Author Archives: Jill Cowley

Nick Chandler: Yarmouth School 1940s

I remember Miss Chambers who lived down by the Mill. If you swore she used to wash your mouth with soap and water.  She used to grab hold of you with a cup of soap and water, and put it in your mouth. She kept her handkerchief tucked in her knickers, the old long bloomers.   She was a good old gal though.  She made sure that what she taught, you knew; taught you to read.
Then there was Mrs Barton, she could be a bit severe at times. I remember once Mick and Barry got the cane , which they didn’t  like. Come lunchtime, in the classroom was this fish tank that had tadpoles and stuff in it. What did they do? They both peed in it and killed all the tadpoles, we saw them do it. Nick Chandler b 1937

Miss Chambers retires from Yarmouth School after 26 years service

Miss Chambers retires from Yarmouth School after 26 years service

Pete Smith: Yarmouth School 1950s

Mr Hector was a mixed bag.  He was a real scary teacher because he would throw a slipper across the classroom at you.  I can see him pick up Roger Sheldon and Nibbo Kellaway by their ears.  He was a really strange bloke.  But do you know, he was sort of fiery but he had a lot of interesting things to say.  If you tuned in to what was going on in the lesson he was fine but soon as you drifted off, well, look out or he’d throw the chalk at you or the blackboard rubber. You had to really watch out for him. You didn’t quite know when he was going to go over the edge.

Mr. Hector's class, Yarmouth Primary School, 1950s

Mr. Hector’s class, Yarmouth Primary School, 1950s

  PeterSmith b 1946

Rod Corbett: Yarmouth School, 1950s

My first day at school didn’t last very long. There was an old Nissen hut in the playground, probably left over from where the Army had had a gun on the refuse tip next door. There was a table in it, so I climbed on with another boy who was starting school with me. I gave him a shove and knocked him off, and he howled – he was always a bit of a ‘boohoo’. Anyway, I thought, ‘I’d better not stay here’, so I ran home to Gran

Yarmouth School playground 1950s

Yarmouth School playground 1950s with Nissen hut

( my great grandmother who lived in Field Cottages).

Rod Corbett b 1943

David Biles: Free time, Point-to-Point races at Tapnell

Biles family at 1930s Point to point at Tapnell Farm, Yarmouth.

Biles family at 1930s Point to Point at Tapnell Farm, Yarmouth.

In the 20s and 30s, the Isle of Wight Point-to-Point races, run under Jockey Club Rules were held at Tapnell Farm when Colonel Jennings farmed there. The course had to be over three and a half miles of hunting country, and the horses jumped broad lane as part of the race.

Jack Seely, Baron Mottistone’s, famous horse ‘Warrior,’ which survived active service throughout WWI, was winner in 1921 and 1922.

One year, Harold Biles won on Edamite, a horse he later sold in Southampton for £300 – an enormous price in its day. Edamite went on to take 3rd place in the Foxhunter Race at Cheltenham and was eventually sold for £2000!

Eileen Smith: Free Time 1930s

Horse racing
Before the war, there used to be West Wight Point-to-Point races

Race card for Point to Point 1939 at Tapnell Farm, near Yarmouth

Race card for Point to Point 1939 at Tapnell Farm, near Yarmouth

on the fields up Broad Lane. On the days it was on, Ralph and the chaps who worked at Mills used to cycle up in the lunch hour to watch, and hope they got back in time for the afternoon!
Eileen Smith nee Lansdowne b 1921

1933 Douglas Biles at Tapnell

1933 Douglas Biles competing at Tapnell

Jean Maitland: Trips and Treats at Sandhard

Yarmouth harbour, old bridge with toll house

Yarmouth harbour from Sandhard, old bridge with toll house

Bridge Tolls originally displayed by Toll House on bridge

Bridge Tolls originally displayed by Toll House on bridge

When we were kids, we would be met at church by our parents and then go to Sandhard for our Sunday Lunch, us and all of the Gatrells. Of course there was a toll on the bridge in them days so our dad and the Gatrells used to borrow a boat and row us over. We used to stay over there until about half past six. Jean Maitland nee Levey b 1928 

Eileen Smith: Trips and Treats in the lifeboat

During Cowes Week the families of the lifeboat crew used to have a wonderful treat.
On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday during Cowes Week the Yarmouth lifeboat went to Cowes to take people out to see all the liners and naval boats visiting Cowes, anchored offshore, and all the grand yachts like the ‘Victoria and Albert’. The Bembridge boat did the other days. It raised money for the RNLI.
The families of the crew were allowed to travel in the lifeboat to Cowes, leaving Yarmouth at 9.30 and returning at 3.30. We used to have the first trip out to see all the grand boats. Then we children would paddle a bit and eat our sandwiches whilst sitting on the Green watching all the boats. Sometimes the sea was a bit choppy, but we didn’t mind. We loved our special week. Eileen Smith nee Lansdowne b 1921

Alec Cokes: Free Time 1950s 1960s

One time there was a big classic football match going on up the Rec. Jim Ryall then was the Fire Chief – and he was up there watching the football .

All of a sudden two figures came up across the back of the Rec, right across the middle of the playing field and disappeared.  It was Dicky Hatch and Dook Henderson.  They’d only managed to set fire to the rushes down the marsh.  There was a big cloud of smoke.
Somebody said, Jim, Jim, the marsh is burning.  He said, let it burn.  No point in getting down there with the fire engine, what was the point of that, it wouldn’t do any harm.

I can remember Rodney with his touchwood tin – he used to have a Golden Syrup tin, punched some holes in it with a bit of wire for a handle, get the old rotten wood out the middle of the trees and put something in to start it burning and of course you had a flame and if you wanted to light the marshes or something you just let go!  Nothing ever blew up.

Mick, he was a bugger, he’s a bit older than us – and he was very good with these bows and arrow he used to make.  We used to get in the middle of the Rec. a whole gang of us, about twenty of us, and he would fire this thing up in the air.  He’d have reeds for arrows with a bit of elder for the tip and a feather and a nail stuck in it, and he’d fire it straight up in the air – a game of chicken, watching this thing to see which way it was going to go.  Alec Cokes b 1945