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Dear About
Regarding the picture in About magazine, summer '05, asking if anyone can put some light to this picture.
I am the queen in the centre, it was a fete run by the Wishing Tree Social Club, it was the first year of events and the picture in question is of August bank holiday, 1950. It was a wonderful year, starting with the May Day and crowning, then this fete, August bank holiday and great celebration at Christmas, 1950.
The children in this picture, believe it or not, are watching Punch and Judy, five years after the war finished. It would have given all these children and parents a great day and lovely year and what simplicity of entertainment, Punch and Judy!
I had never seen so many children and all proceeds of these events went to St Dunstan's old people's welfare and Hollington Children Fund. I was 16 and I remember giving this out in my speech. It was in the Gibbon memorial field, Wishing Tree Road.
I have enclosed photos - the crowning in May 1950 by the well-known photographer (then) Roy Hudd, me cutting the tape for that fete. Then the Christmas, meeting Father Christmas at Hastings station, a procession along the seafront and the photo is in the pier foyer with Father Christmas, Miss Ritz (of Ritz Cinema) and Councillor Duboir in 1950. They were wonderful days.
Hastings had a special girls choir with its conductor Edmund Niblett, a headmaster and talented musician. We did many concerts and in 1953, coronation year, sang at the London Coliseum at the Royal Command Performance as it was called then. In 1951 when Princess Elizabeth came to Hastings to lay a foundation stone at St John's Church, Pevensey Road (owing to bomb damage) she heard us sing at the ceremony and then were invited to this royal performance. A lot of the choir still live in the town. I was in it until I was 22. It broke up in the early Sixties, as Mr Niblett died in 1964.
We did have a wonderful reunion concert in the lower hall of the White Rock in 1986. I have an album of this wonderful time. May be there are still some photos in the archives?
Battle
Dear About
I am not 16 but as I do know something about politics for young people I am going to have my say. At the age of 16 they have to have a future to plan ahead for. They too need to have a say in what's going on so they can plan for their future.
Therefore I believe they should be able to vote so they can see their options and give their choice for the new plans that the Government party proposes.
Hastings
Dear About
This old photo in About Hastings in the summer edition of About has been of great interest to me, my brother and my sister. The first person I recognised was my father, then my mother and grandmother with my two young brothers and myself (circled). Looking around at the many faces I was able to recognise relations and quite a number of children and adults from Hollington, where I lived and grew up.
As to the event; I think it was one of the sports and fundraising days organised by the Wishing Tree Social Club, probably on Whitsun or August Bank Holiday Monday at the Gibbons Memorial Recreation Ground in Wishing Tree Road. The date is probably 1952/53. What the attraction is that everyone is focussed on, I am not sure; it could be presentations of medals or Punch and Judy or perhaps a conjurer?
I hope this helps.
Hastings
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This page last updated: 29/09/2005