A Little History From The Hall Side

I don't usually include "modern" letters in the Nevard blog but this one from 1980 covers some fairly old ground that might be of interest to family historians.

Horace Hall (born 1906) was a cousin to Dick and Bill Nevard. The son of Louisa Nevard and William Hall. He was living in Norwich, U.K. at the time he wrote this letter to Dick Nevard.

I have read your Narratives of the Nevards and much enjoyed it. A few points I recall....I knew that my Uncles, Arthur, Ernest and Horace went to Canada in 1903-06 before I was born. There was no work here but Grandmother was upset when they left. She said she would never see them again but did in fact see Arthur and Horace again.  I recall Aunt Daisy dimly, but not too dimly to recall that she gave me a box of toy sheep. Toys were not too plentiful at the time so I thought that she was great. I was about 4 or 5 but the memory of that gift remains. She was of course, Nurse Winstanley and her father erected the Winstanley lighthouse now known as the Edison off the Western approaches.
Aunt Alice I recall very well. Each year I used to have a week at Grandmother and Grandfather Hall's. I used to enjoy that as Grandfather would let me do things which father would not. Such as riding horses and getting up at 4 a:m and helping with milking. Aunt Alice used to put me to bed and sing an evening hymn. This during the first world war when I was a small boy. At the end of the war Uncle Horrie came back and went with Aunt Alice. I think I was a bit of a nuisance as I was told to walk ahead.
I recall Uncle Arthur coming to Lexden during WWI. He arrived in the middle of the night and I wondered at his strange accent, having never heard anything other than Essex or Suffolk. The next day he took me to town and bought me some sweets and we were ok then.  Uncle Horrie came along later and we got along fine. (Sweets again to start). He taught me a bit of boxing. Grandmother was very upset went he went off leave to the front. Anyway they both came back and went off to Canada. Uncle Cecil and Aunt Emily went to Horrie and Alice's wedding at Carlton Church. Aunt Emily went to Liverpool to see them off but was very upset because she did not see Horrie on the boat. She then came back to Euston station on a non corridor train and that took several hours in those days.
I recall father at Christmas 1920, when I was at Sternfield, telling Uncle Dick that "Alice has got a boy". The first I had heard of it but of course he meant Roy (Nevard).
There was a regular correspondence between Canada and Lexden. Aunt Mary was , I think, the chief scribe, and I recall a number of things. The Goffs were often mentioned. The cold weather was also a topic
A few details I recall of the Nevard family, which I understand derived from the French "Nevare". Grandmother's maiden name was Clayden. Her mother was blind and came to live with us from about 1910 until she died in January of 1916. Grandmother's brother was Robert Wagstaff. He had two sons and three daughters. One called May used to visit us. Lexden in those days was a small village and everyone was well known. Edgar Middleton was the Church clerk and was some relation of Grandmother's.