Uncle Fred

Today would have been Uncle Fred's 108th birthday, so to celebrate his birthday I thought I'd write a few words about his life. I have this wonderful photograph of him working behind the bar at the Flower Pot Hotel near Henley-on-Thames, where he worked for many years. I first remember meeting Uncle Fred at the pub during a family gathering which took place there back in the 1980s. He asked me whether I was still interested in astronomy (my interest had waned by this point), and I was introduced to other uncles, aunts and cousins that I'd never met before. The bar had log fires and mounted on the walls were display cases of big fish from the Thames that didn't get away. It was full of family members and locals alike.

Fred behind the bar at The Flower Pot

After this introduction, I remember Uncle Fred driving up to visit Grandma at Christmas times with his lovely black Labrador, Polly and we would spend time with him there.

When Fred retired as the landlord of the Flower Pot in June 1987, his friends gave him the trip of a lifetime that he would never forget. The first part was a trans-Atlantic voyage on the QE2 to New York, then it was a stay in a luxury hotel and the return journey was on Concorde, piloted by his friend "Tom" Cobley. On returning to Heathrow a fortnight later, Fred was met by 25 of his friends waving a huge welcome home banner, who had travelled to the airport on a double-decker bus. He made friends on the QE2 and this ultimately led to him going missing  after he accepted an invitation by one friends, a Bacardi heiress, to stay at her country home. Fred forgot to notify the hotel or his friend, Mr Cobley, and this led to a moment of panic until he resurfaced two days later.



Whilst recounting these old stories and memories, I realised that I knew little about Fred's life, so I've done some research. Frederick Henry Hewitt was born in Upper Holloway, London on 13th March 1912, just over a month before the ill-fated RMS Titanic struck an iceberg and sank. He was the second son and third child of Herbert Arthur Hewitt and Ada Louisa Deacon and his father worked as a publican at the Whittington Stone on Highgate Hill. He was baptised at St John's church, Upper Holloway, on 27th March. The record reveals that Fred and his parents were living at 4 Wedmore Gardens along with older siblings, Bert and Lily. Fred's younger brother, William Arthur Hewitt, was born 2 years later on 10th April 1914.

The family moved to Essex when their father took over the licence at The Plough on Ilford Lane and would have lived upstairs above the bar. Fred's younger sisters Wynne and Daisy (my grandma) were born there in 1917 and 1919. The family stayed there until 8th November 1924, when his father's declining health forced him to give up the license and they moved to an address further up Ilford Lane.

Extract from 1939 UK register

By 1939,  Fred was employed as a wireless maker, probably at Plesseys, and lived with his mum and 4 other siblings at 23 Twyford Road, Ilford. His younger brother Bill was working as a shop assistant in a grocers shop (images of Granville in "Open All Hours" spring to mind here). His older brother Bert was a steward on a cruise ship called "Brittanic" and his younger sisters Wynne and Daisy (redacted in the record above). Lily had left home by this point and had married a butcher named Horace Lewsey.

Following the outbreak of war in September 1939, Fred enlisted with the RAF and was sent for training up at Blackpool. The group photograph below was taken from Granddad's war scrap book and Fred is in the front row marked below with a cross.

Fred in the RAF at Blackpool

It was while he was a serviceman during the war that Fred first visited the Flower Pot and helped out behind the bar. He fell in love with the village and before long he was regularly helping out the licencees, Mr and Mrs Mace. Over the years the character of the village changed. The farm workers that used to congregate in the bar gradually ebbed away and were replaced by commuters into London and the ferry that used to cross the Thames ceased to operate. In spite of these changes, the Flower Pot continued to serve as a hub for the community and was a regular focal point for the annual Guy Fawkes Night bonfire which took place in the field behind the building. By 1973, Mr Mace had died and his widow, Marie, took over the license. Fred continued working behind the bar, entertaining the local clay pigeon shooting club and fishing parties, right up until his returement in 1987. His final years were spent in nearby Twyford and he died peacefully on 7th June 2000.

The Flower Pot Hotel