Will Dallimore, a real village character, sadly died on 27th December 2024. In the early years of the 21st century, Will, who had lived at Horsebridge Avenue almost all his life, was moved to write the following poem, first published in the parish magazine. It illustrates how everyone once knew everybody in the village (almost), but now no longer do.
We just do not know their names
I’ve lived up Horsebridge fifty year,
Man and boy you’d say,
I knew everybody’s name then
But I can’t say that today.There aren’t many of them left, you.
They’ve gone their different ways,
Some went down to Australia
And some went down Green Leys.I’ve drawn up a list of some of them,
With the help of one or two,
And I’ve alphabetizised it
From “A” to “W”.Ackroyd, Arnold, Anderson,
Beesley, Brooks and Bott
Butler, Byrd and Chamberlain
Two of them we’d got.Churchley, Dennick, Dallimore,
Davies, Clark and Crane,
Cull and Dore and Ellison
Then Ford and Ford again.Greening, Gresty, Grinnell,
Halling, Hartwell, Hay.
Guard and Hatch and Heritage,
We’re not even half way!Hewlett, Hemming, Johnson,
Jones and Jelfs and Kite,
Keen and Lake and Meadows,
Major, Knight – and Knight.Morcombe, Mitchell, Owens,
Padfield, Plant and Murray,
Pipcin, Porter, Pratley,
We’re really in a hurry.Redgewell, Sandford, Southern,
Silvester, Salter, Smith,
Sadler – One, Two, Three and Four,
Not one of them we’ll miss.Syril, Reeves and Sullivan,
Thomas, Taylor, Tustin,
Vale, Webb, Welch and Whiting,
Williams, Willett, Wyatt …..Just in time to end my poem
And admit we’re all to blame,
We know all our neighbour’s business,
We just do not know their names.
