|
 | |  | |
When Harold Taylor was around 18 months old his family moved to Chichester. This would have been in the late 1920's. There were three children from a previous marriage, Florence, Kathleen and William, and three sons from the current marriage, Bruno and Henry, with Harold being the youngest. Harold's father worked for the local council. Harold shares with us some of his childhood recollections.
My earliest memory was of being pushed in a chair by Kath, accompanied by Bruno. The chair was an odd sort of affair, made of wood. It folded together, but when opened out it produced a seat, very much like a piece of carpet, which was about two feet from the ground.
She pushed me up St. Pancras to the east walls, then up the slope of the walls and along to the Priory Road end, where she found she could not get down. Four enterprising young soldiers carried me down in the chair, probably encouraged by seeing an attractive young girl. As the place was only 200 yards from where we were living, I imagine this to have been in the first days of our arrival.
Another early recall is of attending the fairs, which were held in the field before the building of the hospital.
We lived at no. 10 Alexandra Road. Numbers 1 to 9 were private houses overlooking the recreation ground, and 10 to 21 were council houses, which my father was involved in constructing.
Flo (Florence) was by now attending Bishop Otter College, Kath was at the Chichester High School and Bill was still working at Littlehampton. My older brothers had started school, Henry first of all going to the Lancastrian in Tower Street, before transferring to the Catholic School in St. Paul's Road.
When I was about 4 I can remember throwing a tantrum and rolling on the rug in front of the kitchen range, as I wanted to go to school. Consequently I was found a place at the St. Pancras Infants School, but that did not last long owing to an unfortunate incident involving a boy called Neale. He lived in what would be called today a multiple occupancy house, next door to Ma Kendal's Pease Pudding shop.
I had been given a penny to spend on the way home from school. During the class this boy suddenly stated that he had lost his penny, and insisted that the penny I had was his. Leslie Wilkins backed him up to say that the penny I had belonged to Neale (perhaps he had been promised a share of it). The teacher accepted the boys' word, so I came home without any sweets. The upshot of it was that I left that school and started at the Catholic school, which was a lot further to walk.
I think my mother went to St. Pancras School and caused a row. Neale moved away from the area and Wilkins I was to meet several times during my school and working life. The headteacher at St. Pancras was a Miss Smart, who always wore black, and she, I was also to meet later in life.
One of these occasions was when I went to work at her house in St. Paul's Road, after the war.
The school was closed just before the war and it became the Labour Exchange, outside which I can remember the lines of unemployed queuing up for their dole.
One of my vivid memories of that school was standing in the playground and through holes in the wall at ground level, watching the River Lavant rushing by within inches. I believe it actually came into the playground at times.
By the time I had wanted to go to school, Flo was teaching at the Central Boy's School in New Park Road, after having passed out from the Bishop Otter in 1928. I can remember that at Derby time, the teachers would have a sweepstake and would send over for the result of the race.
I recall sitting there with the earphones on and listening to the early wireless. I remember when 'April Fifth' won, and also 'Royal Mail'; I think 'Royal Danielle' might have won the following year, though I may be wrong.
I wonder if such young children today would be interested in horse racing?
| |  | |  |
To add a comment you must first login or join for free, up in the top left corner.
|
|
