PERSONAL

WESTBOURNE

A village history in West Sussex

Walks
In our younger days, on a Sunday evening the family would walk to Rowlands Castle. A packet of crisps and a lemonade refreshed us for the return journey. Another favourite walk was to catch the bus to Emsworth to start our walk from our mother's parents home just across the road from the Mill Pond. We walked across the fields and shore line past Warblington Cemetery, where my parents and my mother's parents now lay at rest. Our destination was the Royal Oak public house close to the old wooden bridge to Hayling Island. After the usual lemonade and snack it was back to Emsworth via Havant.

I was also a bit of a loner going off for most of the day birdwatching. A favorite route was up Monks Hill across the 3-cornered field to the junction with the road to Rowlands Castle. There were usually some finds in the scrub woods adjacent to the old brickfields. Each year a chaffinch family always came back to the same tree. It was then onto the 2 Brickkiln Ponds to watch the moorhens, coots and ducks. In the woods were pheasants and when they were nesting you could stand a couple of feet away without them attempting to move. Where the pond met the Stansted road here was always a carnage of frogs as they made towards the Aldsworth Pond. This was also a good site to see more coots, moorhens, dabchicks and the mute swans nesting in the Springtime. In the woods could be found common birds such as thrush and blackbirds. Occasionally the nests of long-tailed tits could be found; a superb work of art. The pond emptied over a waterfall to pass under the road and the stream continued its journey through the fields to Westbourne Mill. This stream was a good source for watercress that Mrs Ambrose sometimes asked me to collect when collecting the cows or Sandy the horse. Other birdwatching routes were through the Standsted grounds across to the north of Aldsworth farm and back to the ponds. A variation was onto the Racton Monument and sometimes up to the downs. Some of these walks could take most of the day and it was never considered that I could come to any harm and neither did my mother. I still have The Observer's Book of British Birds.

Holidays
Like many families of that era there were only day holidays. The best remembered were the days on the Isle of Wight. The Southdown bus was boarded at the Cricketers Inn and the journey to South Parade Pier took about an hour. The paddle steamer was boarded and us boys headed for the viewing window to see the large pistons hard at work driving us first to Sandown to drop off some passengers and then to Shanklin pier. It would stay moored there until mid afternoon and then we would retrace our journey. The sun, sea and sand and amusements were always great fun. One of these coal-powered boats was called Ryde and during the war was commissioned as HMS Ryde. It was used as a minesweeper patrolling the North sea and Dover Straits. It had a special significance for my father when he was then working for the Admiralty on the Mulberry Harbour Project. On D-Day this ship was one of the invasion fleet and was stationed off Omaha beach protecting the man-made harbour from aircraft attacks.

When we were much younger, other visits to Portsmouth were for a walk along the front to Clarence Pier to the fun fair. Or a ride on the miniature train near the castle and a day by the adjacent paddling pool. One day I did not want go home and after being dressed I ran and sat down in the pool. Mum was not best pleased.

When Dad retired from the Dockyard he became self-employed using his skills as a plumber and electrician. Mum and him also had a part-time job with Captain and Mrs Waterlo Fox Royal Navy who lived in a large house and grounds on Horndean Road. Mum used to cook and serve the meals for them while Dad did odd jobs including the garden, that I helped with. He stwas not necessary to pass a driving test. At one stage he had a motorcycle and later an Austin car that he used for work.

Swimming

A 'gang' of lads and lasses would often go swimming at Emsworth, Hayling Island and Pilsey Island a short swim off Thorney Island. To get to the latter we had to cross the World War 2, RAF runway and always made sure that we looked left and right. It cannot be recalled that we were ever restricted. The most frequent place for swimming was at Emsworth, particularly when the tide was up. About a 100 yards away was a wooden hulk that we called The Ark that was always a popular swim. Clambering up the side and resting on the deck before swimming back. On one occasion a swimmer had a lucky break. Somehow he entered a culvert from the Mill Pond and was swept through under the Mill House and escaped with a few barnacle scratches. My only injury was close to the bathing hut on the Mill Pond side where I gashed my foot on some glass.

There was one other place that was often used in the evening. Where the river Ems turns at Deep Springs into the canal leading down to Watersmeet House. An 18" square beam bridged the river and was used for diving into the river. Not too deep, as you could come up with a muddy face. Being fresh water, it could be rather cold at times. It was also a favorite spot for some of the soldiers from the Cemetery Lane camp site. The bridge was also used for my weekly visits to Deep Springs to collect raw dog meat. It was the quickest route from Rosebank to the school, and along the canal, even on dark winter nights. On return my reward was the weekly comics.

RECREATION

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