Birdham, West Sussex

Childhood memories

I am wondering if the child bending down and putting his wellies on is me, as I spent every minute I could of my childhood down on the shore, especially as dad's boatyard, Haines was right there. The picture reminds me of myself as I had a bobble hat and jacket exactly the same as the boy in the picure. I... [more]

My childhood in iIchenor

My memories of Itchenor are as strong now as they were for all the time I lived there, which was from 1951 when I was born till 1971 when I was married. My family owned and ran Haines boatyard which is still there today but owned by the sailing club now. We lived at number 5 The Street and I spent... [more]

Church Road Corner, East Wittering

I moved to East Wittering in 1966 and worked in the area for the next 20 years. The two cottages on the left were originally the village post office but have long since been demolished although a local resident acquired the front porch for a garden feature. The large building in the centre is the Royal Oak Public House which... [more]

Pontin's Holiday Camp

I had a holiday job for 8 weeks at Pontin's in the summer of 1967 before going up to Oxford University. I worked in the staff canteen with Philipe, a young Frenchman; and then also part-time as a barman. The camp deputy manager (Mr. Brown?) was reputed to have been Prince Charles' protection officer until the cherry brandy incident led... [more]

Bracklesham Lane, Bracklesham Bay

I lived and worked in the area for 20 years from 1966 and this was a time of slow change starting for Bracklesham. The lane is now called Sea Lane, the flowing tamarisk bushes have gone and both side of the road are lined with housing or shops with a pay car park on the seafront. In the early days... [more]

The perfect holiday

In the late 1950s we had a couple of holidays in Bracklesham bay, which was then a tiny, but growing village. I had never seen shops which were the equivalent of wooden shacks mounted on bricks. There were some modern bits; the post office/newsagent had recently opened, and new shops were being completed across the street. My Uncle George ran one... [more]

West Wittering in the 1940s and 50s

My first memories are of playing on the huge expanse of sand at West Wittering and the bombing tower which used to be there after the war. We stayed on the beach till late and were put to bed in the back of the car. Usually we travelled in convoy with two other families. We loved to paddle in the deep... [more]

Nutbourne Post Office Stores

My memories of Nutbourne start when we moved to the Post Office in 1966-67, I was aged around 12 years old. I moved to Nutbourne with my father and step-mother, my younger brother boarded at little green school in Compton. My father came to the UK during WW2 from Czechoslovakia and fought with the RAF.
My bedroom was above the shop... [more]