Tag Archives: Kelsey

Phil Kelsey: WWII outbreak 1939

The day war broke out I was up the river sailing in my boat. It didn’t sink in that it would be anything like it turned out to be.  That was 1939, I had to register in March 1940 then I was called up in June 1940.
My brother George and Newt, both were reserved occupationists because they were builders you see. George went into the Navy much later, because he was Reserved.  Newt was building a lot of these air raid shelters and George was working for Bucketts – most of his time was spent working up the Needles Battery.  They did a lot of work up there.    Phil Kelsey b 1920

Builders 1930s

Builders 1930s Photo Di Broomfield

 

Jean Maitland, Phil Kelsey: Allotments 1930s

When we were living down the Square my Dad had an allotment up “Pigs Alley”
OOH I mustn’t say “Pigs Alley” because people these days get cross. “Pigs Alley” is the lane behind Victoria Road, that people now call Garage Alley. Yes, its proper name always was “Pigs Alley” because pigs were kept up there, but that was before my time. Jean Maitland nee Levey b 1928

Of course all that was allotments right through there.  Before the war they were all well cultivated too.  I remember like on a Good Friday there would be everybody up there if the weather was right, digging away. When they built the council houses there was a bit left where the flats are now. Dad had that until I took it over after him until they built the council houses.  Phil Kelsey b 1920

Phil Kelsey: Free Time at Sandhard 1920s

Sandhard 1950s

Sandhard

One of our trips was to go to Sandhard with my mother and the rest of the family.  We used to get in the boat down by the Mill.

 Sometimes mother got in if it was reasonable but she didn’t often.  George and perhaps the rest of the kids rowed over to Sandhard, dumped them off, then rowed back to the bridge. There used to be a landing stage right in the corner there and we used to get Mother in there and take her across. We used to drop her off there because, probably by the time we were coming back, the tide would be gone out.  It was awkward to get out down the Mill so we used to drop her off there, and one or two of us used to come and scrabble up over the wall down the bottom. Phil Kelsey b 1920

Phil Kelsey: Free Time 1930s

When I was young, Dad had his boat down the Mill and when I was about ten I used to take it out all day long in the summer. I was up and down the river, I reckon I’d propelled the boat in every little inlet.  Once when I was quite small, Dad had taken us over to Sandhard. Coming back, we got alongside to get out and I was just getting out. George was supposed to be helping Dad get me out and there was some swans there suddenly started fighting. They let go of me and dropped me down into the water!  Didn’t Mother create when I got home!  Phil Kelsey b 1920

Phil Kelsey: Early Days

When we was kids, we used to go out up the railway line picking blackberries.  We used to wait for the train to go, then nip along the line. You couldn’t get off the track very well, it was a bit more wired up to what it is now.  You used to have to make a good bit of a dash for it from Barnsfield Creek up to where the next lot of trees were – we used to call it Furze Break because it was all brambles on the right hand side.  We used to pick loads of blackberries up there.  I’ve even known my mother walk up there and pick them with us. Phil Kelsey b 1920