January 6th 1954

One of the first R.A.F. pilots to be shot down during the war was Master Pilot Herbert Ruse the son of Mrs E.Ruse of Bull lane, Long Melford who has received the Queen’s Commendation in the New Year’s Honours List for valuable service in the air, aged 40, Master Pilot Ruse was educated at Sudbury Grammar school, he joined the R.A.F. immediately after leaving school and qualified as a pilot at the outbreak of war, as a bomber pilot he took part in early raids and on

December 8th 1939

w as shot down while piloting a Wellington in a raid over Heligoland near the German Island of Borkum and taken prisoner. During recent years he has been in a Communications Squadron of the R.A.F., one of his duties has been transportation of V.I.P’s by air, he is a married man living in married quarters at R.A.F. White Waltham, Maidenhead. His brother carries on a butcher’s business at Long Melford.

January 3th 1954

Mr Peter Burke of the Aubries, Bulmer, asked a land tribunal to consent to a notice to quit on 67 year old Herbert Cardy in respect of 228 acre farms at Kitchen and Blackhouse farms in Bulmer. Decision to be announced later.
J .O.Brand of Foxearth was elected chairman of East Anglian Red Poll Cattle Breeders at a meeting at the Angel Hotel, Bury St Edmunds.

January 0th 1954

Problems concerning Hutment Sites at Gt Waldingfield and Acton was discussed at a meeting of Melford R.D.C. when the Medical Officer for Health drew attention to the conditions existing on the site at Gt Waldingfield, he said the premises concerned were in such a state as to be prejudicial to health, it was agreed to send a letter to the occupants informing them if they did not keep the huts clean remedial steps would be taken.

February 0th 1954

Councillor W.J.Jones addressing Sudbury and District N.F.U. said he was aware of the concern over the expansion of Sudbury said “a lot of people imagine that about 4 or 5 thousand Londoners would be coming down Ballingdon Hill eating fish and chips, the fact is the true Londoner does not want to leave London, also there are thousands who are countrymen at heart and would like to come back to the country”.
T his weekend Mr J.H.Hickford severed a connection with Melford post office, he joined the staff in 1920 and for 10 years was on the Alpheton round which is 26 miles a day, it is estimated that he covered 86,000 miles before coming onto town deliveries, he reckons he did another 92,000 miles, it is safe to say he did over 180,,000 miles for the Post Office.
A large dutch barn stacked with corn was destroyed by fire at Belchamp St Pauls on Wednesday evening, the owner Mr V.Basham said he thought the fire was started by a spark from a tractor which was driving a threshing machine.

February 4th 1954

Out riding at Gestingthorpe on Sunday afternoon a 17 year old agricultural student, Ronald Rathbone was thrown from his horse at Pot Kiln Chase, he died later in St Leonards hospital, he was with two friends, Miss Sheila Fulford and Robert Fulford of Belchamp Otten, he was a student at Writtle Agricultural College.
A n Australian doctor addressing Sudbury Rotary Club told the story of how when his car broke down he went to the village shop and asked “if they had got any pliers” no only woodbines was the answer.
A cricket club was formed at Melford at a meeting on Tuesday night, the club will be a successor to the club which died in 1937. Committee—E.Moxey-S.Thorne-R.Bradley-N.Byford-M.Smith-O.Murkin-L.Elms-C.Drury-C.Sansum.

March 0th 1954

A 47 year old Hartest farmer, Eric Hunt of Waldegrave farm was gored to death by a bull on his farm on Thursday morning, the cowman drove it off with a pitchfork after the attack.
F ollowing an explosion in an outbuilding at Whitehall Farm, Gt Waldingfield on Wednesday afternoon four farm workers were taken to Essex County Hospital suffering from shock and burns, the men moved some gunpowder which was used to blast stumps, they were Reginald Leeks 42 and his son Ronald 20, Albert Brown 53 and Frank Fayers 25.

March 7th 1954

Back in this country are Mr and Mrs Barrell of Rippengale Farm, Belchamp Walter, they left England in December to spend Christmas with only daughter, Mary, who went to America with her husband Jimmy Flores who she married when he was stationed at Ridgewell during the war

March 4th 1954

A new Rector was instituted at Pentlow Church when the Rev Laurence Goring Folkard was installed as rector, he will also act as priest in charge at Foxearth.
I nteresting sidelights of Newton Green have come to light by a hand written “news sheet”, it is the “Newton Gazette” which was found in an old cupboard by Mr Goodchild of Glemsford, it is estimated to have been written about 1900 to 1901, there is a mention of a cricket match between Newton and Yeldham, Yeldham being all out for 3, also a mention of a game at Ovington with Ovington being dismissed for 2, a certain Mr Fisher is stated to “have batted well” for 0 not out, it is doubtful if this match is recorded in Wisden or anywhere else.

April 7th 1954

April 0th 1852

i s the date on the birth certificate of Mr George Barber of Walnutree hospital who on Saturday will celebrate his 102nd birthday, born at Lt Wratting where he lived most of his life, never went to school and took his first job at the age of 7 when he had to guard a stack from the crows with a wage of 6d a week.

April 1st 1954

While ploughing in Kentwell Park, Mr J.Kiddy turned up an anti-tank mine, it was fully charged and liable to explode, he recalled the Estate was used as a training ground during the war.
M r Douglas King, the Kentlwell Hall gamekeeper found an unexploded mortar bomb in Ponds wood.

April 8th 1954

Two men who broke into Sudbury Co-operative Society’s stores at Sudbury and removed £2,500 from a safe then walked four miles across fields and hid the money in a haystack at Foxearth it was alleged at Sudbury Court, when Alan Barret 29 of Bocking and Rueben Anderson 24 of Braintree were sent for trial.
T he hay stack at Foxearth was in the meadow near the Liston turning.

May 2th 1954

As a result of a massed fight on Sudbury market hill in which American servicemen, British troops and civilians were involved, two local men were sent to prison for 28 days, they were Sidney Reed 21 of Gt Cornard and Herbert Owers of Halstead, each were found guilty of being drunk and disorderly. The police said as many as 30 men were involved.
N early 3,000 people attended the South Suffolk Show on Blacklands Park at Cavendish on Saturday, the red polls, Suffolk’s own cattle breed had some particularly good animals with J.O. Brand of Foxearth taking the premier award.

May 9th 1954

Another 3 inch unexploded mortar bomb was found by Mr J.Mott a tractor driver at Kentwell Hall.
G lemsford Cricket club began their first post war season with a match against Gosfield which Gosfield won by 111 to 33.

June 2nd 1954

Ask any of the older generation in Melford to name the greatest footballer Melford has produced and the answer will almost certainly be “Tish Ranson” who passed away in his sleep on Sunday morning, he was a regular player for Suffolk County, he also played for Essex, before the first war he worked at Hoffmans and played for Chelmsford, he served in the R.E. during the war and came back to his native village to marry a Lawshall girl and worked at Stafford Allen’s, he was aged 62 and leaves a widow but no children, the footballing tradition being carried on by his nephew Leslie Elms who embodies much that is reminiscent of his uncle.

June 9th 1954

F.W.Woolworth will open their new store at Sudbury at 9 a.m. on 17th of June.

June 3rd 1954

Looking Back 25 years. It was to point out that the Borley nun could not have attempted to run away with the coachman as coaches had not been invented and the nunneries had all been repressed.
C ricket. Sudbury Post Office v Sudbury Police at Rodbridge, the police winning by 20 runs.

July 7th 1954

London buyers and local butchers attended the re-opening of Sudbury Fat Stock market which was on Thursday, the first for 15 years after Ministry of Food control.

August 1th 1954

How he found a 16 year old girl and another girl alone in a remote farm house after she was reported missing for a week was told by a police constable at Bury Juvenile Court, the girl was before the court as being in need of care and protection. She seems to have a leaning to American soldiers said Mr Jefferson, the girl was found by police on July 19th in an empty farmhouse at Pentlow, at Foxearth police station the girl made a statement in which she and another girl went to the farmhouse for somewhere to sleep, next day they found some raspberries in the garden, the day after two American servicemen came and stayed the night but they slept in different rooms, four more came on Sunday night but did not stay. To be sent to a remand Home in the meantime for medical treatment. (School Barn)
4 mortar bombs believed to have been left during wartime operations were found in the garden of Mr F.Patton at the Broadway, Glemsford.
A notice has been erected in a garden at Gt Waldingfield warning people that a cavity nearby may contain an unexploded bomb in the garden of Mr A.H.Dixon close to the parish church, during the war a stick of bombs were dropped near the church and it is possible that the hole may contain a bomb .

September 2nd 1954

60 applicants who had been offered houses at new Woodhall Estate at Sudbury at £1 at week have refused them on the grounds that the rents are too high.

September 9th 1954

The six week old bomb scare at Gt Waldingfield is over, after two day digging the bomb disposal team from Portsmouth have discovered that the subsidence in the garden of Walnut Tree house is an ancient flint well.

October 6th 1954

It was reported at a meeting of Glemsford Parish Council that there had been wilful damage to the new bus shelter in the village, the matter has been reported to the police.

October 3th 1954

Mr Philip Paul, the well known psychic researcher, is expected to begin digging among the ruins of Borley rectory, there is a legend that a nun and two grooms died violently in 1667 and since then there have been many ghostly appearances.

October 0th 1954

Bones believed to be those of an animal, a plough and parts of a car are the only things discovered in the first stage of the excavations of the ruins of Borley Rectory, Mr Paul was assisted by seven local boys and three men.

November 3rd 1954

J.O.Brand of Brook Hall, Foxearth took a 1st prize at the Dairy Show at Olympia with Foxearth Duchess, in the bacon section Messrs Stafford Allen of Long Melford took two 1st prizes.
T here are 200 milk producers in South Suffolk and about 75 per cent of them are T.T. tested.

December 8th 1954

Men of the USAAF stationed at Wethersfield Station will furnish atomic supplies for N.A.T.O. forces should the occasion arise, said Brigadier-General John Stevenson when he spoke to men at the base last week.

December 9th 1954

Local people who have first hand or second hand experience of psychic occurrences at Borley are indignant that the news that Borley ghost stories are to be discredited in a report to be issued by the Society of Psychical Research in the new year, the report claims that Harry Price whose books brought world wide publicity to Borley, that he frequently misquoted witnesses and exaggerated his evidence, his belief that that the nun Marie Lairre had been murdered by one of the Waldegrave family nearly 300 years ago is said to based on “information” supplied by the spirits during séances at Borley.

December 2nd 1954

At the first post war Christmas show at Sudbury, J.O.Brand won the 1st prize for light weight steers with a red poll steer which weighed 11 cwt, it was bought by W.P.Cook of Sudbury for £14 7s 6d per hundred weight, 2nd prize went to Mr R.Basham of Belchamp St Pauls with a Angus steer which weighed 8 ½ cwt was sold to Mr F.Hale of Cavendish for £10 6s per cwt.

January 5th 1955

A body believed to be that of Martin Dorkin an Irish labourer of about 50 was found in the stack yard of Mr L.Sillitoe’s farm at Earls Colne.

January 2th 1955

Clare Modern Secondary School built at a cost of £105,000, opened yesterday with classes for 250 children from 15 West Suffolk villages .

March 6th 1955

Hill farm Glemsford comprising farm house- 3 cottages and 244 acres was sold to Mr J.Kiddy.

April 6th 1955

It was announced on Monday that a grant towards the preservation of Belchamp Hall has been made by the Historic Buildings Council, the owner is Mr P St clere Raymond,it dates from 1720 and is believe to have been designed by a Dutch architect, the property has been in the family since the early 17th century .

April 7th 1955

Mr and Mrs Arthur Stewart of Long Melford celebrated their golden wedding on Sunday, they married at Foxearth church on April 1905, Mrs Stewart’s maiden name was Ward, for many years Mr Stewart was captain of Long Melford fire brigade in the days of horse drawn manual pumps.

May 8th 1955

There were some interesting cattle classes at Hadleigh show with seven red poll herds represented, theses classes were all taken by animals from J.O.Brand of Foxearth.

May 5th 1955

A cow wandered on to the railway line at Lyston of Thursday afternoon and was killed by a train, the cow a valuable one, was owned by Mrs Cutler of Melford Place farm.

June 5th 1955

After being occupied for 10 years by families unable to find other accommodation, Acton camp has now been cleared.

July 0th 1955

Foxearth was placed 3rd in the Best Kept Essex Village competition, 46 villages entered the competition and Foxearth was placed 1st in their group.

July 7th 1955

A Foxearth all rounder became the first of local bowlers to take 100 wickets this season, in addition to taking his 100th wicket he scored 69 against Pebmarsh.

August 7th 1955

Sudbury. Scores of houses were flooded and several roads became impassable on Saturday afternoon when the drought was broken by a torrential downpour with nearly two inches of rain falling.

August 4th 1955

Cavendish George is one of over 50 inns in Suffolk which last Wednesday was scheduled for protection as a building of architectural importance.

September 1st 1955

Looking Back 10 years. The 136th U.S.A. Hospital at Acton gave a large quantity of laboratory equipment and drugs and dressings etc to St Leonards Hospital at Sudbury when they left at the end of the war.

October 5th 1955

Accumulator delivery roundsman wanted for country round. Apply Radio Supply, Sudbury.

October 9th 1955

Unless people who use the playing field at Glemsford are prepared to share the work in managing it, the control of the field may pass from the village, this was the warning given on Wednesday at the annual meeting of the management committee.
T op price of 400 guineas was paid by C.B.Jarman at the East Anglian Red Poll Breeders Association sale for Foxearth Medalist bred by J.O. Brand of Foxearth.

December 7th 1955

Armed guards have been mounted and night patrols organised following raids by “killer dogs” on farms in the Melford—Sudbury district, the dogs have killed 100’s of chickens, ducks, geese and a number of cats, one of the dogs, a pure white Alsation was shot dead when 23 guns from local farms tracked down and shot the dog at Acton.