Lee On The Solent Chidren's Home

A Memory of Lee-on-the-Solent.

My husband (Tony Coleman), tells me of being in a Children's Home on the sea front. Does anyone remember this or was anyone there with him? He remembers Ernie Curl, Tony Lobb and David Ayers. He would dearly like to get in touch with anyone with any knowledge of this time.


Added 20 May 2013

#241433

Comments & Feedback

Dear Rosemary and Tony
I remember the Childrens Home on Marine Parade West, very well. I used to live in Montserrat Road in 1966ish, Lee-on-the-Solent and our house backed onto a lane and a few yards down the lane were the children's home playing field. Can't really remember anyone from the home apart from a chap named Owen. Good fortune to you both. Paul
i spent a couple of years in boniface in 76/77 and we used to play a lot of table tennis with the
man that looked after us, the girls were on the first floor and the boys dorm was at the top. there was another home next door with younger children. we all went to school at bay house and one year we were given bikes so we had to ride to school. i vaguely remember there being pigs on the way home.we always got cauliflower cheese on a thursday as i hated it.
I can remember St Boniface as it was called, a NCH in Lee.
I knew brothers Geoffrey and Owen Jones who lived there in the 60's.
I went to a birthday tea there for one of them, I can't remember which one but I was made very welcome. I believe Geoff, who was slightly older than me, went into the RAF straight from school and Owen who was a school contempery of mine was completely off the wall. A Rowan Atkinson of his day. At school he had us in stitches! He used to call me Nicotitus because I smoked then and disgustingly had nicotine stains on my fingers. Happy days.
I was there with my sister 1971-1977 when I left to join the Army. Those were my formative years, The house parents, John and Pat Homer lovely couple.
I have some good memories of that place.
When I left the army in 1995 I was working with a timber firm and delivered there when it was being converted to apartments and the main living room the wall paper was being stripped and behind the paper were doodling going back to early 50’s

Dear Paul,
thanks for your reply, unfortunately I was there in 1953/54. It was a good home, with nice house parents, there name was Eldridge a nice couple. I was in many childrens homes but the best was St Boniface. I lived there until I left school. I told the careers officer that I would like to join the Royal Navy, which he was very pleased about as he was ex Navy, the first job they sent me too was a live in apprentice baker, those were the days.I now live in France. Thanks for your memory. Tony.

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