Messages Received 6th March 2006 Message with Gary Mears Hi, I can fill in the missing dates for previous residents of Stonesthrow. June 7th 1974 Occupied By Deb Mears and family>br> 1981 sold to Gary Mears and occupied by American Airforce family 1984 Occupied by Gary Mears 1986 Sold to Jean Burton Stewart I have a photo of me outside the caravan which we lived in on the site of Stonesthrow for 9 years before the build. The reason for the name Stonesthrow was the distance from the caravan and the Bank managers name was Stone ! I will scan and send soon. Regards Gary Mears Received 17th April 2001 Message with Margaret Mears in South Carolina Hello Pete, You will have received Donald Cynewski's email by now. I am so pleased to have found them. Had to do a little sleuthing via the internet (the telephone numbers and addresses were well out of date there, but I spoke the new owner of David's old home and she was so helpful and put me in touch with Donald) then I actually spoke to Don on the telephone and am hoping to speak to Janice their mother when they return to Maine from Florida. Janet (Cox) will be so pleased I know, because she and Janice were really good friends. What a great web site your Crowfield site is turning out to be when it can re-unite old friends after 30 odd years !!! My son Gary is getting in touch with the twins and no doubt will have many memories to share. I for one am really so pleased and excited about this. Best Wishes, Margaret Received 14th April 2001 Message with Margaret Mears in South Carolina Hello Crowfield, I look up your web site a couple of times a week. Really find everything so interesting. It is lovely to see the picture of the Cynewski children. The twins Donald and David were the same age as my son Gary and they used to get up to all sorts of mischief, using the youngest boy Russell as look out when they were in their 'camp' in the back field SMOKING. Their Mum and I only realised that they had 'found' her cigarettes when the boys all developed dreadful coughs that no cough mixture would cure. Being found out actually cured my son of smoking and he has never smoked since. They originally came from the state of Maine . It seems everyone has lost touch with them since they returned to the Sates, which is a great pity. I shall try through the internet here to find them. I will let you know if I do find them of course. Best regards to everyone there. I hope to see you sometime in the summer. Margaret Mears Received 2nd April 2001 Message with Raymond Mears During My Searches I once found a photo of Joe Geary but I cant find it now which is a pity as I knew him quite well, I have been a friend of his son since we were knee high to a grasshopper well 1943/44 any way, we lived in Bell lane Syresham at the time Gordon sister Barbara used to look after us ( the Mears kids) until my mother came home from work. Gordon lives just around the corner from me he is a great one for the reminiscing of the old times, only last week he said "do you remember the games we used to play during the war" we played oller oller oller or the dogs wont foller, a gang of lads used to meet up usually at he top of king street outside the school, some of them would go off and after a while the rest would go looking for them, every now and then they would shout "holler holler holler or the dogs wont foller " The being chased would howl like wolves so the pack had an idea where to look. You must appreciate this was war time and of course after school no lights anywhere and in the pitch dark we would roam all over the village from the sand pits in the north to fillingford bridge in the east and as far as Crowfield in the west etc. I have often wondered at the miles we would trot to find the prey who when they heard us coming would race off howling as they went. No ones property was sacred we knew all the shortcuts through gardens all the barns and huts we could hide in every jitty and gap in a fence. Yet I can not recall any damage to being done to any property or ever being in trouble from playing that game, and was never told to clear off . when finally caught or when we had, had enough we would go home some times as late as 9.00pm then it would be where the **** have you been until this time. I remember one night I got home at 10.30 to find dad had phoned the police from the phone box to report us missing. I tell a lie I did get into trouble that night and Gordon too I suspect.. it was though different time almost a different wold the youngsters of today would not be content with such plain and simple amusements. I have told Gordon about the web site but he is not on the internet he says he will come round and see it with me one night. I am sending a photo which might be of interest to you it was taken in the hall at karitza and is of my mother Nellie and my wife Delia taken in 1960 also one of my family and myself taken outside Shasta by the gold fish pond. We also had a pond in the front garden of karitza . one day on my travels around the fields I came upon a pussy willow tree and took a small branch home mum put it in a vase and it grew roots, Mum then planted it near the pond in the front garden the last time I saw it , it was a very large tree. I see from the up to date photo of karitza it's not there now. Did you ever find out any more as regards the name Karitza ? I'll right again when I can think of more to tell the memories not what it used to be Whey up Woa Ray Received 15th Feb 2001 Message with from Debroy and Marge Mears. Hello, Our son Gary has given me your website address. What a great idea!! We just love to see Crowfield and all the old memories. Anyway, we are Debroy and Margaret Mears, now living in South Carolina USA. We began our married life in Karitza with Deb's Mum and Dad and at that time Ray and Delia with their little daughter Jacqueline. That was 41 years ago next month. Gee how time flies when you're having fun. Our son Gary was born the following year 1961 in June, Oh Oh, makes us the parents of a nearly 40 year old. In 1973 our daughter Lucy was born and we built the bungalow which we called "Stones Throw". We were pleased last August when visiting the village to fin that it's still called that. We named it after our bank manager at that time, who kindly lent us the money to build it. Thank you Ray Stone wherever you are. Ok this will do for now, let's hope it goes through this time. By the way, remember us to Janet and Ron and the girls, and remind them of the Bonfire Nights in the 60's. We would love to hear from anyone ... email us at ukgolf@sccoast.net Talk at ya'll later (as they say around here). Deb and Marge Mears Received 14th Feb 2001 From Raymond Mears Hi I have recently been visiting your page about Crowfield and am very impressed, so I thought I would say hello also. my name is Raymond I am the oldest son of Harry and Ellen Mears. During the war my father was in the R.A.F. and was posted to Turweston so the family moved to Syresham ,after the war we moved to Brackley where my father started a business repairing motor cars. in 1949 Harry bought a field at Pimlico and we built Pimlico service station, when I went into the army (R.A.S.C.) dad sold Pimlico and moved to karitza cottage,the original cottage had only two rooms downstairs one a kitchen, Dad started a building firm and did the alterations to Karitza. When I left the army Nov 57 I joined the firm for about 4 years but preferred engineering to building. I have fond memories of Crowfield, The Fox where I first tasted the four x and got very drunk in company with Mr Ray Pollard of Pimlico I was just 14. I had been introduced to Crowfield a few years earlier though when we lived at Syresham,I remember seeing a young chap I dont know his name sitting in front of the barn at karitza boiling a sparrow in a saucepan over a small stove, he said they tasted "jus loik pigins". I also remember my very first girl friend Pat Gavin. the Gavins lived next to the Crowlys in the cottages we later pulled down to build Shaster and The Pines. The Salters lived in the farm next to karitza and while I was in the army Mrs. Salter often would send me a cake which she said was made with stinging nettles " they'll keep you regular and free from lumbago" she had told me,None the less they were very tasty and made me very popular when they arrived. I was also thrilled to see the photo of woody and Molly they were a lovely family and got me drunk on many a Christmas and new year. The picture of Pimlico Gravel works also brought back a memory, when we lived at Pimlico we used to play in the gravel pit one day we decided to build a cave in the side of the pit,Norman the youngest was inside pushing the sand out while Deb and Myself scraped it away suddenly there was a sound like flump and Norman was buried, I thought that if we went for help he would be dead by the time we got back so Deb and myself dug like mad with our hands, after what seemed like ages we found a hand then his head and eventually pulled him out none the worse for the experience of being buried alive. I often wonder what happened to Arthur Pritchard who lived with Mrs. Orpin next door and Edwin next to them. I think I had better close now or I'll go on all night, oh did you know that we made a silent film at Crowfield I think Ray Pollard may still have it. I am enclosing a photo of karitza being altered.from left to right Harry, Debroy, a visiting uncle, Norman. Keep up the good work Best wishes Ray