Tag Archives: Effie Pitman

Funfair: Carnival Week, 1930s – 1980s

Funfair on Yarmouth Rec.

When the Funfair set up in Yarmouth, it was on the Recreation Ground which was given for the children of Yarmouth. There would be gallopers, chairplanes, dodgems and swing boats; proper coconut shies and all kinds of stalls. It cost 1d in the afternoon, 3d in the evening. Eileen Smith nee Lansdowne b 1921 photo

I used to go love to go to the fair with my Gran. I’d save up my pennies for Shove Ha’penny and all the different stalls. Effie Pitman b 1921

Ryall family watching Carnival, funfair behind, with dodgems tent : photo Di Broomfield

Carnivals after WWII 1940s

Peace Celebrations were held in 1946, with harbour sports.

Carnival sports, 1946 programme

1948 seems to have been the first full carnival after the end of WWII and demob.

Yarmouth Common Carnival time. Fancy Hat Competition led by Ted Lawry

Billy Doe crowns Carnival Queen : photo Sue Russell

Raich Doe front left, Bob Cook, and contributors Serena Hunt, Susan Hayles in Brownie uniform, Effie Pitman behind Sue, Derek Pomroy with cub Peter Stallard

In 1949 a Carnival Queen was chosen by votes at the ‘Con Club’ from a bevy of local beauties .

Carnival line-up 1949, at ‘Con Club’ to choose Carnival Queen : photo Pat Burt

From left: Jean Levey, Ella Jackman, Pam Henderson (chosen to be Queen), Mrs Eames, Barbara Holloway, Annette Holloway, Pat Adams, (chosen as attendant) Jessie Attrill, with Newt Kelsey judging or looking on.

Pam Henderson is crowned carnival Queen in 1949, at first carnival after WWII

Pam Henderson is crowned carnival Queen in 1949, at first full carnival after WWII

At the crowning ceremony are: from left, Robert May, Heather Harris (married Raich Doe), Pat Adams (married Mick Burt), Pam Henderson, Carnival Queen, Miss New Zealand, and Mr J. Flanders who officiated.

The boy peeping between is John Orchard, staying with his Uncle who had a taxi.

Miss New Zealand was persuaded by Mrs Hans Hamilton to put in an appearance, and seemed to enjoy the parade.

Yarmouth Carnival 1949 Miss New Zealand joins the parade

Effie Pitman: WWII work 1939, 1940s

Of course when war broke out Mr. Gobini had to go because he was Italian.
I was with the A.R.P. in the evenings in the Town Hall, taking telephone messages with Eileen Smith. We had to phone in to Newport when there was an air raid.
It was so dark at night with no lights, I hated it.
Then in the morning the bus came for us at a quarter to 7 so we didn’t always get much sleep.
I was sent to Cowes to work in the shipyard, riveting. It was horrible! My face used to be black when I got home. Some of the other girls weren’t very nice, their language….
Once I was put with a man who was on piece work. We had to work so fast! Another time a man came to see us to ask us to rivet a flag pole. We said ‘We cant do it!’ but we did, over 700 rivets , and you had to be so careful otherwise it bent.
My aunt had some evacuees to stay with her. Poor little mites. They must have been so unhappy away from home. Effie Pitman b 1920

‘Unofficial’ and ‘Official’ Evacuee numbers at Yarmouth School

Betty Coates-Evans: Free Time Pantomimes, concerts, 1950s,

Mrs Hans Hamilton front right and Sam McDonald with cast from Guides and Brownies including Mollie Mallett and Effie Pitman centre stage :photo Mary Lord

We’d start about 6 months before the performance and often practise and rehearse 6 evenings a week. We’d give performances at Wilberforce Hall in Brighstone for 2 nights, 2 nights at West Wight School – there was a good stage there, 2 nights at Yarmouth at The Con Club.

Mrs Hans Hamilton used to write the words and play the piano too. Although she was one of the rich people in the town she worked really hard for the community. If she told you what to do, you did it! She didn’t stand any nonsense but it was such fun.

Effie Pitman was usually the Principal Boy – she had such good legs – , with Mollie Mallet.

So many people were involved. Barry MacDonald’s father used to play the drums for us, Malcolm Mallet the butcher, and Raich Doe( harbour master) used to build the scenery for us.

Betty Coates Evans b 1938

Audience at Con Club, 1950s : Free Time photo Carol Corbett

: Guide and Brownie Pantomime at the ‘Con Club’ 1950s

Jean Tiffin: Shops, Glasspool’s High Street, 1960s

My first job when I left school was at the Chemist (now Black Rock Insurance ) on the corner of South Street and the High Street. In the morning the first thing I had to do was to clean the brass – brass door handles and brass scales.

On the wall were big sliding cupboards with alphabetical drawers – A for Aspirin and R for Rennies. There were lovely glass display cupboards with glass tops, doors to the window displays and two big shaped bottles with green and red liquid in them. The door to the Dispensary was a glass- etched saloon type.

There was a nearly life- size cardboard cut out Kodak girl – we had a new one each year.

Glasspool’s photo envelope

Effie and I served in the shop wearing white ‘Alexandra’ overalls, and Mr Glasspool had a grey coat. We made tea in the dispensary and took it in turn to buy the biscuits.

The medicine bottles were kept in the air raid shelter in the garden and if it rained, water dripped off the light. We had a choice of colours to put with the bath crystals.

We sold Scholl sandals and shoe dye so I used to dye my sandals different colours to make them special. Jean Tiffin nee Ault b 1948

Shops: Mr. Urry, the baker 1930s

Yarmouth had 2 bakehouses, Harry Mills and Urry’s.
Mr. Urry’s was right up at the end of the lane off Tennyson Road. His bread was the best brown bread in the West Wight. He used to deliver it himself – walk round with a big basket with a cloth over it. There were cockroaches in the bakehouse, but they were everywhere you had food, in those days. You sprinkled Keatings Powder on the floor every night, and there they were dead, next morning. Eileen Smith nee Lansdowne b 1921

We used to call it ‘beetle bread’.Jack Harwood b1918

I used to walk up from Mill Terrace past the allotments to Urry’s bakehouse. It was nice bread but Mr. Urry sometimes had a drip on the end of his nose. Effie Pitman b 1921

Mr.Harry Urry, of Belmont, Victoria Rd. baker. Photo : Patrick Hall, great grandson

He was a nice old chap, Mr Urry. You could always call in for a chat with him. Phil Kelsey b 1920

Shops: Kelseys Confectioners 1930s

Advertisement for Kelseys Confectioners in the Square, 1920s, 1930s

Laurie Kelsey was in charge. Laurie, we didn’t know her by that. We used to call her Aunt Annie. She was nice, she was deaf, wasn’t she. She used to have long tray of sweets uncovered, with a glass top on and she always had a chair in the corner for us little’uns to get up on to so we could have a good look to see what sweets she’d got. She sold toys and all. Next to that was Saxbury’s souvenirs, postcards, mostly things about the Island, Yarmouth and all that. Phil Kelsey b 1920

We used to run into Kelsey’s, stand on the chair they had and choose our sweets from the big glass jars. We couldn’t see over the counter. Pat Burt nee Adams b 1929 and Annette Haynes nee Holloway b 1929
b 1929

Effie Pitman: Shops 1930s

When I finished school, I had a week off then I started work the day the old king died, George V, in January 1936. I started work for 7/6 a week at the shop in the Square, where the Deli is now. It was a hairdresser one side and Kelsey’s confectioners and tobacconists the other. Mr. Gobini was the barber. He was Italian. He charged 4d for a haircut, except for Dr. Drummond. He paid 6d and went into the back room to have his hair cut on his own. I used to work in the barbers in the morning and go into Kelsey’s confectioners if I was needed. Seven and a half years I worked there.

Mrs Walton from the Terrace used to come in to buy those little cigarillos she smoked. One day I remember when she was walking across the Square, the elastic must have ‘gone’ in her French Knickers and they fell down. She just stooped down and picked them up, and carried on walking.
Effie Pitman b 1921

Effie Pitman: Yarmouth Carnival Brownie Floats

Yarmouth Carnival Brownie Float ‘ Christmas Crackers’:1950

The Brownie Floats

I did enjoy the carnivals. Every year we had to think of something different. ‘ Christmas Crackers’ was an early one. We did ‘Pansy Faces’ another year, and a ‘Flower Garden’; we made the base look like a basket. We’d collect everything together, all the bits and pieces, and make the costumes all ourselves. We didn’t tell the parents what our float was going to be, so it was always a surprise. Effie Pitman b 1921 Brown Owl for 40 years

Yarmouth Carnival Brownie Float 1965 after the visit of Qheen Elizabeth II

Effie Pitman, Bown Owl, stands on float waiting to join parade from Green. 1985 was the year before she retired as Brown Owl.

Eileen Smith: Events, Coronation Elizabeth II

2, Mill Terrace decorated for coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953

Coronation Day June 3^rd 1953 The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II

My grandad Robert May hired in a television, a little 12 inch one. Everyone in the family came to his house in Ommanney Road, with piles of sandwiches, and we watched the television all day. It’s what the children remember most – watching the little black and white television. They had a ticket for a free packet of chips from the little fish and chip shop in the bungalow on the corner of South Street opposite Sixpenny Corner. Eileen Smith nee Lansdowne b 1921

Yarmouth and Thorley Voices

Learn about the history of Yarmouth and Thorley from the people who have lived it