Life In Newport

A Memory of Newport.

I lived in Newport with my Mom Gladys, Father Jock and sisters Tina, Trisha and Jacky. We lived in Prospect Road for many years. My fondest memories are of meeting the gang in The Town Square outside "Mary Lambs" wearing our "Teddy Suits" and showing off to the girls and people staring at us from the buses waiting for passengers. We thought we were just the "bees knees". Some of the guys names I remember (I am now 70 so age does effect the memory a bit) are Duke Carden, Tony Woolcock, Nicky Price (I think from Prices Taxis) George Hall (joined the Guards Regiment for awhile).
We used to go most Saturdays to The Winter Gardens Ventnor by coach from Newport but depending "how lucky we were" the return trip might be on another coach entirely. Well I remember trying to convince the driver going to lets say Ryde I had lost my ticket and prompting my new found girl friend to support my story.
Toms Cafe at the Top of The Town was another meeting place, where we would feed the Juke Box with "three penny bits" to hear the latest Elvis, Bill Haley, Fats Domino records while drinking tea, or coffee if you wanted to be "posh".
As a young merchant seaman I used to get "cheap American Ciggies" and we used to stand/lounge about smoking and playing the fool with the girls.
The pub of choice at that time I remember was The Vine in the High Street followed by Bow Bars in Ryde. Those were great days.
I left Newport and the Island in about 1961 and worked for Balfour Beatty a company building transmission lines all over the country.
I have lived in South Africa since 1970 but visited the Island a few times over the years and to me it is still "home".
If anyone of the old gang or their connections would like to drop me a line here is my e-mail address. ampm@telkomsa.net It would be terrific to link up again.

---

---