West Byfleet In The 50's

A Memory of West Byfleet.

I LIVED IN Scotland Bridge Road, New Haw, just down the road from West Byfleet. I attended WB primary school and then briefly the secondary school before I went to Woking Grammar.

These were very happy days. I worked from the age of 11 at Dix and Normans butchers in Station approach where I earned a shilling for wrapping the meat and then graduated to gutting chickens! Those were the days when you took the skin off lamb chops and the butcher Mr Norman gave sheep breast to the deserving.

During a session of Bob a Job - I obtained the whole week working at the Sheer House hotel (remember that before the shopping centre?) and after Bob a Job - worked every Saturday until the age of 16. One of my jobs was to clean the bar and often I availed myself of a gin and tonic!!

The canal and woods of the Basingstoke canal afforded huge fun (before TV and computers) and log cabins and camps were part of our life.

Who remembers Sainsburys with sides of bacon hanging on the walls, large chunks of butter patted into half pound packets and the cashier at the end of the store?

My father and mother worked at West Hall where the Swiss Bank Corporation had their war time and immediately after offices. This was a wonderful place with large grounds containing Aberdeen Angus cattle. Also there was a boat house with punts that my father took us for rides in down the Wey Navigation.

Fond memories of a bygone age .....

Tony Vermot