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© 2011 East Boldre

East Boldre Oral History Project - Freda Smith

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Untold stories of East Boldre

Freda Smith was born in 1923 and lived with her parents, grandmother and seven siblings in a pair of thatched cottages in Masseys Lane. She went to Beaulieu School as her father worked on the Beaulieu estate. At fourteen she went into service at a house in Beaulieu. She worked briefly at the farm in East Boldre (now the strawberry farm) and then did war work in Stockbridge.  

In 1940 her family moved to Fir Tree Cottage near Harvey's Farmhouse. When her parents died, her sister Molly and brother Rol (Roland) remained in the cottage. After her marriage, Freda moved to New Milton and Bull Hill before returning to live in Gaza Avenue for 40 years. Her husband died 19 years ago.  When Rol died, Molly moved in with Freda.

She has been involved with the Baptist chapel in East Boldre for 91 years.

Freda and Molly have recently moved with into a care home in Sway.

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Introduction

Factory Lane

Early Childhood

Commoning rights

Making ends meet

 Life in service

War days 1

War days 2

The first car I saw

Deliveries

Rol's commoning days

Diptheria

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Barry Lowe

Alwyn Abraham

Cliff Harvey

Elizabeth Searle

Freda Smith

Ivor Lovell

Jan Saunders

Josie House

Justin Keen

Kevin House

Larry Abraham

Mary Abraham

Mike Morris

Peter Jordan

Silvia Baker

Sylvie Lovell

Val Lomax

Valerie Panks

Wendy Harvey

Play Lists

Village Sports

The Turfcutters

The Changing Village

The Village Shops

Wartime Memories

School Days

Making Ends Meet

Childhood Memories

Commoning

Local Characters

The Gypsy Compound

The Natural Forest