Evelyn Farrant (nee Lisher) was born in Lancing, West Sussex, on 30th January 1917. She tells us of a holiday with an old school friend around the year 1935.

'Two years running for my holiday I went to Caversham, Reading, where Odette Bibby, my old school friend lived, with her grandmother. I loved walking along the riverbank into town, and swimming in the River Lido, where, one year, a romance started with Michael Anstey. He was then at college locally, paid for by his uncle. We enjoyed the swimming and canoe rides up the river, although it was rather a laughable romance as he was only 17 to my 18. He would write poetry for me and was very romantic.

To my embarrassment, a short while after the holiday, Michael cycled to my home in Lancing from Petersfield, where he was staying with an Aunt.

Another year I got a crush on one of the servers at Odette's Church and, as Odette was working, he took me out and we had some very pleasant times on the river.

Odette was a very close friend during my last two or three years at Davison's School in Worthing. We used to go to each other's houses for tea regularly, and I especially enjoyed going to her house, having Shipham's paste sandwiches. I was very sad the day she had to move to her grandmother's, because of her parents' separation. We did, however, keep up regular correspondence and managed to see each other occasionally.'