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Harold Taylor was born the same year as Queen Elizabeth II, but obviously had a drastically different upbringing although living in the same era.
Harold started off life in Arundel, moving with his 6 siblings to a council house in Chichester. Harold remembers the schooldays and subsequent careers of his two older brothers, Henry and Bruno.
Whilst I was at the St. Richard's Catholic School, my eldest brother, Henry, gained a scholarship to the High School. So much was made of it that I think it must have been the first success of the nature for the school.
Not long before that, there had been a visitation by some person who was looking for musical acumen. As the result of this Henry had started travelling to West Worthing to have lessons on the violin. I think these lessons were free, for I only remember some sort of problem about finding the fare money.
My next elder brother, Bruno, also went to the High School, but not on scholarship. My eldest half-sister, Flo, paid for him. He was in some ways a greater success there than Henry, because he became head boy, the first Catholic to do so.
There is a funny story to tell regarding Bruno. One day, he was sent to Dr Barford's surgery in St. John's Street to collect some medicine, near Christmas time. Having seen the doctor, he was immediately sent out to Honeybunn's to buy some chestnuts. When he got back, the doctor proceeded to roast these nuts on the fire in his room and feast on them with my brother, despite having a surgery full of patients! Dr Barford was a kindly old soul, whom I think retired from service before the Second World War ended.
His surgery had once been in South Pallant, near Theatre Lane. The corner house there had been the Telephone Exchange, until the new Post Office and Exchange was built in West Street on the site of the doctor's house.
Dr Gough was associated with the same surgery when it was in the Pallant. After the war and Barford had retired, Gough was joined by Dr Epps, who later opened his own surgery in Fishbourne Road, just over the railway crossing. It was his father who I believe conceived the idea of a memorial to Sir Winston Churchill.
His father lived in a house further along the road near the Bull Public House. I once had to visit the place to do some work and he took me to see what he called a Roman Cellar under his house. It was a red bricked floor, similar to one seen on Roman sites and there was a passage of water about one inch deep flowing across it, which kept it cool. How accurate was the description is anyone's guess, but let us not forget that in more recent years the Roman Villa has been discovered just across the road.
Ever since childhood I could remember visiting a nearby site, which we called the site of the Roman Villa, but it was a little bit down the lane towards Dell Quay. I wonder how much of this could be of stories told by the workmen who dug and metallised the road in the late 19th century, based upon their finding in the rubble of their working.
As a child I would go up the chalk path at Lavant with friends who had relatives in the village to see the 'prehistoric caves'. These were some brick built catacomb type constructions on the left of the path, just beyond the older reservoir. I have no idea what they were built for.
Just before the war, when my brothers were at the High School, quite a mob of them had taken to going to Kingley Vale and setting up camp during the summer holidays. I know that some of them went there to spend the weekend with their girlfriends. I never spent the night there, however, but was welcome to visit by the day.
It was very pleasant before 1956 when Myximatosis was introduced to kill the rabbits. The grass was short like a cricket pitch, from their cropping, and that of sheep that were driven through by the shepherds. Mind you, the boys' activities were curtailed before that as the place was used as a rifle range and troop training area. Stoke Clump was ploughed up, and that delightful piece of countryside was also spoilt forever.
Henry was the brighter, academically. There were only two terms in which he was not top of his class in all the exams. Once he was placed second for poor handwriting; he had a broken index finger on his writing hand from playing cricket, so had to write with his left. The other time was when he had double pneumonia and nearly died. He did not complete most of the year, and consequently was placed last.
Henry probably contracted double pneumonia as the result of going out to collect sloes for Mother to make wine. He got very wet that cold October day, was very ill, and between life and death for sometime. One of Flo's friends, a nurse, volunteered her services and came up from Bournemouth to nurse him. Whether my sister secretly paid her, I have no idea. Sadly, she later died in the war on some mission.
Henry was in the 1st Eleven for cricket and football, and was also an accomplished athlete, his speciality being the hurdles. He gained honours in an international competition, coming 3rd.
He eventually went to Southampton University in 1940 after failing to get into Oxford or Cambridge, where he was in OCTU, the unit being the King's Royal Rifles.
On being called up after gaining his degree in languages, he was enlisted in the Royal Sussex Regiment, where he initially got his commission. He was later transferred to The Intelligence Corp and completed his military service as a major. Among other thing he took part in the signing of the Capitulation on Luneberg Heath. Following the Armistice he became political security officer for the Hanover District, where he stayed until demobilisation.
He was offered continuance at his present job, for which he had been made Lt. Colonel, but he would be reduced to major, the same rank that he would be demobilised at. The pay was no better than he could expect if he returned to 'civvy street' and took up teaching, and he considered that messing bills would eat up a lot of his income.
At school Bruno had made quite a few friends as well as girlfriends. One of these was of the Evans family, who kept the peacheries near Bognor Road railway bridge. These were said to be the largest in the country. Although they were forced to grow other produce as well, and engage Land Army girls, they continued to provide the market with almost unobtainable fruits.
Market forces could not stop them making considerable profit. Peaches sold for 10/-, tomatoes 5/- a lb and grapes 30/- a bunch. To us, this friendship was an advantage, because Bruno would often arrive home during the right season with a 'chip basket' full of the fruits, at no cost.
However, this sudden wealth caused the Evans' some embarrassment, because it pushed them into the super tax bracket, which I think then was £8,000. Mr Evans therefore made his four children directors to cut down on tax. He also bought a boat, a large motor yacht, which was berthed at Dell Quay, named The Iolanthe. I worked on this several times, putting the water works and toilets in order.
After the war I understand they bought Sennicots on the Funtington Road, but I lost track of them as my brother was away, and I did not travel in their circle. I do recall from the days of working with Tommy Guy that he had worked on the property at one time and told me of a well that was 90 feet deep. The house in pre-war days had belonged to a distant relative of the Queen Mother - the Bowes-Lyon family. I believe the house these days belongs to the widow of J R Rank of the film industry.
Bruno did not have a lot of luck, but then that may have been his own fault as he spent more time socialising than studying. On completion of his school years he qualified and was accepted at University College, London. They were evacuated to Bangor, North Wales because of the war, and the course was reduced to two years. Consequently he finished up without a degree.
I do not recall how long afterwards, but he was called up for military service, except that the war had progressed so far that they were no longer needing troops. Industry had been denuded of much skilled labour that they were now calling people up for the mines.
So, Bruno became a Bevan Boy and went to work in the coalmines at Cresswell Colliery, and was billeted in Worksop. Like many others who begrudged their fate, he only worked sufficiently to keep body and soul together, so when hostilities ceased, and the mines dismissed those not pulling their weight, he was one of those.
Because of the demobilisation procedure, he was still eligible for military service and was eventually called up. He went for military training and gained a commission in the Leicestershire Regiment. This led to him being sent to Eritrea. After the completion of his military service he came home and applied to go for teacher training.
This may be when he took on several casual jobs, one of which was driving a tracked vehicle (D.U.K.W.) on Bognor beach, to transport passengers to the waiting speedboat for trips. Another job after the summer season ended was with Taylor Woodrow Construction, who had a depot in New Road, Goodwood.
He finally went to Winchester College for his training and actually got a higher teaching qualification than our half-brother, Bill. From here, with influence from his past headmaster, Mr Bishop, he was successful in getting a posting to Maidstone Grammar School.
In the meantime he got married.
He eventually realised that his line of promotion was nil, as he did not have a degree, and was never likely to gain head of department. So, when a vacancy came up in a new school built at Barnham for the Catholic community, he applied for the post of deputy head, and was successful. He recently retired from that position.
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