Brian Furniss
Brian Furniss is standing at the back on the right.
St Oswald’s Church Hall
The following are just a few of my memories that I hope will maybe trigger others to recall, and for the younger
generation to be able to look back a little in time.
My name is Brian Alan Furniss. I am writting these memories at the age of eighty years old, born 12 April 1938, at 24 Malvern Way, directly opposite the church. I lived there with my parents until my marriage to my dear wife Carole, in June 1964.
My bedroom was in the front of the house so I had a grandstand view of everything that went on at the church. It may be a little difficult today for people to understand the huge role that St Oswald’s played in the community all those years ago, but here goes.
On Sundays there were a number of services, ranging from the main service through to Sunday school for the
children. Albeit I can find nothing about him, I recall the Reverend Smith, who rode a bike and had a huge mop of
blond hair. He was very active, and there never seemed a moment to spare at the church, what with all the services, fetes etc. The fetes were great, you could buy all manner of things, all second hand, toys, books, marbles etc. I bought my very first present for my mother from one of the fetes, a second hand Penguin book.
The most famous of these fetes was when it was opened by the filmstar and comedian Peter Sellers and his then partner Sophia Loren. They arrived in an open top pink Cadillac with Whitewall tyres. They stayed for ages and chatted to everyone. They were living in Chipperfield at the time.
The following are just a few of my memories that I hope will maybe trigger others to recall, and for the younger
generation to be able to look back a little in time.
My name is Brian Alan Furniss. I am writting these memories at the age of eighty years old, born 12 April 1938, at 24 Malvern Way, directly opposite the church. I lived there with my parents until my marriage to my dear wife Carole, in June 1964.
My bedroom was in the front of the house so I had a grandstand view of everything that went on at the church. It may be a little difficult today for people to understand the huge role that St Oswald’s played in the community all those years ago, but here goes.
On Sundays there were a number of services, ranging from the main service through to Sunday school for the
children. Albeit I can find nothing about him, I recall the Reverend Smith, who rode a bike and had a huge mop of
blond hair. He was very active, and there never seemed a moment to spare at the church, what with all the services, fetes etc. The fetes were great, you could buy all manner of things, all second hand, toys, books, marbles etc. I bought my very first present for my mother from one of the fetes, a second hand Penguin book.
The most famous of these fetes was when it was opened by the filmstar and comedian Peter Sellers and his then partner Sophia Loren. They arrived in an open top pink Cadillac with Whitewall tyres. They stayed for ages and chatted to everyone. They were living in Chipperfield at the time.
© Watford Observer
In late 1942, I started attending St Oswald’s school, staying there for just over three years. We had wooden desks and separate small wooden chairs. At one end of the hall, there was a stage, and how we loved it when asked to put things away, as that meant going into the area under the stage. It was dark, as there were no lights, and quite scary. Every morning we started with prayers, followed by the national anthem. The three Rs were seen as really important in those days, and I recall the hours we used to spend chanting our numeric tables. Not all hard work though, as I also recall very early on being taught how to skip with a rope. I went home to show off to my parents, feeling like an Olympic athlete. A few of us were given the job of milk monitors, to hand out half pint bottles of milk to everyone. Xmas was a great time as it meant putting on the nativity play. The array of tea towels, sheets etc that we put on, desperately trying to look like one of the disciples, was massive. As for props, there was just one oil lamp and I couldn't believe it when it was handed to me, and having to say "No room at the inn". One further thing, and I could be wrong, is I am sure that I recognise the current Font, as being there when I attended.
Although we were a little too young to fully understand, from 1939 till 1945 we were at war with Germany. German
planes would regularly fly over - you could even see the markings on the planes. We were taught about the V2 rockets and Doodlebugs. If their engines kept going you were OK, but if the engine stopped they were on their way down, by which time you would run for cover. Where you went depended on where you were, ranging from a proper shelter to under the kitchen sink.
I wonder if anyone remembers any of the following? I woke up one morning to find everything covered in tin foil.
They were strips about six inches long by one inch wide. None of us knew what it was, but turns out it had been
dropped by the Germans to interfere with our radar system. I arrived home one day to find that our metal front gates and metal trellis on our garden wall had been removed for the war effort.
As I mentioned earlier, the church was used for a number of activities, one of them being the Malvern Boys
Club. It was great. We had table tennis, darts, skittles, marbles, etc. I recall a Mr Blacker helping to run the
club, whose son Richard attended. A few names that spring to mind: Richard Blacker, Tony Oliff, Jeff Tibbles,
Jeff Self, Frank Renner, Alan Whitehouse, Malcolm Pitcher, John Hamblin, David and John Picton. However, if
there is one name that I always think of when thinking of St Oswalds, it is Mrs Hambling. She never missed any
occasion and always looked as though she was meeting the Queen. Her arrival was like a grand entrance, a
lovely lady and a real character.
I have tried to keep these memories of mine brief, and who knows, maybe my comments will trigger others re the
history of St Oswald’s, and for those of a younger generation, maybe they would like a peek at the past?
Although we were a little too young to fully understand, from 1939 till 1945 we were at war with Germany. German
planes would regularly fly over - you could even see the markings on the planes. We were taught about the V2 rockets and Doodlebugs. If their engines kept going you were OK, but if the engine stopped they were on their way down, by which time you would run for cover. Where you went depended on where you were, ranging from a proper shelter to under the kitchen sink.
I wonder if anyone remembers any of the following? I woke up one morning to find everything covered in tin foil.
They were strips about six inches long by one inch wide. None of us knew what it was, but turns out it had been
dropped by the Germans to interfere with our radar system. I arrived home one day to find that our metal front gates and metal trellis on our garden wall had been removed for the war effort.
As I mentioned earlier, the church was used for a number of activities, one of them being the Malvern Boys
Club. It was great. We had table tennis, darts, skittles, marbles, etc. I recall a Mr Blacker helping to run the
club, whose son Richard attended. A few names that spring to mind: Richard Blacker, Tony Oliff, Jeff Tibbles,
Jeff Self, Frank Renner, Alan Whitehouse, Malcolm Pitcher, John Hamblin, David and John Picton. However, if
there is one name that I always think of when thinking of St Oswalds, it is Mrs Hambling. She never missed any
occasion and always looked as though she was meeting the Queen. Her arrival was like a grand entrance, a
lovely lady and a real character.
I have tried to keep these memories of mine brief, and who knows, maybe my comments will trigger others re the
history of St Oswald’s, and for those of a younger generation, maybe they would like a peek at the past?
