Pannal Reminiscence

I had an email from Susan Taylor asking if I knew her godfather James Seth Soutar and of coure I did. Capt Soutar as we all knew him ran Central Stores in the Village with his wife in the 1960s nd early 1970s before moving across the road to a dormer bungalow they had built which they named Bergerac. Jimmy Soutar was Susan's godfather. He had an interesting life born in Kirkcady in 1904 his father was a ships Master. Jimmy went to sea at 16 and worked as crew slowly climbing the ladder to Master. He was on oil tankers in the Caribbean. In the Merchant Navy he was torpedoed in the Second World War on the ship Cederbanks and fifteen of his crew perished just of the coast of Norway. He was Assistant Dock Master in Trinidad where he met his wife Winifred who had been a Matron in a hospital in the UK and was now a highly respected nurse in Trinidad. He became Chief of Port of Spain Harbour and was a highly respected person there and a personality as he was 6ft 3ins and powerfully built and there was an island competition whereby any man could challenge to punch him and if he flinched he had to buy everyone a drink but that never ever happened. Why Pannal I do not know all I know if he loved Yorkshire and was a member of Yorkshire cricket club. He was a keen gardener and grew masses of strawberries which he sold in his shop. One time when my mother-in-law was staying with us she went down to buy some and was very amused when he wrapped them in a cabbage leaf for her. When they gave up the shop they moved across the road. Unfortunately the stock market collapsed in the 1970s and they had to sell Bergerac (named after a place in France where they spent their honeymoon) and moved to a flat in Western Avenue, Harrogate where Win later died and he remarried and he died in 1914 aged 90. I went down to see Bob and Sue the owners of Bergerac to see if his ships bell was on the door but the door had been replaced but his weather vane of ships was still on the roof. 

My second reminiscence is of the time not too long ago when walking down Fulwith Mill Lane I saw a man and woman walking towards me and I recognised them they were obviously local  but for the life of me I could not remember their names. How embarrassing. They stopped and we exchanged few pleasantries and walked on and I thought I have got away with that.. Then I saw some camera men and I said what are you filming and one said them and I said whose them and he said Robby Coltrane and Julie Walters for a tv series and I thought they were locals.......

I get a number of these requests and fortunately I have been able to answer them all. Except for one email that asked if I knew Great Aunt Bertha. I email what was her surname and answering email said "now you've got me".