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2: Eddie Mercer and Peggy Haigh attending a Christmas party in Yeadon Library. Eddie was a Rawdon man with a wealth of local knowledge and a long time member of Aireborough Historical Society.
He died a year or so after this photo was taken.
Peggy, now in her 90s is legendary in Aireborough from her time working as Ledgard's bus conductress.
3: A
young Peggy smartly mounted on one of her beloved horses, handwritten on the
photo is "Going cubhunting".
4: A
postcard sent to Peggy from Bletchley Park which opened as a museum in 1993.
The
illustration is a 2nd World War recruitment poster for the Land Army, an
appropriate choice for Peggy. The message reads :
"Hello
Peggy, I am at Bletchley Park Wartime Enigma Museum. Wonderful interesting
place. Thought you would like this card. Still some vacancies in the Land Army
if you fancy another go? Take care, Chris x"
5: A school photo, Peggy Haigh is on the right of the 2nd row, wearing a dark coloured dress which has a pale coloured collar.
6: Peggy confidently sits astride a heavy horse, this was during her time serving with the Land Army in Kent during the 2nd World War.
7: 1964 More used to riding horses, Peggy is seen here on a camel with the Sphinx and great pyramid of Khufu or Cheops in the background.
These monuments are situated in Giza, a suburb of Cairo, Egypt.
8: Peggy is in the centre of the group wearing a light coloured jumper which has a strap across it.
The location is thought to be Israel which she visited with a group from her local church, probably St Peter's Rawdon.
9: September 1988: Peggy on her Rawdon allotment, she was a keen grower of vegetables until she reached her 80s.
She is wearing a T shirt bought at Appleby Horse Fair, the fair was an annual treat for Peggy where she indulged her love of horses and renewed acquaintance with her friends in the gypsy community.
10: Margaret Doreen Haigh or Peggy as she prefers to be known was born in Singapore and brought to live with her aunt in Rawdon at a young age.
She developed a great love of horses and kept several of her own becoming an accomplished horsewoman.
During the Second World War she joined the Land Army where her skill with horses was utilized when she was put to work driving teams of Shire horses in Kent.
Many local people came to know her during her time as a bus conductress when she kept passengers on Ledgard's buses entertained with her forthright wit and no-nonsense approach.
At that time she had a horse which she kept in a field on Leeds Road, in Otley she would buy hay for the horse, stow it on the bus, then when approaching the field she would shout to the driver to slow down then hurl the hay bale into the horse's field!
Her somewhat gruff manner and conversation which can be peppered with expletives belies the fact that she is a cultured lady with a love of opera, art and architecture, in the past she gave slide shows and talks about time spent in Egypt, Israel and Italy.
This photo was taken in Rawdon Library where she is sat at the newspaper table, a favourite meeting place for Peggy, Eddie Mercer, his brother Roy and other regular contributors to the "Rawdon Parliament".
She still lives an independent life in Rawdon, one of her few concessions to old age is to use the Access bus to go to the supermarket for her shopping!
11: The central figure is Peggy in her Land Army uniform, the location is Boar Lane, Leeds.
Trinity Church is on the right out of view, C&A Modes is directly behind her, the restaurant sign behind the Belisha Beacon is for Jacomelli's which opened in 1906.
12: 1940s She
is proudly wearing her Land Army uniform with a shoulder flash for West Kent.
She served in that area on a farm, ploughing and driving teams of heavy
horses.
13: Peggy
enjoying time in the Dales.
Sadly we lost dear Peggy in December 2013 she was a remarkable lady and one of the last real old Rawdoners, she was a good friend of my family and I can fondly remember her from the Sam Ledgards buses Leeds/Ilkely when I went to school and when she helped on the farm with horses and with Mr Frankland at his garage in Larkfield. Rest in peace Peggy you were a joy to know and hope you find a "stables" in the sky. You will be sadly missed
Valerie Hoare
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