Chapter 13

Chapter 13.

THE END OF THE LINE.

Perhaps it would be more accurate to designate this Chapter "The End of the Branch Line" because the Daggett line extending back to John of Pickhill who died in 1608 is being carried on by certain other branches and particularly by the descendants of Claude William. Brief details of these are given at the foot of the Family Tree.

To revert to my own branch we note that my daughter, Sonia Lita, was born in St.Margaret's Hospital, Epping on 23rd July 1942. As a child she lived at No.2 Hillside Avenue, Woodford Green and became interested in ballet dancing. She had lessons from a local teacher, Christine Childs, and took part in various performances put on by the dancing school. She had the ability to learn quickly and became adept in the use of figures. She worked in the Forest Gate offices of the Post Office Telephones, being employed in the use of calculating machines used in the preparation of subscribers' accounts.

When Sonia was 15 her mother divorced Wilfred Francis and then married Arthur Raistrick, a Yorkshireman, who had been lodging at Hillside Avenue for some years. They decided to move to Bradford but Sonia had no wish to go. She was now 16 and entitled to make her own decisions. She went to live with her paternal grandparents at Theydon Bois and then took a small flat on her own in Wanstead. She married Derek Ilett in St.Barnabas Church, Woodford, in July 1961. A house in central Leytonstone became their home, during which time Tracy Vivienne was born on 29th December 1963 and Peter David on 25th November 1965.

Derek was a foreman builder with a large contracting firm and was offered an attractive job in Bradford. Accordingly they all moved to Swain House, a northeastern suburb of that town. Julie Diane was born there on l9th September 1968. In 1983 the family moved to Brighouse, by which time Tracy and Peter had grown up and were at work, and Julie left school and took up cake decorating in 1985. Sonia is working as Purchase Ledger Supervisor in an extensive firm of distributors of car accessories.

Robin John was born at Hillside Avenue, Woodford Green, on 20th May 1944. His schooling consisted of two years at Ray Lodge Infants' School, then four years at Snakes Lane Junior. From 1955 to 1958 he attended St.Barnabas Secondary Modern School, following Sonia's time there. At the end of 1958 when his mother moved to Bradford he had to go with her and they settled at Bolton in the north-eastern quarter of the town. For the next six months he was a pupil at Hutton Secondary School. He had an interest in bakery and took his first job with the Bradford firm of George Wilson& Sons in 1960, where he stayed for 2½ years. An unsettled period then followed, with ten years spent in diverse occupations, during which time he married Peggy Dews at Bradford on 6th October 1965.

Their daughter, Hayley Michelle, was born on17th October 1966. In 1973, having visited the Isle of Man for a holiday, they decided to make their home there and Robin became a rural postman. Two years later he joined the Northern Lighthouse Board and trained as a lighthouse keeper, gaining experience at ten different sites in Scotland, with frequent visits to the Isle of Man to his home. In July 1976 he was appointed Assistant Keeper near Lossiemouth, where he remained for nearly three years.

Robin - or Bob, as he now preferred to be called was very fortunate in getting a transfer back to the Island, at Lagness near Castletown in March 1979, He was able to settle down quite comfortably although he always knew that he would be uprooted again in the future. The married quarters were very pleasant, with their own gardens that provided a useful hobby. During the 5½ years at Lagness Hayley grew up and left school in 1984.

In October of that year the family had to split up because Robin was posted to the Fair Isle South Lighthouse. There was no nearer accommodation provided for Peggy and she is now living at Stromness on Orkney, 70 miles away! Robin stays on Fair Isle for a month and then has a month "at home", the trip to the house on Orkney being made by an officially-arranged helicopter service. During Robin's absence Peggy is involved with her several interests which include painting and crochetwork.

Hayley is very attached to the Isle of Man and has remained at Castletown where she is now at work. She has become engaged to Vernon and hopes to get married in 1986. All the members of the family maintain contact with one another, by frequent telephone calls.

My cousins Geoffrey and Derek each has three sons, and so the nearest Daggett line to my own is being continued via these. Derek also has two daughters. He is separated from his wife Sheila Kloek, a girl of Dutch extraction whom he married in the spring of 1957. However, they all still live in or near Harlow in Essex.

Derek spent a few earlier years in Cyprus and returned to teaching in England, where he has been instructing in Metalwork and Applied Science at a Comprehensive School in Brentwood. He took early retirement because of health problems.

Their daughter Frances had her birth on 28th August 1960 registered in Epping, like that of the next two children, Julian and Ivan on 2nd January 1963 and 25th June 1964 respectively. Frances has been working for some years in the laboratories of Beechams at Harlow and was married in September 1982. Tragically, her husband Peter lost his life in a road accident the following year. She is now expecting to settle down again next year with Angus.

Julian appears to have a variety of interests, and Ivan is an art student, very adept at sculpture.

Nerissa (the name means "born of the sea") was born in Cyprus on 19th December 1965 and intends to make a career in catering, while the youngest Jonathan is studying at Harlow College. He was born on 4th August 1968.

Geoffrey was born on 25th November 1922 at Hickling Road, Ilford and married Margaret Joyce Nash at Shamley Green to the southeast of Guildford in 1944. Joyce had been born at nearby Bramley on 14th July 1924. Geoffrey saw some years' service in the R.A.F. and then took up a career as an airline pilot. He became Fleet Captain with Ghana Airways, a firm he worked for over a period of about 23 years. Health reasons forced him to give up active flying and he then took over operations administrations of the fleet at Heathrow until retiring. Geoffrey and Joyce have now left their house near Camberley and have taken a country cottage at Heyshott, near Midhurst in West Sussex.

All their sons were born at Guildford. Martin Alexander Peter was born on 7th August 1945 and is a chemist (B.Sc.) in the Plastics industry with the firm of van Leer. Initially employed at Liphook he went to work in Holland for his firm and while there married Eileen Fitzgerald in late 1978. She comes from Oldham in Lancashire and is known as "Fitz". Their daughter Saskia Lucy was born in June 1979, followed by Jack William Martin in March 1982, both at Amstelveen. The family then returned to England, where Martin is now working at Romsey.

Clive, an "outdoor" person, is in the London Fire Brigade at Isleworth where a considerable amount of technical knowledge is required. Stephen lived for some years in East Sussex but has now gone to Aylesbury. He was born in July 1949, 2¼ years after Clive, and married Ruth Honor Harris in October 1969 at Shamley Green. She was born in April 1949 and is said to be descended from Hereward the Wake! Stephen and Ruth have two sons, Benjamin Russell born in June 1971 and Simon Howard in April 1973, both at Maidstone Kent. Stephen has for some time been a Director in computer sales.