Childhood Years

A Memory of Cayton Bay.

My name is now Marie Moore but my maiden name was Jeeves. Memories of Cayton Bay 1960s to 70s will stay with me forever, my nannan, mam and her 2 sisters all had their own caravans on Wallis's Holiday Camp, our caravan number was 224, it was on the top field across from the big house on the corner of Cayton Lane then but later got moved further down the field for some reason, mam and her sisters were all next to each other, where my cousins would stay at the same time as us. My uncle Bill used to take us there in his car and we would all be sick with the smell of diesel. Once we arrived there, my sister Wendy and brother Frankie would be dropped off at the office to collect our name badges with caravan number on, which were on a blue ribbon. We would go into the amusement arcade which was like a long wooden shed on the playground and there was a round bingo stall which was run by Mrs. Shaw and her family, Josephine, Anthony and Nicholas, who lived in a very long caravan at the back of the park. We would go to the Pavillion on a night, me and Wendy in our frilly frocks that mam had bought us and our new shoes. I would enter the skipping competition and twisting competition, which I won a few times but Wendy was too shy to enter. Mam also used to put us in the fancy dress competitions, I have been, Mrs. Mop, Lady Docker, Bingo Queen and more, my brother Frankie was once Casius Clay. Then there was the OK Koral where "Patsy & Bernie" were the children's entertainers, they were really good, playing musical statues and making animals from balloons, they were funny and really friendly.

We would go down the long steep hill to the beach after calling at the shop at the top for our sweets, we ran down the hill then the steps to the sand, but hated the climb back up. Mam would get us an ice-cream from the lock-up and she would have a cup of tea. We climbed up the wall to the waterall which was quite steep then but not now or look round the rocks for crabs. Some days we would hire a four wheeler bike and would take it in turns to pedal, nearly tipping over as we went round the corners. I remember our caravan had a double bed that mam would pull down from the wall and the side beds also made into bunk beds by pulling the back of the seat up and locking into place, but mam did,nt like any of us sleeping on the top incase we fell off, the smell of the gas lamps when mam lit them and the proper little fire that had a door on with a window where you could see the glowing fire. Mam would tell us to fetch the water in the cannister from the taps around the field, we used to get wet through and it was freezing, then we had to take the slop bucket which caught the water from the sink to be emptied at the tap, trying not to spill it as it was dirty. We made quite a few friends of other families that returned there each year and with some of the people that lived there. The Peverley family was there every time we went, also I remember David Beswick and David Adams who used to come call for us when they saw we were there. There was also a lady by the name of "Judy" who was an entertainer in the Pavillion and my cousin Hazel who was about 7 at the time got quite close to her and actually went to visit her one time at Filey I think.

Mam would give us a money bag with a few shillings in pennies to go to the amusements where we would stay a couple of hours till we lost it all or play on the park on the big sea-saw and iron rocking horses or a small rocking thing that had a seat at each end or play on the climbing frame.

The fish and chip shop in the square would fill the air with the lovely smell and there was always a long que to get served. I loved the stall that sold sugar dummies and white mice.

After spending most of the day on the beach we would go to the shower block and climb under the turnstyle so got in for free, then get ready to go to the OK Korral for a fun night of games and have pop and crisps.

Mam and her sisters had caravans until grandad (mam's dad) died there round about 1970, then they sold them and Wallis's were now starting to put new modern caravans on the site which had electric and running water and proper bedrooms.

I have been back with my sister Wendy just to relive our memories, we walked round the caravan site and to the spot where our caravan once stood, it seems alot smaller now and not as steep on the field, I much prefer the old site and wish the Pavillion was still there.

My older brothers would sometimes come and stay on the camp site in the village with their tents and come and visit us in the caravan, they used to go fishing on the beach on the big rocks looking over towards Scarborough.

There was also a Hairdressers at the back of the park which was also run in a caravan, a little shop that sold milk and eggs next to the office.

I will try and put some photos on at a later date. I am in my 50s now but remember these times like yesterday.

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