Houseboat ML106 - 1926-36

Between 1926-36 my grandfather's family lived on an ex WW1 motor launch, known as the ML106, which was moored off Bursledon. My aunt recalls that they were the only ML moored mid river between the bridges, certainly in the early days. "We were moored fore and aft and facing down stream. We had 2 pontoons, 2 dinghies and later on a small motor boat that Dad acquired so that we could cruise up and down the river. When we first moved to Bursledon ML106 was moored in what was then Deacons shipyard on the roadside, not between bridges, and then I guess a couple or years later moved between bridges."

As children, my father Nick and his sister Pat used to row ashore daily with their cat Tom to get the papers and milk from the local store, and post letters. One day they left the cat behind ashore by mistake, but cat Tom swam out to the boat unperturbed. The boat was sold before the outbreak of WW2 but I have been unable to find out what became of it.

Pat also remembers marshmallow sweets she bought from the general store. "I do remember the second move to between bridges had the little general store where for 1 farthing we could buy a gorgeous sweet - rectangular in shape and about 2 inches in length and 1/4 ins deep made of marshmallow. They were either pink, white, green or yellow!! I do remember we had to walk to a road just north of the bridge where there was a letter Box.

I would love to hear from anyone who recalls any of this.