Growing up in Micheldever in the 40s

 John Hatcher was born on 22nd August 1944 at Northbrook Dairy Farm.

This is his reflection on growing up in the area.

John & his parents Les & Edith Hatcher - 1945

When I was born, the farmer was Clive Dixon. My grandparents, Eli and Olive Hatcher, lived in the big house, which is still there today. My father, Les Hatcher, and my mother, Edith, were also there at that time because Dad was still in the army.

In those days, the farm was labour-intensive and home to some remarkable characters. My grandad, Uncle Reg, Frank "Scrubber" White, Ron "Cronjie" Withers, and Jim Hallam, the dairyman, would bring jugs of unpasteurized milk to my nan every afternoon, straight from the cow!

Northbrook Dairy Farm

Jim Hallam had two sons and a daughter: David, Malcolm, and Christine. Both sons worked for many years on the railway at Basingstoke. Malcolm still lives in the village.

We moved away between 1952 and 1958 and then lived at Micheldever Station, where Dad worked for Mr. Geikie, who managed the farm at Weston Colley.

Micheldever Station was a busy place. The total workforce, including station staff, signalmen, and track workers, under the station master's supervision, numbered about 30 people. There was also Warren Farm, managed by Tom Watters, who had two sons, Peter and David (affectionately known as "Crocket" after Davy).

During this time, I became a signalman at Weston Signal Box, which is located near the loop lines close to Micheldever.

1. John 17 years old 1962 2. Weston Signal Box - January 1966

   working on the railway

   
   

I soon became aware that many people in the village had nicknames. None of these nicknames was malicious in any way. I have already mentioned a couple. My father was called "Awky" (possibly short for awkward), and Mr. Fred Whitear, who lived in Northbrook, was known as "Wacker."

Henry Bunce, also from Northbrook, was called "Aggie," and Mr. Kemp went by "Nimmy." I would love to know the origins of these nicknames.

John's Mum, Edith Hatcher - Micheldever Station Fete 1970

Lastly, I remember a series of road accidents around the village in the 60s. Unfortunately, we lost several people during that time: Billy Castleman, Christopher "Chrissy" Weir, Alex Mackintosh, John Rainey, John Williams, John Strode, and Ronny Rebbeck. Although Ronny was not a village resident, he was part of our social circle.