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Elizabeth (Betty) Wyatt 1

THE CRANES

At 1 Oxford Street, Kingsdown, Bristol lived Mr and Mrs Crane and Family.

I was a little girl called Betty Guy and I had an Aunty and Uncle and children who lived at Oxford Street.

My Gran would take me to see them for a visit.

I loved going there as i had 6 cousins to play with and i was an only child.

There was Nancy the eldest, then Joan and then Winnie and Roy and Margaret and Baby John.

I went to Baby John's christening at St Michael's Church, and i thought it was wonderful, and back to Aunty Adas and Uncle Charlies for a lovely tea party.

The children played games in the street as it was safe and perhaps one car a day went through.

We would sit on the door steps and take our turn in Hopscotch and us girls would have a long rope and a girl at each end and we would skip through trying not to get caught in the rope.

Next door lived Uncle Charlie's brother and wife and 2 girls and a boy. They would join in our games as well and the boys kicked a ball around and made a goal post. We all used to enjoy ourselves and i loved being with all the children and sometimes slept there overnight and it was great fun. My Gran would come back for me the next day.

The house in Oxford Street had 4 bedrooms and a long living room and a kitchen down the stairs. The yard behind the living room had a flush toilet and a small scullery for washing the dishes, as down in the kitchen was a gas stove and a gas boiler and sink.

Uncle Charlie had a fresh fish shop in Kingsdown and he would boil the cockles in the boiler.

His brother Bert would take a huge basket of cockles to The Downs and sell them. He had poor health as he was gassed in the 1st World War.

The house had memories for my Gran as she used to live there and at one time part of the living room was made into a sweet shop. Also my Dad met my Mum there as one time my Mum and her Dad, sisters and brothers lived next door.

Gran had a sweet shop and all the people used it.

Written Jan 2017 by Betty Wyatt age 88.

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