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Londoner Mrs Jean Smith (nee Fraser), who was born during World War II at East Dulwich in, recalls family holidays in the late 1940's and early 1950's :-
The journey to my favourite holiday place, Walton on the Naze, started from Liverpool Street Station, London, where we picked up the steam train -- such an exciting sight to see the engine with all the steam and the men shovelling the coal. When we arrived at Thorpe Le Soken, the train usually dropped off some coaches to go to Clacton.
At the station, lads with handcarts used to take the luggage down to the boarding house, where we always stayed, Mrs. Mills, in the High Street. My Dad had found the place in the War when he was stationed up on the Naze. Mrs. Mills always fed us well, we had four meals a day in the early days, breakfast, lunch at 1 pm and a tea with bread and jam and always a plate of cakes.
Then after tea we always went down to the pier where we'd put our pennies in the cranes. Dad always waited for the man to fill the cranes up so we had a better chance of winning the toys. Then we all came back for a Supper at 8 pm, which sometimes was fish and chips. Sometimes after supper Mum and Dad would let us go into the children's room at the local pub.
One Sunday morning I can remember we got up early before breakfast to go and see the old lady who lived in a little cottage on the front, to see her musical boxes. I can see her now, standing by a large one, which played large copper plates, and she stood by it singing. She had lived at Walton all her life and had many tales to tell.
I always looked forward to our week's holiday at Walton and I still have a soft spot for the old place.
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