Stansted Airport I was stationed at RAF 263 MU (Maintenance Unit) Stansted Mountfitchet (its full title then) from about October 1946 to March 1947. We had between 100 and 200 German prisoners who were waiting for repatriation back to Germany, although I know that some of them wanted to stay in the UK. Everybody at Stansted, including the PoWs, had a bike at that time. We had a hanger full of them! I have been trying to trace anybody that was stationed at Stansted around that time, but haven’t found anyone yet. I’d be pleased to hear from anyone who was. Ron Taylor rontaylor@mail2ron.com If anyone can add a branch to this family tree, please contact the author. My ancestor Robert Emerson of South Street, Bishop’s Storford owned a field on the north border of the parish called “Muggles Dale” or earlier “Muffles Dane”. He was a”currier” of leather. Robert was baptised at Great Dunmow, Essex 25 October 1562 He married Susan Crabb at Bishop’s Stortford 24 November 1580 Robert was buried at Bishop’s Stortford 6 January 1620 His wife Susan was buried at Bishop’s Stortford 20 November 1626. His son, Thomas Emerson was baptised 26 July 1584 at Bishop’s Stortford. He was the Town Collector. He married Elizabeth Brewster at Bishop’s Stortford on 1 July 1611 (she was the daughter of William Brewster the postmaster of Scrooby and later the famous elder of the Pilgrims of Plymouth MA in 1620) Thomas emigrated to Ipswich MA in 1628, with his wife Elizabeth and 5th son Joseph Emerson, baptised 25 June 1620 at Bishop’s Stortford. Thomas was a founder of Ipswich MA – the second village in America. My other Emerson relatives whose descendants may still live in Bishop’s Stortford include: • His brother Robert Emerson. baptised 12 April 1590 at Bishop’s Stortford • His brother John Emerson of Bishop’s Stortford • His son Robert Emerson baptised 24 May 1612 at Bishop’s Stortford • His son Benjamin Emerson baptised 2 October 1614 at Bishop’s Stortford • His son Ralf Emerson baptised 19 October 1615 at Bishop’s Stortford • His son James Emerson baptised 16 Feb 1617 at Bishop’s Stortford • His son John Emerson baptised 26 Feb 1625 at Bishop’s Stortford • His son Nathaniel Emerson baptised 18 July 1626 at Bishop’s Stortford As you can see, I am determined to find a living Emerson cousin to visit with when my family and I visit Bishop’s Stortford in May 2005. Kenmore Emerson East 80th Street. New York, USA Paul Ailey writes: When my family and I moved to Bishop’s Stortford we had little idea of what to expect. The purchase of a house here had been, to say the least, a little impulsive and we broke every rule in the ‘Moving Home Guide’ by knowing next to nothing about the town where we were going to live. There was, though, from those first tentative glances in the estate agents’ windows of North Street, something about the place that felt right. As was to be expected of a market town, there was a market; three in fact – a street market, cattle market and a small poultry and produce market. There was the added novelty of weekly auctions run by Messrs. Watsons and Messrs. Sworders, countless independent shops and just one supermarket. Pre Homebase and B&Q, Handscomb’s (now Coopers) in Bridge Street was a D.I.Y. mecca, the finest, friendliest and biggest hardware shop I’d ever set foot in. Disappointingly, the cinema was advertising Bingo instead of Hollywood movies, restaurants were few and far between, and the town’s premier Take-Away was a fish ‘n’ chip supper from Baxters in South Street. Pubs, however, were plentiful. I regained the forgotten pleasure of driving, and parking a car was relatively stress free and affordable. Taxis, however, were few. Come to think of it taxis were rare – especially after catching the last train home from London. Thorley, where we first lived, was in its infancy and we made the most of walks through open fields, blissfully unaware of the large-scale development that was to come. The year was 1979.