East Boldre Oral History Project - Freda Smith
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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