The Creech Family

The leading horse dealers in Hanham were the Creeches. Abraham Creech (father of Laura) had stables in Henbury Road, then known as “The Patch”. Not surprising that Laura’s Brother Sidney,(1884-1917)  joined a horse regiment for WW1  service and was a corporal when killed in action. Incidentally, Sidney was Hanham Athletic’s  bustling centre forward in the teams most successful years, (always called “Coiney Creech.”)

Jonnie Creech had stables in Chapel Road, later used as lock up garages. Fussells later had these stables and every Thursday morning horses were taken to market, manes and tails plaited with straw as only an expert hostler could do it. George Creech had Lodge Farm 50 yards from Hanham Common, subsequently taken over by Wakefields. The nearby Norman barn was demolished to make way for housing. It was photographed before being demolished.

One of the Creeches eventually took charge of J.C. Walls, Bristol stables. They had some of the finest heavy horses one could wish to see, as did Georges for their brewer’s drays. Thomas Creech and Jim Creech were horse dealers in partnership but Jim later branched out on his own as a poultry dealer. Regularly he could be seen driving up the Hanham high Street with his horse and trap, on his way to country farms to collect poultry to add to those of his own at fir Tree Lane. These he supplied to leading poulterers in Bristol and Clifton.

Jim’s only son, George, embarked on a different career, but still sometimes with animals, when as a Public Health Officer would often would have had to be present to witness their humane slaughter. Later he became Bristol’s Chief Public Health Officer, but that was not the only distinction to come to him, his wife and two sons. Between them they gave 140 years honorary service to the St John Ambulance Brigade. In 1942 George was decorated at Buckingham Palace with the “Cross of the Order” for courageous service throughout the bombing during the war. In 1951 he was again decorated as “officer Brother of the Order” and later was awarded the M.B.E. On one of these occasions he again visited Buckingham palace and in 1979 went to St James’s Palace where the Grand Prior of the Order, The Duke of Gloucester, on behalf of the queen, raised him to the dignity of “Knight of his Order,” his wife Mary received the distinction of  “Officer Commander of the Order” and later “officer Sister of the Order.” Son Jim an “Officer Brother” and son John “A Serving Brother.”


For more detail follow the link below


http://antill.org.uk/getperson.php?personID=I68129&tree=tree1