Memories from Terry Locks:
"My recollection of my grandfather Harold Arthur Locks, during the late forties and early fifties, is of a very stern victorian type gentleman living at the spledidly named property 'The Duchy' at Hadleigh in Essex. He always wore a very smart, but dated, Harris Tweed Suit and never went out without wearing his Homberg Hat, even in the garden. The Duchy was an old house set in large gardens with several fruit trees. The garage was known as the Coach House and I presume that in earlier years it housed a horse and carriage. It was definitely big enough. Unfortunately, the Duchy has also been demolished and now forms part of a road improvement.
Just like JG, grandfather reigned supreme sitting in his large fireside chair and when as a family we visited we all had designated places to sit. The house was quite large, even had its own Billiard Room. However, one was never allowed to roam around the house on their own. It was a special treat to be accompanied into the Billiard Room, never to play of course. Out in the garden we were allowed to play on our own, but on strict instructions not to pick the apples and walnuts from the trees, but allowed to collect the windfalls, not to keep of course, but to take in to HA for storage.
For the few years that I knew HA, he worked, before retirement, for the Southend Times, I think selling advertising space, and before that he use to travel all over the country selling space in Town Street Directories.
Despite his very stern nature I always enjoyed his company. The one treat I use to get when visiting, was to be taken by him to see Southend United playing football in the old Division 3 (South), watching from the best seats in the stand.
I spent many hours listening to stories of his life. He often mentioned the family connections with the newspaper industry and can vaguely remeber him speaking of Monnie and Clifford Locks. He also spoke of the family's ancestry going back as far as the time when the family home was in Boston where they were involved in the fishing industry.