Dullingham's Nineteen Men from The Great War

Like many other villages throughout the UK many of Dullingham's young men left to serve King & Country during The Great War, 1914 to 1918.  At least 116 left Dullingham to "do their bit" and sadly 19 would have their lives cut short on the battlefields of France, Belgium and Palestine or dying back in England from their injuries.

This post gives a brief look at those brave men who left their families to fight for King and Country and for their village, Dullingham.  Using the official public records such as the censuses, the church records for baptisms, marriages & burials at St Mary's, the school records for Dullingham School and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), I have attempted to piece together a little history on 'The Nineteen'.

The census taken on 2 April 1911, three years before the outbreak of the war, showed that there were 415 males and 350 females living in Dullingham, a total 765 people.  With 116 men going off to fight over the 4 years, a quarter of village men left for war.  

The majority of these men were labourers, working on farms, the railway and the roads.  So not only did the families have the worry about their menfolk on battlefield but they had to backfill these jobs. Life became much harder for the women, childen and older men left at home.

Despite extensive research I cannot find any official records on women joining the war effort. That's not to say women didn't - many joined as nurses - but to date I've not come across such records for Dullingham.  This post is based on the Roll of Honour which hangs in St Mary's and the War Memorial which was erected outside in the graveyard in 1920. 

Harry & Robert Brown

Harry & Robert were brothers born to Robert Brown and Priscilla Radford, who had married in October 1882.  They had 3 boys and 4 girls and Harry was their first born in 1884 and the family lived in Cross Green.  Robert William, their 6th child, came along in 1894 but the family suffered a tragedy when Priscilla died in November 1900 at the young age of 34.  By this time Robert senior was working for the Great Eastern Railway as a navvy and the family were living in "the cottage by the church".  Presumably this was along Church Lane.

In 1901 Harry was working as a groom and by 1911, now living in Eagle Lane, his job was decribed as a labourer on a farm - this could still mean he was a groom.  The census records show that people were not precious about job titles in those days and described exactly what they did.

Robert junior was still at school in 1901 and by 1911 was, like his older brother, a labourer on a farm.  On 27th November 1915, one year after the war had started he joined the East Surrey Regiment, 1st Battalion. He was one month short of turning 21.  One year later, almost to the day, Private Robert William Brown died on the battlefield in northern France.  He is commemorated (maybe buried) at Gorre British And Indian Cemetery, Pas de Calais.  

It's not clear when Harry joined up - presumably before his brother - but he was a Private in the 1st Battalion of the London Regiment Royal Fusiliers.  He lost his life on the 8th october 1916 and is commemorated at the Thiepval Memorial in the Somme.  He was 33 year of age, one of the older members of the cohot of The Nineteen.

Some good news for the Brown family was that their third boy, Harry & Robert's middle brother, Charles fought and survived the war and, by 1939 was living in Eagle Lane.   

Joseph Bullen

Joseph was born in the village in February 1898 to Henry & Alice Bullen.  Henry was a labourer and came from a family which had lived for several generations in the village.  Alice was born in Westminister.

The family lived in Dullingham Ley and by 1911 there were seven of them living in a 3 room dwelling.

It's not clear when Joseph joined the 7th Battalion of the Rifle Brigade but given his age it was probably in 1916 when he turned 18.   It is recorded is that that this young man lost his life on 27 August 1917, aged 19 years and 6 months.

There is a difference in his rank between the village War Memorial which says he was a sargeant and the War Graves record which says he was a corporal.  Either way no doubt his parents would have been proud of him, 

He is commemorated at the Tyne Cot Memorial, West-Vlaanderen in Belgium.

Harry Bye

Harry was born to Charles Bye and Leathea, nee Heath, in Feburary 1894.  He was born in Woodditton.  By the time he started school in Dullingham the family were living in Hill Farm Cottages.

Harry followed his father as farm labourer and 1911 saw him working at Lower Farm, next to Hill Farm.  

Harry and his older brother Edward both went to war probably in its early years.  Harry became a Lance Corporal in the Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby Regiment), 1st Battalion.  Edward would return but Harry lost his life on the 4th March 1917.  

He is commemorated at the Thiepval Memorial in France.

Horace & Edward Claydon 

The second set of parents to lose two childen to the war were Edward Claydon and his wife Eliza, nee Brown.   They married in 1885 and went on to have 12 children, 6 boys & 6 girls.  Horace and Edward were 5th & 6th in line.

The family lived the Old Workhouse on the Brinkley Road.  Horace was born

in May 1891 and, according to its register started at Dullingham School aged 2y 10m.  Edward, born September 1893 was a little older when he started school aged 3y 7m.  Presumably they both entered what we call the nursery class today.

Exactly when either joined the war is unclear but tragically they both died within 11 days of each other.  Horace, a Lance Corporal in 1st Battalion of the Hertfordshire Regiment, died on 3 November 1917.  He commemorated at the Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery in Beligium.

Edward was a Gunner in the Royal Field Artillery "C" Bty. 307th Bde when he died on 14th November 1917.  He actually died at Sutton Coldfield as result of gas poisoning in France.  One can only imagine what a horrid death this would have been.  Edward was buried back home in St Mary's, Dullingham.

Three years later Edward senior & Eliza received the Military Medal awarded to their Horace for "bravery in the field". 

 George Cootes

The records for George Cootes are rather confusing.  He appears on both the War Memorial in the churchyard and on the Roll of Honour in the church.  However there isn't a record for his death with the Commonwealth War Grave Commission.  Such an omission isn't entirely unknown as records have been lost and burned over the years.  

To confuse matters George appears on Absent Voters list for the 1919 Electoral Roll, but given he'd died in April 1918 this isn't surprising.  The likely explanation is his records for his death were lost and so his name was not removed from the Electoral Roll.

What we do know about George is that he born to Lewis/Louis Coates and Maria, nee Heath.  (The family surname was recorded variously as Cootes and Coates over the years.)  George was the second of five childen and the first boy.  He was one of the oldest of The Nineteen to die, being born 1879.

He married Elizabeth Peacock in 1910 and was a carpenter living in Station Road, then sometimes referred to by its original name of Stoney Street.

George, a Private in the 20th Middlesex, died on the 9th April 1918, aged 38.  Where he fell is unrecorded and his only commemoration appears in St Mary's.

Clifford Willis Farrow

An extract from an article published in The Newmarket Journal article on 1 June 1918 says,

"The death occurred in Palestine on April 9 of 2nd Lieut. Clifford Willis Farrow of the Dorset Regiment.  After completing his training in England he joined the Egyptian Expeditionary Force in October of last year.  News of his deceased was received at his home at Dullingham....he was wounded on the hillside near Jaffa and died two hours later....he was 20 years of age and the oldest son of Mr & Mrs Willis Farrow of Cable's Farm Dullingham.  Before joining the army he was in charge of his father's farm at Ousden showing great ability in farming for one so young.  He was buried on a hillside close to where he fell and the grave has been marked with a cross."

The CWGC described that commemorated at the Ramleh War Cemetery, Israel and Palestine (including Gaza).

Alfred William Goodacre

Alfred was born in Bermondesey in London in 1890.  By the age of 11 he was living in Station Road with William and Susan Sealey where he was described as a nephew.  Ten years later the family was living in Church Lane and Alfred was a farm labourer.

As the age of 26 Alfred, on the 9th August 1916, gave his life at the Somme whilst a Private in the 7th Battalion of the Suffolk Regiment.  

He is commemorated at the Pozieres Britsh Cemetry, Ovillers-La Boisselle, Somme, France.

Arthur & George Albert Graves

The final set of parents to lose two children on the battlefiled were Matthew Graves and his wife Mary Ann, nee Holmes.  They married in the district of St Ives, Cambridgeshire in 1878 and would go on to have 11 children.  They moved first to Stetchworth then later to Cross Green, Dullingham.

Arthur (July 1895) and George (August 1898) were both born in Stetchworth and were 7th and 8th in the family.   By 1911 Arthur was 16 and working as a houseboy, a young servant, and George was still at school, leaving in July 1912.

There doesn't appear to be any record when either went to war, but Arthur lost his life on 1 July 1916, 3 weeks short of his 22nd birthday.  He was a Private in the 11th Battalion of the Suffolk Regiment and is commemorated at the Thiepval Memorial in France.

George died nearly two years later on 27 May 1918 just before he turned 20.  A Private in 1st/4th Battalion of the Northumberland Fusiliers he is commemorated at Soissons Memorial in Aisne, France. 

Ernest Frederick Jeffery

Ernest was born to Afred and Alice, nee Honeyball, in June 1899.  The family lived Hill Farms Cottages where Ernest was the middle child of five.  He attended Dullingham School from Jun 1904 until May 1912, leaving just before his 13th birthday.

A few short years later he was fighting in France where he was a Private in the 6th Battalion of the Northhamptonshire Regiment. He lost his life very late stages of the war on 28th September 1818.  He is commemorated at the Unicorn Cemetry, Vendhuile, Aisne in France.

Amos Bertie Manning

Amos Bertie was born to William and Mary Ann, nee Crick, in September 1898.  Bertie was one of their seven children.  He attended Dullingham school from June 1902 until September 1912.

He was attested into the Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment) 9th Battalion on 15 Spril 1916.  He died two years later from gunshot wounds to his hands, arms and legs on 23 July 1918, a few weeks before his 20th birthday.

He is commemorated at the Bagneux British Cemetery in Gezaincourt, France.

Dyson Pearman

Dyson has born in February 1892 to William and Sarah, nee Webb.  He was the second of their sixth children and started at Dullingham School in September 1896.  The family lived at Cross Green and by 1911 Dyson was working as a farm labourer.

Dyson joined the Northumberland Fusiliers 1st Garrison Battalion as a Private and returned home to Dullingham at the end of the war.  Unfortunately he subsequently died from his injuries sustained in battle and was buried in Dullingham's churchyard on 3rd September 1919.

John Stanley Smith

John was born in September 1893.  He was the third child of seven born to John William Smith and his wife Elizabeth, nee Gooch.  He was admitted to Dullingham school in February 1897.  

The 1901 census records that the family were living next to the Royal Oak on Station Road.  Ascertaining which house is difficult as house-numbering as we know today, hadn't been introduced.  Houses were often referred by a relative location (e.g. near the Royal Oak) or by the landlord's name (e.g.Page's Cottage).  By 1911 John was working as a carpenter and was living in the Royal Oak itself.  

John joined the 2nd Battalion of the Suffolk Regimental.  He died fighting n Belgium late in the war, on 2 Oct 1918.  His name appears on the War Memorial, but strangly not on the Roll of Honour in the St Mary's.  

He is commemorated at Mons (Bergen) Communal Cemetry in Hainaut, Belgium.

William Frederick Smith

William Frederick Smith and John Stanley Smith were first cousins, both their fathers being brothers.  William was born in 1890 and lived  in the Royal Oak, where his father Charles was the publican.  Cousin John Stanley lived next door.

William's family were still living in the Royal Oak in 1901, but by 1911 William and his parents had moved to Eagle Lane.  William was working as a carpenter's labourer.

In August 1916 William married Dorothy Mary Hearn at St Mary's, Dullingham.  Their marriage record shows that William had already joined the army and was a Private in the 3rd Suffolk Regiment.

After just a year of marriage Dorothy became a widow when William lost his life on 14 Dec 1917.  William is another whose death appears on the Roll and the War Memorial but not on the CWGC records.

Sidney Southgate

Sidney was the only other men of the The Nineteen who was married before he was killed by the war.  He was born in Chelmsford, Essex where he married Emma Ketley in 1906.  

By 1911 they were living in Malting Cottage, Church Lane, Dullingham.  He was a gardener and by 1914 Sidney and Emma had two boys.

Sidney lost his life, aged 40, on 4 September 1917 fighting in the 24th Battalion of the  Royal Fusiliers.   He is commemorated in the Calias Southern Cemetery, Pas de Calias, France.

Fred Turner

Fred was born November 1884 in Penge (then in Surrey).  By 1893 Fred and parent William and Ann, nee Webb, had returned to Dullingham where Fred was admitted to school.

By 1901 he was living in Station Road and had been apprenticed to a carpenter.  Official records for Fred from this point on seem sparse.  The Dullingham War Memorial shows he died on the 20 September 1915.  Where is not recorded as there is no record for him the CMGC.  He does appear on Roll of Honour in St Mary's, but is not marked as having given his life.

William John Webb

William was born in Dullingham in 1886 to William & Sarah.  He was the 10th of their eleven children.  The family lived next to the Royal Oak (and the Smiths).

By the age of 15 William was working the land and appears to be one of the first in the village go to war.

On 20 July 1916 William died and is commemorated at Caterpillar Valley, Longueval in the Soome, France.  He was 30.

Hall Farm Rail Bridge

With the recent closure of the Hall Farm rail bridge, now is an opportune time to post an article about the bridge's replacement 43 years ago in 1982.  It could be argued that this is a Stetchworth rather than Dullingham Memory as it's just over the parish boundary but since some Stetchworth villagers use Dullingham Station I'm fairly confident that this post won't result in an internecine between the two parishes. 

The original bridge, looking downhill towards Stetchworth in 1980

Two more photos from the same time looking at the western 'portal'

In 1982 it was determined that the bridge needed replacing.  This had an impact on the area as Hall Farm road had to be closed for three months or so.   In an article for the Cambridge Evening News Rodney Tibbs - who appears to have lived locally - described that to get from one side to the other without the bridge was a 5 miles trip as modern day Googlemaps confirms.

 The following photos from the Dullingham Archives shows the replacement work for the new bridge, 43 years ago.  They are probably more of interest to railway/civil engineering buffs but nonetheless worth including here.  Whilst the original arch was replaced it's fair to say that Rodney's aspiration that the new bridge remained sympathetic to the surrounding country side was met and there no sign of any girders or steels. 

The Dullingham side of bridge just before demolition in 1982

"Mind the Gap"

Road platform in place.  It was around this time that the line between Cambridge & Newmarket was reduced to a single track with the exception of the Dullingham loop.

The parapet in place.  This must have taken some time as the fields in the previous photograph were green.

Too Fast at Dullingham Crossroads

In recent years speeding through the village has incensed many villagers and this has led to the formation of our own Speedwatch. A group of which aspires to make the village safer for everyone.

Looking through the archives of the Newmarket Journal shows that speeding is a not a recent problem.  The following transcript was taken from an article called "Too Fast at Dullingham Crossroads" in the Journal published on 2nd August, 1941.

Robert Edward Roberts, farmer, Great Wratting Hall, Haverhill, summoned for driving a motor car without due care and attention on the Newmarket-Brinkley Road, Dullingham on July 12th [1941].   Mr C. Morgan (Messrs Bendall) appeared for the defendant, who pleaded not guilty.

PC Frederick Charter (Stetchworth) gave evidence that at 10:25 pm he saw a Ford 10 hp motor car coming from the direction of Newmarket on the Newmarket-Brinkley Road at a speed which he estimated at 30 to 35 mph passed over the crossroads in Dullingham village without slackening speed.  Witness signalled to the driver to stop.  Defendant who took 20 paces to pull up, admitted that he had seen the danger sign at the crossroads and said he had driven over the crossroads hundreds of times.  He said his speed was 20 mph.  Defendant began to shout and was insolent.  There were a number of pedestrians about at the time.  The King's Head corner, which the defendant passed, was absolutely a blind corner.  The crossroads were in the centre of the Dullingham village.

Cross-examined:  The road from Newmarket to Haverhill could be regarded as the main road no one was in any danger.

Joseph Baldwin, a special constable at Dullingham, who was standing on the corner of the green with PC charter, corroborated the constable's evidence and said he estimated the speed of the car at about 35 mph.  The crossroads at Dullingham were very dangerous, and defendant came over them too fast.

Cross-examined:  If I had been alone I would have stopped the defendant.

By the Chairman:  Defendant was going so fast that he could not have pulled up if anything had been coming from Stetchworth.

Albert Edward Bailey, licensee of the King's Head, Dullingham, and a Lieutenant in the Home Guard, also corroborated, and said he was standing with PC Charter and Mr Baldwin.  He estimated the speed of the car at 35 or 36 mph.

Cross-examined:  There have been quite a number of accidents at the crossroads lately.

Defendant, giving evidence on oath, said his speed at crossroads was about 15 mph, and he sounded his hooter.  He saw no other traffic.  He was on the crossing before the constable put his hand up and applied his brakes at once.  He pulled up in 17 paces.  The Chairman said the Bench were unanimously of the opinion that defendant was going too fast at the crossroads.  He would be fined £2, with £1, costs and his license would be and endorsed.

King's Head Corner c1910 - 30 years before the reported incident

On an aside it's interesting to note the length of the article compared with our modern times where speeding in villages is considered the norm.  Also court reports of this period, and before, almost read like a script.  

Regardless, the crux of the article is still about a driver who, once behind the wheel of their chariot, has a blatant disregard for the safety of others.  A problem we still suffer 84 years later.

Underground Dullingham

In the year we celebrate 200 years of the railway it's interesting to read about Dullingham's lesser known history with rail.  

In 1933 when Harry Beck’s famous London Underground map was introduced the London Passenger Transport Board proposed a series of extensions in several villages surrounding the capital.  Dullingham was chosen to have one of these extensions and plans were drawn up to build several lines in and around village, including:
   

The Ley Line

The Chalk Line

The Eagle Line 

The Church Line

The North Northern Line.

Numerous stations were proposed throughout the parish to transport villagers to work and, more importantly, to local hostelries.  In order to help the odd visitor from London some of station names were nuanced to have a have a more familiar ring to them.

Work was started in early 1938, but alas the Second World War brought an end to this engineering marvel. Today the only remaining evidence of this network is the staircase for the station at Eagle Park Corner which was unearthed in 1984 and incorporated in a private house.

Important note:  Beck’s maps are not drawn to scale

A Train Journey through Dullingham

Edward Thorp, known as ‘Chib’, an undertaker from Leigh on Sea, spent his weekends throughout the year visiting the rural railway lines in East Anglia with wife Edna and their dog Micky. Chib always took along his 8mm camera, a good supply of Kodachrome film, and a tape recorder, to document their trips. He would edit the film himself at home, and sometimes record a commentary. 

From Colleges to Courses is a film held in the East Anglian Film Archive and shows a journey from Cambridge, through Dullingham, to Kennett.  It's my assumption that Enda is the lady in the red dress who features several times.

The journey was undertaken in 1967 shows how things have changed - particularly on the railways.  For example the line from Cambridge to the Newmarket tunnel was duelled then.  Today we only have the passing loop at Dullingham.  

Unfortunately there isn't any narration for this 12 minute film so I've added the timings (mm:ss) to the salient parts.

01:07 - note how open the curve at Coldham's Lane is compared with today's hedges

03:53 - Six Mile Bottom.  Note the level crossing comprises 4 half-gates operated from the signal box 

04:04 - the train passing through SMB station is a Derby Lightweight DMU

05:28 - Dullingham Station

06:14 - signalman Larry McDonnell (father of Maureen Baldwin who made me aware of this film)

07:56 - Woodditton level crossing on the Dullingham Road

08:08 - Newmarket Station (opened in 1902 to passengers)

08:38 - The old Newmarket Station (closed completely in April 1967 just before this film was ) and taking the token for the tunnel

09:19 - Newmarket's third station Warren Hill (1885 to 1945) on the Bury Road

10:09 - joining the line Ely-Ipswich line at Chippenham Junction and returning of the token 

11:48 - Kennett Station

For more details and pictures on the all these stations have a look at the website disused-stations.org.uk

• Cambridge Station
• Six Mile Bottom
• Dullingham Station (although not disused it has been included for completeness)
• Newmarket Station

Sources:

• British Film Institute 
• Disused Station

Station Garden Award

 An Award for Station Garden

As we celebrate the 200th anniversary of the railways in the UK - indeed the world - here's an article which appeared on the front page of the Newmarket Journal on 31st August 1961.

The gardens running along the platforms won an award in the Eastern Region Gardens competition.  An extract from a subsequent article on the station garden, published in the Journal on 18th January 1962 reported:

The staffs of Newmarket and Dullingham Railway stations can pat themselves on the back and call their stations the cleanest in the Eastern Region.

They have received first class awards in the annual regional competition for cleanliness and tidiness.  

British Railways officials visit stations at any time during the year and inspect the platforms, waiting rooms, entrance halls, offices, toilets and signal boxes.  

They look for dust and dirt cobwebs in general and untidiness and award points to each station.

Station Masters and staff never know when officials are likely to call so they have to be on their toes all the time.

Each station receives a £5 cheque and a certificate signed by the general manager, Mr H.C.Johnson.

At Dullingham Mr J Kitchen told us that he thought Dullingham station was particularly hard to keep clean because of its open platform.   

Mr Kitchen, who was not the station master when the competition was in progress, thought it a great feat for the two leading porter-signalmen who kept the station clean and tidy during the year.

They are Mr Winston Reeve and Mr Dennis Jarrold, of Dullingham.

At a guess Winston & Dennis are on the left in the picture above.

Life in a Village

The following article appeared in the Cambridge New published on Friday, April 30, 1965.  A scan of the original article appears at the end of this post but to aid viewing some pictures and text are published separately.  

Some extra detail has been added to the pictures which hopefully enhances your read.  Certainly it's interesting to contrast the description of the village from nearly early 60 years ago with current day.  

Dullingham is one of the clean-cut and attractive villages which surround Newmarket.  Motorists from Cambridge have found that a tour of these villages makes a peaceful Sunday afternoon trip.

Some of the characters of the village are Miss F Hurst, the sub-postmistress, Mr Kitchening, station master, and 94 year old Mr J.Misson.

Derek Breen, who is not yet two years old, is a hard taskmaster to his dog Tiny.  Young Patrick Drake is one of many friends of the road sweeper, Mr W.Piper.

As Dullingham is primarily a farming village - there is also one stud - it is unlikely that there will be any extensive development.  It is a village in which the residents take considerable pride and to mark the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, two chestnut trees were planted on the village green  - and to commemorate the Festival of Britain wooden seats were placed at several convenient points.

The Guild Hall looks much the same although it had two entrances on Station Road in 1965. In the centre distance is Ainsley House, and on the right in front of Cable Farm is a Ford Zephyr Mk III hiding a Mk I Mini (such trivia is supplied free of charge)

Miss Freda Hurst was the sub-postmistress when the post office was situated in Malting Cottage, Church Lane where she was also housekeeper to Mr George Benstead.  Both had worked at Dullingham House prior to the death in 1939 of Mrs Robinson, where Freda was her assistant and George her chauffeur.   

Young Derrick Breen & Tiny

Mr John Misson - the article says he's 94, yet he appears aged 93 is an EADT newspaper article ten years later.  Time stands still in Dullingham.

Young Patrick talking to William (?) Piper.  Young Patrick can still be seen cycling through the village nowadays.

Mr G.Kitching was appointed stationmaster for both Dullingham and Six Mile Bottom in 1961.  Three months after this article was published he appeared in the Newmarket Journal lamenting the imminent closure of both stations.

Is this setting at the bend by Cross Green?  The names of the horses is also unknown. 

Below is the original article in its original layout.

The Gate House

Nowadays the Gate House is often referred to as the Pink House and is one long residence.  This series of pictures show that, like many houses of its period, it was a several cottages which have been merges into one.

To be honest dating this photograph has proved to be a head-scratcher.  It's my guess that this is oldest of the set and was taken about 1910.  Looking west along Station the two cottages on the right form the basis what we know as the Gate House today. To the left of these is the Post Office (today called Black Penny cottage) and then you can see the apex of the public house The Royal Oak.

In this second photograph the cottage right-most in the first picture looks to have extended and so my assumption is that it's taken later. Of course it is possible the right-most cottage in the second photo fell down that this is an earlier photograph.  Having said that there were a series of photographs taken in 1931 and so this may be part of them.  But is the childrens' style of clothing of an earlier period?

In this photograph taken in 2020 the former Royal Oak and Post Office buildings look just the same as in the earlier photographers.  Whilst the basic shape of the Gate House is similar in all three, it does seem to have change a lot of the years.

Gamekeeper's Cottage

Looking west along Station Road in ca.1931 the Gamekeeper's Cottage is on the right, adjacent to Dullingham House at Old Maid's corner.  The wall on the left is in front of Chestnut Cottage.  Several children are looking towards the photographer who was standing in the road, no doubt in the safe knowledge that he or she would not be run down.

The same view in December 2023 shows that the Gamekeeper's cottage has been extended although the original building is clearly still discernible.  The wall on the left in front of Chestnut Cottage is now much lower and has been replaced by a lovely woven wooden fence.  The road, as modern times seem to indicate, is potholed in multiple places.

A view of the cottage taken in 1984.

Source: Dullingham Collection

Chestnut Cottage, Old Maid's Corner

Chestnut Cottage stands adjacent to Old Maid’s Corner.  The high wall seen in the Gamekeeper’s cottage pictures is now much lower.  

This photo was taken in 1971 and features Tim Piper cutting the grass. At this time the building comprised two dwelling and had three doors.  Tim lived in the left hand cottage and was the Dullingham road-man who kept all the footpaths clean.

The date for this photograph is uncertain but given the set it appears with in the Dullingham Archives it was likely to have been taken in 1974.  Certainly it was after the 1971 photo above as a flue/vent now emerges through the thatch and, with the removal of one of the front doors, is now a single dwelling. 

 Taken from the same spot but in 2023, 52 years after the first of this set.

Dullingham victors in Ladies' Cricket

The following is a report from the Newmarket Journal, 22 Jun 1967.  Just a mere couple of years ago.  The ladies cricket team from the Royal Oak pub on Station Road took on, and defeated, the ladies team from the Three Tuns at Cowlinge.

Perhaps the reporting might not be what you'd read today in 2023 - even the word 'got' was used and my English teacher would be turning in his/her/its grave to read that.  Nonetheless the Dullingham Ladies had a great match.

 

ANYONE who moans about cricket being a slow, dull game, and this is a criticism often levelled at it, should have visited Kirtling cricket ground on Friday evening, where they would have seen a fast-moving and hard fought - if somewhat amusing - game. 

From the interest and enthustasm of the crowd, a stranger might think he had unknowingly stumbled upon a Test match - but a closer inspection would show that this was far from true and he was in fact watching a match between two ladies' teams - from Royal Dullingham Oak and Cowlinge Three Tuns.

Changed picture

Perhaps the bowlers were not all "Freddie Truemans" and the batsmen "Bradmans" not in all the making - but nevertheless they certainly enjoyed their game and provided a very entertaining evening for the large crowd who came to watch.

Dullingham went in to bat first, and the first three wickets fell for only 15 runs and at one point Dullingham were 16 for five; but then P Baldwin changed the picture considerably.

In an innings of about 20 minutes she scored 29 runs including four fours - and when she retired the score stood at over 50. The time for each innings was limited to minutes about 40 and the last batsmen, M.McDonnell and S.Graham were just settling down when it was Cowlinge's turn to bat. Dullingham scoring 65.

Cowlinge were not really at home fielding - dropping several easy looking catches, and at one point the bail was thrown past the wicket four times before being fielded - meanwhile Dullingham got four runs.

Best bowler

Cowlinge's best bowler was M.Jolly, who in ten overs took five wickets for 31 runs. L.Pettitt bowled six overs and took two for 18, and S.Bitten bowled 3 and took one for 12.

Dullingham's fielding was very good. with some accurate bowling and good catching.

Cowlinge's opening batsmen. F.Wade and M.Jolly made 27 runs, before M.Jolly was out for 19 runs, including three fours. After this the batting got slowly worse until the score was 39 for six.

With the last ball of the match came quite the most spectacular part, when M.McDonnell, playing wicket keeper dived to catch a ball from J. Sharpe and held it In one hand to make Cowlinge’s final score 47.

Two each

Each member of the Dullingham team had bowled two overs, the best performance being that of T.Misson who took two wickets for only one run. P. Baldwin took two for four and P. McDonnell one for three.

Umpires were Mr. G. Pettitt and Mr. D.Bailey, and scorers were Mrs. D. Bailey and Mrs. B. Marks.

After the match one jubilant Dullingham supporter remarked that if the English Test selectors wanted "brighter cricket" they only had to come to Dullingham to find the 'right players!’

Teams were:
Dullingham Royal Oak: S.Baldwin, D.Buckle, G.Raeburn. P.Baldwin, R. Algar, C.McDonnell, P.McDonnell, T.Misson, M.Day. M.McDonnell, and S. Graham.

Cowlinge. Three Tuns: F.Wade, M.Jolly. R.Smith, T.Farrow, Mrs Bannister. Mrs Sharpe. C Stubbings. L.Pettitt, K.Sharpe, J.Sharpe and S. Bitten.

The Guildhall

Taken probably circa 1910 you can see a family posing in the middle of the Station Road with the Guildhall in the background.  The clothes worn by the lady and children look - to me - to be Edwardian hence the suggested date of 1910-ish.  The pram looks rather splendid as well. 

In contrast this photograph from the new Carolean era shows world is more colourful. Amazingly for 2023  Station Road was as quiet as it had been in the 1900s, but this was simply due to the recent road closure.

Walking towards the crossroads we can see the Guildhall as it was 1931.  The building is grade II listed and was built before 1495 as a guildhall to the St James' guild.  During the 18th century it was used as a poor house.

Almost taken from the same spot in 2023 the Guildhall looks much the same.  The same cannot be said for the trees.  

Standing on the village green looking back along Station Road we see a hunt with the horses & hounds solving the problem of speeding traffic along the Brinkley Road. Taken in the 1960s the Guildhall looks a little brighter than it had in 1931.

The sign on the far left of this picture from 1971 says "New Homes are For Sale".  These would be the houses in Elm Close.

The same scene in 2002 but the two entrances on Station Road have disappeared and the Guildhall is now a single dwelling.  In the background Elm Close is well established.

 

Cows & Sheep at the Crossroads

These photographs came from Maureen Baldwin's collection and show cows and sheep being moved through the village.  Evidently this was a common sight in the village 50 years back.  The photos were taken by Maureen's mother-in-law Cora Baldwin who, at that time. lived in Cable Farm. 

Cows walking along Stetchworth Road to the crossroads and following the Highway Code walking on the right and facing the oncoming traffic.

The same orderly cows as they walk along Station Road past the Guildhall.

The sheep, on the other hand, are all over the road and oblivious to any highway code.  Whilst woolly they were never members of the Tufty Club.

The next two of Cora's photos were taken from the same vantage point as the previous ones.  

As regards dating these photographs it looks like they were all taken during the same period.  Certainly the Kings' Head and Aynsley house looked much the same.  There was some thought the cows & sheep photos were taken in the mid 1960s.  However vehicle registration on the back of the white van in photo immediately above looks (on the original photo) to end in a V year, suggesting it was taken in 1980 onwards. Even if this 'blurred' V plate is incorrect, the earliest this is likely to be is 1973 when the use of the reflective registrations plates was introduced. 

If you can provide any corrections or updates please leave a comment or send Richard an email.

In 1915 Dullingham was twinned with the town of Borington in North America.

The two communities had intended on having numerous exchanges visits, but no one except the village mayor could be bothered to book passage. The mayor's trip didn't end too well as on 15 April 1915, a couple weeks after the official twinning, his ship hit an iceberg.

When the village was discovered in 1066 it was recognised to be such a lovely location the founding fathers and mothers decided to give it a name which belied its character and would keep the crowds away, a fate suffered by Brighton. A close contender in the naming stakes at that time was Eggingham, as the village is sandwiched between two other villages.

To commemorate the twinning a pair of crosses were to be ejected in the middle of Camping Close - that's what we refer to as the village green nowadays.  Alas these never appeared as there was concern the village would become two X sited and so not be in keeping with either location.

The picture of the village sign above not only provides evidence the twinning but also show the first of the April daffodils.

The Post Office

The Dullingham Post Office sat next to The Royal Oak until it closed in...well I'm not sure.  

It's most likely photograph above was taken in the early 1930s as it seems to be part a series of similar pictures taken in the village around this time. The people in the foreground are almost certainly the postmistress Catherine Reeves and her husband Alfred 'Johnnie' Reeves.

Catherine was the daughter of Joseph Chittock who had been the station master for Dullingham for at least 32 years.  The Post Office directory shows he was in place in 1879 and he appears in the 1911 Census in the same role.  Although Joseph retired and had moved away when he died in 1924 he was buried in St Mary's.  

It would appear that Catherine was the driving force of the post office.  Johnnie, on the other hand, was a bit of a character.  In their memoirs both Joe Moore and Dennis Algar mention that Johnnie, when meant to be working, would actually be in The Royal Oak next door.  There would often a beer sitting on the wall outside whilst Johnnie was working indoors in the post office.  It seems public houses were never too distant from Johnnie as he and Catherine appear in the 1911 Census as inn keepers of The Lion Inn in Stoke by Clare.  

The 1939 Register  - a mini census taken at the outbreak of the Second World War - shows that Catherine & Johnnie were still running the post office on 29th September 1939.  Around this time Joe Moore recorded his memories that on entering the post office,

"....a bell on a spring attached to the door rang, it was very loud and seemed to ring on for ever, eventually someone appeared, usually Mrs Reeve. The inside of the shop was not very big and there was a counter on both sides with a door in front, this was always filled with official notices which every one seemed to ignore. The right-hand side was the post office, the counter was bare except for the post office stamp and pad, and a row of six jars of boiled sweets, the selection of sweets was very small and the jars were always kept to one side. Behind on a shelf stood the book of postage stamps, a pair of scales to weigh parcels (and sweets), also other bits and pieces to do with the operating of a post office. There were more official notices pinned on the wall behind which no one could read, as they were so far away and most of the printing was small anyway. Tobacco and cigarettes were also sold over this counter as well. The opposite counter had all sorts of bits and pieces, reels of cotton and thread, tape, combs, paper and envelopes, all manner of every day things needed in the average household. If you required something from this side of the shop, Mrs Reeve disappeared from the post office counter and suddenly appeared again to serve from the goods side."

Joe also mentioned that around this time the Post Office employed two postmen as well, Mr Tom Gentleman who lived in the Brinkley Road, and Mr Jim Pryke who lived in one of the thatched cottages just the other side of the Royal Oak.

For a short while after its closure the post office services moved next door to The Royal Oak.  Unfortunately this clipping is not dated so the closure date is currently unknown.  However the post office building was transformed... 

...into a charming private home (picture taken in February 2023).  Certainly Black Penny Cottage is great name for an ex-post office.  

If you can provide any corrections or updates please leave a comment or send Richard an email.

Baldwin Cricket Team

This week the Dullingham Parish Council announced in its newsletter that its has signed a 20 year contract to allow Newmarket Cricket Club to use village ground as its new home ground.  So it seems fitting to have a cricket related post.

This cutting from The Newmarket Journal - dated 5 July 1990 - tells the story of the Baldwin family from Dullingham fielding a full cricket team against a team of the staff from Bottisham Village College. Several of the players, across the generations, attended the College themselves.  Alas, the village team lost to the teachers.  

Somewhat controversially only last summer in The Boot beer garden Chris Baldwin made mention that the family had allowed the staff to win.  Clearly Chris, looking at his score, was the man who was looking to get a good school report.   ;-)  

Flint Cottage & Station Road

This series of photographs looks east along Station Road, from its junction with Eagle Lane, towards Old Maid's Corner.  Flint Cottage sits in the foreground of these pictures and, at first sight, has changed little over the years.  Dating these has proved tricky and the first may possibly be in the wrong order.

The 1910s

The first photograph appears in Dennis Algar's memoirs East Anglia to the Far East and is dated ca.1909 on the Old Newmarket Facebook Page.  If you click on the picture above to zoom in you can see the state of the roads - very rutted and perhaps not metalled - this photograph appears to be the oldest of the series. However, given the state of the roads in 2023, potholes may not be the best way to date things.

Immediately next to Flint Cottage is a thatched building of two cottages which "fell down" sometime in the late-1930/1940/50s. As a result 86 Station no longer exists and a new 88 now sits on the site of both dwellings.  

Next to 86/88, set back, is the pair of buildings which form the elegant four Victorian Cottages built in 1886.  In fact, in this picture, you only see the easterly of the pair (80/78) as the (84/82) are hidden behind (88/86).  [Keep up, there's a test at the end of this post.]

The next building along is the present day Martins Cottage.  The building which is set at right angles to Station Road is the shop called Densons.  This is adjacent to Latchetts.

Finally, in the distance, you can see the end of the cottage which stood adjacent to Nappa Cottage.  There is a future post which will focus on Nappa and this next door cottage.

The 1920s

The most obvious difference compared with the previous one is that it taken during the summer.  The horse chestnut tree is full of leaf and there are shadows cross the road.  If you look closely at the entrance to Flint Cottage there is a person standing in the doorway with - perhaps - a child sitting on the top step. 

The cyclist is walking or standing adjacent the entrance to Stony Cottage - nowadays called Tillbrook Farm Cottages - and looks to be wearing a full skirt.  Now I'm no fashionista and originally thought the style pre-dated the previous photo.  However, looking at the state of the fence in front of 88/86 - and then in the subsequent photos - leads me to think it could be the 1920s.  I'm happy to be told otherwise.

The 1930s

This photograph is dated ca.1931 and forms a baseline for the timeline for this series of photos.  That is, it's the first known date and so is useful to compare the other photos against it to determine if they are older or more recent.  

The trees which were hiding Martins Cottage in the second photo have now disappeared.  So too has the cottage which is immediately next to Nappa.  

The 1950/60s

This photo had to have taken post-1949 when electricity came to the village.  The evidence for this is the electricity pole which is more or less in the centre of the picture (removed in the late 1990s when the cables were buried).

The thatched cottage building (88/86) next to Flint Cottage has now disappeared and the plot has become an allotment.

2009

Leaping forward to the next century, indeed the next millennium, this wintery scene was taken six days before Christmas in 2009.  Bing would have been wishing for this.  The new version of 88, built by Derek Baldwin in 1983, fills the gap between Flint Cottage and the Victorian terrace.

2023

This photograph was taken in February 2013 (last week actually), approximately 114 years since the first photo in the series.

Looking West

This "fading memories" video is looking along Station Road towards the Eagle Lane corner.  In the foreground is the new 88 Station Road but if you play the video you can step back to the original thatched building.

If you have any comments, corrections or more photographs please leave a comment or send Richard an email.