Coming to Eastbourne
By Nicola Benge
Pearl and George
Photo from WRVS Heritage Plus archive
Heritage outing in Eastbourne
Photo from WRVS Heritage Plus archive
Portraits of Barbara
Photo from WRVS Heritage Plus archive
How we came to live in Eastbourne:
Barbara Durrant: I came to Eastbourne in 1948 to get married. I'm originally from Halifax in Yorkshire. My sister and I married 2 brothers from Eastbourne stationed near us in the war. We came down and married them in a double wedding in 1948.
Marjorie Wotton: I was born in Hailsham originally. I came to Eastbourne as a 1 year old. I have moved many times between Eastbourne and Hailsham. We stayed in Eastbourne in the war and got bombed out my mum and sister were in the house at the time. We went to Hailsham again because if this, with the parrot, and there I met frank who I married. The house which got bombed in Eastbourne lost its roof and windows etc, but we repaired it and went back to live in it.
Meg Wooler: I was born and bred in Eastbourne, off the Firle road, then moved to Sidley road, then seaside, and then Seaford Road. I am an only child and my father wouldn't let me be evacuated. I got married in 1954, had 3 children and now 2 grandchildren. My husband died 24 years ago. I have worked in offices, but age 59 was made redundant, and as a result I came to the WRVS and have worked for them ever since.
Ella Kenwood: Eastbourne born and bred. We used to have a business in Seaside, a little grocery shop. I have 3 children, the oldest died 1 year ago. I have 6 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren. I will be 81 in April.
Where it all began
Marjorie: I was born in a market town. I came here in '54 and my son was born in '59. My grandsons were born in '81 and '84. My eldest grandson lives with me and has done for the last 6 years. My great grandson is Vinnie who is 8 months old, and my son lives in Colchester.
I have worked as a hairdresser and manicurist. I finished my working life as a staff hairdresser at Marks and Spencer's. I was 7 and ½ years old when the war began. When we were bombed out, I was out of the house, but my mum and sister were sitting by the stairs on a sack of potatoes in the house. The chimney stack from next door fell on the house. My father had never taken the wooden ceiling down inside the house, and my mother used to nag him about it, but it protected them in the blast. My brother was running home after the air raid siren. He got just inside the front door when the blast blew the door off it's hinges and propelled him up the stairs with the door on top of him.
Safe and sound
This saved him, but he had to shout when the rescue workers came as they walked over the door he was under to see if anyone was up the stairs. They didn't realise he was underneath! As a result, we went to Hailsham with my sister, my mum, the budgie in a cage and the cat as it was all we could carry. We came back later to get the piano. We picked it up on the back of a lorry. My brother sat on the back with the piano in his naval uniform, playing Rule Britannia all the way from Eastbourne to Hailsham.
I'm not from round 'ere
Ella: I was born in Hastings. My father was in the army. We moved to Eastbourne when I was 7 years old. Because of the Army, we moved all the time. My father liked to move us about once a year. I started school in Brighton, but have few memories of this time, only the bead curtain on the classroom door. I went to Polegate School, then Westham School when I was here I lived at the end of Priory Road. I used to cross 2 fields to walk to Westham School, and then come home for lunch. I also attended Bexhill County School, then Eastbourne High School. When the war started, all my friends were evacuated, but I stayed and did jobs for my father like his paperwork.
I started work at 16 as a cashier at Woollies in their office. After 15 months, I went to Bobby's (now Debenhams). I was working in Woollies when it was flattened. There was also a direct hit on Marks and Spencer's which caused a big loss of life. I got married in 1948, we found a shop and as my father in law had a milk business, it was a good way to sell his milk and wares. It was called the family Grocer's association, and then VIVO, then Spar.
A Yorkshire lass
Barbara: I was born in Keighley, near Skipton in Yorkshire. My father died in 1931 when I was 6 of influenza and pneumonia. It was a hard time, as they had a young son at the time. My sister is older, and still misses him, although I hardly remember him. I met my husband in the army in Yorkshire. I came to Eastbourne on holiday, then married him. My sister met my husband's brother, we had the double wedding, then moved to Eastbourne. I stayed in Eastbourne for 1 year, then my husband got a job in Lewes, so we lived in Cooksbridge.
Tropical adventure
We went to Ghana for 4 years building houses. It was really colourful, lorries going past with biblical sayings written on them. My husband got a job in Guildford, so we came back for 3 years. Then we bought a business in Eastbourne and came back here. My son was born in '52, and then I had my next son in '62. They get on very well, both schooled in Eastbourne. When my husband retired, he wanted to go and live in France, so we did, to near Lyons for nearly 20 years. Before we left I took O level French. My sister lived in Arundel first. My mother came to live in Lushington Road when she married again. Neither of my sons have married. My husband died in '94 of cancer. I had to come back from France, selling the house. The French people were very good to us though.