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Battle
Battle maps
Historic maps of Battle and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Battle maps
Battle area books
Displaying 1 of 19 books about Battle and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Battle
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Battle.
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Bonfire Night
One of the many memories I have of Battle is of Bonfire Night, November 5th. Every November 5th,Battle had one of the best November 5th bonfire celibrations in Sussex, it was lots of fun. I remember Battle Rousers( home made fire works), they were awesome, aranged in circles and let fly, they would run and then explode with a huge bang, very scarey. There was also a huge parade down the High Street, Guy Fawkes would be placed on top of the big fire in front of Battle Abbey and the fire would be lit. A rousing cheer would erupt. Thanks to the Battle Bonfire Boys. What a memory. The Abbey Hotel across the street did a huge trade that night!
East Sussex memories
Long Walks
When I was a little girl in the early 60's I often used to take long walks along here, and I used to visit the farm to watch Peter Jenner milking the cows. I also had a crush on Peter but I was only 6 and he was 14. I wonder what happened to Peter. My late mother went to the school in the picture and was born in Hermon Cottage in Catsfield and that is where my auntie Violet lived for most of her life until it was turned into a doctor's surgery then my auntie moved across the road into one of the cottages. I have wonderful memories of holidays here as I lived in London. Catsfield will always be close to my heart. My mother's maiden name was Saxby and there have always been Saxbys in Catsfield for centuries. When my mother died my sister and I had her ashes interred in the old church yard in Catsfield up on the hill together with my father's.
Mummy's School
My mother Doris Saxby attended this school.
My Place of Birth
I was born in the cottage behind the school (Woodlands Cottage). I attended the school in 1958 untill going to secondary school at Battle in 1964.
Cousins
I have an original of this photo as a postcard and I am sure that the two boys seen at the end of the lane on their bikes are my cousins, who lived in a big guest house along that lane, I have many happy memories of those years, including my own christening
Sunny Days in Crowhurst
I was having a trip down memory lane the other day and thinking of those summer days making camps up in 'the bunny fields' and fishing down at the marshes, in 1963-65. It seemed most of the village boys went, with the older lads taking charge e.g Malcom Bishop, Philip 'Shorty' Goodhand, Pete Saunders, the younger lads included myself, Johnny Saunders, David 'Snowy' Goodsell, Denis Anley plus a good few others. I am sorry if I have not mentioned anybody, if anybody remembers me you can contact me via e-mail: goatbasher@ymail.com
Merrion House School During WW 2
I think it was 1944 when I visited my brother Brian at the boys school known as Merrion House, run by Mr. and Mrs. Brummell-Hicks under a spartan but friendly and encouraging regime. Doodlebugs(V1's) aimed at the LOndon area would fly virtually between the chimneypots of the building which stood on something of a bluff. I combed local fields with my brother for crashed German bombers, and played each day in a decommissioned Dornier!l I think I was five at the time.
Michael Gould
