Memories |
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A VERY MEMORABLE JOURNEY JANETTE MOSS - SIMPLY THE BEST I can't begin to count the number of people that tell me how very lucky I am to live near the sea. YUGOSLAVIA, THE FIRST TIME One Sunday morning during the summer of 1992, I was lying in bed listening to my local radio station. I was in that pleasant state of moving in and out of sleep, when I became aware of an interview with a man who had just returned from Yugoslavia. W.C FIELDS W.C. Fields, master vaudervillist, juggler supreme and much celebrated screen comedian, was an outspoken admirer of the property men. THE WEST PIER The West Pier was in its full glory in the days before World War II. 20s AND 30s To continue my story about life in the 20s and 30s, in those days before West Street was widened, it was half the width it is today. MEMORIES OF OUR STREET I was born in Brighton to gentle parents in 1924 BRIGHTON Write about Sussex, I have been told CHILDHOOD MEMORIES OF THE EAST END Among the many vivid memories I have as a child living in the squalor and poverty of Whitechapel in the East End of London in the 1930s, certain images stand very firmly in my mind's eye. THE DECLARATION OF WAR - ITS IMPACT UPON A YOUNGSTER I was 11 years of age, coming up 12 and living in Brighton.It was a lovely day, bright sunshine, still air and the perfect conditions for an active lad to go along the sea front, some half-mile away from home. Eastbourne Air Show For my Uncle Will ......... THE GOOD SAMARITAN It was my usual shopping day, so taking my trolley I went to the supermarket where I usually shopped and it was quite busy. A CRY IN THE NIGHT In 1928 I was nearly 14 years of age and would soon leave school. My dad had a barber's shop in Neal Street, near Soho, West London. THE RIVERSIDE There was a time, not so long ago, when the meadows that were along the side of our river were a scene of natural activity - especially in the spring. THE STATION In days gone by there was a small railway station on the edge of the village and in its heyday it was, at most times, a scene of bustling activity, people coming and going, able to travel to places near and far as they never could before. CONVENT It's the stodgy puddings I remember best and the not-being-allowed-to-wash-your-hair-for-two-weeks, as well as the endless bad marks - never mind the punishment of standing in a hot cupboard for hours learning Cicero's letters. THE AIR RAID WARDEN During the heavy air raids in World War II, the family from the East End of London descended on us en masse. GRANDMOTHER'S SPIRIT! It was a warm sultry evening on a Sunday in September 1948. My brother and sister-in-law were visiting us. OH DARLING HOW I LOVE YOU "Oh damn," I said angrily, "I've just missed the bus. Another ten minutes before the next bus." WHATEVER HAPPENED TO ...? My daughter Laura is going to High School in September. And, amongst the excitement and trepidation, there are angst and tears for those "best friends" who will not be going with them due to, as Laura continually wails, "those horrible, horrible people in the education department" and not because of catchment areas and a wealth of choice. NO USE LOOKING Night after night through the sad and lonely years I sit and look at your empty chair and I think of past times. Perhaps I hurt you one time too many and you said to me: "I will leave you and go far away and you will never find or see me again." I looked at her and said: "I will find you wherever you go. I want you and I love you." "You do not love me - you only think you do," she said. But she did go into that other world where there's no hurting, only peace, so I could not find her. But if I repent enough and do get to the world where she is, will she accept my love and forgive me one more and last time? A VISIT TO WINDSOR CASTLE In 1998 I belonged to a friendship club. We often took trips by coach to different places of interest. A HOLIDAY IN BELGIUM In August 1939 my sisters and brother and sister-in-law booked a holiday in Belgium for two weeks. BATHDAY Every Saturday morning it was my job to take my two sisters, both younger than me, to the public baths. It was many years ago, before people had bathrooms. A TOUCH OF MAGIC Have you ever had the feeling that you had got to a stage in your life when it is time to do something different? FORTIES INDIAN STEAM NOSTALGIA I joined the RAF in May 1944 as an aircrew volunteer but the need for more aircrew diminished after the war in Europe had ended; so, after a series of remusterings, I finished up as a meteorologist and, as a trained weatherman, was a member of a small contingent sent to India in May 1945. THE AIR RAID What is the reason I stand and stare WAS MY FACE RED During the last war I lived in Holland Park Avenue, Kensington. EMPIRE DAY What excitement! I was 13 years of age and still going to the Westminster Jews' Free School, Tottenham Court Road. GOLDEN DAYS If anyone were to ask me what I am talking about, it would be about my childhood days. They were hard times for my parents. A struggle to make ends meet - for whoever heard of a barber making a fortune? TO SHARE From the day we came to live in this village we loved so much, our life together, we shared everything. THE STATION In days gone by there was a small railway station on the edge of the village and in its heyday it was, at most times, a scene of bustling activity. People coming and going, able to travel to places near and far as they never could before. CORNISH RHAPSODY My thoughts and memory go back to so long ago. The four of us crossed the River Tamar at Gunnislake. I still remember that day which shaped part of our lives for over 50 years. BACK IN TIME Why did I go back to this place nestling under the South Downs; a beloved place? The urge had come to me to see the place again to capture a long-ago memory. I supposed it had altered a lot after so many years. Maybe I would not know it now. MEMORY LANE Is there a place called Memory Lane? 20, BEVENDEAN CRESCENT I was only three, so was Jean. My dad said: "You mustn't do that. It's lunchtime anyway". MEMORIES OF BRIGHTON Okay, so it was a long time ago. And you have to be over 50 to remember it. But the era that had bobbies on the beat in white helmets was a pretty good time for Brighton and a pretty good time to be an outsider and come to Brighton. BACK IN BRIGHTON "So Hanningtons is closing!" thought Ann, sadly, as she saw the notices on Brighton's oldest and loveliest store in the spring of 2001. Ann remembered when she had gone to work in Hanningtons in 1952. She had been just 15 years old, and her sisters and a brother had already worked there. GENTLE GIANTS Living in London as a child in the early 20s, my greatest pleasure was to sit on the doorstep next to my father's barber shop, watching the large carthorses pulling cartloads of fruit and veg on their way to and from Covent Garden Market. THE ORIGIN OF THE BARBER'S POLE My grandfather was a barber/surgeon in Poland, which was at that time under the domination of Russia. He was employed by the Russian government. THE OLD IRON COW In the 20s and 30s, I and my family lived in Soho, west London. We were a large family and my mother was always busy. ODE TO THE BOLERO My sister Mary loved loud music, the Bolero being her favourite. When we lived in Earlham Street, it was a market street. A STORY OF A LIFE IN SOHO Mary was now 14 years old and had left school. It was arranged for her to be a ladies' hairdresser, so a job was found for her in Shaftesbury Avenue in a smart ladies' salon. ANOTHER TIME, ANOTHER POLICEMAN My sister Mary was now 15 years old, a tall, handsome girl. OH DONNAH CLARA We were a large family and my mother worked so hard. THE SHABBY SPIRIT It was a glorious day in early October, some time back in the 60s. My father was in the hospital so my sister and I had a little time to go out shopping. COME BACK REGGIE PERRIN, ALL IS FORGIVEN They say nostalgia ain't what it used to be. Derek Megginson certainly said that in his intro to the 1997 Bradford University Reunion. I'm not so sure I think it's still got a lot going for it. LONDON CALLING I was 25 when I first decided to see for myself the city Dick Whittington assumed was paved with gold. TALES OF YESTERYEAR - HITCH HIKING 1944 I joined the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) in 1943 when I was seventeen and a half years old, going straight from school uniform into WAAF uniform. THE BLACK DRESS It was 1947. The war had been over for two years. Food was still rationed. Life was trying to get back to normal but all these things flew over my head. My mother was very ill and my world was falling down around me. BE IT EVER SO HUMBLE "£700 - it's far too much. I'm not putting a rope around my neck with that sort of mortgage". THE WEST PIER AND THE STARLINGS Twenty thousand starlings sing Above an old ghostly pier A song to raise spirits high This, their nesting place off shore Where the sea line meets the sky. SYMBOL OF PEACE As I listen to people complaining about too much football on TV, my memories go back to long ago, to the war. Countries fighting each other with guns and all kinds of horror. I don't understand football much but will watch it on the TV with gratitude. ROCKS OF THE SEA Like mountains of blue water Or little rocks of the sea The Atlantic can be daunting With no land nor no trees Crystals that are riding Like white pearls to a shore What every wave can be hiding Is all there within your thoughts All those pearls washed up near With all the wisdom that we need Growing tall with every each year That is spent on the sea The sailor waves to girls So hopeful by the shore Waiting for a turn - an escape from being bored Take me away so far they scream That I'll never have to look back If not for real at least in my dreams Keep waving as you pass I know at night you come to me You see to all my needs I remember how your hands would feel When I am still asleep Left on the table you would leave A little rock from the sea Shining slowly drying out Is the pearl of my dreams DEATH OF A POLICEMAN What are we to make of Dr Edgar Power? He's the real puzzler to this story. MARY'S STORY I've always lived in Brighton, born there and I don't expect I shall move away now. I was born into a very middle-class family. In those days everyone had to be of a certain class. I think it depended a lot on where you lived and how much you earned. WARTIME MEMORIES In 1938 I closed my dress workroom and rented a tobacconists, confectionery shop with a barber shop. My father was a barber, so everything was all right. It was a nice area in Holland Park Avenue, Kensington. SUMMER IN BRIGHTON AND HOVE (1966) Time was, as I fond remember I, from June until September Spent my adolescent years By the famous Brighton piers. ROCKS OF THE SEA Like mountains of blue water DOVE ON THE NET My boss sent me on a computer course. My mind became blank with fear - I did not understand anything. Returning to work after bringing up a family can be frightening. REMEMBERING A CHILDHOOD HOLIDAY A young voice sang into the air next to where I, as a child, was sleeping. I was in Gorleston, near Great Yarmouth, in a caravan on holiday. LIFE IN THE COUNTRY PRIOR TO THE GREAT WAR I was born on January 2 1906 at Warblington, Havant, Hampshire. I lived in the country for the first 21 years of my life. My first recollection is living at Leigh Park Cottages, about one mile away from Havant. MEMORIES OF HANNINGTONS My grandmother was a dressmaker at Hanningtons in the 1870s. I left school at the age of 14 and started work at Hanningtons in August 1926 and was apprenticed to dressmaking. GOD OF SURPRISES Along with all my school friends, I was evacuated during the Second World War to Charminster, a small village in Dorset. THOSE LAST 10 MILES This is a true story I wrote during 1951-2. I do not remember writing it. I have only recently found it when going through some old papers. By what I have written on the back, it looks as if I was going to send it for some competition or appraisal. THE INVESTITURE From the time I was 11 years old until I became 14, I lived in the Wembley area of Middlesex. During that time I attended a school in East Lane, North Wembley. Every day in term time, four times a day, I passed a small parade of shops and a branch of a well-known bank. I had no idea how that bank would later affect my life in the most dramatic and frightening way. ADDICTION TO TENNIS In 1986 I moved from Hove with my husband Tony to Shepton Mallet where Tony set up his own lawn mowing business. MY MANY JOBS Leaving school at 14 years old I was apprenticed to a dressmaker. My first job was in a top class workroom situated opposite The British Museum. SUMMER DAYS AT THE ALLOTMENTS The days were longer, the skies were bluer, and the sun was sunnier in the days of my childhood. RELUCTANT HERO Leonard (Bill) Telford By day, Leonard (a.k.a Bill) Telford is known as a laid back, mild mannered retired civil servant who wouldn't say boo to a goose; a quiet and unassuming foil to his larger than life wife of 43 years, Anitra. MY FIRST LOVE I was sixteen years old when I met John Watson. My Sunday School class had just finished as the Pastor came up the stairs accompanied by a handsome young man. "Ah, Belinda! I would like you to meet John Watson. He is from Barnardo's and is staying with me before he goes into the Army. Would you mind looking after him until the evening service?". KISMET As I twirled my wedding ring around my finger my thoughts went winging back to 1940. I was 17 at the time, war had been declared just a few months previously. OUR WEDDING I met Sue in 1974. She was fifteen and I was sixteen. We got engaged after a couple of weeks. Nearly everyone told us that we were way too young and that we'd never last. We had other ideas. TOM'S STORY This is a true story of a wonderful man named Tom. He was a great naturalist, gardener and knew every bird and plant, he was also a herbalist and could give you a cure for most of your aches and pains and illnesses. He was often found walking in the Derbyshire Dales, which he knew like the back of his hand and was a most interesting man to talk to.
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