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| Uncle Bill (William Ernest Childs) married Aunt Addie (Adelaide DURRANT) . Aunt Addie was a gentle, older woman, ladylike with a Suffolk accent. She had always been in good service. Aunt Addie and Uncle Bill went to live about two miles up the main road towards Hatfield Peverel. Uncle Bill made lovely furniture. They had a dog called Tess, who looked a bit like a long haired wolfhound. One day when Aunt Addie and Uncle Bill were having Sunday tea with Gran at Clock House they returned to find the house broken into. Everything was ransacked: flour, jam, wine tipped all over the floor. Uncle Bill's dark room ruined, the furniture smashed. The greenhouse was broken and all the plants smashed and even the flowers in the garden had all been slashed and trampled down. It broke their hearts. The police investigated but no one was ever found. They thought jealousy was the motive, but why? The question was never answered. He married Addie, who had a Suffolk accent, and lived at Hatfield Peverel. Later they moved to Mr. Seabrook's house in Boreham as caretakers. They had their own apartment, and cleaned the offices. It was a happy arrangement as if Uncle was ill, Aunt Addie could always cope. Seabrooks were expanding at this time and needed office space: this house also served that purpose. It was, I believe, on Old Forge Road. Uncle Bill was given this light job because he never was strong, always had chest trouble. When he was before the medical board in the First World War, the doctor said "Underground Artillery for you", but he lived to be over seventy! He had many bouts of illness all to do with his lungs which Aunt Addie nursed him through. She often said she spent most of her nights getting out of one side of the bed and into the other! That is how restless Uncle was. Uncle Bill also had the job of canning fruit for the use of the Seabrook family and friends. I don't think any finer fruit ever went into tins. It was hard work because of all the preparation of the fruit and the place always seemed full of steam. His main hobby was collecting butterflies and moths; he had one of the finest collections ever. Mr. Seabrook, senior, also shared this hobby and they mostly went together when searching for specimens. They worked on the basis of taking turns when an unusual catch was made and stuck firmly to that rule, so Uncle Bill had some very rare specimens in his collection. He made showcases and specially shaped wooden strips with a deep groove in the centre to take the body of the butterfly or moth. Mr. Seabrook and Uncle used to sit up in Toppinghoe Wood many a night with a light to attract moths. The wood was how a wood should be: mossy underfoot, bluebells, primroses, dog violets, the lot. Aunt Addie and Kathleen spent a lot of time searching among the rotten tree stumps for a chrysalis of the Goat's Head moth. Uncle Bill had one. One day he came back from an expedition on the marshes on the coast of Essex and was so excited. He had found a very rare butterfly. It was Uncle's turn to have it and he was so pleased. Uncle Bill died when he was in his early seventies. The old chest complaint finally caught up with him. | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Whilst Addie and Bill lived at Seabrook's old house in Boerham, Flo came on the scene. Flo helped Aunt Addie nurse Uncle Bill and proved to be a friend to her as well. Aunt Addie moved into Flo's flat when Uncle Bill died, and stayed there until she died.21 Aunt Addie must have been forty or more when greatly to everyone's surprise she produced a son! - Gordon. He was always a nice boy, inherited his mother's quiet charm and his Dad's looks.21 | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Last Modified 12 Oct 2003 | Created 24 Feb 2007 by Reunion for Macintosh |