CONKERS & OUR GANG

"Our Gang" Alresford Cub Scouts 1939 Back row: Miss Irvine Robertson, cub mistress, Tony Osborne,  Frank Todd, Harry White, Arthur Cliff, Eric Lane Middle Row: James ("Jimmy")White, ?., John Todd,  Horace Todd, Alan Tremeer, Ron Deane Front Row: Albert Brown, James ("Jimmy")Underwood, Len Strong,  John Gilding, Alan Cliff, Dereck Chamberlain.

Autumn is upon us, the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, the days of conkers and bringing in the corn and harvest festivals. Dad used to make a wheatsheaf from unleavened dough and big cottage loaves in the bakery for display in the church for harvest festival.

I was in the church choir at the time and we used to go to the Rectory for choir practice. In the garden were many fruit trees. One little tree loaded with red apples was always a target for 'scrumping'. The Rector let us know that he wanted these apples for the harvest festival, but the temptation to us boys was too great, so we helped ourselves to as many as we could stuff in our pockets. Then one of the boys found a piece of board and chalked on it "All is safely gathered in". The Rector was not amused.!!
 

'Conkers' was a favourite pastime. Thread the biggest horse-chestnut you could find on to a piece of string, then challenge your opponent to take a swipe at it with his. The winner was the one whose conker survived the most swipes before breaking. I used to bake mine in the bakery oven which made them really hard and gave me a distinct advantage. (cheating, some of my
mates called it!) It was all innocent fun in those far off schooldays of the 30s. from the Alresford Lad, still a boy at heart.!!

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