大象传媒

PART THREE

WITHERNSEA

AT THE SAVOY.
Took pea shooters into the Savoy Cinema, hit a man's bald head from the balcony and got slung out, managed to hide in toilet and sneaked back in.
AT THE COSY.
Put white butterflies in a box and sparrows in my pockets and let them out in Cosy Cinema. Sam Stratford the manager used to go mad and fly down and sling us out.

PATRINGTON

Complete hooligan, always in trouble, did more or less as I liked, was told I'd get straightened out in the army (they were right). Beat up evacuees from Hull, they were a bit soft at first, but good as us later.
One summer morning after starting work at the age of fourteen, I saw a Lancaster bomber limping back from a sortie with two engines out, heading for one of the Lincolnshire airfields. Sometimes they would only have one engine running, with big holes blown out of the side of the fuselage and peppered with bullet holes. The crews would be hanging out of the side of the aircraft dangling their legs and waving at us. When I was at school I remember two Luftwaffe pilots being guarded behind the school in the garden, us kids were shouting 'Heil Hitler' and booing.

In and around Patrington the army units had setup,the cricket field was set up with 23 Nissen huts with Howitzer guns placed in the middle of the pitch, the army baths were in Greenshaw Lane and the Village Hall was the cookhouse and dining hall with field kitchens setup around the back. The bread store was in the Yeoman's old house next door to the Hildyard Arms public house, and the ARP warden's post was set up in the shop front which was our old house at number one Market Place, and the Dad's Army (Home Guard) was set up in an old house near the War Memorial with Major Grainger(Tashey) in charge. He was the schoolmaster and the spitting image of Captain Mainwaring with a bowler hat and walking stick.
There was a searchlight battery R.A. at Channel Farm, Sunk Island, and one at Bar House. The Anti-Aircraft guns were set up at Enholmes Wood , Winestead Woods at Whitehall A.A. was positioned at Dimlington Corner and at Stoney Creek there were three heavy A.A. guns. One large A.A. was positioned at Patrington Railway Station and nicknamed Big Bertha, it was pointing East, out to sea.
The WAAF's were stationed in Bleak House and Westgate House was the military hospital run by Major Le Brun from the Free French Army.
The YMCA Canteen was at Tithe Barn Lane Corner with a manageress called Anne Jacques
(spam Annie) for obvious reasons

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.