27. South Lancing 1949 Coach Outing group ~ Derek Gorham

Thanks to Derek Gorham for this picture;

he does not know what the occasion for the trip was.

Does anyone recognise it?

Click on the image to enlarge

Derek says: I think I can just remember going on coach trips that may have been organised by Mr and Mrs Cotton, but who was invited, I do not know; Mr Cotton ran the grocers in Crabtree Lane next to Towners the outfitters, and the Cottons and the Gorhams were lifelong friends. 
We always seemed to stop en route at Portsdown north of Portsmouth, but I am sure that wasn't always the case.
 The date is almost certainly 1949 because I am the baby being held by my Mum in the doorway of the King of the Road coach. Dad is the squatter on the left. Two down is Gilbert Page, who worked in the carriage works, and I would guess behind him to the right is his wife, Elsie, in the masculine hat.  Mr Alwyn Cotton is wearing glasses and is almost isolated between the two elderly ladies with big hats. His wife Irene is just behind the central man with a dark jacket and white shirt. Bill Hendy (see the Home Guard pic) is back right, and his wife is in front. I have no idea who the rest are, nor why they were on the trip together.

26. North Lancing school marks retirement in 1955 ~ Derek Gorham

Derek Gorham

Thank you to Derek Gorham for sharing this photo 

This picture is the staff at North Lancing on the retirement of Miss Humphrey in 1955 after 40 years at the school.

Back row : [Mr Durrant] [ Miss Curzon] [Miss Goby] [ ? ] [Mrs Jones?? but I am sure she was the school Secretary][ Mr Steer.]


Front row : [Mrs Thomas] [Mrs Jones] [Miss Lapham] [ Mrs Craig? who played the piano] [Miss Taite] [ Miss Humphrey] [ Mrs Horne] [ Mrs Barnes] [ Mis Higgins]

25. From Rosemary Langrish neé Oakley

Hear Rosemary's story

Rosemary Langrish neé Oakley

Summary

Rosemary Langrish Oakley, a former resident of Lancing, shares her memories of growing up in the town during the 1930s. Her reminiscences span a variety of events, including her first school experiences, a fire at a local timber yard, playing in a chalk pit, participating in a parade celebrating a royal occasion, and encountering various itinerant figures who were common in the area at the time. She recounts both happy and unsettling experiences, highlighting the unique character of Lancing during her childhood.

AI Generated Overview podcast

Early Lancing Memories

We moved from Portslade when I was about four years old, in 1932. We lived in one of the houses almost opposite Hoe Court Track. My first memory of Lancing was starting school at what is now called Freshbrook.

I was five years old, and my mum took me on the back of a bicycle with a cushion on the carrier. One morning, a little boy ran from Addison Square straight into the road and was hit by a motorbike. He flew up into the air, but I don’t think he was killed.

Also, at about the same age, I was sitting in the garden on an old cycle frame leaning against the fence, watching the red glow in the sky over Shoreham where White’s timber yard was on fire. The bike fell over, and I broke my arm, which took a long time to heal and would not straighten out. The hospital gave me a lovely big doll to carry back and forth to help straighten my arm, but it is still bent to this day.

Playing on the Downs

Opposite the Withy Bed (a clump of willow trees), we used to see snakes curled up in the sun on the bank, some were very big.

We went with friends up on the hills to play in the Chalk Pit and one day we found a big wallpaper book which we managed to carry home for drawing on. Also, one time we could hear a person singing "Morning has broken," and it was lovely as it echoed in the pit.

The Coronation Parade

I’m not sure if it was Queen Mary’s Jubilee or the Coronation of King George and Elizabeth, but I was in the big parade and dressed as a Victorian maid. It was a lovely crepe paper dress in green with a frill around the bottom, a white cap, apron, and lace-trimmed pantaloons that were split through the middle, nearly like two separate legs.

The parade started at Penhill Road, so Mum took us on the bus. As I got off, I caught my plimsoll in my dress and tore the bottom. The parade started off okay, but walking around by the Farmers pub and cottages, it pelted down with rain, and a little boy dressed as a red post box got soaked; he was as red as his box. We finished up at Lancing Manor Park. A short while after that, we each received a special Coronation mug from a really big wooden box in the hall at school.

Lancing Characters

We sometimes had "tramps" (homeless people) call and ask for hot water or something to eat. If Dad was home, Mum usually gave them tea and a thick cheese sandwich; we think they passed the word around. Also, gypsies called, selling pegs or sprigs of heather for luck. Onion men on bicycles came around as well. An Indian man was selling things, but we were told "never to open the door."

Another time, while playing on the hills, some boys came over and asked if we would like a sweet. Of course, we said "yes." When they opened the tin, it had a snake curled up in it. Whether it was live or dead, I don’t know. All I do know is I don’t like snakes.

A New Chapter

We moved house a few times and eventually left Lancing for Shoreham when I was about ten. I missed my old school (Mill Hill), so I played truant and took my two sisters and brother walking over the Old Shoreham toll bridge to the Manor Park for the school sports day. You can guess I had a good telling-off when we got back home.

PS: I just remembered I think it must have been an Air Display as a couple of planes dropped what we thought were ribbons, so we ran across the fields to find it was toilet paper.

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

22. Derek Gorham sends old photo's

Derek Gorham

Thanks to Derek again, here he has sent three photos and is hoping a reader of this blog will be able to add some information regarding the people in the photos.
[click the images to enlarge]

The Home Guard picture is my Dad, Bill Hendy, ??,??.

courtesy Derek Gorham

The other picture has been dated 1944 and was taken in the Carriage Works. Miss Hawkes is the lady and my Dad is on the left but why this group?

courtesy Derek Gorham

The third picture is the1950s darts team at the Legion; my Mum, Mrs Payne, Mrs LLoyd,?, Mrs Monery, ?,?, Mrs Parker, Mrs Trixie Payne.

courtesy Derek Gorham

21. Derek Gorham recalls North Lancing Primary

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 seemed to know everyone, his hands were seldom on the wheel.

School on Google Maps

Miss Humphreys, who had been at the school since World War I, left a term after I started at North Lancing Primary. If you left your autograph book with her, she would draw beautiful pictures of rabbits in crayon in it. Then Mr Cox arrived with his cane. Mrs Barnes did the dinner money; Miss Goby, with her big Wooden Record player and 78 of 'The Stars and Stripes', ideal music for marching around the room too, was the Reception teacher. Then came Miss Lapham, who taught us to read using Chicken Licken books in which the sky fell on the unfortunate bird. I managed to avoid Mrs Horne/Miss Orman, who was severe of dress and much feared. Mrs Thomas used to arrive on her bike, which had a plastic guard over the back wheel to protect her dress. Mrs Jones also had a bike, and we learned our tables by writing them on little pieces of paper, which were then thrown away. Mr "Pop" Steer was the cub master. He had a car, Uncle Clem. He also was in the choir at St James and organised musical evenings; I can still remember much of "The Pied Piper of Hamelin", and he ran a recorder group. We used to play people out from assembly. 'March in Scipio' seemed to be a favourite. Raffia mats and basket work were his specialities; there always seemed to be rolls of cane soaking in water. Mr Nutter had his own cane and taught in the original school. Finally, there was Miss Tate with her very sensible hairdo and measured walk.

Miss Curzon taught us country dancing; Mr Durrant was there, as well as Miss Higgins, whom he married. They used to sit in the sun at the back of the huts and chat. Miss Waite arrived and, I think, taught drama. Mr Wood, the caretaker, had a droopy moustache and wore thick corduroy trousers. He was always on hand with a bucket of sawdust if someone was sick.

As for my classmates, there was Philip Norton, who was my friend until his death two years ago, Jamie Wrench, David Coker, Peter Clist, Maureen Clarke, Angela Bayley, Janice King, Lynne Sandford, Neil Furze, Lynn Tugnett, Christine Marshall, Steven Blackledge, Colin? Bishop, Freda Voak and Alvin Vordregger (who could forget that name?). Then there are the people I can see who are nameless.

Chuff Chuff Charlie Elphick was not in my class, but we all used to watch him endlessly "playing trains" at playtime.

The Eleven Plus arrived; those of us who passed went on to Grammar school. The girls disappeared and so did the pupils who were not successful, but we had all had a safe childhood, been well taught, and had the good fortune to have the Downs and the beach as our playground.