The photo on the cover of this little commemorative booklet is the one which hangs on the wall of the Hedgerley Scout Hut, meeting place for Tracy Trust members several times a week. The framed photo of Edith Tracy looks benignly down on the many activities of the charity set up in her name: dominoes, bowls, darts, chiropody, trustee and committee meetings, parties and gatherings. She has ‘eavesdropped’ on countless conversations, and ‘witnessed’ the dunking of many a bourbon biscuit into a cup of tea! Edith’s magnanimous bequest to the older folk of Hedgerley, together with the donation from John White from the sale of land left to him by Edith, enabled the setting up of The Tracy Trust in 1989. Now in 2019, in its thirtieth year, I find myself wondering about the character and personality of the lady who bears the charity’s name, and I think how much I would like to have met her. Thankfully there are still a few residents of Hedgerley who remember her well and who have contributed their memories to this tribute to Edith. Susan Baldwin, Vera Hines, Jane Holmes, Mary Lane, John Lunn, Diana Saunders and particularly Iris Sullivan have been invaluable in this respect. Edith was clearly a charismatic and vibrant lady with energy and drive; she was also very kind, big hearted and generous with her time and her money. As a shopkeeper she was hardworking and keen to deliver a good service to her customers; she also involved herself in numerous charitable activities. I am told that she was small of stature, self-effacing and very likeable. ‘She was a wonderful lady and she will never be forgotten’ Iris Sullivan told me warmly.
My grateful thanks go also to The Hedgerley Historical Society which has made text, information and photos available for use in this booklet. How fortunate it was that Mrs Tracy was interviewed by Michael Rice of the Hedgerley Historical Society in the late 1970s and her reminiscences were recorded in their book: “A South Bucks Village – the History of Hedgerley”. The information contained within this booklet has been gathered from numerous sources, including websites such as Ancestry. It has been checked and is accurate to the best of my belief. I am indebted to Clare Wheatley for her expertise in the preparation of my material for print. Her skill and patience have made liaising with her a pleasure I hope that you enjoy reading about the lady who contributed so much to Hedgerley in her lifetime and who has continued to do so in the 30 years after her death. Her legacy is alive and active! The Tracy Trust’s Trustees and Committee Members continue to work hard to ensure that it will remain so for future generations. Vanessa Pilgerstorfer - Trustee. October 2019.
My grateful thanks go also to The Hedgerley Historical Society which has made text, information and photos available for use in this booklet. How fortunate it was that Mrs Tracy was interviewed by Michael Rice of the Hedgerley Historical Society in the late 1970s and her reminiscences were recorded in their book: “A South Bucks Village – the History of Hedgerley”. The information contained within this booklet has been gathered from numerous sources, including websites such as Ancestry. It has been checked and is accurate to the best of my belief. I am indebted to Clare Wheatley for her expertise in the preparation of my material for print. Her skill and patience have made liaising with her a pleasure I hope that you enjoy reading about the lady who contributed so much to Hedgerley in her lifetime and who has continued to do so in the 30 years after her death. Her legacy is alive and active! The Tracy Trust’s Trustees and Committee Members continue to work hard to ensure that it will remain so for future generations. Vanessa Pilgerstorfer - Trustee. October 2019.
Edith Tracy, benefactor of the Tracy Trust, was born Edith Ada Waitman on the 19th October 1900 in Burnham, Buckinghamshire; her birth was registered in Eton. Her father was Frederick J. Waitman (1867 – 1940) and her mother was called Ada (1873 – 1965), so it is from her mother that Edith derived her middle name. Edith’s father’s profession has been recorded on official documents over the years as: baker, postmaster, publican, farmer, dealer and shopkeeper. He and his wife Ada came to the Hedgerley area shortly after their marriage in 1893. The UK City and County Directory of 1895 states that Frederick Waitman was sub-postmaster and baker in Wexham. He went on to become landlord of several public houses in the area; in 1899 he was registered at The George Inn, Buckinghamshire, in 1911 and 1915 at The One Pin, Hedgerley and in 1930 at the Fleur de Lys in Hatchet Lane, Winkfield. The 1901 census has him and his family registered at Bramley’s Farm in Wexham Street and his profession is given as
‘Employer farmer’. Edith is recorded on this document as being five months old. The Waitman family first came to Hedgerley itself in 1907 when Edith was seven years old. Mr. Waitman bought the One Pin Public House and the land around it. In the following year, 1908, he built two small cottage-style houses in Collum Green Road: “Woodynook” and “Templewood Cottage” and then eleven years later, in 1919, he built Pinfield Stores alongside the pub. The site of Pinfield Stores is where the present Pinfield Hotel is situated. When the shop proved profitable, a house called ‘Pinfield’ was built alongside it, where the family lived. In the early days the shop was a butcher’s as well as a grocer’s. It was said locally that if you were a customer of Mr. Waitman you could get a council house, so Edith’s father must have been a very influential man! Frederick Waitman also ran a milk round, keeping the cows in fields he rented, on which Wood End Close is now built.
‘Employer farmer’. Edith is recorded on this document as being five months old. The Waitman family first came to Hedgerley itself in 1907 when Edith was seven years old. Mr. Waitman bought the One Pin Public House and the land around it. In the following year, 1908, he built two small cottage-style houses in Collum Green Road: “Woodynook” and “Templewood Cottage” and then eleven years later, in 1919, he built Pinfield Stores alongside the pub. The site of Pinfield Stores is where the present Pinfield Hotel is situated. When the shop proved profitable, a house called ‘Pinfield’ was built alongside it, where the family lived. In the early days the shop was a butcher’s as well as a grocer’s. It was said locally that if you were a customer of Mr. Waitman you could get a council house, so Edith’s father must have been a very influential man! Frederick Waitman also ran a milk round, keeping the cows in fields he rented, on which Wood End Close is now built.
Mr Waitman was the first man in the village to have a motor-bike. It was a Red Indian which he later sold to Farmer Bellamy of Slade Farm. In this photo of him taken around 1910, he is using a cart, a more traditional mode of transport for the time. Mr Waitman was clearly a go-ahead man who liked to serve his community as he became a local District Councillor and in 1934 became the first Chairman of the newly formed Hedgerley Parish Council. Edith’s mother was born Ada Stallwood in West Wycombe in 1873. Ada and Frederick married in 1893 and it was seven years before their daughter Edith was born. Edith was an only child but at the time of the 1901 Census, five months old Edith shared her home with her nine-year-old cousin, Daisy Lois Waitman. Daisy was the daughter of Frederick’s sister, Lois Lavinia Waitman, who was the oldest of nine children born to Maria and Andrew Waitman, Frederick’s parents. Lois was unmarried at the time of Daisy’s birth and in fact remained unmarried throughout her life. Daisy lived with her aunt and uncle but without her mother. She is described on the census as a ‘scholar’ so she must have spent a while with Edith’s family and would have attended school nearby; however by the time of the 1911 Census, she had gone into domestic service and was a nineteen year old parlour maid to a family in Harrow.
Daisy married Arthur Upchurch, a milk roundsman in 1921 and she remained living in the Watford area until her death in January 1986, aged 94. It would appear that Edith’s childhood was a happy one; she went to Miss Deverills’ Preparatory School at Burnham, her father taking her to school in his pony and trap. Later he bought her a bicycle so that she could make her own way to school. After Edith passed her examinations, she attended Slough Secondary School. Sometimes she would ride a pony to school, stabling it at The Western in
Wellington Street and during the dinner hour she charged her school friends a penny for a ride. When her father found out, he quickly put a stop to his daughter’s moneymaking initiative although being somewhat of an entrepreneur himself, I imagine that he was secretly proud of Edith’s initiative! When Edith left school, she worked briefly at the chemist in Gerrards Cross; however, her father insisted that she work for him in Pinfield Stores. This she did but she received no pay only pocket money.
Daisy married Arthur Upchurch, a milk roundsman in 1921 and she remained living in the Watford area until her death in January 1986, aged 94. It would appear that Edith’s childhood was a happy one; she went to Miss Deverills’ Preparatory School at Burnham, her father taking her to school in his pony and trap. Later he bought her a bicycle so that she could make her own way to school. After Edith passed her examinations, she attended Slough Secondary School. Sometimes she would ride a pony to school, stabling it at The Western in
Wellington Street and during the dinner hour she charged her school friends a penny for a ride. When her father found out, he quickly put a stop to his daughter’s moneymaking initiative although being somewhat of an entrepreneur himself, I imagine that he was secretly proud of Edith’s initiative! When Edith left school, she worked briefly at the chemist in Gerrards Cross; however, her father insisted that she work for him in Pinfield Stores. This she did but she received no pay only pocket money.
Around the time of the start of World War II, Edith’s address was ‘Pinfield Stores’ (1939 England & Wales Register). Her occupation on that document is given as ‘Shopkeeper’ of a ‘General Stores’. Edith was indeed a very good shopkeeper and gave a warm welcome to all her customers. She would help them with their bags and thank every customer for their purchases. Many local people relied greatly on the store for their needs; Pinfield Stores was serving the village of Hedgerley long before the present shops by Hedgerley Green were built.
Edith lived by the One Pin crossroads for many years, first with her parents and then after her marriage, with her husband. How she and Charles met remains a mystery, as Edith and Charles lived in very different areas; Edith always resided in the Berkshire / Buckinghamshire area and Charles had been born and bred in Wandsworth, London. Nevertheless, they met and married and were devoted to one another as husband and wife.
Edith lived by the One Pin crossroads for many years, first with her parents and then after her marriage, with her husband. How she and Charles met remains a mystery, as Edith and Charles lived in very different areas; Edith always resided in the Berkshire / Buckinghamshire area and Charles had been born and bred in Wandsworth, London. Nevertheless, they met and married and were devoted to one another as husband and wife.
Edith married Charles Vincent Tracy on the 23rd November 1941 at the age of 41. Charles was a little younger than Edith having been born on 24th November 1906. On the marriage certificate Edith’s age is given as 31 rather than 41; was this a mistake which the clerk made, and which Edith was reticent to correct as she was marrying a younger man? We will probably never know! This was a war-time marriage, and Charles’ pre-war and war-time occupations are noted on the marriage certificate; he was in the ‘Royal Air Force’ with his residence given as Padgate in Warrington, Cheshire. The number 1291179 is also given, presumably his service number. Formerly he had been a general clerk in a wallpaper warehouse in Wandsworth and this too is noted on the certificate. Unfortunately, Edith’s father had died in 1940, a year before the marriage so he was not present at this important moment in Edith’s life. Edith and Charles married at the Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady Immaculate in the District of Eton; the full name of the church is Our Lady Immaculate and St Ethelbert, in Wellington Street, Slough and is now usually called St Ethelbert’s. Edith’s address is given as ‘Pinfield’, the house next to Pinfield Stores, which her father had built. The witnesses to the marriage were H.S. Vickress and M. Tracy, who was possibly Charles’ sister Margaret, the closest to him of his six siblings in age. Charles was the youngest of seven children born to Henry Alexander Tracy and Ellen Elizabeth Tracy née Tully. Charles eventually came to live with Edith and her mother in Hedgerley. Edith made sure that her husband was always at the ready to help her in the shop. Iris Sullivan recalls her calling repeatedly to her husband: ‘Charles, Charles, Charles!’. She could always find him plenty of jobs to do! Charles also worked in a wine shop in Farnham Common.
They were very busy in the shop with some items on ration during and after the war. Vinegar could be bought but it was necessary to bring a bottle to put it in. This was recycling in action all those years ago! Edith and her mother carried on running the shop in the 1940s; in fact, Edith did not retire from the Stores until 1958, and even after that Jane Holmes recalls Edith helping out on the shop floor. When the grocery store was finally sold, it was to C.G. & E. Alexander and E. Tew. Iris Sullivan saved a newspaper cutting giving this information as well as the fact that at the time, Charles Tracy was Civil Defence warden for Farnham Common and Hedgerley. Edith and Charles continued to live in ‘Pinfield’, the house beside the shop until they sold it in 1968 to the Bedborough family. The Tracys moved into ‘Stoke Poges Way’, their newly built home in Collum Green Road, just around the corner from where they had been living and next to ‘Templewood Cottage’ and ‘Woody Nook’. It is here that Edith lived out the rest of her life. Edith was very public spirited and did a lot for the village both before and after her retirement. She was a very active member of the Women’s Royal Voluntary Service and she spent time as a volunteer at Wexham Park Hospital and the Canadian Red Cross Memorial Hospital in Taplow. She could often be found wheeling a trolley full of magazines and snacks around the wards. Edith took many local folk to their medical appointments in her smart cream car. To this day transportation to medical appointments is one of the many services carried out by The Tracy Trust. Edith’s car was often piled high with newspapers she had collected, so much so, it was hard to see out of the back window! Vera Hines remembers seeing Edith pushing a big wheelbarrow around the roads of Hedgerley and knocking on doors to
They were very busy in the shop with some items on ration during and after the war. Vinegar could be bought but it was necessary to bring a bottle to put it in. This was recycling in action all those years ago! Edith and her mother carried on running the shop in the 1940s; in fact, Edith did not retire from the Stores until 1958, and even after that Jane Holmes recalls Edith helping out on the shop floor. When the grocery store was finally sold, it was to C.G. & E. Alexander and E. Tew. Iris Sullivan saved a newspaper cutting giving this information as well as the fact that at the time, Charles Tracy was Civil Defence warden for Farnham Common and Hedgerley. Edith and Charles continued to live in ‘Pinfield’, the house beside the shop until they sold it in 1968 to the Bedborough family. The Tracys moved into ‘Stoke Poges Way’, their newly built home in Collum Green Road, just around the corner from where they had been living and next to ‘Templewood Cottage’ and ‘Woody Nook’. It is here that Edith lived out the rest of her life. Edith was very public spirited and did a lot for the village both before and after her retirement. She was a very active member of the Women’s Royal Voluntary Service and she spent time as a volunteer at Wexham Park Hospital and the Canadian Red Cross Memorial Hospital in Taplow. She could often be found wheeling a trolley full of magazines and snacks around the wards. Edith took many local folk to their medical appointments in her smart cream car. To this day transportation to medical appointments is one of the many services carried out by The Tracy Trust. Edith’s car was often piled high with newspapers she had collected, so much so, it was hard to see out of the back window! Vera Hines remembers seeing Edith pushing a big wheelbarrow around the roads of Hedgerley and knocking on doors to
ask for used newspapers in aid of the local Scouts. Edith collected all sorts of things for charity which she stored in her car and in her garage. Edith Tracy played a prominent part in local organisations: the Evergreen Club, the Wives Club, the Hedgerley Women’s Institute and the Hedgerley Ladies Fellowship. Founded in 1951 by Edith Tracy together with Mrs Honor Tod, The Evergreen Club was set up for senior citizens over the age of sixty. They met every second and fourth Thursday of the month at Farnham Common Village Hall for tea, for a game of bingo and a sing-song. They also had many outings, the members themselves deciding where they would like to go. In many ways this club could be considered the forerunner of The Tracy Trust. The Wives Club founded in 1955 started out as the Young Wives Club. Edith Tracy was, once again, one of the founder members and as such she took on the role of Chairperson; other founder members were: Frances Newman (Secretary) and Joan Rush (Treasurer). The club changed its name in the late 1970s because the wives were not as young as they used to be! Edith loved riding her bike and she, together with members of the Young Wives, used to cycle the local lanes. They also went on long walks to Gerrards Cross across the fields, more often than not stopping off at The Packhorse public house for a drink to which Edith treated them. There was much talking and singing on the walk back with Edith entertaining the ladies with humorous stories.
Some of the early activities of the club included Keep Fit classes run by Biddy Butler in the Scout Hut. Every year the wives held a ‘tip-toe’ through the woods; this involved the ladies walking on tip-toe passing a parcel over their heads and trying to guess what was inside. An Easter Bonnet contest also featured regularly. ‘The History of Hedgerley’ written by the Hedgerley Historical Society noted that in 1980 Mrs Tracy was still ‘Chairman’ of The Wives Club and Mrs Newman was still the Secretary. Edith left money in her will to each of the organisations to which she belonged ‘in recognition of the many happy hours I have spent with them’. The Flower Shows, held on the site of the Green on Hedgerley Hill, were occasions to which local children, in particular, looked forward with great excitement. There were tents, marquees, swings and roundabouts and all the fun of the fair! It must be these flower shows which several Hedgerley residents remember with fondness. Whenever there was a fête day, Edith would run a stall where there were many homemade items, the money from which was donated to charity. She had a special game remembered by several villagers and loved by the children. John Lunn recalls a chicken wire cone-shaped contraption into the holes of which handkerchiefs were placed. For a small sum of money the children could select a handkerchief to keep, but concealed in some of the handkerchiefs were raffle tickets or a silver coin which entitled the winner to an extra prize! This stall was so popular, it sold out long before the other stalls!
Some of the early activities of the club included Keep Fit classes run by Biddy Butler in the Scout Hut. Every year the wives held a ‘tip-toe’ through the woods; this involved the ladies walking on tip-toe passing a parcel over their heads and trying to guess what was inside. An Easter Bonnet contest also featured regularly. ‘The History of Hedgerley’ written by the Hedgerley Historical Society noted that in 1980 Mrs Tracy was still ‘Chairman’ of The Wives Club and Mrs Newman was still the Secretary. Edith left money in her will to each of the organisations to which she belonged ‘in recognition of the many happy hours I have spent with them’. The Flower Shows, held on the site of the Green on Hedgerley Hill, were occasions to which local children, in particular, looked forward with great excitement. There were tents, marquees, swings and roundabouts and all the fun of the fair! It must be these flower shows which several Hedgerley residents remember with fondness. Whenever there was a fête day, Edith would run a stall where there were many homemade items, the money from which was donated to charity. She had a special game remembered by several villagers and loved by the children. John Lunn recalls a chicken wire cone-shaped contraption into the holes of which handkerchiefs were placed. For a small sum of money the children could select a handkerchief to keep, but concealed in some of the handkerchiefs were raffle tickets or a silver coin which entitled the winner to an extra prize! This stall was so popular, it sold out long before the other stalls!
Edith and Charles were regular church goers and would attend the 8 a.m. communion service
on Sundays. Several of the Young Wives went with Edith each week to clean the church and
vestry. She continued to attend church after Charles’ death in 1970 and, while she was able,
she drove her distinctive car to the church in Hedgerley and up the holt. However, she was
not so sure about getting back down after the service and would ask for a volunteer to turn her
car around in the holt so that she was facing the right way for the drive home. When latterly
she was unable to drive, her friend John White would bring her to church. Edith’s focus
throughout her life was to give to the community and to help others. As she got older, she
thought hard about what to do with her money especially as she had no children to whom she
could leave it. Together with John White, they came up with the idea of setting up a charity
for he elderly in Hedgerley. Edith wrote in her will that she wanted ‘to establish a fund, to be
known as the Tracy Trust in memory of my late husband and myself… which shall benefit the
senior citizens and pensioners of the Village and Parish of Hedgerley, Buckinghamshire’.
She left Pinfield Orchard to John White. This he sold and the amount raised from the sale
was added to the fund which was used to start The Tracy Trust.
The landlord of The One Pin at the time of Edith’s death was a Mr Spencer, who had lived
next door to Edith for 25 years. He was interviewed by the Evening Standard when details
of her bequest became known to the press. He is quoted as having said: ‘The dear old lady
was rather frugal in her lifetime but benevolent in her demise. She would argue over the price
of a sherry but this Trust is marvellous’. At the time of her death, Edith also owned the two
houses her father had built in Collum Green Road: ‘Templewood Cottage’ and ‘Woody Nook’.
Edith died on 19th February 1988 at the age of 87 years and she is buried in the family grave
in the churchyard of Hedgerley Parish Church, alongside her husband and parents, as she
requested in her will.
on Sundays. Several of the Young Wives went with Edith each week to clean the church and
vestry. She continued to attend church after Charles’ death in 1970 and, while she was able,
she drove her distinctive car to the church in Hedgerley and up the holt. However, she was
not so sure about getting back down after the service and would ask for a volunteer to turn her
car around in the holt so that she was facing the right way for the drive home. When latterly
she was unable to drive, her friend John White would bring her to church. Edith’s focus
throughout her life was to give to the community and to help others. As she got older, she
thought hard about what to do with her money especially as she had no children to whom she
could leave it. Together with John White, they came up with the idea of setting up a charity
for he elderly in Hedgerley. Edith wrote in her will that she wanted ‘to establish a fund, to be
known as the Tracy Trust in memory of my late husband and myself… which shall benefit the
senior citizens and pensioners of the Village and Parish of Hedgerley, Buckinghamshire’.
She left Pinfield Orchard to John White. This he sold and the amount raised from the sale
was added to the fund which was used to start The Tracy Trust.
The landlord of The One Pin at the time of Edith’s death was a Mr Spencer, who had lived
next door to Edith for 25 years. He was interviewed by the Evening Standard when details
of her bequest became known to the press. He is quoted as having said: ‘The dear old lady
was rather frugal in her lifetime but benevolent in her demise. She would argue over the price
of a sherry but this Trust is marvellous’. At the time of her death, Edith also owned the two
houses her father had built in Collum Green Road: ‘Templewood Cottage’ and ‘Woody Nook’.
Edith died on 19th February 1988 at the age of 87 years and she is buried in the family grave
in the churchyard of Hedgerley Parish Church, alongside her husband and parents, as she
requested in her will.