East Grinstead

As several contributors have already mentioned, the Whitehall Cinema, and several other buildings in London Road, were hit by a cluster of bombs from a lone German raider on 9 July 1943. I witnessed the attack at close hand.
I was exactly five and a half years old that day. I had been evacuated with my […]

My mother, Irene May Chatfield, was born and raised in East Grinstead and lived there during the war. Before the war she worked for Dixon’s Chemist in the High Street in the office above the shop. She became very good friends with Mr. Woosenham, the chemist at Dixon’s, and his family who lived in the […]

East Grinstead was our nearest town and was home to Archibald McIndoe’s pioneering work on burns injuries to war victims, mainly RAF personnel. I can remember the walking wounded in normal uniform but with white shirts and red ties, most terribly scarred and one I recall having a hole right through his throat. Early in […]

East Grinstead Winter 1940-41.
Having arrived back from a course on new equipment, promoted to Bombadier at the ripe old age of 17 I was sent to command a new searchlight cluster site at East Grinstead. On arrival I found a 150cm searchlight,120cm circa 1916 and a 90cm (searchlights are named after the diameter of the […]

Memories of WWII - Maurice Dann
I spent the first years in hospital in chailey in susex,treatment was for tb we spent every day outside.so we watch the dog fights over our heads.i left hospital in 1942 i was 8 years old, went home to east grinstead.the german raids went over every night my family all […]

Introduction:
Ashurst Wood is set within the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (ANOB) and has an SSSI (Special Site of Scientific Interest) within its northern boundary. Ashurst Wood is made up of large areas of open spaces, with farmland, ancient woodlands and park areas.
Geology:
Ashurst Wood stands on Tunbridge Wells Sand and Wadhurst Clay. Areas […]

Established in 1979. We meet every month on the 2nd Tuesday, September to June 7.30-9pm in St Dunstan’s Church Hall. Annual subscription £10 individual, £14 family (reduced for part year). Speakers on history of local area and the southeast, working evenings, we have published 4 books, a Parish Map and had 9 exhibitions of village […]

Edward Steer, the son of Edward Steer, a builder and plumber (1820-1872) and Sarah Rich was born in East Hoathly on 22nd May, 1842. Edward’s father moved to East Grinstead in 1856 where he opened an ironmonger shop in the High Street (now Broadleys). In 1890 Edward’s father built Moat Congregational Church (now the United […]

Joseph Rice, the son of a farm labourer, was born in East Grinstead in 1855. Joseph’s grandfather, Thomas Rice, was brought up in East Grinstead Workhouse. William and Elizabeth Rice could not read or write but managed to send all their children to East Grinstead Council School.
After a brief schooling, Joseph joined his brothers, Thomas, […]

James Morris was born in 1838. After his marriage be lived at Wellington House, 65 Lingfield Road where he opened a newsagents in 1866. A post-office was added in 1887. James had three children, Victor, Mary and Joanna.
James had strong puritanical beliefs had campaigned strongly against the visit of a circus and the proposals to […]