Eric Bentley

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55 High Street, Harpenden

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Eric's mother, Edith Bentley with her five eldest children, Leonard, Albert, Kate, Winifred and Beatrice taken about 1915.

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Edith and Hadley Bentley and g grandaughter Christine

Betty Bentley

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Eric Bently c 1950

Betty Bentley

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Eric & Betty's wedding 1952

Betty Bentley

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Eric Bentley & Betty Pidgeon's wedding group 1952. L-R Hedley Bentley, Edith Bentley, Rowland Rolph (nephew - Winifred's son), Eric, Betty, Jennifer Dunckley (niece - Alice's daughter), Mary Pidgeon and Dickie Pidgeon

Betty Bentley

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Eric, son John and grandson Joshua Bentley outside the Exmouth garage

Betty Bentley

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Eric Bentley and his sister Alice at their sister Kate's 90th birthday party

Betty Bentley

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Eric & Betty on their diamond wedding anniversary

Betty Bentley

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The next generation - grandsons Joshua Bentley on the left and Ben Toutounchi, right

My husband, Eric Bentley was born in1929 in the cottage next to Lines blacksmiths (55 Harpenden High Street) to Hedley and Edith (nee Minter) Bentley, He was the youngest of eight, his siblings being Winifred, Albert, Beatrice, Leonard, Kate, Florence and Alice.

Family members who traded in Harpenden High Street

Alice married George Dunkley (butcher) and Hedley’s cousins were Frank (decorator and later builder) and William (grocer) Bentley who all had businesses in Harpenden High Street.

Apprenticeship, Marriage and a Move to Devon

Eric went in for a different trade and served his apprenticeship at Reads’ Motors (72a/74 High Street).  We married in 1952 and moved to Exmouth, Devon, in 1954  where my father Richard Pidgeon had been born. There Eric achieved his own quite large garage, Bentleys. When he retired the running of the garage  passed to our son John  and it is still owned by the family (2022).   Eric died in January 2021 aged 91.

The next generation

Our grandsons are Joshua Bentley and Ben Toutounchi.