Pamela Chadwell (nee Channon) - genealogist and local historian

I wish to pay tribute to my late mother. She had a passion for all aspects of history. Without her detailed research, undertaken in the face of a decided lack of family cooperation, who felt she was "poking her nose into other people's business" little would be known about the ancestry of the immediate Chadwells or Channons. And to be fair, given the dreadful circumstances of my paternal grandfather's death (see: https://sites.google.com/a/shpa.org.uk/main/lt-leonard-chadwell-mc-chris-chadwell-s-grandfather---an-englishman-to-be-proud-of) one can understand such sensitivity; in those days such matters were never talked about. Despite her being untidy with poor handwriting (which I have inherited though one spends most of the time using a keyboard these days), all those who she dealt with, remarked as to the high quality of her research. And in her day, there was no internet, so she spent a lot of time checking gravestones and parish records. This was a good thing, as checking the original records improves the standard and reliability of your research - nowadays, people swallow whole what is on the internet but transcription and other errors do happen, which can lead to numerous errors, which are uncritically copied and thus perpetuated. Yes, computers and the internet are amazing but data-bases are only as good as the data that is put in. From my own botanical field, I know all-too-well, just how high a proportion of mistakes are made, with those with just a little knowledge, blindly accepting information, unaware they need to question it much more. The numerous images of family members available to Chris Chadwell to illustrate many of the pages of this web-site are down to her, often having made prints from negatives, some of which Chris made into slides and then digitised, so Chris was able to deliver, firstly slide-shows, about the Chadwells of Iver & District.

My mother, Pamela Chadwell (nee Channon) with my father, Tony Chadwell in April 1978; as a girl.

Pamela with a visitor from Australia in May 1984 - she had been undertaking genealogical research into the lady's family.

Pamela undertook research into other families. I recollect her showing me one or two offensive letters from relatives of the people she was researching, who wished to keep "the dark sheep of the family" secret; they did not appreciate my mother discovering such information. Nowadays, most families seem to be rather proud of such 'black sheep'. I promised my late mother, that I would, after she passed away, pull together the information on the Chadwells. My attempts, in her later years, to organise her research better, did not work, so it seemed best to let her continue as she was. My mother was not at her best in her latter years (though did enjoy time, in short bursts, with my first son, her only grandchild at the time), suffering, like her mother had, from mental health issues.

Celebrating Christmas at home with a pile of papers and files on her desk

Pamela Yvonne Channon with her father outside St.Peter's, Iver, 1955

At Iver Church 2nd April 1955 Pamela Yvonne Channon marrying Anthony Chadwell (at 6ft 3 inches, towering above most at that time) - bridesmaids to left were Diana Channon and Joyce Martin; Pamela's father immediately behind Tony, her mother far left at back then John Chadwell, Tony's brother between the Channons; unsure of name of other bridesmaid, then Tony's mother, Florence Chadwell with fox fur (fashionable at the time) - cannot recognise any of others to the right.

Pamela's results in the Oxford School Certificate at the Slough High School for Girls - the only fail was in French!

She would have been so proud that her third grandchild, Joseph, was Headboy at Upton Court Grammar school (formerly Slough Grammar) in the centenary year.