Dibden Purlieu, Merriemeade Parade c.1960

Photo ref: D196003

Ths is the memory of my cousin, Audrey, aged 79. We were talking yesterday and she told me how, with her mother, she had travelled from Lancashire to see her father who was stationed in the area. They had to get permission to travel and she was allowed to visit the camp, where her father was an officer's batman; she would be given sweets! She remembers staying in Dibden Purleigh in a little cottage with no electricity and having to carry candles, going to bed. The lady was very kind to them.

I must have got a Saturday job with Sid as soon as I'd turned 13 in 1972-ish for £2 a day...I loved working for him. Fond memories of gents coming into shop with a pound note asking Sid to 'change' it for them - giving it to Sid who'd slowly ring no sale into the till, carefully place the note in, extract an identical one and give to customer - duly 'changed.' Another favourite was when they asked Sid to 'split' a fiver. He'd simply tear it in two and then calmly hand it back. What a great job!

I lived in Talbot Road back then with my foster sisters and our wonderful Foster Mum Mrs. Jones. I can remember attending Orchard Road Junior School durring the Queens Silver Jubilee and getting a coin with the Queens face on it. I wish I knew where that coin was now as I could give it to my daughter. That was the year when Star Wars originally came out at the Cinema. It seems so strange now to ...see more

It was so lovely to see you refer to Mr Storey (Sid) in the earlier post - he was my wonderful Grandad! Nan and Grandad (Grace and Sid Storey) used to run the newsagents, and as a little girl, I was always in there playing - even now, years after Nan and Grandad have passed on, Grandad's daughter, my Mum Di, still sees countless people who have very fond memories of Grandad, and how he ...see more