Alan Aldous
Alan Aldous was born in Hayfield on 21st April 1924 to Addie and Fred. He was their fourth child and third son.
Alan was round-faced, sweet and kind, his sister Ros recalls. He was adventurous and mischievous. Ros thinks that it was Alan who was seen by a neighbour at Chapel to be walking on a bedroom window sill. Alan piled the family in the car before he knew how to drive. He got them to the other end of the road, but could not turn the car round so had to reverse it all the way home - he was in trouble for that. Alan got into the house one night by climbing on the roof and getting in through a window, then he had to unlock a door by pushing out the key and bringing it under the locked door on a newspaper.
Alan kept homing pigeons at one time. Jack remembers Alan raced pigeons with his friend, Tom Dawson.
Alan and his Uncle Les played golf together.
Hilda remembers Alan driving his youngest sister, Ros, to boarding school at Ackworth.
Alan joined the Royal Marine Commandos in World War II with his best friend Hugh (Bing) Crosby. Alan got shot while crossing the Weser and the bullet went through his neck and into his shoulder. He was taken to hospital in Leeds. His family and friends went to visit him and he was there for his 21st birthday. People at the hospital thought him so funny since he would try all kinds of antics to get his arm to work (there had been muscle deterioration from the bullet wound in his shoulder) and some numbing in his fingers.
Alan met Hilda Short when they both were taking the train down to Manchester for work. They began to get in the same compartment to travel together (along with friend, Hugh, and George Barton). Alan and his best friend, Hugh, would invite Hilda to come and play tennis with them. Alan and Hilda's dating days included going to the cinema and theatre and they did outdoor things together.
Hilda went to Oaklands to meet Alan's parents. She found them to be lovely. She soon got to know that as long as people were happy that's what mattered to Fred and Addie. When they saw that Chris was happy with his Catholic girlfriend, Johanna, that was all that mattered. It was the family first and the business.
One time when Fred and Addie were away on holiday, Hilda remembers that Alan was at Oaklands on his own and so she and Hugh agreed to walk to Combs near Chapel and meet there to walk together to Whaley Bridge to spend the evening with Alan.
Hilda was born 22nd February 1925 to Mr and Mrs F. Short (Felix and Elivia) at Pear Tree Cottage in Whaley Bridge. Her parents did not have anywhere to live at the time but a lady kindly let them use the top floor of this rather large house. Hilda was their only daughter. They later lived at 53, Chapel Road, Whaley Bridge. Hilda sang in the Junior choir at the local school in Whaley Bridge.
Alan & Hilda Aldous
b. 21 April 1924
Buxton, Derbyshire
d. 3 April 1966
b. 22 February 1925
Buxton, Derbyshire
married
8 May 1948
Taxal, Whaley BridgeNO CHILDREN
{Click here for Alan and Hilda's family tree}
Chris, Freda, Elsie Crosby, Alan, Hilda, Hugh Crosby, Marjorie, Audrey, David
(Alan's mum, Addie Aldous, is in the church doorway)Alan Aldous married Hilda Short on 8th May 1948 at Taxal Parish Church. Mr Hugh Crosby was Alan’s best man. Alan’s three brothers (Jack, David and Chris) were his groomsmen. Freda, Marjorie, Elsie Bagshaw (became Hugh's fiancé that day!), and Audrey Marshall (friend from bank) were Hilda’s bridemaids and wore misty pink crepe dresses. Alan’s nephew, John, presented a lucky horseshoe to Hilda as they were leaving the church. Their reception was at "The Sycamores”, on Eccles Road in Whaley Bridge, and sixty people attended including Lily Leceister.
Rationing was still in effect after the war, clothes were bought with clothes' coupons. Fred Aldous somehow got the fabric for the bride's dress and bridesmaid dresses.Hugh's sister-in-law made the dresses. They had fresh salmon for the reception. Hilda's parents went to Southern Ireland to get their outfits one weekend and got the ingredients for the cake another weekend.Alan worked for his father who was a cane and willow merchant at the time. Hilda worked at a bank in Manchester. She had been advised at school that a bank job would be stable job. Alan and Hilda lived in a bungalow called “Burnside”, on Start Lane, in Whaley Bridge; not far from the Aldous family home.
One time, Auntie Anne was in hospital and said she wanted to stay with Alan and Hilda. This was quite scary for Hilda as Auntie Anne was precise, strict and proper. But she was absolutely sweet during her week's stay with them on Start Lane.
Hilda says that Alan was a good runner (short sprints) and played rugby and football. He played football even after he finished school, on an all-boys team with David and Hugh. Hilda and Alan played tennis with their friends and played together on holidays.Alan became Managing Director of Fred Aldous Ltd. One of his jobs was to be in charge of editing the catalogue proofing. He would bring home a craft item and the instructions to test the instructions out. Hilda was not very into crafting and so Alan would give it to her to try out and Alan would say, "Do that love, and if you can do it anyone can do it!!"
Hilda worked in Whaley Bridge at District Bank (later NatWest) as a teller. Previously, she had worked at the branch in Macclesfield. After two years of marriage, Hilda stopped working at the bank. She kept very busy for the Red Cross, doing Scottish country dancing, and was a member of the Townswomen's Guild.
Hilda was keen on amateur dramatics and she had the part of Anna in "The King and I" at the Art Theatre in New Mills (where they did four plays a year). She had a miscarriage the day before the opening night and so it was headline news in the local paper whether Hilda would be able to do the part or whether her understudy would have to take over. On opening night, all the family were there including people from the shop (Fred Aldous Ltd): Addie, Fred, Mavis, Jack, Lew and Ciss. Afterwards, Jack told Hilda that it had him in tears.
They went to Paris for a holiday. Alan wanted to go to Madeira, Spain, to see where they got their willow from for the shop. They did go and met the growers and had a tour. Hilda is so glad that Alan got to go and she has since been many times for holidays in Madeira.They took up golfing together when Alan's doctor suggested golf might help his spinal ailments. He was under the care of a manipulation surgeon in Manchester. Hilda quite fancied learning golf too and continued for many years to be an avid golfer.
Alan passed on when he was only forty-one, on 3rd April 1966, in Stockport in the hospital - just eighteen days before his 42nd birthday. He had gone into the hospital on Tuesday after a visiting doctor couldn't understand why he had such intense stomach pains. They had to wait for a radiologist to come from Macclesfield before they would give Alan something for the terrible pain. He was put on a drip that day in a ward. On Friday night, Hilda phoned the hospital and found out that they had performed surgery without her knowledge. They had found a blockage in his small intestine and decided to take out his appendix at the same time. The next day, she was told that overnight there had been changes and she should come see Alan. Hilda went with her father on Saturday night to see Alan. Hilda had a bad feeling about leaving Alan. On Sunday afternoon, Alan's parents came to see him and he passed on that same afternoon.
Hilda went to the hospital with Jack (who went with a long list of written questions) to ask the doctor about what had happened. But they got no answers and they looked at each other and said this wasn't getting them anywhere. There had obviously been some negligence but they realized that nothing they did would bring Alan back. Alan had been playing golf the week before he died.His best friend, Hugh, also died young, at age fifty. Hugh's son was named Alan after his best friend. Alan is Hilda's godson. He lives in Preston. He says how different they both were from each other and yet they were so close. They both loved to walk.
Hilda continued to be a very keen golfer. She became Captain at Whaley Bridge and High Peak and President of Buxton High Peak.
b. 30th August 1914
? Derbyshire
d. 16 April 2012
Kettleshume
Hilda Aldous
b. 22 February 1925
Buxton, Derbyshire
married
7th October 1978
Chinley, DerbyshireOn a snowy evening in February 1978, friends, Betty and Harold Lord, invited four single friends to go to dinner with them at a local restaurant "Snowy". They invited Hilda Aldous and Ernest Carroll and two other friends. When they said where they each lived, Ernest said he lived in Kettleshume. Hilda asked him whereabouts and Ernest said on Paddock Lane. She asked where on Paddock Lane and he said in a house called "Reedsvale". Hilda then told him that she had been there before him because her sister-in-law and her husband (Freda and Sam) had the bungalow built! Two weeks later, Ernest called Hilda to ask her whether she'd go for a drink with him. He said "The Swan" was his local pub and she could meet him there at 8pm! Ernest talked non-stop that evening and felt able to talk for the first time about the death of his spouse since Hilda had experienced the same thing.
Ernest was born two months after his father died. He and his mother were very close. Ernest's mother later remarried Harold Carroll, who was from Liverpool and he made boots for the cavalry. The family lived in Liverpool. Ernest went to a good boarding school in North Wales. His grandparents lived in Buxton and he lived with them for a while. The family business was quarrying "Taylor and Swifts" at Dove Holes, Derbyshire. After a Uni tech course, Ernest went into the family firm.
Ernest had been married to Joan Morton who died in a car accident on a bad corner. The Mortons were farmers. It turned out that Chris knew the Morton family since he was a farmer and because Joan, David and Margaret Morton all went to Ackworth School. Joan was in charge of the hens at Ackworth.
Ernest and Joan had two children: Anne and John. Anne and her husband Nigel live in Bougillo (near Avila) in Spain and they have two children, Jeremy and Richard (lives in Mexico and works in the mining industry and have two children, Axel and Christian). John and his wife Inessa live in Devon and they have two children, Ben who is a Captain in the Royal Navy (has children Sam and Freddie) and Johanna (has children Olivia and Edward Ernest).
Hilda's mother-in-law (Addie) loved Ernest and would say to Hilda, "When are you bringing Ernest here to see me again." She also told Hilda that she thought that Joan and Alan in heaven had arranged them getting together.
Hilda and Ernest got engaged in June. He told her, "You better make your mind up soon, as I'm not hanging about!" Hilda and Ernest Carroll got married in Chinley on 7th October 1978.
Hilda and Ernest live at “Reedsvale”; the bungalow which Freda and Sam had built. Freda sold her house (after Sam passed on) to a couple. Then Ernest purchased the home and was living there when he met Hilda. Previously, Ernest was living in a large beautiful house in Chinley and was rattling about alone in that house. He decided to retire and asked about properties available to buy that were smaller.
Ernest was a brilliant gardener. He grew all kinds of food in their greenhouse such as onions, beetroot, carrots, courgettes, tomatoes, runner beans, and sweet corn. Ernest has been a member of the Institute of Quarrying since 1934. He is also a member of The National Geological Society and the Manchester Geological Society.
In 1982, Hilda and Ernest were invited to housesit for friends who live in Carmel, California for a month while the friends went to Hawaii. Hilda and Ernest invited a couple to go with them. While there, Hilda played golf on the municiple course and they went to San Francisco and Yosemite.
Mr F Short June 1983A Whaley Bridge resident who served with the Black Watch during the First World War died recently aged 84. He was Mr Felix Short of 11 Whaley Road.
Born in Glossop, Mr Short lived in the area all his life and worked for many local companies. He enjoyed football, cricket and gardening. Bereaved are his wife Elivia and daughter Hilda. The funeral took place at Macclesfield CrematoriumErnest passed away on 16th April 2012.
