This article was first published in the West Sussex Gazette on July 1st 1999.

In this final episode of Beatrice Longhurst's memories of more than half a century ago from her younger days at Tarring and Worthing she encompasses post-war recollections of trips out and motor cars used by members of her family.

My brothers had a terrific social scene at Ferring around Ferring Grange Hotel. They used to go for dancing over there and there was some story of them standing on the balcony, looking down and dropping a pint of beer into the saxophones. And they used to play tennis over there and I learnt to ride in Ferring.

You rowed up to Bury and you had tea in the Dog and Duck and you rowed back again and nine times out of ten you would work it so that the tide was with you both ways; the idea was that the tide turned when you had finished your tea and had helped you back again.

Daddy drove cars, from the beginning of the century I suppose. I can remember we had an enormous Austin 16 I think we could put a tent in and take it down to the beach so that we could get changed to swim but only very vague memories of his car.

My Uncle who was vicar at Poling had a gorgeous little car that looked like a wasp. My brothers as soon as they were old enough asked my father if he would give them a car and he said no he wouldn't. So my elder brother was very clever and went out and bought a motor-bike and they were so terrified of him killing himself on it so he got the car, a small Austin Seven.

Mother went down to Worthing Motors when they hadn't been there very long; one of the first places to have Citroens. She really fell for this car, the one everybody hated because the Nazi interrogators used them. It was finished in Sea Fog Grey and caused nothing but trouble.

I was taken back to school in it. I can remember breaking down on Salisbury Plain in a snow storm and that was a nightmare. My father had lost his sight and was blind when I was two, and my mother had to do all the driving from then on so I don't remember my father as a driver.

My mother told me stories of tennis parties in the old Rectory grounds. Her first boy-friend was René Lee, son of the Rector. He joined the Diplomatic Service and was knifed in the back by drug runners in Marseilles.

After the second world war I went to Brighton Technical College and took a degree in French. I married the boy next door, Trevor Longhurst, who lived at 59 St Lawrence Avenue, and we escaped from Worthing as many young people do but only for three years. Our children came along and they all suffered from adenoids and sore throats and things so we came back again, to a house in Bulkington Avenue.

This article was first published in the West Sussex Gazette on July 1st 1999.

The Ferring Grange Hotel where the brothers of Mrs Beatrice Longhurst (nee Gordon) enjoyed a terrific social life over 50 years ago.