THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE - Bill Day Remembers Findon

8th August 2004

Bill Day Remembers

This all started with my children taking me out for a father's day meal To the Findon Manor.

When we came out we noticed that there was some kind of do in the village hall. My daughter-in-law who had lived in Findon for a short while in the post war years said —

"I started my Brownie years in there".

My mind turned back, I must have been 7-8 yearrs of age and was at some kind of dance or do at this same village hall, and was dancing or rather cavorting with a sweet young thing , of around the same age , she lived at Grey Point, when she asked me to introduce her to a another chum of mine
from Hermit Terrace, Dick Carey as she was sweet on him.

I was crestfallen in fact heartbroken far at least the rest of the evening!! Women !!.

I made up mind as we walked back to my son's car that I would return to Findon and take a trip down some of the villages memory lanes.

My first call was to the new post office, or as I knew it Short's Farmhouse there I bought a Findon News and found Valerie's web site from it.

Looking through this site brought many sighs, a few quiet tears and many hours of remembering.

Findon School how it has grown, and where is the old School House
.
The dentist days as Gladys remembers and that torture of the treadmill drill.

Nurse Day's visits on nit days giving a special comb, soap and a note for mum to the unlucky ones.

Mr. Thomas the headmaster, and his uneering aim with a piece of chalk from his high chair at talkers, his skill with the cane for the naughty boys caught doing wrong.

The playing field behind the village hall, was once a lovely large orchard, and as young lads we had many a nocturnal scrump in there. Once as we emerged in the field at the side of the orchard heavily laden with fruit, we were met by the village copper (can't remember his name). He dragged us off to the lady owner by our ears. His punishment - to work for this lady for a few Saturday mornings until he was satisfied. Also he told our fathers who handed out their own punishment.

Hermit Terrace. My great shock when I returned and found my old neighbour from sixty years back, still alive and living there. Now 95 yrs old Flo. had moved in i think when Tony Hammonds family moved away. How I chuckled at Tony's comments about using the top of the garden
toilets in the cold weather. But Tony can you remember how it scared everyone when the cows in the back field poked their heads over the wall and mooed on a dark evening. The Thunder Block as my old dad called these toilets.

These cottages now have internal bathrooms and toilets, in my days there was a cold water tap only at the bottom of the stairs, gas lighting, and the radio was an old accumulator set these accumulators were charged up every few days at Goatcher's garage where you could see rows of them bubbling away charging.

Bill Day

Tuesday 10th Aug. 2004.

Bill Day Remembers

A day to remember, met my old chum Tony Hammond after sixty years. We recalled many childhood memories. Now just two grey haired old men sitting in Wyevale Garden centre coffee lounge reliving our boyhood pranks.

Some of my blurred memories were cleared by Tony. When he first moved in next door, we recalled he could not ride a bicycle, so we borrowed another mates and went in the field behind our homes . Tony climbed on, at the top of the sloping field, cow pats and all. After telling him to aim for the bushes not the trees we pushed him off with mighty shove. Tony learnt the hard way, but after a few hectic downhill runs, one or two falls he could ride a bicycle.

He remained my mate even when I accidently broke his nose.

One expedition Tony recalled was our climbs of the look out tower on church hill, remembering how often the rungs broke as we climbed them. This we estimated must have been approx. eighty feet high, what a view from the top.

He corrected me on our scrumping escapade in the orchard behind the village hall and why the village copper and our parents were so cross. We had exited the orchard via two rows of leeks left to set into seed heads, we used these heads as punch bags knocking them all off. Seeds in wartime were very valuable. I had forgotten that part old friend.

Tony had an obsession in the war years to get a real gun by hook or by crook, we never did achieve this, perhaps that was a good thing, for we had a fine collection of live ammunition and thunder flashes. He hid his at the back of an old washing hopper, good job this was never lit mate. We became very good at setting off live bullets by throwing them against flint walls, I am amazed that we or anyone else were never hurt. Tony later did obtain a gun, and shot at Bisley.

Thanks Tony for a excellent three hour coffee break, boy we have such wonderful memories to recall.

Bill Day

26th September 2004

Bill Day Remembers

I walked from Hermit Terrace to the village square. Even keeping one eye on the fast moving cars I had to leap to safety three times and was tooted at several times.

This was the same street where the milkman's horse drawn milk cart ambled along delivering the milk to the waiting housewives jugs.

The very same street where us children played football or with our whips and tops could play, only stopping every half-hour for the Southdown bus, (who tooted and gave us time to get to one side of the road before he passed by).

My Findon has changed beyond recognition. Maybe as all old folk say I prefer you as you were, but Findon you are still as beautiful as I remember.

I thank you village for giving me so much happiness in my early years, and for giving me such wonderful playmates , companions and friends. My memories of you will never dim.

I think Findon and her web site readers owe Val our heartiest thanks for keeping you alive and handing you on to future generations. Thank you Val. well done.

Bill Day