Shaw639

[Shaw639 0]

Hi,  I’m looking to contact any. Remaining members of the Guckian family who lived on Coalbrook crescent Woodhouse Mill in the 50s and then lived in Frechville.  I would like to contact a cousin Bernadette Mathew’s daughter of my Aunt Jennifer.  Any thoughts appreciated.

Frank (Francis) Shaw. 

 

[DeWasteney 3]

Dear Francis

 

Good Morning from Hot and Sunny Malaysia - Thursday 6-58am here so will be 11-58pmWednesday for you

 

I have read your post and will try to help you. I am originally from Swallownest only a short distance along the road from Iron Bridge (Coalbrook  Estate).  I was at nearby Woodhouse Grammar School from September 1951 to July 1957 and there were a number of local pupils. Most moved away from the area and the remaining few are not with us anymore. However, I am in very regular contact with an old friend, now living in South Wales, who lived on Coalbrook with his parents and sister, late 1940's to early 1960's. It is possible that he, or his younger sister living in Jersey, may know of the family you are researching

 

I will send him a message shortly, but do not expect a reply before this evening, Malaysia time, at the earliest, due to Malaysia being  7 hours ahead of British Summer Time

 

I will update you - soonest

 

Best Regards - Victor (Victor Marshall Hutchinson)

[Shaw639 0]

Thanks for the help.  Just to let you know I was born in Beighton and moved to Killamarsh in Nov of 1953.  I joined the Army in 1963.   Where are you in Malaysia?    I remember Jungle Warfare school in Johore Baru.

 

Again thanks.

 

Frank

New Jersey. USA

[DeWasteney 3]

I lived at  Swallownest (born July 1st 1940) until I moved to Driffield near Bridlington in 1968

Beighton, of course, was the next village and I spent many hours there, and later in the pubs, mainly the one at the bottom of Beighton, on Beighton Promenade. Of course, Beighton's "claim to fame" must be Joe Mollinary's Ice Cream. Old Joe never learned to drive and always did his round with a horse and ice cream cart. At the end of his round in Woodhouse he would end up in the George Hotel in Market Place until closing time. Often the others there would lift him into the cart, slap the horse and it would trot back to Beighton and straight into the yard

 

I also remember Beighton often flooding

 

One of my grandmother's sisters lived at Killamarsh

 

My first house after getting married was a new build just off Chesterfield Road, which was always known as Beighton Lane - the road down to Beighton from Swallownest crossroads. Almost at the end of the houses was a turn on the right into Memories Builders Yard. A few individual houses were built on there and it was then known as Park Drive

 

I have emailed my old school friend in South Wales, he lived on Coalbrook  at the time you mentioned. Have to wait for his reply, but he is always fairly quick 

 

As for Malaysia, I moved my company manufacturing here at the start of 2007. Exporting heavy items to India and the middle east is far more cost-effective than exporting from the UK, plus the far lower labour manufacturing costs

 

I am still at my office and factory here every day even at the age of 81, otherwise, life is boring. My father always said that "retirement is just waiting around to die ...."

 

I live in Wangsa Baiduri, Subang Jaya, State of Selangor - about 10 miles southwest of Kuala Lumpur, Post Code 47500 - out of the city in a quiet residential area where it is very very quiet

 

Johor Bahru is on the south coast and is linked to Singapore by a toll road bridge, about a 4-hour drive south for me. The Thailand border is about 10 hours north

 

The north/south expressway is from the border with Thailand right down and onto Singapore Island. We still have plenty of jungle of course, but no fighting communists now

 

You will be 12 hours behind Malaysia in New York

 

My eldest daughter (34) lives in an expensive area of North Vancouver and has a swiss chalet type cabin in Squamish

 

We still have our house in Driffield, East Yorkshire, but I prefer Malaysia because I do not like the UK weather. As you may recall, here we have no seasons, just hot summer every day. So no aches and pains in the bones and muscles from the cold and damp weather - during the night it rarely drops below 88/89 degrees and daytime is always 97/104 degrees - if it rains, (usually about once every 2/3 weeks or less) the rain lasts about 15/20 mins then out comes the hot sun to dry everywhere up - and of course, living here is low cost, which is a bonus

 

I spent some time on a Malaysian Navy Submarine Project for the MoD at Sapangar Bay, near Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo. At the time I always stayed at Sebana Marina just along the coast from Johor Bahru at Sebana Cove. When at Sabah, Malaysia Borneo I always stayed at the Beverly Hotel in Kota Kinabalu. Plenty of jungle on Malaysia Borneo and the southern part of the island is Indonesia Borneo. The states of Sarawak and Sabah are Malaysia Borneo, and in between these is the smaller country of Brunei Darussalam. Troops often carry out jungle training on Borneo

 

Hope this brings back some good memories for you - and the sweltering  heat in the jungle  

 

I will come back to you re Coalbrook once my old friend David replies to my email request of earlier today

 

Meanwhile - Very Best Wishes -Victor (11-35pm and still 92.4 degrees)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Shaw639 0]

Thanks for all the information.  Boy I haven’t thought about Joe Mollinari  in years I remember him selling ice cream from his horse and wagon.  I. Be leave they are still in business.   Looks forward to hearing from you soon.

[DeWasteney 3]

I will come back to you ASAP Frank - Have a pleasant evening in New Jersey

 

Best Wishes - Victor