A compilation of Lancing Village memories

 

Lancing Memories: The "Lost" Tapes & Stories Rediscovered

Compilation 1

The Village Ecosystem

• Focus: How Lancing functioned after the war—the market gardens, the railway works, and the "Ducks" on the beach.

Compilation 2

Life Through George Forrest’s Eyes

• Focus: A personal, biographical look at village life, featuring George’s "quite a lot to say" on everything from smoking to school days.

Compilation 3

Gossip, Mischief, and Hidden Scars

• Focus: The legendary local characters like "Lord Lancing," the "autopilot" coal horses, and the touching hidden histories of our teachers.
  

  လလ

• George Forrest: Our "leading man" for this series. Whether he was jumping over gates onto giant snakes or experimenting with "gutter tobacco," George’s memories are the heartbeat of these new recordings.
• Sid Lisher & His Horses: The ultimate Lancing "autopilot." Sid could catch a nap on his coal cart while his horses perfectly navigated the Sompting Road, even knowing exactly where to turn into the stables.
• The Mysterious "Lord Lancing": A man who brought a touch of the West End to West Sussex. Dressed in a boater hat and striped blazer, he was a village fixture that everyone remembered.
• The Teachers (Miss Humphrey & Miss Lappham): Behind the strict classrooms of North Lancing and Irene Avenue were deeply human stories—from secret crayon drawings of rabbits to the quiet, lifelong shadows of the Great War.

It has been a bit of a labour of love lately at the Lancing Memories project. After discovering that 55 of our precious audio and blog files were accidentally "Restricted," I’ve spent the last few hours unlocking the vault. Every single file is now set to "Anyone with the link," making our village history more accessible than ever.

But I didn't want to just reopen the doors; I wanted to bring the stories to life in a new way.

A New Way to Experience Our Past

Using the latest technology, I’ve created a series of "Community Deep Dives." These aren't just readings—they are vibrant, roundtable discussions that piece together memories from across our entire collection.

What you’ll hear in this new collection:

• The Schoolyard & The Classroom: Tales of the strict (but deeply human) teachers at North Lancing and Irene Avenue, from the much-feared Mr Russell to the rabbit-drawing Miss Humphrey.

• Wartime Lancing: The "mushrooms of dust" from the 1941 air raids, the "Ducks" (DUKWs) on the beach, and the secret signals of the Home Guard.

• The Characters of the Village: Meet the legendary George Forrest—a man who always had "quite a lot to say"—and the "autopilot" coal horses of S. Lisher that knew the route better than the driver.

• Mischief & Mayhem: From the "Great Tobacco Experiment" (which ended in a lot of coughing!) to the boys dodging chores to watch the steam trains at the footbridge.

Why It Matters

These memories capture the transition of Lancing from rural farmland to the bustling community we know today. It’s a nostalgic look at the Luxor Cinema, the Railway Works, and the local shops that defined our lives.

Whether you remember the smell of the coal carts or you're a new neighbour curious about our "Centre," these stories are for you.

_________________________________________________________________________________

"Did you know Sid Lisher’s horses could navigate the Sompting Road while the driver was fast asleep? You can still see the 'dip' in the curb today where they turned for home. Listen to the latest 'Deep Dive' to hear George Forrest tell the full story!"

_________________________________________________________________________________

A Final Note on the Lancing Memories Project

This collection represents more than just a series of recordings; it is a digital preservation of the "chaotic humanity" that defined our village from the 1930s through the 1960s. By bringing these 53 sources together, we have uncovered a unique "social ecosystem" where every memory—from the market gardens to the railway works—is interconnected.

Through these "Deep Dives," we have rediscovered:

• The Resilience of a Generation: How the quiet shadows of the Great War shaped our teachers, and how the village mobilised everything from saucepans to pennies to support the effort in the second.

• The Spirit of Childhood: The freedom of the chalk pits and the Widewater, balanced against the strict discipline of the classroom.

• The Local Legends: The "autopilot" coal horses of Sompting Road, the eccentric "Lord Lancing," and the endless mischief of George Forrest and his friends.

While the landscape of Lancing has evolved from rural farmland to the bustling centre we know today, the spirit of the people remains captured here. We hope these conversations offer you a nostalgic window into a bygone era and remind us all that the most valuable history is often found in the smallest, "meaty" details of our neighbours' lives.

Thank you for listening and keeping these memories alive.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Troubleshooting Tip: If you are listening on a mobile phone and the audio doesn't play immediately, try opening the link in Google Chrome. If it still feels 'restricted,' simply long-press the link and select 'Open in New Tab' to join the conversation!

_________________________________________________________________________________
Help us preserve the past If you enjoyed listening to these vibrant personal memoirs, please leave a star rating below. Your feedback helps us understand which historical anecdotes from the 1930s to the 1960s resonate most with the village today. It is a simple, quiet way to honour the legacy of contributors like George Forrest and others who shared their stories to keep the spirit of Lancing alive.

---

The "Identify a Detail" Invitation: "If you recognised a specific face in a story or remember a shop name we might have missed, please leave a comment. Your 'meaty' details help us keep the Centre of these memories accurate for the next generation."

The "Family Connection" Prompt: "Was your father or grandfather one of the Railway Works or Market Garden workers? A simple 'My Dad worked there' is a wonderful way to honour their legacy."

The "George Forrest" Tribute: "George had 'quite a lot to say' to keep our history alive; we’d love to hear your own small 'cheeky' memory of Lancing life too."

53. Gary Gardner writes about South Lancing Primary school

Gary Gardner

[Re:] Post 15 Alan John Marshall

Hear Gary's Story

I have just found your website and was very interested in Alan's Post, particularly regarding his experiences at the South Lancing Primary School, which I attended for a short time in the immediate post-war period.
The headmistress was Miss Birch, who was a strict disciplinarian and who wasn't averse to administering the cane to any pupils who committed a misdemeanour.
My situation was a bit special as my aunt, known as Miss Gardner, was a teacher at the school, which I interpreted as meaning the school rules didn't apply to me!
One day, I climbed on top of the grassy air-raid shelters which as Alan rightly pointed out, were strictly out of bounds.
I was duly dragged off to face Miss Birch, from whom I got a severe reprimand from her, culminating in her bringing her cane down on the arm of a rather old upholstered chair, which resulted in a cloud of dust flying into the air. My response to her asking me what I thought if the cane had been brought down on my backside. My response was by all accounts a show stopper, as I said in all innocence, " Miss Birch, I think you should have your chair cleaned as it's full of dust"
Nothing more was said, and I escaped unmarked.

I have many other anecdotes of my first few years spent in Lancing, but I'll save those for another time.

Best wishes
Gary Gardner

 Gary Gardner wrote more of his memories

Summary

The text provides a personal account of Gary Gardner's childhood memories from the 1940s and 1950s in Lancing, England. The author vividly recounts his early experiences, including listening to Glenn Miller music at a local coffee shop, playing on the beach, and being fascinated by an early television set in his neighbourhood. These anecdotes highlight the impact of his surroundings and his early interest in music and technology.

Early Influence of Family and Music

Being born halfway through World War II, all the menfolk in the family were away in the services, so my mother was a big influence in my early years. I remember her taking me to a coffee bar which was located a few hundred yards up from where Woolworths used to be. This coffee bar had one of the early jukeboxes, which in those days played the old Shellac 78s. I quite clearly remember hearing what I later discovered was Glenn Miller playing one of his hits. It was only very much later in life I heard a record of Glenn Miller in a record shop, and instantly found the music familiar. I then realised where all those years ago where I had heard this music. I've been a fan of Glenn Miller ever since, and now have a reasonable-sized library of his music.

Childhood on the Beach

During the war, access to the beach was not permitted because of the large concrete blocks that were there to help prevent German landing craft coming ashore. At the end of hostilities, these blocks were removed and were used to make a base for a car park that was on the seaside of the coast road going towards Shoreham. 
My first reaction on seeing the sea for the first time was to run into the sea and look for the plughole, as the only water I had seen previously was in the bath. My aunt had a beach hut along this stretch of beach, and we spent many happy hours there in the summer. When the tide went down to expose the sand, my old nan and I would go shrimping with a net and then bring the shrimps back to the hut and cook them over a paraffin stove. I loved eating them for our tea before packing up and going back home to my aunt's bungalow in Monks Avenue. The beach hut remained with my aunt for many years.
The next-door neighbours were the Last family who used to own a chemist shop on the High Street on the opposite side of the railway station. Their hut was a much bigger one than ours, but they did have a big family.
Childhood memories of Lancing Beach are with me still, even though I'm now getting old, but look back fondly of these times gone by. 

Life in South Street

For a short time, my mum and I lived in the block of Flats in South Street, which was located next to a small park. There were shops at street level and we had a small flat on the second floor. Across the road was a parade of shops, including an electrical shop which sold a very limited range of electrical appliances. They have one of the shops on the opposite side of the road under the flats, which they used as a repair workshop.

Watching a TV the first time

I remember the owner of the shop inviting the residents to come down to the repair workshop as they had something interesting to show us.  The room was packed when we arrived, and I had to be picked up so I could see what was going on. At the other end of the room, there was what appeared to be a small screen on which there was a moving picture! It turned out to be small TV that one of the technicians had built from odd parts he had acquired,  of course,  this was a one-off unit and not for sale, but again it left a lasting impression on me, and almost certainly why that in my later years my interest in electronics became my hobby. It wasn't until I was 11 in 1953 did my aunt bought a Philips TV with a 12 " screen, which we all crowded round to watch the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II

51. Mike Reynolds sends this great memory of happy times

51. Mike Reynolds

A Glimpse into a Lancing Childhood

In these times of coronavirus lockdowns, I found myself with time to browse the internet and found your website. I thought I would send you some of my memories of a Lancing childhood


My name is Michael (Mike) Reynolds, and I was born in Lancing in June 1937. My parents, Eric and Dorothy Reynolds,(I think a year or so before I was born), bought a new bungalow at 14 The Drive, South Lancing, and it was here that I lived with my family for the whole of my childhood. The family consisted of Mum and Dad, my Dad’s father, Frank Reynolds (Pop), and my brother Geoff, four years older than me.

The Family Business and Wartime Lancing

Before the war, Dad and Pop had set up in business with a bicycle shop in South Street (number 111 I think),- W.F. and E.F.Reynolds- but when WWII started, Dad was called up into the RAF, and my earliest memories of the shop have Pop in the workshop at the back mending the punctures, and Mum running the shop at the front. The other shops I can recall nearby were the World Stores, a grocery where the front of the counter was lined with glass-topped biscuit boxes, Surfleets Chemist on the corner of Penhill Road, Colbourns Haberdashers, Potter Bailies Grocers, Isteads Hardware shop, and on the other side of South Street was the Co-op, where the money was sent on overhead wires from the counter to the cashier.

School Days and Steam Trains

I walked each day to South Lancing Primary School, just over the Southern Railway line. I suppose I would have started there in 1943, but I can’t remember the names of my teachers. I remember that afternoon school finished at about the same time that the “Steyning Flier”, one of the last steam trains to run through Lancing, would come puffing through. We boys would run quickly up and onto the footbridge over the railway line and wait for the Flier to pass underneath, shrouding us in a cloud of smoke and steam – we also tried to spit down the funnel!

Playtime and Wartime Memories

As others of your correspondents have told, the war years made the beach a no-go zone, but with very little traffic on the roads, The Drive and Chester Avenue were our playgrounds. The horse-drawn cart of Mr Souter, the milkman, Lisher’s coal cart, or the rag and bone man’s cart were about all the traffic there was!


I don’t have any clear memories of the air raid on April 25, 1941, in which two houses in The Drive were bombed, but the bombed sites became makeshift (and not very safe) playgrounds.

Exploring Beyond Childhood

When I got a bit older, I had my own bicycle, and I was able to range further. First, the Cubs, and then the 1st South Lancing Troop of the Boy Scouts kept me out of (most) mischief, and at age 11 in 1948, I started at Worthing High School for Boys in Broadwater.


If any of the above jogs other memories, I can be contacted by email at reymor@bigpond.com

45. Jenny Shackley (nee Charman) writes about life in Lancing from 1947

Jenny Shackley.

I have just read all the memories of people on your website.

Hear Jenny's story

Early Life in Lancing

I was born in Lancing in 1947 at 8 Tower Road. My Dad used to work for Frank Lisher and, in fact, looked after the shire horses referred to in one of George Forrest’s comments. My sisters (of which there were 4) used to go to the stables to watch the horses being fed or mucked out, or get ready to go out. My dad loved these horses dearly, and whilst I don’t recall, he must have been heartbroken when he did not look after them any more.

School Days

I went to South Lancing School, both infants and juniors and then on to Irene Ave for one year and then on to Boundstone Comprehensive when it was brand new. Oh, how privileged we did feel with that school. I had Mr Jones as my first form teacher, and he said to me, “Are there more of you Charmans at home?” as apparently, he knew the rest of the family.

I stopped on for an extra year to do GCE and was sad to leave the school to go to work. I then got married after a few years and finally ended up in Bristol, where I still live.

Fond Memories

I have a sister who still lives in Lancing and was an usherette at the Luxor, and I do visit about three times a year. I still remember fondly the sweet shop in North Road where we used to go on the way to school, the bread shop opposite South Lancing school where we used to buy a crusty roll for a farthing and eat all of the insides, leaving only the shell to eat on its own.

In the summer holidays, I had friends who had one of the beach huts and we used to spend many happy days on the beach. I still like to go down to the beach whenever I visit.

All in all, your website has brought back many happy memories.

Jenny Shackley (nee Charman)

jenny.shackley@blueyonder.co.uk

35. Graham Franklin

Graham Franklin

My Time on North Rd

I lived in North Rd, number 55, which was a grocery and pet food shop. ( I think it sells fish and chips now!)

School Days

We moved there in 1961, I was 5 and went to South Lancing School, almost opposite our shop. Then went on to Irene Avenue School and finally Boundstone. I moved away from the area in 196,9 aged 13, to Bournemouth.

Magical Memories

I think it is a magical place. I have fond memories of all my old school friends. Lancing Rec, he manor where I attended Sea Scouts, tennis at The Manor with Susan Collins, whom I admired from afar!

Adventures and Fun

The Chalk Pit, great fun to be had.  Evening football training with Lancing FC under floodlights, wow, such great memories.

Getting in Touch

Any old pals who want to get in touch I am on Facebook, or graham.franklin@jewson.co.uk

Great pages, thanks.

GRAHAM FRANKLIN

24. Pictures from South Lancing School ~ Bob Brown

Bob Brown

Lancing resident and Pastfinder group member Bob Brown has kindly sent these two pictures of Staff and pupils of South Lancing School from the early 1950s

courtesy Bob Brown (L&S Pastfinders)

It would be interesting if any of our readers could name any of the sitters for these group portraits.

23.Ted White & South Lancing School

Ted White

Ted has kindly sent a picture of his family for an article about Penstone House and also enclosed the picture below... He writes:-

My Time at South Lancing School (1941–1947)

I went to South Lancing School next to the Main Post Office from 1941 to 1947 and I have attached a photo of the teachers who were there in about 1946/7. I think that the one with the flowers in her lapel was the headmistress, Miss Kates, and in the middle was Miss Alexander. On the right is Mrs Curd of an old Lancing family. Who were the others?

Life During Wartime

 I really enjoyed my days at the school, except of course that these were the years with frequent visits to the Air Raid Shelters. 

Classmates

Names such as Jackie Jasper, Daphne Chamberlain, Brian Vincent, Mike Smith ... were some of our classmates.

courtesy Ted White