Tag Archives: marsh

Peter Smith: Thorley 1950s smokers

When we moved into our council houses at Thorley there were only eight houses. There was space further up the road, past number 8 for some more houses to be built, but for a number of years it was just an overgrown plot with long grass. It was here in the long grass that several of us council house children had our first introduction to smoking. Fortunately I can’t recall where the cigarettes came from, but many a ciggy was shared in the secrecy of the long grass!

Andrew Budden and I were exploring the Marsh at the bottom of Tattels Lane, when our co explorer Johnnie Holtom, who was a year or two older than us, pulled out a pipe and amid much coughing and retching, lit it up. Eventually he offered us a go, with the same result. Cigarettes, I had found were much easier to get on with.

Eventually the council started work on new houses so we lost the use of our secret place. Peter Smith b 1946

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

Colin Smith: Free Time 1930s

Yarmouth marsh panorama

Yarmouth marsh panorama with Mill and stream on right

We lived in the last house down Station Road just before the station, St Kilda it was called then, Mill Stream Cottage it’s called now.  Beautiful views.  I used to spend my time off over the marsh there, into the copses, Thorley Copse or Mill Copse.  I don’t think you can get into Thorley Copse now,  that was the one I particularly liked.  We used to go birds nesting and things like that.  Not that I should be proud of that now. Colin Smith b1921

Annette Haynes: Free Time 1930s and 1940s

Yarmouth Station and marsh

Yarmouth Station, Mill Stream and marsh from platform 2013

When we were kids and the marsh froze over, we used to go skating on it and if any of us fell in and got wet, we would go into the station. They always had a big fire going in the waiting room, so we used to be able to dry off.   The stationmaster was Peter, and didn’t mind us drying off.  I can see his face.
Annette Haynes nee Holloway b 1929

Alec Cokes: Free Time 1950s

Mill Copse beyond marsh

Mill Copse beyond marsh and stream

When they used to dredge the stream they piled it all up with the reed and everything in, that’s why you’ve got high banks.  Just after they dredged it, it was lovely and soft.  You get down there, you dig yourself a hole, you build it all up round, plenty of reeds – you make a roof with the reeds  –  you’ve got a little hide.  It only used to be about so deep, you used to crouch in there.
Nobody used to have candles much or anything but we used to get half an eggshell and a little stump of candle, put it in the eggshell;  it would burn for ever.  You had to keep changing the wicks.  We used to play around like that a lot of the time.  Sometimes other gangs would set the huts alight, they used to burn the roofs off.  It didn’t matter, you just dug another one.  Alec Cokes b 1945