St James Church: photo Brenda Garlick

All the kids went to church. If you were a server you had to go to church without any breakfast. You went to church at 8 o’clock in the morning with the parson, and then when it was all over you went along to the rectory for breakfast.   You used to do all right there because Vi White, she’d be there, and she used to lash us up with a bloody good breakfast, sausages or something or other, porridge, she always had a good breakfast for you.

In the church when you was in the choir, at Christmas and Easter you got two bob – the parson used to give you two bob. Then a bit later, when you got a bit older and you went on to be a server and had the red cassock, you got half a crown at Easter and Christmas.

from St. James Parish magazine: report of servers outing 1920s to Alum Bay

On Good Friday they used to have a procession around the town.  They used to come out of church and went up the High Street and down Ommanney Road. I think we turned left and come back round to the church that way.  Phil Kelsey b 1920