1. A fragment of a story about the death of a worker by falling stones.
2. Did you ever get into mischief Mr. West? // I don’t recall being better than any of the rest............During our play times, we used to play marbles and top-spinning and very often, we used to barrel the hoop from Venn Mill to the Schoolhouse. (general agreement that the iron ones were better than the wooden ones - and that it was too dangerous to barrel hoops on the road nowadays.) Percy goes on to describe the boys playing marbles and tops and the girls skipping in the playground in the same space - and also playing “rounders” (a fore-runner of baseball).
3. General discussion of Percy’s good memory = tape runs out.
4. Later occasion - Percy describe a chest problem: pleuracy which he was being treated for. Subsequently Percy travelled into Guy’s hospital in London (which he describes and dirty and horrible) for an examination by a specialist and a team of doctors. He was then given a prescription and a date for an operation (ulcer in chest?).Percy hated the look of the place, so he never went back, but instead went to Horsham (Sussex) to the hospital there. He was there for over 2 months. “I liked Horsham very much.... When I came out, I could’nt use a saw or a plane or anything”. So Percy answered an ad for an agent (saleman) for Singer Sewing machines. He had large route, some of which he rode on his bicycle. He sold needles on other supplies but “couldn’t sell a new machine” “I couldn’t talk enough for that”. “I went over to Guildford for the Anniversary - of course Auntie Elsie was living there then.” A desciption of a sermon and some humourous comments on biblical texts follows.
1. The story of White Horse Hill (Uffington) See “The Geography” section of the website for this story. Towards the bottom of the article -Heading: Hale’s Farm. A discussion of people who lived and worked in the Uffington area ensues.
2. Another discussion ensues of “Tom Brown’s Schooldays” - set in the Uffington area and full of information about the 18th C. village. Some stories about highwaymen.
3. Discussion of the oldest villages in the area. Ginge (near Blewbury) is mentioned and East and West Hendred. Clocks with no hands - but chimes.
4. A description of brother Will (1880s) in the wilderness of BC. There were wolves around and so Fred lit the one match into 3 bonfires to scare them away. A discussion of British Columbia ensues. (Father WWW sent Will money to come back to England).
The question is asked: were the other brothers single when they went out to BC? Percy points out that they were all married: Brother John (Grandpa) was married with 2 children (Jack and Elsie). Percy tells how he and brother John were planning to go to Canada. When he heard this father (WWW) said to Percy - “Get a return ticke boy”. So Percy didn’t go. John went to Canada, and then joined up and fought in the war. Asher was married and took his wife with him. Heber was not married - he married a Canadian woman.
5. Bible readings by Percy. (Clearly Percy was having trouble reading a this point.) I suspect he was in his last days at this point.
