Smith The Grocer Of Chapel Road, Kessingland

A Memory of Kessingland.

My grandfather on my father's side, Jabez Herbert Henry Smith (known as Herbert) was born on 19th January 1885. At the tender age of 13 he was sent by his parents to take up a seven year apprenticeship at Devereux’s store in Lowestoft with a view to becoming a grocer. He eventually opened his own grocer shop “H.J.Smith” circa 1916 in the converted front room of a property known as Balham House in Chapel Road (now known as Church Road) Kessingland.
By then he was married to my grandmother, Olive Mary Mace, and they had a young family. The family took part in village life, with Herbert and Olive both belonging to the Kessingland branch of the British Legion and their four children all attended the village school, opposite the shop. I remember watching my grandfather as he made up his own bags by folding into cones the thick blue paper stacked on his counter, and into which he would weigh dry goods such as sugar, dried fruit etc. In the early days he used a pony and trap to make deliveries to his customers in Wrentham, Hulver, and Henstead.
My family tell stories of the day in about 1940/41 several bombs fell on Kessingland, one in the school pond very close to Herbert’s shop. The shop was in ruins, all the windows were knocked out and there was nothing left on the shelves and he had to close while the building was repaired. My Aunt told me that a local mother and her daughter were killed outright as they walked home from the pupil/teacher centre for lunch.
Herbert died in 1958, having served the people of Kessingland for 42 years.
Tricia Soanes

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