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Harold Taylor lived in Alexandra Road, Chichester from the late 1920's and describes the residents. His father worked for the local Council.
In Alexandra Road we seemed to have quite a collection of successful people, both from the private and council sectors. I do not remember who originally lived in no. 1, but the new occupants were Mr Down and his family. He worked at County Hall. The two boys went to the high school and eventually university. The girl, who was about my age, went to a private school in North Street. She nearly had the misfortune of being christened Daffodil, but had a lucky escape with Sheila!
At no. 2 lived Elphick, the butcher in East Street and grandfather of Michael, the TV star. His father and uncle, now both dead, were friends of my brother, Bill. They played for the same football team, the Corinthians. I do not know if this team still exists, but it was made up mainly of employees of County Hall.
The Tillyers were at no. 3. He was compositor at the Chichester Observer offices in Little London, but later went into partnership with a firm of printers in St. John Street, by the name of Moore and Wingham. It then became Moore and Tillyer. They opened a shop in East Street.
There were two daughters, Joan and Pansy, and three sons, one of whom I went to school with. Later I was friendly with the younger one.
At no. 4 were the Gees to whom I am very distantly related, although I have not exactly worked out how. My mother used to visit the house quite often and I remember as a child, being trundled along. Mrs Gee taught piano, and I believe Mr Gee worked at County Hall. There was also an old, white bearded gent there, whom we called Major Gee, which I think was short for Sergeant Major. From recent events I think his name may have been Budd.
Mr Pierce lived at no. 5, the manager of the Argentine Meat Company in East Street.
At no. 6 was Mr Hugget. He was a teacher at the Lancastrian School, and later took me for some lessons. His son was a keen cyclist and radio ham. He belonged to a cycle club that was based at the YMCA in East Walls. The premises were removed when Shippam's expanded. He also opened up a radio shop in South Street.
The next house I do not know much about, other than the name of Moore. There were two ladies and a gent. They were elderly and always wore black.
I had a good relationship with those at no. 8, but cannot think of their name. The house changed hands just before the Second World War and an insurance agent came to live there. I think his name was Crowley.
No. 9 originally housed the Luffs. The old boy was a builder, and whilst there, he was building a house in Salthill Road, which they later moved to. There were two daughters, one of whom was married. Afterwards there was a succession of occupants, so I presume they still owned it and let it out.
One of the occupants at the beginning of the War was a person who came as clerk of the works for the re-building and extension to the barracks. He was obviously very in-experienced, as he would often come to my father for advice and estimating.
No. 10 was our home.
The next two were insignificant, the Sawyers and Dowlings. 13 had been the Willards.
14 was Dunsby. He worked at the St. Pancras Engineering Works, but later started up on his own in the yard of the Victoria Hotel with his own welding works. When the War came about he cut up the First World War tank that stood in Jubilee Gardens. Whilst doing so, he found a live shell behind where he was playing his flame.
His wife taught piano. They had one son, younger than me, who was a mother's boy, and not allowed out to play with other children. He later went to the high school and university, where I believe he took a degree in music.
The Stennings inhabited No. 16. He was a nurse at Graylingwell Mental Hospital and died young, apparently as the result of a war wound. His wife was also a nurse. There were two boys, both older than me, with whom I went about with at times. There was also a daughter, who I think was one of twins, but the other died; she was younger than I was. The boys both attended The Oliver Whitby School on a residential basis, so we only saw them at holiday times and the occasional Sunday, until they left school.
The elder went into the Portsmouth Gazette Office in Southgate, and after war service eventually finished up as manager, where he remained until retirement. The younger went to work in Shippam's offices, and as far as I know, remained in the Air Force after the war, receiving the Royal Victorian Order or some such similar medal, for being the navigator of the first non-stop flight of a Canberra aircraft to Capetown. He died young, but I do not know from what cause.
My Uncle Walm and family later moved into the next house.
Then there was Bert Randall, who was a tanker driver for the B.P. depot in Kingsham Road. He was a very well respected cricketer, and brought his son, Gordon up in the same lines. He was another of those children who were not allowed to mix with the 'riff-raff'. He was also younger than me and eventually went to the high school, where as far as I am aware he only excelled in sport. He was given several fine chances to show his skill, but was so cocky that he always 'cocked them up'.
The next house had been the Hammonds, daughter of the Sawyers, but they moved and were replaced by the Tulletts.
Next were the McCoys. Although he was only the van driver for French's Wholesalers, he was very respected as a St. John's first aider, and later rose to be superintendent locally and I think, divisional commandant.
Their son, Ian, younger than I, was another spoiled brat and not allowed out. He ultimately went to the high school, and got a commission in the Navy during the war, before joining the police, where he could not settle. He therefore took a teacher training course and taught in Selsey. Sadly, he died suddenly when quite young.
Jack Gadd who lived in the penultimate house, had his own taxi, usually a smart Rolls or a similar high esteem vehicle, and worked from the station taxi rank. He lived with his mother, but after she died, he married a widow who kept the Richmond Arms, down at the canal basin. She was the mother of a chap I went to school with.
The last house in the row was Charlie Randall, no relation to the other. He was a carpenter for my father, and had three boys. The middle one was my age and we all went to the same school. Late in life there was a fourth child. Both of the younger became high ranking army officers in the Marines or Commando, something of that nature. I believe one was a major and the other possibly became a colonel. Their father had been a rigger in the AFC in the First World War and was based in Russia in 1919.
And there ends Alexandra Road.
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