Memories of Dunley - June Gracey

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Step grandfather Sir Alfred Herbert with his daughter, Gladys Hollick, grandaughter June Vapenik (now Gracey) and great grandson Gavin Vapenik - taken from his book, Shots at the Truth (1948). He was married three times and had four daughters from his first marriage. Gladys was his eldest

June Gracey's memories of Dunley include:

Miss Tidd (Sir Alfred's Hampshire secretary) had four adopted children - Penelope who went to Australia; Ursula, Belinda and Carol.
Miss Tidd and her mother are both buried at Litchfield
Busby - was 1st chauffeur and had a son, Ernest
Harry Piper - 2nd chauffeur and trusted friend
Pickett - bootman and odd-job-man. He used to fetch the dogs from the billiard room after dinner and take them to be bedded down.
Benham - the head gardener
Mrs Barnes - was cook
Mackenzie - ruled the dining room and the under-parlourmaids went in great fear of her.
Maud - was an under-parlourmaid and married Pickett's son and lived in Coventry
Apocathary - was a housemaid who bathed the three Yorkshire terriers and the daschshund.

Michael and David Pugh (brothers of Annette, my mother) had a fierce Sealyham, Taffy, who June was allowed to take on walks. On shooting party days he had to be shut up as he fought with the gun dogs. They also had a pony, Myfawny, which Piper used to drive to the shops on petrol rationing days

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Comments

  1. flaxspinweav14 December 2019 at 16:05

    This is wonderful for me. Miss Irene Tidd, Sir Alfred’s secretary, was my aunt, my father, Wing Cdr Gordon Tidd’s, sister, who lived at Dunley Lodge, just down the road from the manor, with her mother and the elder two of her adopted or foster daughters.

    After my father died in Iraq in 1950, we would often spend Christmases at Dunley Lodge until my grandmother, Muriel Tidd, passed away. I have many happy memories of that time, not the least of which was the annual children’s Christmas party held by Sir Alfred at the manor. He gifted each of us children 10/- which was a fortune to us.

    Irene, Auntie Kink to us, always had to go to the manor after church on Christmas morning to take care of any business necessary. We children would watch for her coming back down the lane, noses pressed against the window, so that gift opening could commence!

    Thank you for the memories
    Wendy Maurice (née Tidd)

    ReplyDelete

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