Manor Farm, East Bridgeford, Spring 1980

Building Houses of Straw

Berger and Krantz 1980Norman B - Some time during the Spring of 1980, we were visited by Barry and Susan Krantz, and  Tony and Irene Krantz with their respective children Jamie & Kate and also Jeremy & Caroline at Manor Farm, East Bridgeford.

I was showing Barry and Tony around the farm while all the children, including Joanna, Charlotte and Sophie, were happily playing on a stack of straw bales making dens and little houses and so forth.

Towering over the platform of bales where the children were having fun, there was an adjoining 15ft. stack of very heavy straw bales which had become completely sodden by rain.

While talking to Barry and Tony, I happened to glance across to the straw stack and to my horror I saw the tower of bales beginning  to tumble down towards the children. Remembering that these wet bales probably weighed around 20-30lbs. each, I shouted a warning to the children – but it was too late.

We three fathers rushed over to the straw stack to see all our children covered in straw bales and fearing that they would be smothered we desperately started pulling the bales away.  To my relief I saw an arm; I clawed the bales away and found that it was Charl. She was shocked and terrified but she pleaded with me to get the other children out. Indeed she joined in desperately pulling at the bales to free the others.

Gradually, we managed to free all the children, mercifully all unhurt.

Particularly, what remains in my memory was Charl’s selfless efforts to help the other children despite being traumatised herself.

A golden girl whom we shall always remember.

From her ever-loving Dad

Jamie Krantz - Charlotte would have told this story much better than I can, but someone will tell this story eventually, so it’s better that you hear my side of it! We had had a fantastic day on the farm with Charlotte and family, picking corn, milking the cows and riding on tractors with Norman. Charlotte, Sophie, Jo, Caroline and Jeremy and Katie and I decided to build a den at the bottom of a huge stack of straw bales. I don’t remember whose idea this was but I can tell you that it was not Charlottes. We built the most fantastic den out of straw, it just needed one more bail to be complete. As I pulled the last bail from the stack, I remember hearing the girls screaming NO! NO! Unfortunately it was one bale too many, and the entire straw stack fell and completely buried us all. We were all rescued from under the heap of straw, and amazingly none of us were hurt.


Charlotte took great pleasure in teasing me about this for years - it gave us many many laughs.

For me, Charlotte will be remembered for the smile, the fun, the laughter and love that she let everyone know.

Nottingham, 1983?

Jamie Krantz - When Charlotte was about 11 we invented our own game. It was called ‘Glare’. It basically involved going into the garden at night when it was dark, trying to catch each other with the glare of a torch, well there is a bit more to it than that, but it was hours of fun that I will cherish forever. When Charlotte, Martin, Solly and Sam came to stay with us a few weeks before she died we were reminiscing about ‘Glare’. Char and I talked about teaching it to our kids. I can’t wait to teach Glare to Sol, Sam, Natalie, Joshua, Barney and Annie.
 

Uckfield, East Sussex, 1984

clb_timmy_uckfield_84_256Annie Bridgman - Norman's mum lived in Hove, Brighton so before we moved in with the Berger's in Epperstone, Notts they visited us there.  Timmy was a very dear dear pet to us all, but especailly the girls when they all lived on Manor Farm together. He was instrumental in my mum losing weight as she walked him alot after we moved in.

 

Habonim, Dec 1984

clb_scb_hobonim_dec84_256Sophie - This picture was taken just before Char and I went on a Winter Habo Camp - I think when we were 11 or 12 yrs old.  Don't you just love the glasses and the C&A Ski jackets! Note, as was the case for many years, we wore the same clothes but just in different colours.  Charl wore predominately blue and I wore red or pink.  The Scarves obviously show the Scottish heritage!!!!