Val intended to edit and expand this, but time did not allow
Born Northampton General Hospital 5th May 1941

My family was evacuated during the war. Parents Dora and Lionel Adams, sisters Pamela and Carol.

Baptised at St Giles Church, Northampton.

Memories of Northampton: Falling down the step from living room to kitchen while crawling, and early walking, and being told there were flea in the cellar.

The family returned to Hastings; my earliest memory is of Uncle George bringing us a kitten from the bakery where he worked. It had dough on its nose, so we called him smutty.

I remember at an early age having both arms pulled from there sockets when being swung by my arms.

Dancing was my favourite thing, and I would walk on points most of the time. dreaming that one day I would be a ballerina.

At age five I was bridesmaid to cousin Iris.

I remember having mumps and measles and was plagued by earache.

Infant school was at Mount Pleasant, we had afternoon naps on camp beds, and bottles of milk with cardboard tops, they were ideal for making pom poms.

I went to brownies at St Helen’s Church and regularly went to Sunday School, I was chosen as the Virgin Mary for our nativity play.

My best playmate was Maureen Cousins who lived at the top of Parker Road. We played with our dolls and knitted clothes for them, and bonnets for fete tea parties. Her mum was always making buns, butterfly cakes I remember, and it was there that I was introduced to Dairy Lea Cheese Triangles - I fell in love with them. We made scrap books and took them to the children’s ward at the hospital. It was also at her house that we began listening to Journey into Space – it was scary, but addictive.

Another friend, Barbara Hall, lived in Pine Avenue in a large house with large grounds and trees to play in. I was a tomboy, climbing a high as I could. We had rope swings. There were adjoining fields with haystacks for making dens in and sliding down.

A bookworm, I became Enid Blyton’s Famous Five, I read them all, and Malcolm Saville, and later an Australian book called Derry Down Under.

We progressed to Elphinstone School which was a new built school just at the bottom of Parker Road. I was not a bright pupil, I couldn’t concentrate, but I enjoyed it. I failed the 11 plus exam.
At age 9 my earache was so bad I had my Adenoids and Tonsils out; I remember having lots of jelly and ice cream. After, I won a prize in a balloon race at Hastings Carnaval, my balloon traveling the furthest to a farm in France. My prize was a supply of ground coffee, yuk, mum did a deal, and I got some sweets instead.

Christmases were exciting, we would have pillowcases at the bottom of the bed – always a new doll, slippers, a book, an orange, an apple, crayons. One year dad and Uncle George were playing Father Christmas, I think they were merry because they were laughing and falling about, which woke me, but I pretended to be asleep. When they had gone I opened my present which was a doll, then I cried because I couldn’t wrap it up again properly.

Christmas decorations were always left until Christmas Eve when we were in bed, so it was a wonderful surprise Christmas morning. The tree would be in the front room – we only got to use that room at Christmas.

I had piano lessons, I liked to play and did quite well, but the teacher was very strict and told me one day that if I didn’t take a hanky and blow my nose, I couldn’t go any more. Scary, I didn’t go any more, but regret not continuing as I would still love to play.

Although we lived by the seaside, we didn’t go there very often, but I joined Ducklings and also had swimming lessons, there was a rubber ring on a rope, which the instructor would pull, until one day he put his foot on the line to talk to someone, then forgot and walked away letting me sink. Mum was furious with him and that was the end of the lessons, but I learnt at an early age and continued with width and length certificates. I was taking my quarter mile certificate and had one more length to do when the whistle went to end the session and I wasn’t allowed to finish, which was unfair. I didn’t go any more I was so upset.

ABC Minors was a Saturday Morning Matinee Club for kids at the Ritz Cinema, which was great: cartoons, Lassie, sing songs, Walt Disney.

My book reading opened the opportunity for a little Saturday morning job replacing books at the children’s library. I also had Girl Magazine, which had lovely posters in of animals. We played a lot in the street and Donkey Island, which was a piece of waste land at the top of Parker Road outside Maureen’s house, tin cans and skipping with a large rope across the road and several children joining in.

Boyfriend Peter at Elphinstone, chalk buzzing Mr Read, Mr Hopkins, Head.

Having failed the 11 plus, I went to Hastings Secondary Modern School for girls in Ore, which was very up to date and had cookery rooms and science rooms. My favourite teacher was Miss Parry, the music teacher. She was a very pretty lady, a bit like Doris Day. I loved music lessons and joined the choir, which performed at many events. Needlework was another lesson I enjoyed, Miss Willis was the mistress, a sharp spinster. Most girls dreaded her, but I got on well with her.

I palled up with Sylvie Parker who then became my best friend, Maureen was a year younger, and still at Elphinstone. Together, Sylvie and I danced ballroom, Old Time and Folk, we loved them all. Our love of dancing got us into detention for forming a chorus line on the side cabinets and tap dancing on them and getting caught. We also enjoyed tennis and both got through to County Sports Championship, but I was knocked out in the first round. Sylvie went further. I also got to County Sports in high jump, but once again didn’t do very well.

Sylvie lived in Chown’s Hill, her parents owned a small holding with orchards, which were great places to play, except for the fact that they had pigs roaming the orchard, and one day they followed me. I was so scared I ran, and they ran after me. Sylvia laughed and said I shouldn’t run.
When the family bought the land, they lived in a converted single decker bus, which was then derelict in the orchard; with her parent’s permission, we revamped it, sticking roofing felt on and painting it, made curtains, my Girl posters decorated the inside. We made a really good job of it, and one summer holiday, with some other friends, we camped in it for two weeks.

Myxomatosis was rampant at this time and very upsetting to see, Sophie’s brother was up a ladder in the orchard, picking apples one day and he killed a rabbit by throwing a knife or chopper at it, but we had a great time. We made our own food except one day my mum turned up with a large steak and kidney pie.

Girl Guides was another enjoyable time for me, I achieved many badges, becoming Patrol Leader of the Kingfisher Group. The Guide Leader became a good friend, and I adored her golden retriever, I would take him for walks through Ecclesbourne Glen.

Dad worked as a van driver for the Dorset Laundry and would often take me with him on Wednesdays when he went to Rye. I loved it, we would get a cup of tea and a doughnut from a stall by Rye Harbour. I would also help dad do the garden, picking peas, and eating them as I went. Digging up potatoes was wonderful, scratching through the soil for all the baby ones.
Ballet lessons, at last.

I joined the Hastings Girls’ Choir, which was highly regarded - they had made a record and travelled around the country, I didn’t travel with them, only local events; we wore bright pink evening dresses.

Mum took in male French students, in twos or threes, Jean Pierre was one, a real live wire. I never had a crush on any one of them, but I did on another friend’s brother, Billy Steel. I was very shy with him, but he was my first real kiss, and he sent me a valentine's card, which I can still remember the words. “Valentine I long to kiss you, press your sweet lips close to mine. Look at me and say my darling will you be my valentine. His father had a powerful black motorcycle and took me home on it - oh I was so scared. The romance fizzled.
I left school in September 1956 and started work at Timothy Whites, now Boots, on the cosmetic counter with a lady called Bally about 15 years my elder, she was very friendly, and we became quite close. I enjoyed the job.

I bumped into a friend of Billies, Colin Meyer, he called at the house to ask mum and dad’s permission to take me out, to which they agreed. He took me to a jazz concert at the White Rock Pavilion and was a real gentleman, so much so he made me feel silly and was not very responsive.
I met another guy, who was quite the opposite from Colin. He was into tight jeans and Elvis, his parents owned the 1066 café. After a couple of dates he didn’t turn up one evening – I know I was too timid for him.

Jill, another girl I worked with at Timothy Whites, invited me to go dancing with her on the pier, which we did. She was swanning around with all the fellas, drinking and smoking, and left me sitting on my own until a guy sat next to me and asked if I would like to count the stripes on his jeans (what a chat up line). I said no, I think I must have been a real goody bore at this time. Anyway, the following week Jill said “let’s go again”, so I arrived at the arranged time and waited for her outside, but she didn’t arrive. I watched the dancing from outside for a while, then walked off, too scared to go in on my own. Walking along the seafront I was aware of some lads pushing their bikes in the same direction. I glanced and caught a smile from one, they continued going my way. I reached the bus stop, got on the bus and …

I was one of the lads Val saw, and when I read this, and saw that she had ended it with “and …”, I knew she did so to entice me into completing the story by adding my memory of the events of that evening, and I have. Please read the next story, “It was a Friday, a very good Friday.”