It was fascinating to stumble across a reference to Hedge End Motors today. Eagle eyed readers might have spotted it in the Daily Echo's feature on the 70th anniversary of the Blitz, published 27/11/2010. That feature included a reproduction of the front page of the Echo from 2nd December 1940, and there amongst all the news of the war was an advertisement placed by Hedge End Motors. What was really interesting was that they were operating from 117 Lodge Road in Southampton, rather than Hedge End. Until now, I'd thought of Hedge End as an isolated strawberry growing village, but it appears that by 1940 (probably much earlier) some HedgeEnders had diversified into other markets. I'm guessing now, but it looks as though the Hedge End Motors business started in Hedge End, maybe in the 1920's, and subsequently moved to a better site in Southampton. And if they could afford premises in Lodge Road and an advertisement on the front page of the Echo, they were clearly doing rather well. The name of that business is dead now, so what happened to them I wonder. Who were the people that owned and ran this business...? Did the business become a victim of the Blitz, or of petrol rationing...? If anybody has any information, or better still, remembers first-hand, do please post a reply...!