Three weeks ago, memories of Fever Year, 1893, and Salvation Army riots of that decade were touched upon when a Worthing reader recalled his father's experiences.

Now another reader, Ron Ham of Storrington, has written in with details of his own family's encounters with the epidemic and civil strife.
His grandmother, Alma Scott (nee Naldret), lived most of her married life at 95 Tarring Road, Worthing and had beautiful, curly, silver/white hair, but that handsome head of hair was soon to disappear, for she became a victim of the typhoid outbreak, and the infection caused her hair to fall out, leaving her completely bald.

Fortunately, as she recovered, her lovely head of hair grew back again to become her crowning glory once more. The potentially lethal fever had not affected her ability for motherhood, since by 1906 she had given birth to three children: Hilda (Ron's mother) the eldest, and twins Audrey and Ronald.

Another in the family was involved with the Salvation Army in the late 19th century. Alma's elder sister, Kate Roberts (nee Naldret), was an officer in the Salvation Army and was active during the riots.

The story handed down through the family reveals that Kate and her religious colleagues were forced by the unruly mob to drink alcoholic liquor, a vice that was totally against their principles.

Her two nieces, Hilda and Audrey, were also attached to the Salvation Army in their young days as members of the Junior Songsters who met at the Citadel in Crescent Road, while their brother Ronald followed in his father's footsteps and played in the Army's main band.

It transpired that they were a gifted musical family: for at the tender age of eight, Ronald was the band's youngest solo cornet player; and Hilda was entrusted with playing the harmonium at the Citadel as well as at open air meetings.

By 1920 she was being courted by Alfred Ham (Ron's father).

Alfred had been brought up with his five younger brothers and sisters at the Ham family home, a large house called Uplands at the top of Clifton Road. Throughout the Great War when he was a teenager, and his father was seeing Army action in France, he had helped his mother with the upbringing of his brothers and sisters.

Ron penned, 'They did not have an easy life, money was short while Alfred Ham Snr. was away in France, so paying guests were taken in at Uplands in order to make ends meet. My father was a member of Holy Trinity Church choir and his mother was pleased to have a large share of his choir boy's pay -- one penny for choir practise and twopence for a service.'

In September 1923, Alfred Jnr. married Hilda. Both families had a common interest in music.

Alfred Ham Snr. was a founder member of the newly formed Worthing Borough Band, together with an Albert Collins and an Edgar White, which got together after a lot of hard work as well as some assistance from one George Searle and other businessmen.

Alfred, together with his three brothers and his father, all played in the Borough Band. The band presented Hilda and Alfred with a timely gift on their wedding day.

'The inscribed clock that my parents received as a wedding present from the Borough Band,' stated Ron, 'is now on display in the wireless building at the Amberley Chalk Pits Museum.'

Around 1920, Hilda's brother Ronald Scott joined his uncle Alf Naldret in the Borough Band, having split from the Salvation Army band.

Sixty-one year old Ron Ham, who had members of both his fathers and his mother's families in the Borough Band, mentioned, 'Mum and dad told me how they frequently went with friends from the Borough Band to London's Crystal Palace for the annual brass band contests.'

Who paid for their instruments and uniforms?

'At Christmas time, the Borough Band played carols in Worthing Streets and at special house parties to raise funds,' declared Ron.
In the mid 1930s, as a result of injuries received at the battle of Arras in the war, Alfred Ham Snr. became a total invalid and died in 1944.

A touching tribute from fellow bandsman Albert Collins in a local newspaper read, 'Mr Ham, who had reached the useful age of 66 years, spent practically all his spare time for many years encouraging aspiring bandsmen. Bands and music was his life, apart from his daily employment as a well-known gardener.'

Ron said, 'Both grandfathers Ham and Scott were gardeners by profession, and on return from the First World War they were involved with glasshouse nurseries in the Clifton area of Worthing. In his late teens, my father assisted both men with such tasks as watering, disbudding Chrysanths, and packing the famous Worthing grown tomatoes ready for sale.'

In addition to their love of brass music and gardening, both men had service life in common, Alfred Ham in the Army and John Scott in the Royal Flying Corps.

'My parents,' wrote Ron finally, 'talked of taking grandma Naldret (Alma Scott's mother) for rides in her basket chair which one of them towed by attaching it to the rear of a bicycle. Dad said it was great fun going down Telegraph Hill (Harting), and Mum added how the old dear enjoyed it.'

Ron Ham is a keen 'Radio Ham' and writes regularly for Short Wave Magazine and Practical Wireless. His interest in that field started as a youngster. At the age of just eight years old, he rigged up an improvised telephone line between his bedroom and that of his friend, Ron Barker, next door in St Elmo Road.