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This article was first published in the West Sussex Gazette on September 10th 1992 | 
A special Coronation cake, artistically decorated with portraits of King George VI and his Queen, Elizabeth. Photographed by John Hunt's parents near their home in St Anselm's Road on Coronation day, 12 May 1937.
| On 12 May 1937, the day that King George VI was crowned at Westminster Abbey, there were celebrations at Worthing to mark this historic event. Street parties were held throughout the borough, and were visited by the Mayor, including one at St Anselm's Road where a most impressive Coronation cake was displayed, a beautifully-decorated work of art.
Using a box camera, it was photographed by the parents of East Preston reader John Hunt when he was a young boy of nine.
John and his brother were born at St Anselm's Road, at Kowloon Terrace to be more precise. The neighbours included the Freemantle family, whose father being blind worked as a basket maker at a shop on the corner of Pavilion Road and South Farm Road, and the innovative son Jack built a wireless set for the Hunt family -- their first radio receiver.
'When you wanted to change stations you had to change over the coils each time,' said John.
Another neighbour, the Clarkes, had a nursery, 'A treat was to be given a ride in his lorry when he came home.'
In the winter a man went around with a tray of muffins on his head ringing a hand bell. Someone else sold milk from churns on a three wheeler hand cart.
John can remember happy times spent picnicking up on the Downs at High Salvington with a family who lived opposite in Lanfranc Road.
'We went up on the bus to Findon Valley and walked up the hill where the Gallops are, and often we could see the army on their horses with brasses flashing in the sun as they rode over Cissbury Ring.'
John's father, who was a parcels porter at Worthing railway station, had the job of loading and unloading the army horses at the cattle dock, on the north side of the railway between the station and South Farm level crossing, when they came down. After the picnic, they would walk down the hill to Durrington, passing Swandean on the way.
About another walk from Tarring Church across the fields to Field Place, John recalls, 'On the way there was a spring where the water bubbled out of the ground, a good spot for frog spawn. Nearby was Chippers pond where we fished for newts. We had a stick with a piece of string with a worm tied on to entice the newt up to the surface so that we could catch him in a net.'
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