Readers share memories of High Wycombe, including school days, local experiences, and work at Wycombe Marsh Paper Mill.
The class was mostly girls, with one boy. Teachers were kind and helpful to everyone. Mr. Panter taught maths in the last two years. He even helped students who struggled.
A group visited Engelberg, Switzerland in December 1948. They had skiing lessons and skated outside. They rode a cable car and a horse-drawn sledge. Joan, with friends, visited London’s Festival of Britain in 1951. It took place in Battersea.
The ‘Old Tech’ instilled lasting values and standards. Joan still has her blazer badge and school tie. Her Granta house-sash is also treasured. She kept the school-leaving photo and trip pictures.
Joan remembers classmates James Baldwin and Michael Free. They lived near her in Wycombe Marsh. The school linked people together.
Jeff Harvey recalls life in Wycombe. He remembers details triggered by the Nostalgia column. Jeff was born in 1936 and lived on Micklefield Road. He attended Spring Gardens School.
Jeff first worked at Wycombe Marsh Paper Mill. He then served in the Royal Navy for two years. Then he became a fireman in the Bucks Fire Brigade. He had to retire on medical grounds after three years.
He then worked at Molins Machine Co. Later, Jeff began a building and construction career. He shares memories of Wycombe from seventy years ago. Jeff remembers being a choirboy at St John’s Church. This church was on Desborough Road. The Nostalgia feature reminded Jeff of this time.
He was a choirboy in the late 1940s and early 50s. Horace Trendle led the choir and played the organ. Payments worked in a unique way. Monday night practice earned a farthing. Thursday’s practice paid a halfpenny. The first Sunday service paid one penny. The second Sunday service paid two pence. Evensong paid four pence.
Missing Monday’s practice delayed the farthing payment. They also had a youth club in the church hall. The youth club had a football team. They struggled to find eleven players. Jeff does not remember winning. Jeff recalls playing on the Rye, near Uncle Tom’s cabin. This was sparked from a Nostalgia article.
Born in 1936, Jeff enjoyed the Rye’s activities. He remembers the concrete slide and paddling pools. He learned to swim in the dyke. Jeff watched Wycombe Wildcats play there. He saw the Roman mosaic later. He also worked at Wycombe Marsh Paper Mill. A Nostalgia article sparked the next memory.
Jeff got a job as a third hand on paper machines. The machines each had three operators. First was the machine man, then the dryer man. Jeff was the third hand. The largest machine was between two smaller ones. These machines made different paper types. Pulp went onto a vibrating sieve. Water drained, and then onto a heated drum. The dryer man and Jeff handled the paper.
Jeff’s job was to prepare the axle. Once, he injured his finger. The union sent him to Harley Street. He received £47.10. He likely bought a BSA Bantam motorbike. His finger remains numb to this day. Another job was to haul wastepaper to the sorting area. Women there made ribald remarks and whistles.
He left in 1954 for National Service with the Navy. He earned two shillings, eight pence, and three farthings hourly. Times have changed quite a bit.