A Short Personal Profile

I was born in 1944 at Benslow Nursing Home Hitchin, now long gone. My father worked for Shelvoke & Drewry famous for their dustcarts, and in later years forklift trucks. The famous SD logo appeared on the front of all their vehicles, a few of which remain to this day having been restored. I went to Hillshott Infants School and then Pixmore, both handy as in the road in which I lived! Sport has and is important to me, I played tennis on what were wonderful grass courts at the Spirella Ground in Willian Way, Letchworth Tennis Club, and on Letchworth Common. I also played a bit of cricket for Letchworth, in the days of their lovely ground known as The Corner, opposite The Old Letchworth Post Office. I never know if it is a good thing or not, but I have a very good memory and to this day can recall nearly all the shops in Leys Avenue, Eastcheap, Station Road and The Wynd. In the 1950’s the town was very busy, Saturdays would see the shops full of people doing their main weekly shop. At a later date I will recall memories of those shops and some of the characters who ran them.

I left Letchworth in 1966 and moved to Stevenage, then in 1974 to Royston. In 2004 I made the move to Norfolk, a dream that came true as without doubt it is a County I love, and I now live near Hunstanton which has the most fabulous sunsets, as it faces West. At 75 I am still playing cricket and keeping fit. I have been married to the most wonderful lady, Sue, for nearly 50 years, have three amazing sons and three granddaughters. I consider myself to be a very lucky guy.

This page was added on 25/08/2020.

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  • I was born Benslow Nursing Home August, 18, 1941
    My name was Helen Jean Epstein,
    My parents Maurice and Esther Epstein were furriers with a shop Sun Street Hitchin.
    Migrated to Toronto 1948,
    In later years opened a kosher nursing home
    and named it Benslow.

    By Jean Epstein Vertlieb (22/02/2023)
  • I was also born at Benslow Nursing Home on 2 July 1941. My name is Tom Thorne and my mother was Jean Kerr Munro from Clydebank Scotland and my father was Ivor Attwood Thorne from Port Talbot Wales. I note that today Benslow Nursing Home is an old folks home with nursing care and since I am now in my 80th year that is something to keep in mind. I now live in Belleville, Ontario, Canada.

    By Tom Thorne (26/11/2020)