VE Day in Stotfold Memories

Tony Shiel, now approaching his 72nd birthday, rang to tell us that although he was just under two years old at the time, he knows many of the faces and has spoken with his older sister in Biggleswade who is in the picture.

Margaret (known as Margot) Alston is on the left hand side wearing a false beard as part of her fancy dress outfit. And at the top, also on the left hand side is their mother Margery who is standing next to a person with an umbrella. Tony is the pram!

Nearby, also at the top are a man and two ladies and the one in the middle is Phyllis Randall from Stotfold (known as Phyll).

The gentleman who is three quarters of the way across wearing a trilby hat and smoking a pipe is Bill Shooter who lived in St Mary’s Avenue, the next road down from the High Street. He was friendly with the Shiel family as he also came from the same area of Devon as their family did originally.

The lad at the far back wearing a “fat hat” is Robert Skirman (Tony is unsure of the spelling) who would go around shutting the gates in the village and had a brother Rupert. There are also members of the Patrick family in the picture, including Gill Patrick.

Many thanks go to Tony for contacting us with more information on this incredible photo.