today and decided to […]
MoreWhat a happy day it must have been in the spring of 1878, when twenty-five year old Catherine Colgate married William Thomas Dagnall! They were married in the parish of Godstone in Surrey, but they have been married in the church of St Mary the Virgin in Bletchingley, where Catherine’s family lived. William was a […]
MoreGood friends and a beautiful country… what more could anyone want?
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Lois Elsden 