Playing on the “Beach” at Bell Slip,

no shoes on, the mud squelching between your toes, avoiding the sharp stones and broken glass. Paddling across the gut when the tide went out to play in the ponds, and rushing back as the tide came in before the gut filled with water from the incoming tide. I could not swim and would have been in trouble if the timing was wrong. When eventually I learnt to swim my friend and me would swim from Bell Slip to the Quay slip, which was quite dangerous as there was a strong current on the Marine Parade point. Then we would walk home in our bathing costumes shivering with cold.

Going to “Badstep” (The Lifeboat Slip) with a picnic of a bottle of water and jam sandwiches. This could be a bit risky as kids from “Point” were not welcome by kids from West Appledore. It was traditional that Point and West Appledore did not mix.

Playing marbles mostly on the road on the edge of the pavement. You would throw your marble and the other person had to try and hit it. If they didn’t hit yours you then had a go at trying to hit theirs. When you did hit one that became yours. If you were lucky you would have an “Aggie” which was a big marble, these were prized.

Crabbing, what a wonderful pastime I still enjoy it now. A smelly fish head, was attached to a piece of string for bait, a stone was also attached for weight (none of your fancy crabbing lines the grockles use) and you just dropped it in the muddy water and hoped to catch lots of crabs. A big crab was called a “Howler” When it was time to go home you tipped the bucket of crabs out and they all scuttled back to the sea. Cockling with my Granfer out the dump road. We would dig for cockles, muscles and winkles. Granfer would clean them, bag them up, then we would row across to Instow train station and send them off to London. I also went salmon fishing with my Granfer. Four men to a boat, two would stand on shore and two would row the boat in a semi circle letting out the net, then come back to the shore and all four would pull the net in hoping to have a catch.

Being sent to the Bell Inn for a pint of beer in a jug for my Granfer, also to change some money and ask for a shilling for the gas which was for cooking and the washing boiler - the meters only took 1 shilling coins. I don’t remember the Landlady’s name but her daughter was called Ruby, a buxom wench. Going to Patt’s cake shop which was half way down the hill into Appledore, Mrs Mills was the assistant, and asking for a shillings worth of yesterday’s cakes. You got 12 cakes for 1 shilling. My favourite was the pink sponge cake with cream in the middle and coconut on the top, delicious.

If we walked to Westward Ho! for a day on the beach we would carry a large pebble all the way home. This was placed in the oven next to the fire, it would warm up and then be used as a hot stone in the bed at night to warm your cold feet.

Sometimes I would earn pocket money by running errands for the neighbours. I would spend the money either in Olive Powe’s shop, up the steps from the Bell Inn buying a 3d bar of chocolate rock which had a soft chocolate middle or a waggon wheel, these were new at the time, or on the way to school I would go to Edie Harris’s shop which was in her front room at the bottom of the hill and buy a pennys 1d worth of sherbert, which you got in a cone shaped bag, or four black jacks for a penny 1d, yes four for a penny. Shirley Hocking came round in her van with the milk. She had measures of 1 pint and ½ pint which she would transfer to your milk jug. Harold Clements came round with his butchers van, and the ladies would go out and buy sausages, meat etc, he was a very cheery character. The oil man would come round with paraffin for the oil lamps, we did not have electricity upstairs and would use oil lamps or candles for lighting. A real treat was when the Corona lorry came round, you could buy four bottles of corona pop (can’t remember how much) but I remember you got 3d for the empty return bottles.

School memories were of Appedore Juniors. Two teachers I remember most were Miss Ford and Miss Gorrell. Miss Ford would make us put “Hands on heads” if we were naughty, and “Finger on lips” if we were talking too much. You tried not to sit in the front row in Miss Ford’s class as she had a habit of spraying spittle as she talked, something to be avoided. Miss Gorrell (Tilly) took us for sewing which I hated (still do) so I would drop all the pins on the floor and spend the lesson picking them up. She also took us for Country Dancing. I don’t think my group of eight ever completed a lesson, as we had two particular boys who will remain anonymous who kept making us laugh, and we got sent back to the classroom to do maths. Miss Gorrell was also the Girl Guide Leader, I spent two happy years with the Guides.

These are a few early childhood memories of growing up in Appledore which I hope you enjoy reading.

July 2021