A recollection from her childhood in Warminster, by Mary Hatton (born Mary Christine Butler in 1881), which she penned in September 1970:
I can still remember the peculiar smell of Doctor Willcox’s surgery, presided over by Mr. Charlie King, who prescribed for people, especially children, if the Doctor was on a long journey or very busy. I never heard of him making a wrong diagnosis; we all had great faith in him, and he was very nice to everyone. He wore a very high crowned hat and a “tail’ coat.
In the winter we heard the tinkle of the bells on Doctor Willcox’s sleigh. We had very severe winters in those days and the roads were shocking. The roads in wet weather were a sea of mud, unbelievable now, they were only Macadamized a few years after the First World War, and what a difference it made. If the Doctor had to go to one of the villages, such as Imber, the whole town knew and everyone used to anxiously wait for the tinkle of the bells and heave a sigh of relief when they knew the Doctor was safely back; a pleasant memory.
When the Doctor was on a long journey and was later than expected, Mrs. Willcox used to have fresh chops cooked every ten minutes so that he should not have a dried-up meal or have to wait. It must have taken the Doctor nearly all day if he had to drive to Chitterne or any other out-of-the-way place. There were two other doctors in the town but everybody wanted Doctor Willcox.