Lancing Village Memories

Hear the story Early School Days at South Lancing I was born in Lancing and attended South Lancing Junior School, where the Headmistress was Miss Cates. I didn't dislike school, but the only thing that bothered me was my eyesight. My desk was always in the fron,t and then I couldn't always see the small writing on the blackboard. Wartime Memories and Family Fundraising I do remember some very cold winters with the school milk popping out of the bottles, so that we tried to thaw them out on the school hot pipes. In that freezing weather, we all wore homemade clothes, which luckily our mother could always manage. She was very good at knitting and sewing, so that in 1944 my sisters: Averill, Frieda and Veronica Gascoyne, our cousin Peter Voice and his friend Derek Denyer went out to sell tea cosies, bed socks, kettle holders and anything Mother had made to raise the princely sum of £21 for the Red Cross. Anything over went to the hospital. A newspaper cutting of 1944 has a phot...

Hear David's  stor y   David Nicholls Summary This text is an excerpt from a personal website, written by a man named David Nicholls. He describes his childhood growing up in Lancing, England, during World War II, recounting memories of school life, air raids, and the presence of military personnel in his town. He also remembers daily life and common places in the area, including the  local cinema, his paper route, and a nearby manor house. The excerpt reveals the impact of the war on his everyday experiences as a young boy. AI-Generated Overview Podcast I found this website by chance, and it certainly triggered off some Memories of Lancing for me. Memories of Lancing. Early Days in North Lancing I grew up in North Lancing.  In 1939, my Dad bought a small bungalow at Lewes Road off Fircroft Avenue. I remember the cost of our home (just five hundred pounds). Then, Fircroft Avenue was an unmade road lined with almond trees which shed their blossoms like confetti. T...

Hear Maureen's story I am the Maureen Clarke in Derek Gorham’ s list of classmates. Daily Walks to School I lived, and still do live, just over the border in Sompting, so the walk to North Lancing School was about a mile; 4 times a day, as I came home for lunch most of the time I was there. I used to call in at Fircroft sweet shop on my way to or from (was it a Mrs.Middleton who owned it?) If I bought a small gobstopper, I could get it finished before I got to school, but a big one lasted too long! When I was old enough to walk on my own, I sometimes went on the footpath between Berriedale Drive and Boundstone Lane (which eventually became part of Boundstone School playing field) despite my mum telling me not to! Teachers and Memories I remember most of the teachers Derek mentions, although not in quite the same detail. However, I still have my autograph album with Miss Humphreys’ drawing of rabbits in it! It was quite scary moving up to Mis...

Hear Vera's story in her own words Vera Bartram A Nostalgic Reflection A friend lent me a copy of your Lancing Village Memories, which I found very interesting.   Early Life in Lancing My family moved here from London in 1931 when my father opened a barber shop on Brighton Road by Chandler's Corner called "Bob's". I have lived in Lancing ever since, except for the period when I was working at Bletchley during the War.   School Days   I went first to a little private school called Viking House School run by Mrs Old in Kings Road, but when my sister started school a couple of years later, we went to South Lancing Primary, which in those days was the only primary school in Lancing. Seniors went to North Lancing in what is now the St.James the Less church hall, where the hall was divided into two classrooms by screens. I remember the school in Irene Avenue being built, and that is where I went at 11 years old. Many years later, when I had two sons, they wen...

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

Hear Derek's story Derek Gorham  Derek writes his Lancing memory about North Lancing School Like so many of your contributors, I stumbled on your site and the memories just flowed. I hope some of this will be of interest. There could be more if I really thought. I was born in 1948, having come down the big chimney at Southlands [maternity hospital] as Nurse Paddy Hatley used to say, she and her colleague "Bon" were the district nurses for the village; the latter was also the "nit nurse" at North Lancing School. Bon was quite short, and by our last year, she needed a stool to reach. Doctor Betty was the doctor. There were no appointments or an intercom to call you in. Patients sat around a big room with a grandfather clock in the corner, waited their turn, and then the door opened, and without fail, a tremendous cough erupted from behind it. Doctor Betty had a "foreign" car and acknowledged everyone he knew as he drove around. Since he seeme...