Constitutional Holiday Camp
As a young lad we visited the Constitutional Holiday Camp for a number of years, as far as I can remember I went with my parents from about 1949 to 1955. At that time my parents were living in East London which even by then was still suffering from the results of the wartime bombing, and to visit Hopton was of course a breath of fresh air (in more ways than one). I can always remember the chalets which were brick built and rendered and after the sun had been on them all day were extremely hot at night. There was always lots to do for the children, with numerious competitions and sports and I can remember spending many hours on the small boating lake, sailing a small model yacht, having races with some of the other children. The food was always very good,and of the time was a very good place to have a holiday and all too soon was time to return home again.
I do have a few old black and white photos of our time there. I have now retired to Norfolk and now live only ten miles or so from where the old camp was. I have been to Hopton on a number of occasions but have been unable to establish what became of the old 'Constitutional'.
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RE: RE: Constitutional Holiday Camp
YEAR: About 1949 My family used to go to the Constitutional Holiday Camp during the late 1940a and early 1950s. My mum has told me of a time when my Dad played in a game of football at the camp. He was always play-acting, pretending to get hurt by rolling over and over, feining injuries etc. This particular match Dad went in for a tackle and rolled over in agony moaning and groaning, as per usual. Mum was on the side-lines with my brother in her arms, he was about 2 or so, saying "Oh here he goes again, pretending he's hurt" and generally not taking any notice, until someone said tp call for an ambulance. He was rushed to the local hospital, Mum can't remember which one, where he stayed for about 4 weeks. He'd actually ruptured his stomach! Mum was quite worried as the holiday was nearly over and she didn't want to go back to Plaistow in the east end of London and leave Dad up in Norfolk, so the camp arranged a chalet for her and my brother and the campers had a whip round for her, so she had some money. They stayed for 4 weeks, until Dad came out of hospital. Mum, in the meantime, helped out in the canteen and did other little jobs there, to help pay her way. This all happened before I was born but we did go there again and my memory is of the double seated bicycles that you could hire. Kids nowadays do not know what they have missed!
Comment from Jane Millward on Monday, 19th April 2010.