FEBRUARY 2003
RECOLLECTIONS OF A VILLAGE LONG GONE.
My earliest memories are of Rownhams Lane.
An Autogyro landing where now stands the Santa Maria Rest Home. It was quickly surrounded by us children. The pilot climbed out and asked for Mr. Dowding, the husband of Mrs. Dowding the teacher who taught all the small children when they started at the school.
The Dowdings lived in a bungalow where the Vineyard is located.
Later a greenhouse was built there by Harry Porter, who used a horse and cart to deliver vegetables around the village. His parents lived opposite, this gentleman was our postman. Next to them lived Mr. Barton, he was our village Air Raid Warden who frequently knocked on windows saying Stop Showing Lights. On the corner of Rownhams Road and Rownhams Lane was a stile cows could be seen with their heads over the stile. Next to to the corner lived Mr. Biggs and his family, they lived in very ornamental caravans.
Just like being at the seaside, children enjoying themselves in the sand pits in Hoe Lane, 1946.
We played in the sand pits in Hoe Lane, it was just like being at the seaside. The walls were pitted with a very large numbers of holes that the Sandmartins nested in year after year. In a bungalow now facing Sylvan Drive a Mr. Barnes somehow had a pile of crashed aircraft fittings, with which we played out our war games.
On the corner of Packridge Lane was a searchlight and gun-site with nissen huts. One of the soldiers wife stayed with my family so they could be together. In the woods that run parallel to the road to Rownhams a stick of bombs were dropped, these craters quickly filled with water so we made rafts, jumped in and learnt to swim, going home covered in thick yellow clay.
In Rownhams Road, Grey bricked air raid shelters, one half way up Church Close, another opposite Bordens top entrance. Another stood in the centre of Brownhill Road, and a fourth stood near to the centre of lower Fleming Avenue. On D Day we sat on these shelters waving to convoys of American troops as they passed by, we were showered with sweets and money.
In the shelters seats and bunks, we spent quite a few nights there when Southampton was bombed. One night when I was taken to the shelter a flare was dropped over Toothill it illuminated both trees and fields etc like daylight.
We would watch the Home Guard exercising in the ditches in lower Rownhams Road and on the common that is now the Fleming Avenue estate. We were more of a nuisance to them, we always gave their positions away.
In the centre of the top road entrance of Bordens was an asbestos-clad bungalow. Here lived Mrs. Booth, her husband lost his life on the Titanic. Next lived Mr. Baker who built his own underground shelter. The common, where Fleming Avenue now stands, was covered with heather, gorse, and masses of ferns. There were Skylarks who nested on the ground, grasssnakes, adders, lizards and rabbits. In the woods beyond our playground, there were three woods, called Bluebell, Primrose and Daffodil, they were carpeted with the above flowers. But alas they have all disappeared. There was another wood, this one consisted of tall pine trees; in them were gigantic ants nests, but sadly they have both gone.
German prisoners of war cleaned out the ditches and Tanners Brook in lower Rownhams Road. We children were fascinated because their speech was something we could not understand. On the morning after the bomb was dropped in Rownhams Lane, I walked to visit the area, there was debris everywhere, and curtains etc hanging from the trees. On the common along Botley Road going towards Scragg Hill there were poles standing upright to foil enemy paratroopers. A Fleet Air Arm plane piloted by Ralph Richardson made an emergency landing there, somebody it is said picked up a propeller and and it was stored in garage until it disappeared.
My father was first in the local Home Guard. His rifle and his equipment was placed in the front room. Later he was transferred into the Auxiliary Fire Service. He and a companion patrolled the village, they were blown across the road when a landmine exploded, but suffered no harm. At school all their windows were crisscrossed with tape to protect the children from broken glass if bomb blast occurred.
We spent time in the school shelters during raids. Evacuees came to our school; the local children went to school in the morning, evacuees in the afternoon.
The first coloured person I ever saw was an American sergeant who was stationed where Wrens Farm is now. Across the road in the woods British and. American troops were there at various times. On the trees names and places in the USA could be seen carved on them, but they have been all chopped down.
The recreation ground opposite the school was just an open space with gorse and brambles. In an open space by Castle Lane Italian POWS cultivated a small plot as a garden. We watched one day when there was a series of bangs, they laid on the ground with their hands over their heads. The Italians were in a camp at Ganger, they walked around in dyed British uniforms, they had squares and circles sewn in the blouses and trousers.
Up to the late 40s our Village Hall was the black hut in Nutburn Road, concerts, dances, and youth clubs were held there. Across the road in the bank were situated two Home Guard gun pits. In the late 40s a village hall was built where now stands the estate agents, and flower shop and hairdresser next to the new Co-op shop It was used for dances and all activities of village life. Once a week there was a cinema with a two-performance programme. It was well supported.
There were various football fields around the village. One was beside the ironmongers shop in Botley Road, another in the field by the Manor House, another just down the hill towards Ampfield on the right hand side.
We had two hairdressers in the village, one was just down from the Watermargin in a long bungalow which has disappeared to make room for new houses. The other one was in Rownhams Lane in a shed in the rear garden near to St Christopher Close.
I remember placing pennies in long lines along the veranda at the school for the spitfire and ambulance fund to help purchase them.
The Baptist Church ran both Girls Brigade and the Boys Brigade from their church. Mr.Ray Jacobs was the leader.
Our village shops consisted of the Co-op butchers shop where Mitchell is now. The Co-op grocery was situated where the ironmongers shop is now in Botley Road, the Chinese Takeaway opposite was a wet fish shop, before becoming a fish and chip shop. The Watermargin was the site of the Post Office. Mr Brown had a shop across the road from the Co-op butchers shop, his was a general purpose shop. A Mrs Soloman had a shop where the Bedding shop now stands. She sold every thing from second hand comics, papers, to vegetables and groceries. There was a shop at Scragg Hill. Later Mr. Carter opened a shop in a bungalow situated where the Bedes Lea is now. On the site of New Co-op shop at the traffic lights was Mr Haskers shop another all purpose shop. During the early part of the war the Baddesley Arms now known as the Knights Cross was sandbagged around the bottom to protect people inside from any broken glass caused from bomb blast.
On VE Day the people who lived in lower Rownhams Road had a bonfire near where the telephone box is now situated in the lower end of Fleming Avenue.
One could walk from Rownhams Road at the back of the then Follands aircraft plant, over common land and Tanners Brook, and walk to Scragg Hill with not a house to be seen.
In the area of Edwina Close to the Chemist Shop was a large open area. During the war fair ground people parked in the Edwina Close area. One of the girls, Margaret Gilliam, went to the local school.
Our village policeman lived in the bungalow next to Gainsborough Court, the Knights Cross side. Next to the Baptist Church several rest centres were built, they were used as extra school class rooms, dining room, etc after the war, they were used as homes for people, due to the shortage of accommodation.
Our village builder was a Mr. Foote, who lived at No 35 Rownhams Road.
Our coalman was Mr. Lewis who lived in the bungalow in Botley Road facing Castle Lane.
On the corner of Middle Road and Rownhams Road, chemist shop side, lived Mr. Amos who had a secondhand shop in Romsey in Cherville Street opposite the British Legion. Both Six Oaks road and Firgrove Road were wide tracks, both ending at the junctions of Middle Road at the end of Firgrove Road, it opened on to common land with a small path way to Rownhams Lane. Middle Road: the whole length was boggy in places with brambles etc, there was a small rough footpath to the left-hand side.
The Ringwood Drive estate was a pig farm operated by a Mr. Osbourne.