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Early on in the war, when the bombing of London was at its height, some of my cousins moved down, recalls Harold Taylor. Harry Parry was the traffic manager for the Valiant Coach Company, one of the larger companies from the Metropolis. They were based at Uxbridge. His wife, Kit, was manageress of an A.B.C. Restaurant near Broadcasting House, where all the stars of those days ate.
However, the bombing unnerved Kit and they turned up on our Harold's mother and father's doorstep. This was just before Harold joined the Merchant Navy.
Where we squeezed them in I do not remember, having 6 children and also still having evacuees at the time.
Harry soon got a job as boiler man at the town laundry. This laundry did all the hospital linen, and I believe still does. It was built on the site between Sloe Fair, and Cawley Lodging House, where the workhouse was.
My father was clerk of the works for building the two houses that front the site, although whether his men built the laundry, I am not sure.
Harry and Kit eventually rented a house in Broyle Road opposite the Barracks training ground and rifle range. Next door was the town clerk, Eric Banks. The house was called Halcyon, and is probably still there.
Kit first of all got a job as manageress of the Gaumont Cinema Restaurant, and later took on the British Restaurant underneath the Assembly Rooms. I would guess that this was as a result of having the town clerk as a neighbour.
Mum would very often be called upon to help out at the Assembly Rooms' kitchens, although I do not recall that she ever had a permanent job there.
Subsequently Harry got a job with Hampshire and Sussex Bus Company as traffic manager. This company was owned by a Mr Williams, and based at Emsworth.
During my first leave from the Merchant Navy, Harry invited me one day to go along with him. We set off and drove around all the sites where the Mulberry Harbours were being built for the D-Day landings, although I did not know this at the time. They were just huge concrete barges to me. Unfortunately I was not familiar with the country in that area, and never new exactly where I was, other than it was in the New Forest and near the water. Presumably it was Buckler's Hard.
The company had the contract for transporting workers, and it was the first occasion that I became aware of tacographs for goods vehicles. Harry kept that job till after the war, then branched out on his own.
This was about the time I was discharged from the Merchant Navy.
He bought or rented the garage at Westhampnett, just recently pulled down near the junction of Coach Road. During the war it had been requisitioned by the army. He renamed the garage, The Rural Garage, and intended to open it for the Easter weekend of 1946. I do not remember why he could not open it himself, but he asked me to do duty from Good Friday through to Easter Sunday. Petrol was of course on ration, and over the three days I sold 100 gallons exactly.
On Easter Monday, my cousin, Peggy Taylor took over. Peggy was the eldest daughter of my Uncle Walm, and half sister of Charlie Newell. She had lived in London with Kit and Harry since fairly early on in the war as Walm had kicked her out for her wanton ways. She had come back to Chichester with them and worked at Kimbells Restaurant, the scene of most of her previous troubles at home. During the war she married a Canadian army captain, but refused to go to Canada after the war, to the best of my knowledge.
After Kit had taken the job at the British Restaurant, all three moved to a bungalow at Eastergate, almost opposite the war memorial and they commuted by train via Barnham.
At the Rural Garage, Harry had commenced car repairs, but eventually sold out to Rowes from the Hornet. He then moved to the Cheddar Gorge where he got involved with several projects, including the opening of a bakery and gift shop. He also became the organist at the local parish church. Then they retired and went to live at Bishops Waltham. Kit is now dead, but the last I heard of Harry, he was still alive.
Peggy went on to have chequered career. She was living with Charles Henly, and they ran a well respected restaurant of that name in Bristol for a number of years, before moving to Arundel. Here they set up the Crown Grill in the Square.
Their daughter tried to run a dress shop in Lancing, but it did not do well.
Charles dabbled in antiques, and also got elected onto the Town Council, probably with support from my Auntie Jo, who was on that council for 40 years.
She had been on it with the late Duke, before he inherited the Dukedom. Ever afterwards, she was reputed to be the Duke's right hand woman on the council. She never took up the Mayoralty, due to poverty, although it was said that Bernard had offered to finance her. When Duke Bernard died, Charles collapsed and died whilst walking up the hill to attend the funeral.
Subsequent to that, Peggy went on the council and was very quickly elected Mayor. After serving her period in office, she seemed to suddenly disappear from view and sold the business, then retired to Norfolk. Her daughter went with her.
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