Wickford floods - more personal pictures of the floods
The Broadway
The High Street
The Broadway
Probably the first community project carried out by Wickford Rotary Club. Two Founder members, Silva Carter and his son, Roy, had recently purchased a DUKW and then used it in the 1958 flood to assist stranded residents.
Wickford
Nevendon Road
Wickford
Halls Corner
Southend Road, opposite the Post Office
Southend Road, opposite the Post Office
The High Street
Wickford
The High Street
The Post Office, Southend Road
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I think that the shop (to the left of the Post Office in Southend Road) is actually Sargant’s Greengrocers.
This was owned by my father and so it is probably me at the window.
The Bedford van on the shop forecourt had only recently been bought and was a total write off.
The couple looking out of the bedroom window are Walter and Edith Moore – my grandparents who owned Moore’s shoe repairs.
Worked at Wickford Park Garage with some wonderful guys – Sydney, Len Harry, Wilfred, and Tom in the stores. Southend Road had Jack in the stores, Laury and Jean in workshop. Can remember Christmas parties there, what wonderful times. Then Holmes and Smith took over, never quite the same.
Great to find this website. Following up some history of Fuller & Gadsdon with John Fuller. Quite strange after so many years away. Frances Dartford (nee Gadsdon).
Quite right John! GADSDON. Pat was my dad.
Just in Brittany and having drinks with a neighbour. Turns out he was born in Wickford! So many common denominators. He worked with the Carters, his mum worked in Wickford, he went to the senior school. Did a google and found this site! He was also in the ATC 1474 squadron that dad and mum were involved in. Went to the cinema (became Woolies), what a coincidence. I left Wickford many years ago and live in London, but came to Wickford for my parents’ and family funerals, arranged by Carters, of course. Such a very small world! Fred and Joan Norton were my godparents.
To keep the record straight I need to correct a spelling error. This was first started by Jennifer Dignum and then followed up by me and finally Bob Croot continued it.
It was not Fuller & Gadson it was in fact Fuller & Gadsdon! I should have picked this up long ago. The record is now correct.
Yes, I remember Fuller and Gadsons in Southend road. I used to go to school with the daughter of Gadsons but I was too shy to ask her out, oh well that’s another story. As I said earlier, we helped clean out Simpsons. May I suggest all us old Wickfordians get together some time.
Comments correction. “The Gadsons” did not fully own the garage on Southend Road. The garage was called Fuller & Gadson Ltd. Pat Gadson was a third share holder, my father, Charles (Ginger) Fuller, was a third share holder and Fred Norton, owner of an Aggregates company which was bought by Carter & Ward, owned the last third of the shares. My father, Ginger Fuller, ran Fuller and Gadson on Nevendon Road which was an equal partnership between him and Pat Gadson. On a daily basis Pat ran what was known as SRG (Southend Road Garage) and my father ran WPG (Wickford Park Garage) on Nevendon Road. Both partners spent time in each garage.
I believe the boy looking down Southend Road towards the Alfresco cafe opposite the new post office was me. I remember going around Wickford during the floods and travelling along the High Street in a privately owned army duck. The half submerged car visible in the photo was I believe owned by Joe Saunders, a local tailor and fireman, who drove down Southend Road not realizing the floods were that deep. This is as far as he got!
My wife worked at Simpsons the wallpaper and paraffin shop near to the old post office. We cleared away two 7 ton lorries of wallpaper to the tip. We also helped at Joslins stores at the other end of town.
The Gadsons owned the garage in Southend road. As children we helped clean it up after the flood.
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