28th March

Aunt Pamela’s War – More Memories (Part 9)

[KPD left – as well as her diaries – an old exercise book, falling apart, and not by any means full, but containing some family history information. Inside the front cover she has written: ‘I meant to rewrite this book…I hope I have not repeated myself too much”. I have tried to remove such repetition, and to have reordered the contents to make more sense, giving headings, leaving out simply genealogical material etc. I have also added some explanatory footnotes. But the text is all her own. Word of warning: from now on KPD’s writing gets a little less focused and repetitive.]

Part 14 – More miscellaneous childhood memories

• Before going to Bolivia Gerald¹ worked on a farm, & then at Sutton Seeds² at Reading in the office. The Damans lived at Goring & he probably saw a lot of them & arranged to go out with Kitty³.
• We grew mustard & cress on well watered blotting paper or flannels on plates.
• The end house at Berkhamsted was owned by elderly Mrs Slater. A man (sic) cousin lived there & an old retainer called Mary. Mrs Slater lent Daddy The Times & I used to fetch it the next evening⁴. She played hymns on Sunday on the piano & sang. Her favourite was Rock of Ages.
• Mrs Slater had a large garden – double plot – & grew every kind of fruit – she had a gardener. Even had a quince tree & Mother made quince jam. I used to have feasts of raspberries, strawberries, ripe gooseberries & black, red & white (?) currants.

1 Gerald Dell (1905-85) spent nearly 60 years in South America, only once returning to the UK for a holiday (in 1970).

2 Sutton Seeds, now based in Devon, are still a well known firm; see: https://www.suttons.co.uk/About-UsHistory.htm#close

3 Believed to be Katherine Fergusson, née Daman (c.1892-1953). Her son Ian married Gerald’s daughter, Ines in 1952.

4 At this time (1914-26) there was no television of course, and even the earliest radio didn’t start until 1922 (and there is no evidence that the Dells were ‘early adopters’!), so a one day old newspaper was still valuable.

Gerald Dell, KPD’s second oldest brother, with Jean Cargill, later his wife. They spent almost their whole lives in South America, first in Bolivia and then, for most of the time, in Chile.

NB – KPD’s diaries restart tomorrow, but the last of these memories will be published in a few days time!