Tring Radio Interview
20 March 2023
Interview with Alan Warner from the TRH Team on the 10th March 2023 discussing our recent book releases
Making History in Tring Rural
16 February 2022
This article is based on an interview with Clive Reedman who has recently joined our website team to lead our activities in the specialised area of house history research. The interview covers the reasons why Clive changed career to become a professional House Historian, the challenges involved and his experiences so far, working on house research in our three villages
The Life and Times of a Remarkable Survivor
2 November 2021
Most of the early work on our new local history website – Tringruralhistory.co.uk – has focused on the 20th century and in particular World War II. A number of stories mentioned the use of the local Airfield by the American Airforce and the impact on our communities at the time.
Finding Paradise in Wilstone
18 October 2021
This article is based on an interview with Michael Glasser, a long term resident of Wilstone who has fond memories of the village during and after the Second World War. The conversation also covers the growth and eventual closure of the family’s poultry farming and animal feeds businesses, which were a feature of the village during the latter part of the twentieth century.
Cheddington Airfield – A Lifetime Passion
10 October 2021
This article follows on from our website’s recent review of Pat Carty’s book – Secret Squadrons of the Eighth – by interviewing the author and finding out more about the motivation that led to such a well-researched publication. The interview with the author also leads to some interesting new facts about the occupation of Cheddington Airfield during the Second World War.
The Saviour of Puttenham Church
6 October 2021
After sharing memories with two residents of Puttenham, one person stands out as a character and a benefactor to the village. We therefore decided that this person, Joan Newman, who died over twenty years ago, deserves a separate tribute, based on the facts that we have been able to establish.
How Father Christmas, Balloons and a Helicopter came to Puttenham
1 October 2021
This article follows an interview with Mike Atkin and not only covers the life of an enthusiastic contributor to the community of Puttenham but also describes the way in which his father’s move into this area during wartime was the start of a well-known and successful local business.
The days of Currying Flavour in Long Marston
14 September 2021
This article covers an episode in the history of Long Marston that doesn’t go back as far as some other recent interviews; it covers the time in the 1990s when the Queens Head became well known as ‘The Curry Pub’, attracting people from far and wide to the village. The landlord from this time – Simon Sturt – shares fond memories of his time as landlord.
Long Term in Long Marston
25 August 2021
This article follows an interview with long term Long Marston resident, Eddie Clarke and his wife Rose, describing how Eddie’s family’s connections with the village extend back to the 19th century and how farming was such an important part of his life in the post war period.
Memories from ‘Down on the Farm’
18 August 2021
This interview features David Mead, from the family that have been farming in the local area for many years and established the farm shop that is familiar to us all. David talks about his time as a child during the second world war, the community of Wilstone and his life in farming.
Handed Down History from Puttenham
18 August 2021
This article describes how Christine Rutter, who lives in Astrope Folly, Puttenham, has become an important source of the history of the village. This has been achieved by collecting documents and photographs and combining these with personal memories of past conversations with the characters who made the community what it is today.
Long Marston History – even further back in time
21 July 2021
This is a unique transcript of an interview with Don Winfield, one of the few people old enough to remember our villages before the Second World War. Don has spent his whole life in Long Marston and his directly quoted words tell their own story of the village over time.
The Wilstone Story; from ‘dying village’ to integrated community
14 July 2021
This interview with Wally Braginton, long term resident of Wilstone, tells the story of his time there and how the village was saved from terminal decline by the commitment of new residents to creating a vibrant and mutually supportive community.
The day the war came to Long Marston (part 2)
8 July 2021
We follow up the previous interview with Eunice Hall by discussing the bombing of Long Marston school with Neil Dean, also a child at the time. There is also coverage of the growth of Neil’s family business – Deans Eggs – and its impact on the village.
Long Marston from 1950 to 2021; change for the better?
23 June 2021
The lively social community of Long Marston in the immediate post war period is described through the eyes of Daphne, David and Alan, three members of one of the village’s oldest families, the Winfields.
The day the war came to Long Marston (part 1)
23 June 2021
It seems extraordinary that Long Marston School should have been destroyed by a German bomb in January 1941. Eunice Hall, five years old at the time, recalls her own memories of that fateful day and we discuss the impact on village life
The Show that Hitler couldn’t close
23 June 2021
1936 was quite a year for our country. A King died, his successor abdicated and a third King took the throne. Jesse Owens showed Hitler that ‘Black Lives Matter’ in the Olympics in Berlin. Crystal Palace was destroyed by fire and, overseas, Franklin Roosevelt was re-elected as President of the USA.
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