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Mawgan Porth, the Caravan Park c1955
Mawgan Porth, the Caravan Park c1955 Ref: m49007
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 Mawgan Porth, c1955 (ref: M49029) |
Coastguard Cottages Mawgan Porth
The old coastguard cottages at Mawgan Porth were leased by Mrs Kate Knight and her youngest daughter Winifred in about 1920 from Col Williams of Carnanton at St Mawgan. They ran a tearoom and let two of the cottages whilst living in the third one. When Win married Norman Carthew in 1938 they also lived in the cottages. As children we had a wonderful life with the whole beach as our playground. We climbed cliffs, dammed the river and made rafts to ride on the river. As children the war did not affect us as it did children further up the country, we were very fortunate. Mrs Knight died in 1969. Win died in 1992 in Australia where three of her children now live. Kate Knight's husband was the last coastguard at Mawgan Porth Last edited: 27/05/2008 09:45 by Anne Martin |
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Year: 1940s
Memories Of A Wartime Evacuee A memory of St Columb Minor, Cornwall I arrived in St.Columb Minor a lonely five year old after travelling all day by train from Wood Green which is in north london. I was lucky to be placed with a lovely lady named Mrs Burden whos husband was away in the army. There were two daughters Von and Barbara . Our neighbours were Mrs Webber husband and son Dennis to the other side was the local provision store Tribilcocks across the road were the Bennett family. At the top of the street was the Bakery by the name of Strongmans whose wares I can still remember with much relish. The public house at the bottom of the street was taken over by off duty american airmen who were very generous with sweets and chewing gum.I had many happy memories of St Columb Minor and would love to find any photographs of that era I now live in Bodmin having retired there 2003 I have returned to veiw the area I`m afraid it has changed and not how I remembered it Posted: 20/01/2008 15:06 by Brian Wells |
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Year: 1987
Silver Wedding A memory of Porth, Cornwall Bob and I have spent many a holiday in Cornwall, but nothing match the way we felt when we discovered the magic of Porth. It happened just under the bridge, which I now call our rock. We have spent many hour waiting for the waters to meet from the arrival of the surf up the beach and through the cove from Dollar Rock In fact this is were I Yvonne fell in love with Bob. We have just on New Years Eve 2007 celebrated our Silver Wedding there just sitting on our rock with champane and new wedding rings plunged in the water at the time the two tides meet a very speical moment most memorable. a very magical place. Posted: 27/01/2008 21:57 by Yvonne Addington |
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Year: 1940s
Evacuation To St Merryn A memory of St Merryn, Cornwall New Added 6 days ago My sister and I were evacuated to St Merryn in 1940. I was aged 6 and my sister aged 11. We lived in Bermondsey, London. I shall always remember our first night in St Merryn. We were sitting in the School Hall,and were the last to be allocated. This was because my sister had been told by my mother, that we were not to be parted. Eventually a woman with two children approached us, and said we were to go with her. We didn't go very far, and were escorted up some steps and into a very dark house. The lady then lit a paraffin lamp, and I can remember asking her if it was a farm, and they all laughed. We were billeted at 2 Towan Cottages, or Villas, with a Mr and Mrs Ellery, who had two children slightly older than us, a boy whose name was Alan, and a girl called Peggy. The house was something of a surprise to us as there was no electricity, no gas, and no running water. The latter had to be drawn up from the pump at the front of the cottages. Mrs Ellery used to cook the loveliest pasties, and Mr Ellery used to work nights at one of the airfields, I thought he said Treginigar, but it could have been St Merryn. I cannot recall the exact dates we were with the Ellerys, but it must have been winter,as there were always icicles on the pump. I do remember that Mr Ellery was the Churchwarden,and we used to go to the church every day, and three times on Sundays. My sister June and Peggy used to change the flowers, whilst Alan and me used to place all the hymn books in the slots, and straighten up the hassocks, dusting the pews at the same time. I can remember vividly the shooting down of a German aircraft, a Dornier I think, one evening just at dusk. We were playing out the front of the house when this aircraft came over very low, we could see the occupants looking around. Then we could see the tracer bullets striking it, going in through the nose, then it beagn to smoke, and crashed into the hillside some distance away ,it could be seen burniing on the ground. We were all running around and cheering. On another occasion, we were in bed, and could hear this aircraft droning around and around, we looked out of the window, and saw that it was on fire. We watched it getting lower and lower, until it crashed, not too far away. We could hear explosions and popping of ammunition all night. The next day we heard that it had crashed into a field not too far away. We walked the short distance,and could see it in the field, still smoking. On the way down it had knocked the roof off a cottage, next to the field. We could still hear the ammunition exploding,a nd the police and army were there, keeping everyone back. It was unfortunately one of 'Ours', a Lockheed Hudson, belonging to Coastal Command, and we heard that the crew had perished in the crash. Very sad. We were still billeted with Mr and Mrs Ellery on May Day. We walked into Padstow, and were introduced to the Hobby Horse, which frightened the life out of us, as Mrs Elllery said that if you go under the skirt, you will never come out. I think they had a good laugh at us! Shortly after that we were moved to another family. This time it was in a lovely large house called Tamerisk, adjacent to Treyarnon Bay. This was being rented by a Della Maizes, and her father 'Pop', who in fact lived in Cheam, Surrey. Her husband Ben owned a large store that sold all kinds of tools and things, a hardware store, as they used to be called. He had a car,a nd used to visit at weekends. He used to drive all the way with his tin helmet on, we thought that was very funny. Tamerisk was a large house, divided into two, we had one half, and Canadian airmen had the other half. Sometimes Auntie Della used to have them in for a drink and a bit of a party, they were great men, very friendly, and always had some memento or badge to give me. They all carried sidearms, and used to show me how to hold and point them, to the great displeasure of Aunt Della. Not loaded of course. I'm not too sure if Uncle Ben was aware of these gatherings, but I'm sure they were only to help the war effort. Aunt Della was a really smart young lady, and used to wear slacks, wedge heels and a turban, the smart set of the day. My sister and I had the whole of Treyarnon Bay and Constantine Bay virtually to ourselves most days. Della had an Irish Red Setter called Roddy, and we used to take him to the beach and he loved the water. I spent most of my time gazing into the rock pool on Treyarnon, wondering at the sea life,a nd quartz on the side. Unfortunately a War Office Directive brought to an end this idyllic existence. It was deemed that all women and girls either had to join the Land Army, or work in the munitions factories - unless they were pregnant. Yes, Aunt Della went and got pregnant. They went back home to Cheam (Morden), and my sister and I returned home to Bermondsey - just in time for the Blitz to start. My father was in the army, and I think that my mother, who also had a baby, aged one, was happy to have us all back in the same shelter. At least if we went, we would all go together. As it happened, we didn't, and we all lived happily ever after. But I have never quite got Cornwall out of my heart. My sister used to holiday at Treyarnon, and loved it, but I have never been back, although I would dearly love to. I have tried to trace the Ellerys but to no avail. It seems that there were no records kept of which evacuees went where, and for how long. I can remember going to the school in St Merryn, but they haven't any records either. Stil,l my memories are priceless, and are as fresh today as they were in 1940. Last edited: 06/01/2009 10:50 by Bill Killick |
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Year: 1930s
Birth A memory of St Merryn, Cornwall I was born on 8 October 1939 in a house called Trewalder, at Treyarnon Bay. The house belonged to Nan and Sam Odhams and they persuaded my mother to leave London - everyone was rushing anywhere and every place once war was declared on 3 September. My father was in the TA and had already been called up. So I announced my intentions on the eve of the 7th. The others were all out at the time - but by the time they returned the midwife had arrived. I'm told that every time my mother groaned they all had another gin and shouted "cheers". Sir Peter Horlick boiled the water and the midwife was most impressed "I've never had a lord to boil me water" she said - or so I'm told. My mother stayed for about a month and then took me to my grandmother in Saltdean, Sussex ... by the sea again. Is that why I love water and particularly the crashing of waves? I was to have been called Simon if a boy and Marion if a girl ... instead my mother chose Merrin, in remembrance of the parish where I'd been born. Posted: 27/10/2007 05:42 by First Name Last Name |
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