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Lower Shott c1955, Great Bookham
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I have just discovered this wonderful website today and oh what memories come flooding back. I was born in Lower Shott in 1954 and lived there until I was about 23. I remember these shops so well. Being sent by my mum to get some cheese, I think it was from Mr Absaloms, and bursting into tears because everyone ignored me as they were waiting for my mum to come in and didn't realise that I had been sent by myself (obviously a big girl now) to buy something on her behalf! Mr Absalom was so kind and picked me up and allowed me to stand on his step ladders (no health and safety then) whilst he packed the cheese. I remember the James's who owned the newsagents and round the corner was a hairdressers and a wool shop and a butchers, later owned by the lovely Ken Pillings (does anyone know what happened to him????). In the High Street was the granaries, and a lovely shop that a bell tinkled when you entered it and sold leather goods, dog leads and such (could have been a saddlery??). I remember clearly the smell of the leather and we used to love to play in the sawdust in the butchers. Along by Beckley was the Co-op that sold broken biscuits and down the High Street further down opposite the church was a post office and a fish shop run by the Cripps family I believe. Opposite the fish shop was... Read more

Brue River And Merry Lane c1960, Bason Bridge
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My mother and I lived in a cottage opposite the pub, Rose Cottage, which is not there now - I believe the site is now someone's garage. I was born in 1940 and am not sure what age I was in Bason Bridge but I do remember being told that I was to keep away from the river or "Old Man River" would get me. I remember looking through the balustrade of the bridge watching children playing on the banks and wondering why Old Man River didn't 'get' them, he only wanted me. It certainly kept me away from the river though! I remember the road was white, not tarmaced as now. The farmer up the road didn't like evacuees but his wife was very kind - when he went to market, she used to put pieces of paper under the hedges where the chickens had laid eggs, so my mother could find them. He was never to know! Apparently, when we first went there (my grandmother and two of my aunts were also living in Bason Bridge in other cottages, one next to the post office), my mother was terrified by the noise of bombers dropping bombs (the family had been bombed out in London) - only to discover it was the noise of the wooden skittle balls rolling down the alley in the pub opposite and hitting the skittles! She had never heard that before. I can remember going blackberrying in... Read more

The Entrance to Church Farm c1965, Pagham
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I first attended this camp in 1954 as a baby of 10 months of age and my first experience of the sea was with my father at that tender age. I attended for at least the next 10 years and learned to swim in the sea at Pagham and often played in the penny arcade and in the dunes behind the beach. I also used to fish for crabs at the old harbour and also fished with my father at the lagoon. I have very fond memories of the place and the camp - even if I think back and look at the possibility that we were probably a bit of a shock to such a small village. We used to travel to the camp - which lasted for a fortnight - in London red buses with our luggage being brought down separately on the back of a lorry, and we stayed in a field (I think at or near Church Farm) in army bell tents which were loaned to the charity who ran the camp. I can also remember being a bit of a pest and playing with the church bells when were not supposed to even be in the church and peeing on the floor when I got caught short - subsequently being 'frog-marched' back (by my uncle and father) through Pagham - carrying a mop and bucket to clean up my own mess - as a lesson. This horrified the local vicar of the time who thought... Read more

Hilltop c1955, Eastwood
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1940 - I had joined the W.A.A.F in London and chose to be posted to Nottinghamshire; I was just 18 and my posting was firstly to Hucknall and then to Watnall when the Ops room was ready. 1940 was a dreadful winter but thanks to the snowfalls the whole area was transformed. Our huts, we were told by the locals, had been built on the site which had been the local village pond. The Royal Oak was our local pub, just a few yards from the camps main gate, which was quite useful as it was within the area if one was confined to camp. We were sent to a large house called Lambs Close to sleep when we were on 6 weeks night duty. I had a very happy time in my stay in watnall.

The Manor House 1965, Southall
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My parents were born in India. My grandfather settled in Africa and had a good job. When my father got married he stayed Africa where all my brothers and sisters were born. My dad was a carpenter by trade; he arrived in Britain on his own with close relatives in 1962 for work as a carpenter to build new houses. He worked very hard in the snow, often travelling to London. They lived in rented accommodation in various addresses in Southall. My father did not want us to come to England as it was too cold in the winter but my mother wanted to join him, so he sponsored the 7 of us and we joined our father in 1962. At first we lived at 23 Beaconsfield Road sharing an overcrowded house. I remember the cold winters and the paraffin heater that mum used to keep us warm with and often she would put a pan on top and pop some popcorn for us. My father was a very religious man who played the Indian organ (which he made himself).. after work he would teach us to play different Indian Instruments. Southall had just a hand full of Asian families, but every Sunday dad would take us to the Shackleton Hall and the Bingo Hall on Beaconsfield Road to perform for Holy Service. As there was no Gurdwara in Southall, family used to meet in each other’s house to get together for Holy Service and meals were cooked by different Asian... Read more