Ted Needham, Freeman of the Parish of Swanley in Kent



Freeman of the Parish of Swanley

Around about the middle of last August I had an invitation from Swanley Parish Council to attend their 1812 evening.
On the evening my wife Jean & I were collected from our home by car, which took us to the park and from there we walked to the V.I.P. Lounge where a reception was being held. The lounge was full of Mayor’s dressed in their Mayoral robes wearing their decorations and they were accompanied by their wives. After about an hour we were escorted down the field to where the orchestra was playing. The Mayor of Swanley gave a welcoming speech and said that she had a pleasant duty to perform. It was then that I was awarded the freedom of Swanley Parish. Apparently it had been a unanimous decision by the Parish Council to bestow the honour on me. The Mayor then presented me with a framed certificate and read all about my time as a hairdresser in Crockenhill (1937 – 1993) and my Naval Service.

Ted Needham at the ISA Annual Reunion Chichester in 2016


I was delighted and very surprised by all this of course, but Jean and our British Legion Secretary knew about it all along, having given some of the details about my careers to the Parish Council. It was a lovely evening and one I will remember for a long time.
Ted Needham

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