HOWARD
ASHDOWN'S
FAMILY
Let me
introduce myself...I am Howard ASHDOWN.
Born November
3rd, 1949 in Middlesex Hospital in London, to Gordon Thomas ASHDOWN
&
Constance Phyllis Roberts. My Ol'Man was born in Hertfordshire, March
16,
1924-ish...son of Frank (not Frances) ASHDOWN & Florence
Holder.
Dad just
happened to be born there because his Dad was working on a farm...as
near as we
can gather we are from the Peasmarsh ASHDOWNs on that Kent/ Sussex
border (and,
by all accounts, the "Black Sheep" of the family).
Everyone in Kansas (USA) says that ASHDOWN is an unusual
name...but when I visit Kent & Sussex we're common as dirt,
just
another
ASHDOWN! and very welcome!!!
Dad
has a sister Pearl ASHDOWN/ LECKIE in
Wainuiomata in New
Zealand.
Our
little ASHDOWN branch moved to Canada in 1957,
about the
same time that Pearl moved to NZ. They didn't like Canada too
much...too cold!
and moved back to England in 1974-ish. Tried Hawkhurst, Kent for a
while and
ended up in Plumpton Green, Nr. Lewes, Bn7 3ee, Sussex!
And
I ended up (for
now) in Topeka, Kansas, USA (but that's
another story)......
My
ol'Mum'n'Dad were married on May 26, 1945 and we had a lovely time
in Sussex this year celebrating their 60th anniversary. Got flowers
&
champagne and lots of tea & "bickies", got letter from the
Queen!
The story goes that Dad was a "fitter" in the RAF and Mum was a
"cook" in the WRAF. I'm sure that they both lied about their ages to
get in. (Mum says she wanted to be a "nurse" but they said
"sorry...got lots of nurses"...) Dad would be up earlier than
"the few" to get their Spitfires warmed up and ready for a day of
Hun-Bashing. He used to pick fresh mushrooms from under the wings of
those
Spits and took them to the kitchen door where LACW Connie Roberts would
fry them
up for him and put them on toast for his brekky....
SO...back row....left to right:
FLORENCE HOLDER-ASHDOWN ("Granma"): Married FRANK ASHDOWN and had
three children; GORDON THOMAS, PEARL THERESA & "GERALD?". She
was
divorced from Frank Ashdown, lived in Windsor, Bucks
for a while then moved to New
Zealand....late 50's...early 60's
and lived with her daughter Pearl in Wainuiomata (near Wellington)
until her
death...1973-ish! I used to spend my summer holidays with Granma
&
Auntie
Pearl in Windsor; we would go for boat rides on the Thames and visit
the Castle
and she always had a "pinwheel" crystal dish full of
"Smarties" when I came to visit
MAURICE ASHDOWN: Was my Grandfather Frank's younger brother and stood
in his
stead at the wedding. I never Knew "Uncle Maurice" or Frank Ashdown
but Dad always loved & spoke highly of Uncle Maurice (but
mentioned
that
there may have been some "hanky-panky" going on with my
Granma).....Hmmmm?
GORDON THOMAS ASHDOWN: Dad was born in Rickmansworth (?), Herts on
March 16,
1924/25. The story goes that my GreatGrandfather EDMUND(?)/ EDWARD(?)
ASHDOWN
owned a farm in Peasemarsh but used to enjoy his "pint" and lost the
farm and his sons worked as farm labourers. Dad grew up on a farm in
Herts but
the roots are in Peasmarsh. Dad emigrated to Canada in 1957 and
continued his
career in aviation.
CONSTANCE PHYLLIS ROBERTS-ASHDOWN: The Bride!...And Mum! Born in
Lowestoft in
Silly Suffolk on May 27, 1924/25. Only child of my Grandfather John
Roberts'
second marriage...BUT...we're not interested in "ROBERTSES" here!
Mum, at age 80something continues to care for Dad after his stroke 10
years ago
this November.
HENRY "HARRY" ROBERTS: Half-Brother of the Bride....Coldstream
Guardsman!
Mustered out of the
"regulars" in 1938...then back in...1939...Dieppe...Dunkirk...North
Africa...Anzio...Monte Casino...and D-Day.................but that's a
story
for those for those Robertses. The only uncle I had, and my favourite.
ELLEN SANKEY-ROBERTS ("Nanny"): My maternal grandmother who I barely
remember.
OK...back to the ASHDOWNs...:
Front row seated, left to right:
PEARL THERESA (sometimes called "TERRY") ASHDOWN-LECKIE: Dad's little
sister...born?...don't know where/ when. Moved to New Zealand 1956-ish.
Married
HARRY LECKIE and had two children. Stephen, who died tragically young
in a car
accident....and Heather, who is an horticuluralist and globe-trotter
(so! NZ).
Harry Leckie has passed on but Pearl still lives in Wainuiomata, NZ.
(and
that's just across the way from OZ...right?)
CONNIE ROBERTS-HUGGETT: Is the little flower girl and the ROBERTS
geneologist.
Got all the answers about those Robertses...including her Mum's
geneology. That
is from a Jewish stock of ELIAS (anglecised to ELLIS). Her grandad was
a
Rabbi...and her Mum was my Auntie Agnes, Uncle Harry's Mrs and there's
all
kinds of ELLIS's in AUSTRALIA. Connie (called "little connie" to
distinguish her from Mum, who is "big Connie") did a geneological
thing in OZ a few years ago and found all kinds of "cousins". Connie
and her partner Eric live 6 months in Canada & 6 months in a
"casa" in Mexico. ...and the rest of the time they
"globe-trot".
OLIVE BAXTER-SOLOMON: My Mum's best friend ever and the Maid-of-Honour.
Grew up
together in Lowestoft in Silly Suffolk...went there separate ways...but
kept
"in-touch" until Olive died young (but I can't remember when). I do
remember my Auntie Olive and she always used to send me a Christmas
Present.
I have
done a bit of digging....I had forgotten that I had these:
"BUTTONS" is the name of my Great-Grandfather Edward Ashdown's farm
in Peasmarsh, Sussex. My Mum 'n' Dad took this picture ca. 1970 while
holidaying in England on the occasion of their 25th wedding
anniversary.
(Me'n'TheMissus were in Sussex this past May celebrating their 60th).
They met
all kinds of "cousins" and people with two heads & webbed
feet...all ASHDOWN's!
"FRANK
ASHDOWN".... The
photographer's stamp on the back of
the photo is dated "24-2-31". I look like him, as
does my Great-uncle
Maurice, my olDad (to a degree) and my Auntie Pearl in New Zealand. I
used to
think that this
was an "Ashdown look" but I am told that our
"looks" are UPTON. Elizabeth Upton/ Ashdown was Great-Grandads Mrs.
and responsible for the fair, cherubim faces with the big noses!
My olDad told me that most of our branch were not always the farmers,
but
rather the blacksmiths, wheelwrights, carpenters, plumbers,
fitters.......etc.
Me an my olDad are both engineers.
How
rustic is
this! Unfortunately there is no accompanying data as to when and where
these
were taken. My Grandfather Frank Ashdown is second from right in the
first
photos, or so I am told. My GreatUncle Maurice Ashdown is in there too.
Howard
Ashdown
