Profile

Parish Profile – Gwen & Derrick Thurley

Gwen & Derrick Thurley, a very well known and highly respected couple in the village, were both born in Melbourn in 1921. Derrick was born in the centre of the village where the garage now stands in what was a Campkin’s cottage, where he lived until he was three years old, when the family moved to Whaddon. His grandfather, Charles Harrup, lived and worked as a wholesale fruit grower from the premises now occupied by Fieldgate Farm shop and he owned several orchards in Meldreth. At the age of 11 the family moved back to Meldreth, but to one of the houses just beyond Sheen Mill, which meant that he went to Melbourn Primary school rather than Meldreth as it was closer. He has a younger brother, a Chartered Accountant, who met and married a Scottish lass and moved to Scotland where they still live.

Gwen, having been born Gwen Vellam in the white house next to The Star, was already at the school with Mr. Ogden and head teacher Mr. Varley and she and Derrick became classmates. Gwen’s father worked with Jack Palmer growing fruit and at one time he had over 500 pigs and hens. Her grandfather, William Vellam, had come from Lincolnshire to work at Meldreth Station. She had one sister Daphne, who married Christopher Wedd and lives at Summerhouse Farm, and also a half brother Eric.

At the age of 14 Derrick got a free scholarship to the Cambridge Technical School and Gwen joined him there on a Triggs scholarship, Derrick doing training for the building industry and Gwen doing a business-training course. They used to travel in to school on the ‘Bedlam Bus’ so named because of the rowdy occupants! (Funny thing, it was still the same when MY daughters went to Cambridge on the school bus!) They both remained there until they were 16 when Gwen left to work in Royston at the North Met Electricity Co., cycling there each day. Derrick went to work, also by bicycle, at the Aero Research in Duxford, which later became CIBA Geigy. After work he would then cycle into Cambridge for an evening class in building and architecture and finally back home to Melbourn. A very fit young man!

During this time they were courting but in 1939 the second World War started and this threw a spanner in the works. The Atlas Cement Company offices relocated from London to the safety of Whaddon, and Gwen applied for and secured a job in the office. Derrick meanwhile was not called up because, as a technician he was marked down for vital defence work at Landguard Fort at Felixstowe where he worked on the installation of gun emplacements. Whilst the work was supervised by the army, he was actually employed by Coulsons. He was also concerned with building the 100ft high Director towers with 3ft thick walls at Beacon Hill, Harwich and with building searchlight emplacements into the sea.

When all the fortifications were completed, Derrick received a crash course in engineering and was drafted to Tottenham in North London where the huge Lebus furniture factory was turned over to producing the Horsa gliders which were used on the night before the D-Day landings in order to obtain control of the vital Pegasus Bridge..

Meanwhile, after working at the Atlas for 2 years, Gwen was called up into the ATS and was stationed in Kent on various anti-aircraft gun sites. They saw each other as often as possible, became engaged in 1942 and got married in June 1944 just after D-Day, at the big new Congregational Chapel in Orchard Road (now demolished). After seven days she was back on duty in Kent where she saw the first V1 bomb fly over, a truly frightening sight. She was stationed with another well known Melbourn person – Daphne Black - although they did not work together.

In 1945 their first daughter Patricia was born and Gwen left the ATS, going back to live with her parents as housing was so scarce after the war. When Derrick was demobbed, he got a job in the Architects Department of Huntingdon County Council (no bicycling - by now he had a Series E Morris) and after a time he moved to the same department in Cambridgeshire County Council at Shire Hall, where he remained for the next 40 years. He enjoyed the work enormously being involved in the building of Melbourn Viallage College, Meldreth Primary School extension, and the Mid Anglia Police H.Q at Hinchingbrooke Park.

Soon after the war ended, Derrick’s mother died and so they moved back just over the border in to Meldreth to live with his father. He only lived for a short while longer and the couple stayed in that house until William Chapman sold them a large plot of land in Cross Lane and they were able to achieve their ambition of designing and building their own house.

After their daughters were born, Gwen did not return to work but became a full time wife and mother, getting involved in lots of voluntary work. She was asked to join the ladies running the Baby Clinic where she remained for 27 years, 17 of them as treasurer. She also did 17 years as treasurer of the U.R.C. The Congregational Church was the centre of their social life, both of them singing in the choir and Derrick also playing the organ. In fact, he has just received a beautiful engraved bowl and certificate commemorating 50 years of ‘Loyal and Devoted Service’ playing the organ! Quite an achievement for a boy who started to learn to play the piano at the age of 12, cycling into Royston for his weekly lessons. Music has been a passion for both of them, they belonged to the Cambs. Village College Choral Society and Derrick joined Cambridge Granta Singers which was always led by a Kings College Organ scholar and with them he sang in most of the college chapels. Between them they have sung many great works such as The Dream of Gerontius, St Marks and St Matthews Passions and the Brahms Requiem.

Derrick was a keen cricket player and played for Shire Hall, most of the matches being played on college grounds. Gwen’s favourite sport was tennis, although she also played cricket in a Ladies Cricket team! Many people had tennis courts in their gardens and there was a tennis court behind the New Congregational Chapel and also, she thinks, a tennis court behind All Saints Church.

After living in the house in Cross Lane for 20 years, they downsized by building a smaller house in their garden fronting on to Chapman’s Close and they have now been there for 20 years. Their two daughters both trained as teachers and remain in education still, but the younger daughter Pamela married a young man she had met at Oxford and they moved to America where she had two sons, both of whom went to university. Recently widowed, she is head of a Junior Country Day School and over the years the Thurleys have had many happy visits to the USA.

The other daughter Patricia married George Hinkins’ son and lives in Cheshire. She also had two sons who went to Uni – what a bright family! With three great grandchildren, Gwen & Derrick this year celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary, the family arranged a holiday in Scotland with a big reunion and there was a card from The Queen! They are a wonderful example of a couple who have stayed close to their roots but have nevertheless a broad outlook on life. We wish them well, and sincerely hope that in five years time we shall be reporting on their 70th wedding anniversary! Mavis Howard

Home-Start Royston & South Cambridgeshire are looking for more volunteers - could you give a Home-Start family the most precious gift - your time ?

Our volunteers are all parents or grandparents who can give a few hours a week to help families who are finding it difficult to cope All parents need emotional and practical help to get through the first few years, but not everyone has friends or family nearby This is when Home-Start volunteers can help! Further details can be obtained by calling into our offices: Unit 6, Valley Farm, Meldreth, SG8 6JP, or contacting us on 01763 262262 and talking to Wendy or Tracy or e-mailing admin@hsrsc.co.uk