Oh Happy Days

My family and I lived at 14 Wiston Close and I grew up with Eric Cook, there were the Maskell brothers, Johnny Shill, Eric and his brother, I was the only girl among all these boys, super. We emigrated to Australia in 1959 and the world being as small as it is we ‘bumped’ into the Cook family one Saturday afternoon in Adelaide, who’d have thought it? We had to return as Mum couldn’t stand the heat.

Victorian treasure trove

I well remember a street party, I was Bodicea. Eric’s dad drove BR lorry and sometimes he would collect us from school and bring us home, a rare treat, who had any mode of transport in those days? When the corn was cut in Wilson’s Avenue we would make hideaways with the stacks and there was a Victorian rubbish tip close by where treasures of old bottles could be found. The Shill’s lived next door to us (I believe the photo of the group is outside their house) John’s father was an ex naval chef and I think he made the cake.

Mums and Dads fundraising

In order to pay for the party, weeks before, the parents held whist drives in the evenings, and parents took turns to check on the sleeping children on a regular basis. I remember Mr and Mrs Downard . Mr and Mrs Woodcock their daughter Ann and Pauline Fletcher lived opposite us. My mum is in the photo sitting on ground, the very last lady at the end on left

Demolition of the prefabs

I am Pat Guile and I have an older brother Eddie, we all went our seperate ways when the prefabs were demolished. We went to Woodingdean, the Shills to Moulsecomb, the Downards also to Woodingdean and I think dad bought his first budgie from them. Nice memories