Reading The Stories Brings Back So Many Memories

A Memory of Gillingham.

My name is Bob Dunford born 1937. The Dock Road tragedy is the worst memory of them all. The night before went swimming with all my mates in the naval cadets. Next day, I and my friend Peter Gerard went down to get our suits to march that day, but our suits were not in and we were told to go home. We went to the pictures instead and came home to our house where my mother, father and brothers were all crying when I walked in, they thought I had died with all the others. I live in Spain now but every time I go back to England, I go to their graves to say a few words to my old friends. Most of us went to Richmond Road School. I believe, in my class, there are only five of us still alive. I met two of them last time I was there. Missed Jimmy Oaks and Reg Warboys. I think we had some very bad times but on the whole, we met the best of people. We had the best songs, music, films and the dance halls then were something else. I used to go to the Paper Mill Sittingbourn dance hall in the early 50's. Early 60's, worked in the naval hospital, Gillingham. In 1966, got married to Kathleen an Irish girl. In the late 60's was in nuclear physics refueling the submarines in Chatham dockyard. I can remember the long summer holidays in Gillingham King St, going hop picking every year near Sittingbourne. If anybody remembers me, please get in touch, love to hear from you.