THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — www.findonvillage.com created by Valerie Martin, contains scenes from her home village of Findon, West Sussex, U.K.

BILL DAY'S RATIONING MEMORIES

Copyright Valerie Martin 2005

First published in the Findon News in April 2005

Life in Findon was not always as idyllic in the past as villagers would now like to imagine.   This was especially so during the years of the Second World War.  

Bill Day has kindly sat down and put down his thoughts on food rationing when he was a young boy during the Second World War in Findon —

 

I have just returned from shopping at our local supermarket, to see the women with heavily laden shopping trolleys full, loading their cars.   Made me think of Findon in the rationing, I
suppose one carrier bag would hold the weekly rations for me, mum and dad.

Scrounging was the thing of the day being sent to see if Mr Blackman was in a good mood, and could be parted from a few sausages. 

Keeping an eye out for Shem Randall in case he had a rabbit in his poachers coat, maybe even a
pidgeon.

Sometimes they held a rook shoot by Nepcote Green, us boys were given two rooks after the shoot, to bang the trees with sticks to raise them, rook pie is as good as pidgeon believe me.

Then a trip to Harris the bakers in case they had any broken cakes or scones when they emptied the old oven, Wintons also might have broken biscuits.

Very rarely if us boys had any pocket money we went in Walls Stores in the square and had long pondering moments looking at the penny or halfpenny trays of different sweets and gob stoppers.  This old stores stocked everything from paper back library books to halfpenny chews.  If Mr Walls did not have it he could get it.  This shop also served as the shelter for the Worthing bus. Alas now an financial office.

The passage alongside Walls leading to Shorts farm was the village meeting place for teenagers, many a lad grabbed his first kiss down there, always plenty of screams and giggles were heard, until Mr Short chased everyone away, his sons Ian and Sam being the first to run.

Bill Day
 

 

Through my website I was able to assist in a reunion between Bill and one of his school friends, the late Tony Hammond (who lived in Hermit Terrace during the war years).  They spent a happy time reminiscing.    Tony later told me...

 

24th November 2004

Bill Day

Valerie -

When Bill Day and I were reunited a few weeks ago we both agreed that of all the places that we had lived in the intervening years, sixty to be exact, it was Findon that still held a very special place in our hearts. We were unable to come up with any real reason why this should be, but agreed a lot was down to experiencing a series of memorable events that we had shared as best friends.

As you know Bill has been seriously ill in hospital for the past few weeks, and I am sorry to say that he died yesterday.

I am extremely grateful that we were able to recapture so many memorable moments during our meeting and that he also shared some of these memories with all of you via Valerie's site.

Tony.

Tony Hammond, East Preston, West Sussex.

 

What a fitting ending that was for me resulting in the meeting up of two chums from boyhood days in the village.

Sadly, Bill Day died in 2004.

 

Continue if you would like to read Supplementary Rabbit Rations.

 Back to Wartime Index
 Back to Main Index

This is Findon Village — www.findonvillage.com is a continually growing record created by Valerie Martin exclusively for documenting life in Findon.

E-mail: valeriemartin@findonvillage.com