Upper Boddington, The Village c.1955

Photo ref: U51001

A pleasant comment on my last memory, made by Mr Steve Flora, whom I’ve never met, has prompted me to tell some more stories about Upper Boddington. On November 25th, 1944, a Wellington Bomber; no. LN242, took off from Chipping Warden airfield. Unfortunately it developed engine problems. I am sure that the pilot did all he could to control the aircraft but, with fields all around, the plane hit the ...see more

In a previous memory of mine I mentioned that the village of Upper Boddington was without mains water in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s . I lived in the School House with my parents, Pat and George Bishop. My mother became Headmistress in November 1949 and the lack of water on tap was just one of several problems that we had to adjust to. I was 14 years old at the time, fit and strong and the ...see more

My mother, Mrs Pat Bishop, was Headmistress of Boddington C of E School from November 1949 until sometime in 1962. In the beginning there were only about 9 children in the school, 5yrs to 11, no mains water or flushing toilets. My annual job was to dig a hole about 3ft sq. by 4ft deep, behind the school. The toilet buckets were emptied into this hole, disinfectant and soil scattered on top each week, ...see more

I attended the school from 1946-1951. The teacher at first was Miss Semper, who I do not remember too well. After her came Mrs. Pat Bishop, who was a lovely lady, she and her husband lived in the school house in the playground. She was influential in getting the first children from Boddington through to Grammar School, giving extra classes after school in her own home. I remember her ...see more