Memories of Deal

St Leonards Church, Deal

My parents had to walk from High Street, Deal to this church on the coldest and snowiest day recorded up to that time for my baptism in February 1947. My godparents were Hazle Rennie (nurse at Deal Hospital), Ena Wilkins (ballet dancer friend of Mother's who lived to be 100) and Bob Eliot (a friend from the Second World War days). We then became parishioners at St George's, Deal, till we moved to Walmer and went to St Mary's.

Sandown Castle

My memory of Sandown Castle was that by the time we were children the sea had washed it away and all that was left were flat stones. You had to pass it to go along the sea trail to the golf course at the north end of Deal. Also that, if I am correct, it is the only castle that Henry VIII built to help protect our shores from invasion that did not survive the elements. The sea can be pretty rough up there as seen in the photo but so invigorating!

Deal Promenade 1910

In  my young days the greater part of the Prom was crowded with fishing boats. My grandfather, Ted Smith, often purchased the whole of a boatmens' catch. An entry in  his old ledger [sadly destroyed in the war] had 'a cran of herrings' for a shilling - a 'cran' was a thousand  fish. These were filletted and smoked, at the rear of his premises at 3 Alfred Square, or hawked in the town and around Sandwich.

Riceman's fire

Riceman's fire was Sunday 6th October 1963. I am researching a book on Deal's shops and have been given the local newspaper for that week. The front page banner headline is "Deal store destroyed by fire." And the introduction reads "Within 90 minutes of first being spotted, fire reduced Deal's largest departmental store, Riceman's, to a jungle of twisted steel girders late on Sunday afternoon ..."

A few weeks ago the East Kent Mercury headlines were of Deal's last department store closing, namely Laughton's originally Baldwins. Last week a headline was "Workers say farewell as Woolworths store shuts." Sad times.

I remember the pony and trap on the seafront in the early 1950s and have a photo of it somewhere in the family albums, taken outside the amusement arcade at the top of King Street. The Regent Bingo Hall, formerly the Regent cinema closed last week.

Deal High Street - the other end!

I spent my youth with my family "above the shop" in Deal High Street.  My father, Morris Orchard, first worked in, then inherited, the family shoe shop, which had been in business since my great grandfather's time.  In those days it was F. H. Orchard and Son, Bespoke Bootmaker - we still had stationery lying around with his name on it, and out the back we had the workshop, still with old tools, bits of leather and so on. It passed to my grandfather, M. H. Orchard, whom I remember as a very gruff, frightening old man, who had been injured in the First World War and only got around with difficulty. My father Morris lived his whole life over the shop, except for his war service, his parents moving out after his marriage to Peggy, a library assistant (he proposed on a library reservation card!).  I was born in December 1949, my sister Nic in 1952, and my brother Adrian some time later in 1958. We all attended the parochial school on London Road, headmaster Mr Scholl.  We were allowed out on our own around town from the age of about 7 - I remember being charged with taking my sister to school when she started.   
My sister and I were known by all the other shopkeepers in the High Street. We had a nightly ritual of waving to the jeweller across the street as he put up his shutters. Shining into our bedroom from across the road was a gas street lamp, automated, but regularly manually cleaned.
We were given a day off school, but first had to stand outside and wave a flag, in 1958 when Prince Philip arrived to open the new pier.
Another great memory is seeing the last steam train go through Deal, I think I was 10. We were, of course, standing on the footbridge, to wave to the engine driver, and get covered in smoke.
Some of the other shops and institutions that impinged on our lives:
Kings the toy store.
Meesons, the sweet shop.
Woolworths, next door.
The National Savings Bank, where we saved our pocket money.
The roundabout and later crazy golf, on the seafront, for good behaviour.
The pier, with its old-fashioned penny slot machines - we loved the one where the graves opened and the skeletons looked out.
The Guinness clock, each summer - a large open-air clock with moving mechanical figures - action each quarter hour, just time to get an ice-cream between each quarter's show.
The Regatta - sailing and rowing races for the adults, children's sports on the green,  Forrest's Fun Fair, which is those days was on the sea front in the North End, and best of all, the carnival procession, which came right beneath our windows.

Regent Cinema

My family were Skinners of Deal.  My mum Sheila used to work at the Regent cinema on the sea-front.  I used to love being able to go & see films over & over when she as working there, (I remember seeing "The Music Man" 7 times!).  Does anyone remember the little pony & trap that used to give rides to the children?  It used to leave from round the entrance to the pier & go along the sea-front and back - a treat indeed for us kids.  There also used to be a photographer who used to stand by the pier & take day-tripper's photos.  Does anyone remember the old man (or so he seemed to me as a child), who used to sell matches outside Woolworths (I think it was).  He had medals across his chest & used to have his tray of goods round his neck.  I also vaguely recall a barrel organ & little monkey in the High Street.  Finally, does anyone recall when Ricemans went up in flames?  Their shop was in the High Street & went up with a huge blaze!

Piddock and Smiths

My gt. grandfathers married sisters named Brothers. The three familes have been in and around Deal for centuries Gt. grandfather Maxwell was a Royal Marine, as was grandfather Piddock.  My father 'Phys' Pidddock was welterweight boxing champ RM in 1925. Smiths were in the fish trade. Ted Smith had the first Fish and Shop in Deal [North side of Alfred Square] well before WW1. Grandfather Piddock had sweet shop in London Road opp. the Parochial School. I worked at Lamberts Laundries and left Deal 1964 to enter legal profession. I recall the summer days swimming, the boatmen, the outbreak of war, evacuation to South Wales, our return to the damaged town we loved, the decline of the laundry trade [we once served hundreds of houses, hotels, the Royal Marine depot etc.]. In 1945 I worked at Swaffields Laundry, College Road with Bert Penn, Bill Spicer. On home visits I always look up old friends and quietly walk the streets  in reverie.

Shelter

How could I forget these shelters (there were two of them)? We moved to North Deal in 1954 when I was 10. The shelter at the top of Farrier Street was nearest to me - a place to stand in a storm, I practised hitting hockey balls against the concrete steps, my beloved Granny used to sit on one side and watch the sea, our tenant, in Indian Army officer (retired and without much money) used to sit in the shelter too, very lonely I think, remembering better times. They were the refuge of lovers at night, of fishermen at dawn, of mothers with prams and toddlers on hot summer days. Last time I was in Deal (2007) 'my' shelter was pretty well derelict, the glass all gone, the walls defaced with graffiti. My son couldn't understand why I would stand in such a place staring at the sea, tears in my eyes; or why, without a word, I jumped from the sea wall onto the shingle and went down to the waves. It's what I always did.

I was born in the shop on left hand side, White Fuller (Kent)

The shop on left hand side is White Fuller (Kent) Ltd, 68 High Street, Deal. My father, Cecil Prime, was the owner. Our mother, Phyllis, my brother John Prime and myself lived there. John and I were both born there he in 1948 and myself in 1947. We spent all our formative years here. I have been looking for photos of this building to include in a memory book for my brother's birthday. If there are any other photos around from 1947-1960 I would be interested. John joined the Royal Navy and retired as a Commander and now lives in Portsmouth. I worked at Pfizer, married David Wellard, moved to Hong Kong in 1972 and then to New York State in 1977. We retired to Florida in 1999. The building next door was Brown and Phillips.

Spitfire

About 1943 - disabled Spitfire landed 30 yards from beach opposite Golden Hind cafe and just beyond hotel on right.  3 or 4 chaps stripped off, swam out and pulled pilot from aircraft.  I hope pilot survived but don't know if he did.  Does anyone know?