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CARS, VANS UP TO 3.5T, MOTORHOMES UP TO 30’ 023 8001 0029 Badminston Lane, Fawley, SO45 1BX 023 8001 0029 TALES FROM THE GRAVEYARD OF ALL SAINTS’ GRAVEYARD, FAWLEY by Patricia Hedley-Goddard, Churchyard Archivist for the ancient parish of All Saints’ Fawley HARRY NOWELL At the far east end of the graveyard lies the last resting place of Harry Nowell and his wife Nellie. Harry was born ‘Henry William Nowell’ but was always known as Harry, because his father was also named Henry. Harry was born in Winwick, Warrington, Lancashire, in May 1906, where his father worked as a butcher in a large newly opened mental hospital. Harry’s mother was Sarah Ellen Buxton. She was a doctor’s maid, and met her husband while working at the hospital. e father was one of 4 children. One of his sisters was called Polly and a brother, name unknown, emigrated to Australia. Little is known about Harry’s early life, except that he grew to be a tall man, well over six feet (tall for that generation). He must have had some exceptional musical expertise because he was originally trained at the Halle School of Music in Manchester. is prestigious establishment started in 1856 and is one played in the orchestra pit, so it is very likely that they met in this environment. ey also performed frequently at the Esso eatre. On leaving the RAF Harry joined Esso, and bought a property in Waterman’s Lane in Dibden Purlieu. He worked as a mechanical tter, eventually becoming the supervisor. He worked for Esso for about 40 years. Once established at Esso he quickly became friends with Dr Mayo who was the Re nery Manager and also very musical. Harry became the lead violinist in Southampton City Council and he was also a founder member of the Esso Bowling Club. Harry did learn to drive a car, but in the words of his niece ‘He was not the best driver in the world!’ Other motorists would move over when they saw him approaching. Fortunately, very few people had cars at the time and the roads would mostly have been old tracks. However, Harry did ‘love’ his pipe and he was buried with it in his co n. Being a very practical man, he would make do and mend, as so many people in that era had to. It was not the throw-away society of today. He turned a sh slice into a shoe horn. He mended anything and repurposed items such as chairs into a stool, or make a table from items laying around him. Later in life they moved to Spring eld Avenue in Holbury. e couple were devoted to one another, but sadly they did not have any children. However, they still enjoyed a ‘family life’ and on Sunday’s any family in the vicinity would go to them for Sunday ‘High Tea’. is property had an extensive garden where Harry grew a lot of vegetables, and had an excellent supply of rhubarb for the family to enjoy. Nellie also had her ‘patch’ of garden where she grew her owers. Sadly, Nellie died in 1996 on the 17th May, aged 90 and is buried in All Saint’s Graveyard, Fawley. Although Harry and Nellie did not have children he did have 3 sisters, Hilda, Florence and Ivy, all who married and had children. One of Harry’s nieces, Margaret, said he was one of the loveliest people you could wish to meet. Later in his life Margaret and Harry his nephew, plus his wife Janet, supported him, along with a neighbour. Reg, Margaret’s husband, used to look a er Harry’s extensive garden when it became too di cult for him. Much of the family had remained living in Lancashire, but two of his sisters visited him, and later in his life stayed for 6 weeks at a time to look a er him. He was very much loved by all the family. Harry died aged 100 years and 6 months having lived 10 years longer than his beloved wife Nellie. ey are buried together in the same plot in All Saints’ Churchyard, Fawley. On the day of his funeral the of the oldest orchestras in the United Kingdom. ey perform all genres of music including classical music, contemporary works, symphonies, chamber music and choral works. Harry would have had a good training enabling him to start a military band/orchestra when he joined RAF Calshot Air Station and later on at Esso. When he was aged 15 years he worked as an iron worker in a foundry. His records show that on 11th August 1927 he joined the RAF as a military tter and was stationed in Wales. By 1928 he was stationed in RAF Calshot. While serving in the RAF he lived in ‘Tin Town’ which was in easy cycling distance for work. Tin Town was a ‘village’ near Badminston, which was developed a er the Great War when plots of land were made available to servicemen from Calshot Air Station. Most of the houses were made out of corrugated iron, hence the name. It must have been very noisy living in one of those huts when it was hammering down with rain! Hut number 9 was lived in by a gentleman named ‘Dunning’. He owned the rst car in the village, but he also drove the train which ran from Top Camp to Bottom Camp on the RAF Base. ere was also a little shop located in Tin Town. Once there, Harry formed a military orchestra. In 1930 he married Nellie Henshall who was born in Manchester. Nellie was the daughter of Constantine Henshall who was a police constable. Nellie was very musical and performed in amateur dramatics. She sang and performed in light operetta such as ‘Iolanthe’ and ‘ e Gondoliers.’ Harry C
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