What an amazing photo, circa early 1930's [many thanks to Dawn Cooper] Showing William Ricketts and his son George Ricketts at the bottom of Ankerdine Hill.

George William Ricketts, shown in what looks like one of the first mobile electric wheelchairs; he fought in the 1914-18 war and died from the injuries he received in 1933. He lived at Ankerdine Cottage, Doddenham, and was buried on the 16th of August, 1933, aged 35, by the rector, James R. Burns.

This clearly shows the Shell Garage part of the Talbot Hotel's right facia. I remember the steps you can see and they made a tiny circular stone rockery garden there after that. My brother Graham and his friends; Mick Tidmarsh, the Cowell twins [Derek and Philip] Richard Rawlings and Laurence Ewins, were said to have dismantled the rockery and Jim Hesketh the local policeman made them all put the rockery back in place. My brother always said it wasn't them but another gang of boys from Martley who did it late one night, unfortunately Jim Hesketh didn't believe that story!

Also photo shows two AA men and their motorbike and sidecar, by the Knightwick AA Box. I remember it, but how many others can remember it I wonder?

The shell pump stands on the edge of the farm road to Ankerdine farm, and I think the Texaco signed box, was perhaps where the oil was kept.

William Robert Rickets was born in Wisford Wiltshire on 13th September, 1873 and died 22nd January, 1957, at Knightwick, Worcestershire.
He marrried Martha Bailey in Hendon Middlesex, December qtr. 1896. Martha was born in Hatherden Hampshire in 1869, and died 29th August, 1951, at Knightwick, Worcestershire.

They had 8 children; George William Ricketts, Eva Ellen Ricketts, Alfred James Ricketts, Lilian Louisa M. Ricketts, Albert Edward Ricketts, Herbert George Ricketts and Edward Joseph Ricketts.

Albert Edward Ricketts

Recently I found this photo of Albert Edward Ricketts. Albert was always called Toddler Ricketts, and when I was young he was a person I knew who kept the roads and paths clean. One day he had been on Ankerdine near the opening to the Sanatorium, and when my father Ted Holland arrived walking up the hill on his post round, he said "Ted there is someone in the wood who has hung himself" well they were both startled and decide to phone the local policeman; Jim Hesketh. When Jim arrived they all walked up to where the body hung and saw a piece of paper pinned to the body, saying "Here lies Tom Dooley!" well it turned out that the body was an old scarecrow. Jim Hesketh was going to find out who had done this as it could have caused someone to have had a heart attack, he said. Nedless to say my brother Graham and his colleagues were his first port of call, but even if it was them! they got away with it. "Hang down your Head - Tom Dooley" was a hit for the Kingston Trio in 1958; I was 9 years old then.