Although I say it myself my mother was a real Christian, always on the move, always out to help people. Some said she should have been a parson's or a bishop's wife. She had great energy and a love that matched it.

My memory of Little Thurlow is linked with my memory of Great Thurlow, where we lived. Going to church in one or the other was, I was going to say, compulsory or nearly so! We went over the fields to Little Thurlow church. At that church we occupied the box pew, where it was easy for my father, as an old man, to have a nap during the sermon, although the rector, Charles Rogers, was not a dull preacher!

A great event in the life of the Thurlows was the Pageant of Thurlow held in 1938 and 1939. It was held at Little Thurlow Park and conceived by my mother. She got friends, relations, family and those in the Thurlows to take part. Sir Malcolm Campbell, who broke the world speed record in his car 'Bluebird' and was a famous figure, opened the pageant. He was a friend of Major Horn. Some of the older people in Thurlow no doubt remember it. The director was a schoolmaster from Gosfield. Sir Stephen Soame was represented, as well as Charles II playing bowls on the lawn at Little Thurlow. I am sure this tradition is correct, as Charles II frequently came to Newmarket for the races and would have visited the Soames. There were wenches as well! My sister Mary has many photographs. The Pageant involved dressing up and making clothes for the men, women and children ­ it was all great fun but hard work for such as my mother's wonderful helper, Bay, who used her sewing machine far into the night. The pageant was possibly the last occasion for the village all to combine together before war caused many of the young men and some of the girls to join up and new faces and evacuees, in particular, to appear.

In the mid-thirties a looming threat to the quietness of Thurlow and the surrounding area was the plan to build an airfield for bombers on part of the Thurlow Estate at Hundon and Stradishall. It was to be called Stradishall, as Hundon could be confused with Hendon. My father resisted the idea but was overborne by the Defence of the Realm Act, which was invoked by the Defence people. The land was particularly heavy and some people wondered whether it was too wet for aeroplanes. However, they forgot the power of concrete for the runways. The aerodrome played a vital role as a bomber base during the whole of the war. After the war it continued with the R.A.F., latterly as a training airfield. It also gave employment to local people. When its days as an air base were over it became Highpoint Prison.

After the Thurlow Estate was sold in 1942 my mother remarked that she was glad that it had gone to someone who could aVord to spend money on it and to keep it up. She meant what she said. I'm sure she had in mind the extremely hard times on the land in the twenties and thirties that the Estate had to endure.