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Bombing and Other Incidents during WW2

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Shoreham and Southwick Bombing and Other Incidents during WW2

This work identifies the accounts of bombings and more serious incidents (as well as some less serious but nevertheless interesting) in Shoreham and Southwick during WW2. These have been identified primarily from the official West Sussex Action Officer’s Minute Books and in some instances have been embellished with first hand reminiscences of the people that witnessed them.

“A total of 37 raids were carried out on Shoreham and Southwick by enemy aircraft during the war. These involved 143 high explosive bombs, 5 oil bombs and in excess of 2,000 incendiaries causing the deaths of 17 people and injuring 108 others.” (Shoreham Herald 6th October 1944). The number of HE bombs shown in the Minute Book reports are fewer but they do not always include all the bombs in every incident, nevertheless they still amount to over 100. Continue reading “Bombing and Other Incidents during WW2”

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Vault in Church Street

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Survey of the old Vault in Church Street

Documentary Records.

 

Described as a ‘Capital Messuage in 1738, the land within which the vaults are situated was owned by the Smith family and then, in 1782, passed to the Bridgers. However, the description of the property whilst mentioning ‘two tenements, malthouse, garden, stables, coach house and coachyard (which included the land and buildings southwards from the Manor House down to – but not including — the old Custom House and west [behind] the latter.) does not mention a vault or cellar at all. Continue reading “Vault in Church Street”

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Bert Longstaff – Professional Footballer

Bert Circle

In his time Albert Edward Longstaff was a household name in Brighton, in the county and beyond; his image and exploits appeared in many postcards, football team photos and newspaper reports during the first part of the twentieth century. Born in 1885 in Shoreham of parents John and Sarah and one of four brothers and two sisters living for a short while at the family home at Queens Place before moving to their more permanent home in Victoria Road. His father was a Durham man, an agricultural engine driver experienced in steam ploughing who later used his knowledge to become a traction engine agent for the Shoreham and surrounding area.

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Shoreham Grammar School

Grammar School 1955

SHOREHAM GRAMMAR SCHOOL 1944-50

THE PREMISES

Grammar School pre-1921

I started at the school in 1944, shortly after the Allied invasion of German-occupied France. The school buildings were centred in Pond Road, and covered the whole block, that is to say, the area of the present community centre, citizens’ advice bureau and car park. The school had its own chapel, with pews, choir stall and organ, on the opposite side of Pond Road, about where the grass mound in front of the health centre is now. The large house facing you as you look south down Pond Road is called Westover, and provided residential accommodation for single masters and a room for piano tuition.

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Police Training in the 1960’s

A light hearted recollection of  Police training and the early days at Shoreham

 

A year or two after getting married and moving to Shoreham I hankered after doing something more exciting with my working life and thought of joining the Police.   I imagined myself drawing admiring glances from the ladies as I strode impressively along the High Street in smart uniform and polished boots  and applied for the West Sussex Police (at that time East and West Sussex were separate forces).

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Day in the Life of Gerald White

WRITTEN BY GERRY WHITE

 

Schooldays in 1948 Shoreham

Our terraced house with three bedrooms, was in Connaught Avenue built in 1936, it had modern conveniences, for those days, with Electricity, gas , an Ideal Boiler for heating water, and a fireplace in every room, apart that is, from the small bedroom at the front of the house. My mother did the weekly wash in a Copper gas heated boiler, which had a wringer mounted above it. Most importantly there was a bathroom, with flush toilet,bath, and wash basin. The style was Art Deco with period tiled fire places, and stained glass designs either side of the front door.  There was a service road to the rear of the house enabling coal deliveries, and the Dustbins to be emptied. In 1948 the gardens had been restored to the prewar condition , with a lawn in the front garden and the rear planted for vegetables.

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A Bygone Shoreham Beach

WRITTEN BY ANDY RAMUS

Living on Shoreham Beach as a child, you kinda felt like you owned the world sometimes, stood on the beach where all that changed was the position of the shingle, sometimes banked right up so high that it near buried the old wooden breakwaters, and then other days the sea would pull the shingle back so far as to expose, what then as a child, seemed like mighty tree turrets, or Queens Guards all neatly lined up.

 

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