Kiff school years and beyond

The School Years

From the age of 5, each Kiff child attended The Church School as it was called then (St. Nicholas church) until age 11. The two youngest, Wendy and Martin, later transferred to the Grove when it was built in 1964. I also attended the Grove from 1977.

Most then attended Manland Seniors School (Sir John Lawes) until age 15 with the exception of my mum Lindi, Wendy and Martin who went to Roundwood (much to the relief of the Manland teachers who were "all Kiff'd out" by then.)

 After leaving school until now (in brief)  

Ida left school and for a month helped out at home before going to work for the Eastern Gas Board (British Gas) where she remained for 11 years, only leaving to have her first child at age 26 after marrying Mick Neal. Followed by another 4 children.

They lived at Oakley Road for many years until sadly separating but still remain friends to this day.

Ida went on to marry Rob Watler and they spent over a decade living in California, America before returning to the Harpenden area where Ida still lives.   

Bob left school and two days after his 15th birthday started an apprenticeship as a gas fitter for the Eastern Gas Board.

He would stay in their employment for over 40 years, during which time he also served 2 years national service, based in Germany for a while. 

After retiring from the Gas Board, he continued to work in his area of expertise on a self employed basis for a further 11 years.

Bob and Babs had married many years prior in Dec 1961. 

As well as having two delightful daughters, they have enjoyed a very happy and successful marriage, celebrating their 55th wedding anniversary last December (2016). They still live very contently in Meadway.   

Norma married Tom Bowen and moved to Coleswood Road. They had 4 children before divorcing. 

Norma then took off for Tenerife after landing a role in the travel industry. She ended up living in the Canary Islands for many years (10 or more) before returning to the Harpenden area. 

Now she lives in Dunstable in the house that was left to her by my nans sister (and my Great Auntie Rose) 

Jack started an apprenticeship with Claridge & Hall as a carpenter. A profession he would work in until retirement. 

He first married Janet King and had two sons (sadly Mark Kiff is no longer with us). He also had a daughter. 

He married Alma and after many years living on a farm in Toddington they emigrated to Australia in retirement but now live on the beautiful Indonesian island of Bali.

Jan left England in 1963 for the American dream. Despite the odd trip home to Blighty she has remained in the states, living in California and Montana ever since! A staggering 50 plus years! I believe though that the residents of her home town still refer to her as the English lady!

Jan married Allan Pearce (an American) in 1970 and had 3 children. Sadly Ashley, their beautiful daughter was tragically taken by cancer in her teens.

Jan and Allan are no longer together after years of marriage but Jan is happily living in Montana these days.

As for Sue, well she caught a bug which has never left her in over 50 years! The travel Bug!

In 1966, Sue also left Harpenden for America and has spent most of her life bobbing across the Atlantic, as well as living in a variety of European countries too including Switzerland, France and Spain.

Sue married Dwayne Hodge in Las Vegas in 1968 but it did not last. I cant help but think that unless she was to marry a descendant of Christopher Columbus or Phileas Fogg, no man would be able to match her fine art of globetrotting! 

Judith Chalmers fades in comparison to Sue's extensive world wide travel.

Although currently living in Spain, Sue is still not ready to put the passport away in the bottom drawer just yet. 

The only thing to come close to her love of travel is her love of animals especially dogs.         

Terry landed himself an apprenticeship as an Electrician with Ryans Electrical (where the Jade Garden Chinese takeaway is now).

 He then went on to establish Andrew & Kiff Electrical Contractors as a partnership, opening a shop in Southdown in the early 1980s.

On dissolving the partnership, Terry as the sole proprietor of Andrew & Kiff has grown and developed the business, making it extremely successful and a well respected and established electricians in the Harpenden area.

My grandparents could not have been prouder when Terry pulled up at Meadway in his new luxury Rolls Royce back in the 80's. The curtains all twitching in the street, they were certain the neighbours thought they had royalty visiting. 

Whenever my nan was being driven around in it, sitting in the back of course! She would always be sure to wave like the queen to her subjects!   

He married Debbie and had four daughters before marrying Wendy and having a son and another daughter. 

They are still going strong over 35 years later and now live a stones throw away from Meadway in Sibley Avenue.  That is when they are not at their summer residence in Spain or galavanting all over the globe.

After a stint in the Navy, Bill went into the Supermarket trade, starting at Macfisherys and ending up as the area manager for a larger supermarket chain before becoming a very successful man running a number of care home facilities.

He married Sandra (Sam) bringing an additional 4 children into the family. 

They lived in the Isle of Wight for many years before they moved to Northamptonshire where they realised they were more suited to being the Lord and Lady of the manor when they moved into Cottingham Hall, a huge residence in Northamptonshire with too many rooms to count, tennis court and swimming pool to boot!

These days living a more humble life in a home no bigger than Harpenden House!   

Lindi (my mum) had many suitors to choose from before finally picking and marrying Clifford Donoghue very young. 

When at 19 she had me, our first home was Roundwood Lane, where her parents had lived. After a win on the pools they bought a house in Coleswood Road (no. 66) having another 2 children before sadly getting divorced.

After living in Southdown for many years and having another son with Kaven Bunnage. 

Eventually she married Chris Frith and moved to Kings Langley before officially retiring at age 40 to Lincolnshire where they have stayed for a the past 25 years, living in the heart of the countryside in a beautiful "'picture box'' home and enjoying still the country life.     

 Martin also started in the supermarket trade and despite not having the full use of one of his arms due to contracting polio as a child, went on to become the manager of the Co op supermarket in St.Albans. Then opened his own green grocers in New Greens, St. Albans. 

He married Caroline and together they had 3 children and lived in Marford Road, Wheathampstead before sadly divorcing. Martin lived out his last years in Bristol.   

Wendy started at Sainsbury as a checkout operative. It was not long before she showed a flare for paperwork and was moved to the office as a clerk, then supervisor and finally chief clerk before being struck by the travel bug that was too strong for her to resist!

With Susan, Terry, Bill and a group of friends, these long haired local hippies armed with only peace and love took to the road and ended up in Portugal where they had such a ball that Wendy and Sue decided to remain for 3 or so months.

After the end of an engagement to John Crosby (the son of Marge and Vic Crosby, lifelong friends of my grandparents) Wendy met Billy Stevens from Liverpool whilst in the Isle of Man and after marrying they lived in Liverpool for long enough for Wendy to acquire the scouser accent and having 2 children before divorcing. 

Wendy moved back to Harpenden and many years later was to meet and marry Gary Hincks, son of the Hincks Construction family of Harpenden. After splitting their time living between Scotland and Spain, they eventually decided that the sunny climate was preferable and moved to Spain permanently. 

Seeing as nothing lasts forever, they too separated. Wendy still lives in Southern Spain today.     



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