New Milton Memories

A Memory of New Milton.

I remembering exploring the back streets of New Milton, Ashley, Bashley and Barton on Sea on my bike as a 10 year old. Phelps supermarket was mum's main food shopping weekly destination. Burgess News Agency was where she would buy our weekly comic. My siblings would cherish their weekly read. I had 'Topper' while my brothers and sister had 'Beano', 'Victor' and 'Tammy'. I remember the excitement of unwrapping the Comic Annuals from our Christmas stocking each year. Our Hornby trainset would often see the dining room daylight but not as much as my brother's Britain's farm set! We all at some stage went to New Milton Junior School and 2 of us went to Gore Road Secondary School (now Arnewood) before emigrating to Australia in 1970. Ballard Lake was the place to trial my eldest brother's model motor boat. The ducks were as intrigued as we were. The local Rec would often be the place to vent our football enthusiasm. My brother and I used to challenge each other with football collection memorabilia, from cards of players in the First Division to BP Gold Coins of the English World Cup squad. I remember getting the bumper stickers from the Esso garage emblazoned with the 'Tiger in your Tank' branding. The distinctive smell of screen print inks was memorable. Living near the railway line at the end of Whitefield road was visually fasinating and to hear the sound of the oncoming steam trains and watch them pass through was a wonderful memory. My childhood was full of wonderful sounds and sights and I use to explore the streets on my bike and just store all these images in my mind so that I now can recall them and re-live those times. I remember climbing the tall pine tree at my aunties place in Vincent road and surveying the neighbourhood like a lookout sentinel. Leaving New Milton in 1970 means that those memories are locked in my brain and while I am still able and healthy I can recall these visions and go down trips into my memory lanes of New Milton.