TheThorndale Family
| Pictures and information courtesy of Steve Thorndale. All pictures are his copyright. | ||
| Henry Michael Thorndale was a dairyman and at one time lived in the Blue Anchor pub in West Street, Reigate, although not as landlord. He died in 1898. His son, Russell William Thorndale, married Evelyn Frizel in 1897. They lived at 67 Nutley Lane with their children Percy, Cyril and Queenie. Russell William's brother was Ernest Edgar Thorndale who had a son called Charles who was always known as darkie Thorndale and lived in the cottages opposite the Yew Tree pub on Reigate Hill. | ||
 The Percy Thorndale mentioned above was born in 1898 in Nutley Lane, Reigate. In later life Percy lived at 5 Mostyn Terrace, Redhill. Here Percy is in CLB uniform. He belonged to 406 CLB Company, which was based in the old hall directly behind the Odeon cinema in Redhill, situated just over the brook from the Market place car park where there used to be a little footbridge. (Picture copyright Steve Thorndale) |
 Percy (right) and his younger brother Cyril, probably very close to the beginning of WW1 (Picture copyright Steve Thorndale) |
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| Percy Thorndale in WW! uniform, possibly at the beginning of his army service. No information is available about the dog which looks similar (but older) to the one above. (Picture copyright Steve Thorndale) | Percy was a driver in the RASC in WW1. Here he is shown in uniform with wound stripe and one year service chevron on his left sleeve after he had been gassed in the trenches and sent home. (Picture copyright Steve Thorndale) | |
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| Percy standing beside a van belonging to Curtis & Co., who were fishmongers and poulteres at 88 Station Road, Redhill in the 1920s and 30s.The picture is taken outside the old Westminster Bank that used to be just north of the junction of Warwick Road with Station Road. (Picture copyright Steve Thorndale) | Percy with a Wridges van. Wridges of Merstham clearly had a fish department as indicated on the door of the van. Picture probably dates from a later date than the one on the left. (Picture copyright Steve Thorndale) | |
Percy was Steve Thorndale's paternal grandfather. Steve also suplied information about his maternal Grandfather, who was John Victor Lefort. He used to work for Mr Bancroft of Majestic and Hippodrome cinema fame. John was the Manager of the Hippodrome cinema close to the corner of Bell Street and Bancroft Road rom the early 1930’s until the early 1960’s. He regularly worked at the Majestic also and as he could play music by ear he sometimes used to play the organ that used to rise up from the floor there, especially during the second world war years. At one stage he used to ride around the local area on a motorbike and sidecar with posters and a paste bucket in the sidecar to post the flyers of the following week’s programme. One place he used to stick them up was outside the Plough at Leigh, and a resident Steve have spoken to there remembers him. |
