THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — these Findon Chronicles were created by Valerie Martin and contain scenes from her home village of Findon,
West Sussex, U.K.    Everyday stories about real people.

FROM THE OTHER IRAQ

Copyright Valerie Martin 2011

It is not every day that I get an email from Iraq.    In October 2008 I received a message from Vic Courtice........"dear Valerie.... Your Website and Stuff....I am aged 67 and grew up in Worthing.

I first lived in Rose Walk and remember well the Highfield & Oakland horse and carts. Like one of your readers, I used to help the milkman - the horse knew his/her own way.I would go in to the apartments at the end of King George V Avenue on the west side by the sea, with an 8 pint milk container, and come out the other side, the horse was already there waiting. Sandy the milkman then treated me to the famous gallop home.   I would go with him all the way to the depot which was in Elm Grove and then walk home - he often gave me 6d - a princely sum in those days.

I then moved to Uplands Avenue and spent my pre-and early teens at weekends roaming around the adjacent hills with my friends all of who lived in the Findon Valley.

I was also an active member of the Findon Young Farmers Club. John who used to run the old farm up mill lane was the guiding light and used to get me to enter pig-judging competitions.

Did anyone know Eddie German, Christopher Hix,??

I remember skating - in shoes of course - on Patching Pond - I must have been about 10 or 11 - it certainly wasn't the winter of 47 when we all huddled round and slept round a single coal gas fire in the large hallway because there was no coal. So it must have been about 1952. The ice was about a foot thick.

My Findon Valley gang and I used to go to the west side of the pond where there was a large tree burnt out by lightning. Jackdaws used to nest there and we trained a couple of the youngsters up as pets - who flew off=
as soon as they were old enough.

In the summer of 1956 or 57 I had a holiday job working for a Ferring Garden Maintenance Company. We had a contract to clear the grass in the graveyard at Findon Valley Church. When we arrived it was blazing hot and we used out Hayter rotary cutter to wade through the long grass which was well over a meter high. When we were finished we took a nap after lunch and I remember falling asleep on a 18th century gravestone - very undignified

My boss who never used to come out, decided that day he would and kicked me awake as I lay fast asleep over the grave. Funny what you remember isn't it?

Also in 1957, to 59 there was a very pretty girl called Pat who was about 18 and lived in the cottages below the Horse & Groom - they were private dwellings then. She worked as a secretary in West Worthing for the mother of a friend of mine hence the connection.She was still working there years later but I know the pub took over the cottages as they are part of the pub set up now.

I have lived in West Bay Dorset for the last thirty years and am still working as an oil industry consultant - I am typing this in Kurdistan.. Thankyou for producing your site - it has been most interesting.  Vic Courtice. "

Thank you for your reminiscences, Vic..... a delight to read..... especially when I got to the end..... and realized you were in the other Iraq.... Kurdistan.   

You have achieved a First, Vic.    You will go down in Findon history as being the first surfer to email me from Kurdistan.

Continue if you would like to see the Findon Cheese Rolling

THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — www.findonvillage.com is a continually growing record created by Valerie Martin exclusively for documenting life in Findon.