I am a former resident of KC village. I left in 1956 not through my own volition but because my parents moved to London.
My father, Geoffrey Berkeley, who died in 2009, was a teacher at the village school from I think mid 1952. He was ex-British Army having served with the Royal Scots Greys in WW2 and BOAR until 1948. Unusually he was in fact born in Germany having changed his name when he joined the BA in 1942.
My father had married my mother Ingeborg Berkeley (nee Kühle) in 1947 whilst still in the army in Germany and I came along in 1949. My mother died in 1985.
Once he was demobbed my father did his teacher training at Goldsmiths' College in London and subsequently taught at other village schools including Hanslope before landing the position at the Cliffe.
We lived in a "tied house" (as in tied to the job) which I believe was called "Old School House" at the time but which now seems to be known as "Law's Library".
On Monday 8th June 1953 a group form the village went to London to see the Coronation decorations and what not. They had their photo taken when they took a river cruise.
This image is a scan of a photo taken by Briggs Press Agency of 74, London Road who claim copyright. This is a low res version and can be taken down if the subsequent copyright owners feel their rights have been infringed by this posting.
My father is the one smoking a pipe, I am on his lap and my mother is looking away from the camera at me... no doubt fretting about whether there is some way I can contrive to free myself from my father's grasp and hurl myself into the River Thames. She was ever the worrier my Mum.
I have a high res version of this image for anyone who may wish to download it.
