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Box Residents After the War Alan Payne Photos courtesy Ken and Maureen Boulton April 2019 Ken Boulton recorded many of his friends in the post-war village. Many of them have now moved away or sadly died, and sometimes their story can be lost in the immediate past which isn't always as fascinatingly different as Box's earlier story. But these people were the movers and shakers who helped to form the modern village as a neat and attractive place to live and bring up families. Ken's photographs are reproduced here as a tribute to these people. Sadly, Ken died in April 2019, a few weeks after his brother Brian. Maureen has very kindly given permission for the article to be published in tribute to Ken's memory. |
Ken Boulton and E Francis opposite The Wharf in 1949
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Ken's photographs record the extraordinary time when Britain moved out of deep poverty caused by wartime investment to a measure of modern affluence in village facilities and its residents. Box village started as rather a mess with ad-hoc houses built in the suburbs and the remains of military equipment and machinery visible in over-ground dumps. The appearance of the village was unplanned with inadequate infrastructure. The clothes and houses of residents, seen below, reflected these physical difficulties.
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Above Left: Mrs Merrett at home and Right Les & Gordon photographed outside Boxfields prefab houses in March 1949.
One of the features of life in the 1950s was the absence of motor cars on Box roads. Of course, British private cars production had ceased in the war in favour of military vehicles but the problem for the public was lack of petrol. Basic civilian petrol rationing was allowed by the Labour government in June 1948 at a third of its previous allowance and red dye was introduced into fuel for commercial vehicles to encourage industry. A licence ban of 12 months was the punishment for infringing the law by using red petrol in private cars. It wasn't until May 1950, five years after the war ended, that all petrol rationing ended.
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Above left: E Francis and A Shewring at Wharf Bridge in 1949 and Right: M Dermott outside Box School.
Instead of private cars, commercial firms were used to ferry people around. It was the golden age for coaches hired from Brownings and Millers in the centre of Box.
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Above left: Joan Boulton and Stanley Mortimer on a football club outing in 1950 with Bert Swan turning side-faced and
Right Brownings' coach outing with cricket team to Exmouth July 1951 showing left Joan Bence and Anthony Smith.
Right Brownings' coach outing with cricket team to Exmouth July 1951 showing left Joan Bence and Anthony Smith.
Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, 1953
Much was expected from the coronation of the young Princess Elizabeth as Queen in 1953. It was an opportunity for a big village celebration, a chance for residents to dress up and let their hair down. as the ladies below show.
Much was expected from the coronation of the young Princess Elizabeth as Queen in 1953. It was an opportunity for a big village celebration, a chance for residents to dress up and let their hair down. as the ladies below show.
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Above Left: O Butt, L Bawtree and C Nichols - any one recognise them? And right: Oswald Butt managing the baby show.
As usually happens, all your friends get married at a similar time because they are all the same age. So it was for Ken and his wife Maureen and they produced some marvellous photos of people in the village.
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Above: The wedding of Tony Eyles and Pat Brickell in March 1959. Seen left: Pete Milsom, Maureen Boulton, Len Weeks and Dave West.
And seen below: Well-known resident, Nigel Bence, who ran a radio and television repair shop in the Market Place when he wasn't busy on Box Rec.
