Looking Back At My Life Growing Up, And Working In Fareham Plus More.

A Memory of Fareham.

Leaving Southampton Road School in 1954, I started working on the outskirts of Titchfield for Sanders & Sons in their tomato glass houses, which was a good working start for me. Well, after 18 months I asked for a pay rise, and was offered an extra 5 shilling a week, Hmm, well I suppose back in the 50s that extra money wasn't too bad.
But alas my mates were working on the buildings earning twice as much as I was earning, so I handed my notice in and left after 18months and started working as a hod carrier building houses at Arundel Drive, Fareham. Again, good experience but very hard on my shoulder carrying a hod with a dozen bricks in it, at the age of 17.

After a month or two, I left hod carrying and started working for a concreting firm called Warings of Portchester, I started working for them off Hillson Drive, Fareham, concreting pathways and driveways, which led to my first driving experience, which was a Benford Dumper.
After a few month's I was on the move again, and started working as a coalman's mate, working for Fraser and Whites coal yard at the quay, Fareham. It was a great job! When I reached 21 years old I passed my driving test which started my truck driving experience. A great company and great mates to work with, later on Fraser and Whites was bought out by Corrals Coal Company.
I worked at Corrals until 1963 and moving on for a truck diving job working at The Titchfield Abbey Mill, delivering animal food around the local farms, another great job and boss, and workers.
Well alas I moved on again in 1965. We, my wife Rosalind, and two children, Stephen and Dean , emigrated to Sydney Australia, after 10yrs in Australia and having another child Adam, we returned to live back in Fareham, and I worked as a truck driver for Purvers removers, later moving on to work for Courts Furniture company as a driver.
After 2 yrs back in the UK, we were off again to Aus' but leaving again returning to the UK in 1981 to live in Reading, Berkshire where Rosalind's birth place was. I started working as a truck driver for J.W.Q Transport Ltd.
But after about 7months back off to Aus'.
Well we are still in Australia, I'm sorry if I have sent you to sleep with my working life in the UK, and not much about Fareham in this post, but I have put my growing up story in another memory of Fareham.
It's all for now from Alan Kitchin, and my dear wife and sons in 2024.

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