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         Albert Studd the Chef

Albert and Hilda Studd

Written by John Michael Studd, born 1945, now living in Hampshire, UK.

Albert and Hilda were my parents. Albert was born on 21 June 1910, Hilda on 4 May 1911. Albert died on 22 November 1979 and Hilda on 13 April 1984.

Sadly I don't have any detailed chronology of their lives; here I will tell a few stories and show a few pictures. If you can add to them, I would be delighted to hear from you.

Both were born in Colchester and were married there on 28 October 1938.

Albert was a butcher and one Good Friday, probably in 1929 or 1930 he was cleaning out the shop when some friends went by. They were in the Royal Air Force (RAF) and asked Albert why he was working on Good Friday - they weren't! Shortly after this Albert joined the RAF as a butcher/chef - and said that he worked every Good Friday!

He was in the RAF from 1930 to 1938 and spent much of his time in the Middle East - natably Iraq.

Dad told me an amusing story from these days: he was on a flight somewhere, it was very bumpy and he wasn't a good flier. He noticed that a nun sitting near him produced a tin of biscuits. "Good", he thought, "being a nun, she's sure to hand them round".

She didn't - she was promptly sick into the tin!

Albert Studd the Airman


         The Bride and Groom

Hilda work "in service" and spent some time in Birmingham, where she joined an athletic club.

She was one of several children - the photograph on the right shows her with two of her sisters. I think that the photograph was taken in the late 1920's or early 1930's.

Mum and Dad met at a dance. I remeber Dad telling me that he went to one dance hall but find it was packed went to another one - and there he met Mum! They had met before but this meeting was the one that led to their wedding day!

     The sisters: Hilda, Dolly and Glad

 

Wedding Day 28 October 1938

From left to right:

Mum's mother, Mum's father, unknown bridesmaid, Dad's cousin Tom, Dad, Mum, Dolly, Mum's brother Doug, Aunty Vi, Dad's mothe

 












 


I have two sisters, June and Dorothy. Both were born on the same day exactly a year apart: June in 1939 and Dorothy in 1940. The picture below was taken in about 1941.

 

I didn't come along until 1945 - here I am with Dad's mother. I would guess that this photograph was taken in the early 1950s
 


Dad left the RAF at the end of the war, Mum always said that he'd had enough of it and I suppose that he had been in, with a short break, for 15 years.

He worked for an engineering company called ACROWS - some of you may have heard of AcroProps which were produced by Acrows. Here is Dad at work, probably sometime in the 1960s.

 

 

This is my favourite photograph of Dad, taken in the late 1970s

 Sadly Dad died at the early age of 69. He had some of the happiest times of his life in his retirment years. He had a little job as caretaker in the local Public Library and when that was done he'd pop into a local butchers for a cup of tae and a chat. On his way home he'd call into the "Horse and Waggons" pub and have a couple of pints before heading home for lunch and a snooze.

The photograph shown at the right was taken in the 1960s - still as happy as the bride and groom in 1938!