Category Archives: Uncategorized

Phil Kelsey: St. James Church 1920s,1930s

St James Church

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

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

Brenda Garlick: The Mount, The Dashwoods, 1950s

The Mount, the Dashwoods, Aunt Ena

The Mount, Yarmouth, pulled down late 1960s to make way for new road.

The Mount, Yarmouth, pulled down late 1960s to make way for new road.

It does mean a lot to me that it’s not there, I spent so much time up there. I remember such happy days there.

I have such happy memories. My aunt was so good to me. I could go to the house anywhen I liked and play in the gardens, and play horses with my friends in the old stables.

As I got older – my aunt was such a good seamstress –  I would buy lengths of material and my aunt would show me how to sew and make clothes. She did more like that with me than my mother did.

I did meet Mr. Cuthbert, who was a lovely gentleman. He would wander down to the kitchen when my aunt was there, and talk to me. And I met Miss Constance and Miss Caroline.

The Mount, front

The Mount,;photo Brenda Garlick

I always felt they wanted to be much more involved. There was a regime which had been imposed on them when they were children, and they didn’t dare go beyond the boundaries. They kept it up, all their lives. Miss Constance always sat in the Lady Chapel, not with the main congregation. The difference was they had been brought up in the religious background with their father who was a reverend and uncles who were reverends.

They were always referred to as ‘Mr’ Cuthbert and ‘Miss Constance and ‘Miss’ Caroline. I think it was a mark of respect for your betters that we don’t use today.

They were such generous benefactors. If anyone was suffering, wanted money, or was in trouble, they were great benefactors. They gave money to the church, the school. They had so many charities, they were so good to the people of Yarmouth.

My aunt did very well out of them, what they had left they left a lot to her. She loved them; we all did, my mum and my dad.

Eileen Smith, Charlie Lansdowne: 1920s, 1930s

My parents lived briefly in a house in Alma Place that I dont remember, and then they moved to South Street, to a tall cottage with an attic. Originally that cottage was called ‘Rose Cottage’ but mother changed it to ‘Halfway’ because it was halfway between Sandhard and where my aunts lived.

My father, Charlie Lansdowne, was one of the first crew members of the Lifeboat, the B.A.S.P. powered by a petrol engine and a sail.
I can just remember her being christened by the Prince of Wales. She was tied up on the pontoon the shoreside of the pier. Someone trod on HRH’s toe ‘Somebody’s treading on my bloody foot!’ he was heard to say.

Lifeboat crew 1920s

Lifeboat crew 1920s . Charlie Lansdowne, back row, third from left. Walter Cotton, second from right, front row.

My father was signalman on the lifeboat – there was no radio, they had to rely on signals, semaphore and morse. His boots were kept just inside the door so if the maroon went he could be gone straight away. On one occasion when the lifeboat went out, I can remember my mother asking Mrs Cotton, the Coxswain’s wife where they’d gone, but they never knew, of course, when they’d be back. Walter Cotton, the Coxswain had come from Brighstone. My father said if Walter was moved, he’d go with him, he was such a good coxswain

Susan Hayles, Mary Hayles: Harbour Sports 1940s, 1950s

My father, Harold Hayles was on the Carnival Committee for many years, so my sisters Mary, Chris and Sally and I were always very involved.
We really looked forward to Carnival Week, as we still do now. Squeak and I practised the pair oared rowing for weeks and we entered all the events. All the money we won was spent at the Fair. Sue Russell nee Hayles b 1940

Harbour sports with RASC boats

Harbour sports with RASC boats :photo Effie pitman

 

For passing the 11+ I was bought a dinghy, a proper clinker one. We desperately practised rowing for weeks ready for the harbour sports. The ladies’ race went right out round the buoy off the pier. It was our chance to earn money for when the funfair came. I don’t think I ever tried the greasy pole – it was stuck out from one of the army boats in the harbour and dipped right down at the end. Mary Lord nee Hayles b 1936

Hayles girls

Harold Hayles’ daughters :from left Susan ( Sue) , Mary, Christine, in front Sally. Photo: Mary Lord

Eileen Smith: Shops 1920s, 1930s

In the town there were 27 shops, 1 fish and chip shop on the corner of South Street and Tennyson Road, 1 garage in Quay Street ( now the Pharmacy),  4 pubs and hotels and 2 chimney sweeps, Mr. Chambers and Mr. Holloway. There were 4 grocers shops – one in Station Road, Mr. Cook’s – later Mr. Burt’s -, one now called Sixpenny Corner owned by Mr. Barnett, Harry Mills in the Square, and Higginbothams. There were coupons given with Bourneville Cocoa and such like. My mother collected enough to get me a wooden pencil box at the Sixpenny Corner shop.
If you took an egg with you when you went to Batchelor’s for chips, they’d cook that for you too. Eileen Smith nee Lansdowne b 1921

Shops: Square 1930s with Harwoods van

Shops: Square 1930s with Harwoods van

Carnivals after WWII 1940s

Peace Celebrations were held in 1946, with harbour sports.

Carnival sports, 1946 programme

Carnival sports, 1946 programme

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

Yarmouth Common Carnival time

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

Billy Doe crowns Carnival Queen
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

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 1948 Miss New Zealand

Yarmouth Carnival 1949 Miss New Zealand joins the parade

 

Jean Maitland: Yarmouth School, Florrie Knee

I always felt sorry for poor old Florrie.
Old Miss Ireland, the one I said I didn’t like, used to ask on Monday morning who had been to church, put your hands up if you had been to church, because they didn’t like it if you didn’t go to church. Anyway Florrie put her hand up and Miss Ireland  said,
‘You can put your hand down. You never went to church, you went to the Methodist Church.’  Florrie went to the chapel along South Street and so did Megan Cook (nee Buckett)  Jean Maitland nee Levey1928

Eileen Smith: Yarmouth School

Robert May's School Certificate1884

Robert May’s School Certificate1884

My grandfather, Robert May, went to Yarmouth School, my mother and her two sisters, I did, and my three children.

The last year I was at Yarmouth C. of E. School, there were 126 pupils and four teachers; Mr. Stanway the headmaster, Miss Troman, Miss Ireland and Miss Chambers,  with the Headmaster’s wife, Mrs Stanway, helping out sometimes.

We started school at five years, no matter what time of year, and left at 14. Some people went on to Newport if they passed the scholarship.

Miss Ella Chambers had the first class. She was lovely; everyone was fond of her. If you met her in the town years later she’d say ‘Hello Eileen, – one of my girls.’

 

Yarmouth School, 1929

Yarmouth School, 1929 Eileen , 2nd row from back,5th from right

Every day we had half an hour’s scripture, and prayers. We had to learn the hymns off by heart. Reverend Marshall came from Thorley once a year to test the senior students. He was a bit deaf and he mumbled so you couldn’t always understand his questions. When he gave the prize, I think he guessed who knew the most.

The boys had gardening and woodwork, the girls knitting and sewing and embroidery. There were cookery lessons at Ningwood Institute for the senior girls – we travelled there by bus. Someone came out from Newport to teach us. We had old oil stoves, with a hob and an oven. Every week there was a draw to see what chores you had to do. I always seemed to end up cleaning the stoves – they were filthy old things.
Eileen Smith b1921

 

Colin Smith: WWII, 1945, glider pilot

I was a pilot and trained out in Canada mostly and then came back to this country.  I was scheduled to go onto fighter bombers or something like that but time went on, month after month.  Whether we didn’t lose enough of planes or what it was, I just don’t know.

Somebody came down one day and wanted some volunteers to go to the Far East to fly gliders, troop carrying gliders.  Now the army had lost a lot of their pilots over at Arnheim and places like that of course, but they had these ready trained pilots all waiting to go somewhere.  We went out there and were going to be on operations within six weeks, but we never did see any operations.  The Fourteenth Army at that time started pushing the Japs back down through Burma, then we were going to go into somewhere further down, Rangoon, but that never came off.  We did a bit of flying as kind of push out crews for a while on Dakotas flying supplies over Burma and dropping them by parachute and things like that. Just an ordinary looking type of aircraft, the Dakota, but marvellous really.  They’re still flying today.  Quite incredible really I think.

We went up first of all into Assam. From there, we moved round to various places around India and down into Ceylon as it was then.  It was a very pleasant time really.  We were annoyed that they hadn’t sent us in   We had a nice time up in the mountains up north, through Kashmir and places like that.

Print showing 'First recorded loop of a Hadian (Waco) Glider by Flight Lieutenant Jack Hayward and Flight Sergeant Colin Smith, 1945', from print belonging to Colin Smith

Print showing ‘First recorded loop of a Hadian (Waco) Glider by Flight Lieutenant Jack Hayward and Flight Sergeant Colin Smith, 1945’, from print belonging to Colin Smith

We were co-pilots on these gliders – Waco Hadrians. I was co-pilot with a man called Jack Hayward; he later became Sir Jack Hayward, a multi millionaire.  We’ve had quite a number of get- togethers for 671 squadron as it was then.

I didn’t do as much flying as I wanted to do.  We came back to this country and while we were waiting to Oxford, they sent us on some wonderful course, flying Tiger Moths again, or something like that and another course doing aircraft recognition and this that and the other, a waste of time really. I had four years in the RAF altogether.