A Kids Heaven And Hell
A Memory of Oddicombe Beach.
A St Marychurch boy, I lived at Hampton Farm Cottage, St Marychurch... and I can still smell the tar and the salt from old fisher and other boats pulled up on Oddicombe beach... and I can still feel the beautiful shining pebbles.... Together with my friends Brian and Roy - just two of many wonderful pals - we would spend school holidays at the back of Hampton Farm, scrumping apples, making camp among the trees, eating wild strawberries and loganberries... and at various times of the year picking bluebells and mushrooms and trying to catch a rabbit (money for the skin)...collecting waste paper (pocket money again).. Oddicombe beach was my favourite... I could swim in rough water at the age of 4.. would I do it now... I don't think so. Would I try to hang on to the back of the cliff railway to get a lift down to the beach... I don't think so... and then the days of hell. I can still see us running like mad up Hampton Lane and throwing ourselves to the ground to avoid machine gun bullets from enemy planes that were whizzing everywhere... and my dear brother, home on leave from the RAF... I can still see him - and all the other loving people - digging in the rubble of the Church (St Marychurch) looking for survivors after that dreadful Bank Holiday air raid... and I vividly remember cadging chewing gum and K rations etc, from the Yanks just before D Day... and then all of a sudden they were gone... and St Marychurch and the Babbacombe Downs seemed empty. The pebbles on Oddicombe remind me of all the people I have come into contact with all of my life... some small, some large, some rough, some smooth.... One final thought... the paths leading down to Oddicombe beach were the location for my very first (clumsy) kiss... she was pretty and exciting... but enough... I'm sure no one will be interested in that....... thank you for this chance to reveal some childhood memories... I hope many more will post their thoughts on Oddicombe and, who knows, I may even discover lost friends... kind regards from Freddie.
Add your comment
You must be signed-in to your Frith account to post a comment.
Add to Album
You must be signed in to save to an album
Sign inSparked a Memory for you?
If this has sparked a memory, why not share it here?
Comments & Feedback
Be the first to comment on this Memory! Starting a conversation is a great way to share, and get involved! Why not give some feedback on this Memory, add your own recollections, or ask questions below.