Shared Memories

Below are memories of The Blitz that we have received.

You may add your memories by clicking here.

Date : 03/08/2009

Name : Annie Barrett

Dear John, I was born in Gosport on June 1940. Your book, given to me by my niece, took me back to my roots. I so enjoyed it. Although I only remember small fractions of the war ie. the air raid shelter at the bottom of our garden, the Mickey Mouse masks, I clearly remember the big party when the war ended at The Rec on Forton Road, the dancing and cheering also the lovely street Parties, people sharing what little they had. I left Gosport in 1964 and now live in Vancouver, Canada, I do visit Gosport as I still have family living there.

Thank you for transporting me back to the places that once meant so much to me. (I was once a Candy Striper at Gosport War Memorial Hospital.)

Date : 05/06/2009

Name : JB writes:

This picture celebrates the Bomb Alley Kids' finest hour -- when we won the Soapbox Derby at St George's Barracks in front of the whole town at Gosport's Victory celebrations at the end of World War II.



It shows gang leader Jono, left, -- also showing off what must have been been his first pair of long trousers. Note that Dave, his trusted No 2, has chosen to sit in the soapbox, so hiding the fact he's still in shorts.

I was delighted to see the picture again as I thought all copies had been lost. I am deeply indebted to Joan Ware (John's widow) for finding this one and sending it to me, bless her.

Date : 01/04/2009

Name : Angela Hayhurst

I was born in Gosport in Avenue Road over 60 years ago. Mum gave me the book this Christmas and to our surprise it mentions Alf and Bill Ferre. My Grandmother Doris Clarke married Alf I think in the 50s and both he and Bill are very fondly remembered by our family.

The book also brought back many happy memories of a childhood spent in Forton Road, visiting my Grandmother in Avenue Road and also many dates at the Ritz Cinema.

Date : 24/05/2009

Name : Sally Clark

It was my granny Doris that married Alfred Ferre. I was very little when they lived in Avenue Road, but I also remember his brother Bill, who also lived there. My mum was Eva Clarke and she married Vic Clark who' s mum lived in Queens Road. Thanks John for signing your book for me at Fareham Library it was nice to meet you and tell my mum all about you. If any one would like to get in touch please contact me at sallyclark29@hotmail.com.

Christmas 1941 (re-visited)

JB writes: In my memoir I described my old wartime home in Peel Road as the happiest house I ever lived in. So on Christmas Eve I paid a nostalgic visit to the old place. I was welcomed in by the present owners Maggie and Tony Suggitt -- and amazingly found that the unique hexagonal hall, the imposing staircase, the dining and drawing room and even the kitchen were hardly altered. In fact, Grannie's old pantry was still in use... as a pantry!

The Suggits agreed that the house has a really 'homely' atmosphere. They confided that they originally planned to move on after a couple of years -- but they are still happy to be there after a couple of decades.

Maggie and Tony -- pictured at home with original 1920s fireplace.

Date : 17/01/2009

Name : George Jackson, Gosport

Entry : I was 16 in 1941 and one winter evening, I don't recall exactly what month, but it was pretty cold, I took my two brothers Charlie, 13, and John, 10, to the pictures. We left our house at Ann's Hill after tea for the evening show at the Ritz. I can't recall the name of the film though it was a musical comedy starring Lucille Ball.

There was a scene with Lucille singing at a microphone...and then, without any warning, the screen seemed to dissolve and curl up. The manager jumped up on the stage and announced : "Ladies and Gentlemen, there's an air raid on - in fact, there are incendiary bombs landing on the roof - so I must ask you, please, to kindly leave the building ..."

I shepherded my brothers out through the main exit along with the rest of the audience. Outside was a shock...through the noise of the raid I could see lines of tracer fire and all kinds of fireworks which seemed to be just above street level.

We turned towards the town hall, the Thorngate Hall, where there was a brick air-raid shelter. I remember a gruff army sergeant yelling at people "Hurry up and get inside."

After the raid the three of us were in a hurry to get home as Mum would be really worried about us. The streets were full of firemen and ARP people working around burning buildings. Another soldier from the New Barracks hollered at us: "Don't stand there gawping-get off home you lot."

Date : 16/01/2009

Name : Peter Holman Smith, Ocean Shores, WA, USA

Entry : I have a hazy memory of being taken to the Ritz cinema as a boy. We were in my uncle's car driving along Spring Garden Lane when he stopped and said: "We should return - the Ritz is on fire."

We lived on Elson Road from 1933 to 1950 and I can clearly remember the noise and smell of the blitz.

Date : 20/12/2008

Name : Joan Millard, Holy Trinity Church, Gosport

Entry : I recently found this card among some family 'treasures.' It seems that Holy Trinity , at least, held Midnight Mass at Christmas. Perhaps someone out there has evidence of a Christmas Eve midnight service in World War II?

Date : 04/12/2008

Name : Maureen Godding

Entry : Your book transported me back to the 1940’s, John. We Goddings lived at 69 Avenue Road, Gosport, which was bombed.

We went to Ireland to stay with Mum’s family for a year and then came back to live at 15 Avenue Road. Our other grandparents weren’t so lucky; they lived at 105 Avenue Road and in the night raids used to take shelter on the landing at the top of the stairs, would you believe?

One night in a big raid the blast from a near miss blew them down the stairs. Both were in their seventies and never really recovered. Nan was left nearly blind and Grandad had difficulty in walking. But me and my brothers loved making dens on the bombsites – and collecting shrapnel. The boys got into one of those sealed-up houses you wrote about and came out all wearing bowler hats. Mum made them take them back before the police caught them. It wasn’t all bad for us – I think we were all very lucky.

Date : 26/11/2008

Name : Alan Chase

Entry : Thought people might like to see this picture of the building of the old Ritz cinema taken in the autumn of 1934 -- the cinema opened the following spring. The chap at the very top on the right is my father Arthur, who was foreman on the site for the Gosport building firm G.V. Northcott. He had a fine view over the creeks and moats of the old town. Not so lucky was the photographer. Because of the angle of the shot he needed he had to wade into the moat which ran alongside the site and stand up to his knees in the water.

The original Ritz cafe -- in all its glorious 1930's decor

Date : 27/10/2008

Name : Paul Moran

Entry : We moved to Gosport in 1964 when I was seven from London and first lived just off of Forton Road. I used to go walkabouts all around your gang area and from the picture you paint of Gosport in the war the only things that had changed by over the twenty years was the disappearance of the trains from the tracks and the bombsites were covered in vegetation. Bit by bit everything has changed Lee tower demolished, lido left to rot, estates built every five years in different styles all over to create Gosport and Fareham. But it was a pretty cool place to grow up because there'd always be people coming and going with the Navy and because most kids had military parents weren't maybe as out of control in the same ways as other places. If you know Gosport the book has an additional magic. Having always been a bit Turktown in denial I loved the read. Gonna tell all those people i dont talk to on friends reunited gosport schools!