Sheila Rosemary Rita Burgess (`maiden name: Wenham)

Born: 75a Middle Road, Ore 1933

We moved several times as we were bombed out of original house in Middle Road and moved to another house in Middle Road.  We went to stay in the Cemetery for six weeks (in the Lodge) with our aunt whose husband was the foreman in the Cemetery.  Our father was in the Army at the time.  Then we got a little house in Old Top Road, then we had a house in Grove Road until I was married.  Married – 2nd April, 1955.  I have been a widow for nearly 26 years.  I was born at home.  In those days we lived with mum and dad, and in the other part of the house our aunt and grandfather lived in same house.  Our aunt was evacuated.  War came… Grandfather died and mum and dad had another house and Gill came along.

Gillian Rose Burdett (Maiden name Wenham)

Dob 14.9.38

I was born in my grandma’s house in Ashburham Road.

I remember going to the Glen with our mother – the entrance was at the lower end of Fairlight Road in those days.  Before the houses were built there was a big house owned by Major Sayer Milward – where my mother was working as a domestic.  When they realised I was coming, all clothing was knitted for me a new baby.  This house was then demolished.  There used to be a little hut at the entrance to the Glen selling lemonade and ice cream.  This area always belonged to Sayer Milward’s.  The estate was then sold to Hastings Council, but they didn’t buy the paths.  The Council then made new rights of way, this didn’t include the waterfall and beautiful areas.  Waterfall, bluebells – a lovely walk.  Once the Council took it over they put a cinder path in that didn’t take in the beautiful waterfalls etc. It was closed off.  

Uncle George lived in a house where the Cove is (it was called the Barn) where the hairdresser’s is now.  It was a barn in those days.  In the 1950s we would go to see him but used to wonder where they slept as it appeared to be one big room.  (George Glazier – was our mum’s brother).  Before this they lived in Rosemary or Peter James Lane – we used to go for Sunday Tea.   There were chickens and birds in the house.  Then they moved to Pett – a few relatives still live in Pett now.  Our mother’s grandparents (Glazier) her grandmother was Foord and they lived in Chapel Lane and Mother’s great grandmother was called Wilson. Still have photographs of ancestors painted on hardboard – our Great great grandmother.  Grandmother died at 49 and looked 80!  She wore high black necklines, long black skirts. (lived Chapel Lane, Guestling). Our mother did not travel any further than Guestling to Ore.  Records show our mother and father never left the area.   The barn – was a big open room – cattle barn.  Uncle George worked for the pub as odd job man.  The barn went with the job.  The pub has been there a long time – cove hotel.  Upstairs they had a ring thing that you had to swing and hook it over the nose of something like a bull head on the wall (game).  Just Aunt and uncle lived in the barn. They had six children who all married. Eldest son Bert, George was killed at Dunkirk.  Betty was a twin – but twin was lost.  Two more sons who were younger and Gordon still alive and lives in a caravan at Shearbarn.  Betty Glazier (had two daughters) and used to live in Coastguard cottages.  Her husband was Auxiliary Coastguard – and they lived there for many years.  We visited there and took the dog for a walk.  Fairlight was cut off regularly every year.   Mother had Harry – when Harry was 12 he left home and came to live with grandmother in Chapel Lane and worked on the Farm – he was killed in 1st World War.  Gill’s son was in territorial army – He has been to the War graves in France and our father’s father was killed in 1st world war – Uncle Harry was killed in 1916 at Battle of the Somme.  Gill’s son has been to France and put crosses on graves of Mother’s family.  Gill’s son found all the details and put a cross on each of the graves and takes a party each year to the War Graves in France.  

There was a time when we could not go over to Fairlight in the War as it was heavily mined in the cliff and there was barbed wire.  When they came to clear the mines, the cliff had moved and the plans were all wrong!!  There were several explosions.  Our brother was a bit mischievous and they would get birds’ eggs.  We were told Don’t go to Fairlight because of the danger.  They would take a frying pan, a few sausages, bit of lard and bottle of water and they would camp up Fairlight.  The bomb squad were billeted in Ore and my friend met one and married him.  They were some months clearing mines.  No accèss to Fairlight Glen then.  Lovers’ seat was there then, but not there any more.  It was called this as a girl was jilted and she threw herself over the cliff (not sure if true) At Ecclesbourne, there were houses and a cafe. You could walk from Firehills right through to East Hill. We would go to the sand quarry and kids would play all day round there on school holidays – didn’t go out spending large amounts of money on them. Cricket and rounders were played.  There was a building there with a gun on it (pillbox) when children were small.  My eldest son was always in there.  There was quite a hill there and kids would slide down the hill.  

Sheila – When we went to Christ Church Sunday School every year they had an outing to Crowhurst; I mean we thought we were going miles you know and our dad used to say ‘Have you got your passport and don’t fall in the treacle mine!’ he used to say. Gill – we used to believe there were treacle mines out there but we never found them! Sheila – there was this little river and they all had these long tables with all the food – there was cups of tea – you didn’t get lemonade or stuff like that; you had a cup of tea and sandwiches; and there was this river and it always seemed a fine day and all the boys used to play in this water and they got soaking; then we all had to come home on a bus; but we had races and games and all that sort of thing. I can’t remember quite where it was but I know it was in Crowhurst. Gill went to Sandown School and she went – they used to have 14 buses and they were all up the road. Gill – yes Alfred Road – the whole school went and the canteen provided a packed lunch and there was always something that cropped up. First time we went, we stopped at Blue Boys on the way to London, and this boy went ‘I am Tommy Walls and I can fly.’  He jumped out of a tree and that was the end of him. Another day two boys disappeared – they followed the elephant and were taking the elephants back to their house and course we were about three hours at London Zoo while they were searching for them! Honestly the Headmaster and Headmistress were wonderful to take us because all those children and we only had one teacher on each bus!

Sheila – We used to play up at Down Farm before it was built. There was a big house there with a horse and a pond that stood outside and would bite you. Gill – the horse was tied up but you were always very dubious about shall I go past it or shall I not go past it? Sheila – he belonged to Johnny Brown’s grandad didn’t he? Henry Brown. Yes the Whitemans had the farm up there. Johnny Brown was our brother’s friend and it was his grandfather. He had pigs didn’t he? And he used to go around collecting all the pigwash – a bin full of scraps. Johnny’s dead now. Gill – and they used to live at the bottom of Fairlight Road. Sheila – in Providence Row. Gill – and when the horse was out we were all a bit dubious – shall we pass that horse or shall we not? Sheila – and I was in school with their daughter. Gill – there used to be allotments up there and I don’t like to say it but we used to go in there and pick the raspberries.

Sheila – Our Uncle Alf used to belong to the Winkle Club and he got us tickets didn’t he? Gill – and we used to dread it every year! Sheila – Rita, his daughter, was our cousin and I was very friendly with her and she lived opposite us. She said ‘Oh I’ve got tickets for the Winkle Club’. Oh crikey! Mum said ‘You go with Rita you’ll be alright’ but we were frightened to death and we were scared of the boys – they were a bit rough (I know we had a brother but we kept him in place!) They would do all sorts of things; they’d have a big table with wallpaper on it, slapping all this paste on it then putting it all over themselves; these were the fishermen. They thought it was entertainment but it wasn’t quite what we were used to. Gill – we were a bit more refined in Ore!

We used to go out to Pett Level and make a day of it. Bus numbers were no.11, no.22, no.8, no.6. The East Kent Company bus was called the Rye bus – it never had a number -it was the red bus. It was always on time – never ever say the bus was late – 9 o’clock it used to be at The Miller’s Arms which is in Winchelsea Road. We used to have to get off the bus there and go through the alleyway to the back of our house in the pitch dark and running like mad. You could set your clock by that – never ever late the Rye bus. It was a wonderful bus service it was. Sheila – there was a no.35 and a no.51 went over the West Hill; and a no.11 and no.9 went up Clive Vale and a no.3 and no.6 went up Mount Pleasant. Gill – I don’t think many of the buses went over to Fairlight up here. Sheila – that would have been the red one – the East Kent. The other company was the Maidstone and District. Gill – yes Maidstone and District.

Sheila – I remember Montgomery, Field Marshall Montgomery, coming. Gill – I remember seeing Montgomery sitting in an open top car with a beret on coming up through Ore and we all had to go to the bottom of the road to wave to him. Sheila – do you know where ESK is in Cambridge Road? Well that was a cinema, the Ritz cinema, and all the kids had to go in there; just after the war, him and Churchill went all around the country and he was on the stage talking to all the children and we saw him come out and they used the cinema. We used to go too to the ABC – ‘We are the miners’.  Gill – This man – when I used to work at MK Electrical factory, this man said to me one day ‘You’ve been right through my front door (he was a porter or something at the factory). I said ‘I don’t think I have’. ‘Oh yes you have’ he said ‘Everybody in Hastings has been through my front door’. He said when they took it off this door and put it in the skip he retrieved it this great thick glass door from the Ritz and put it on his front door. Everybody must have seen who was coming through the door and that. He said ‘You’ve been through my front door!’