St. Marks School - Arundel Road.

Wartime/air-raids

By Molly Styles

We (my sister) and her school-friends, were sitting by the tamerisk hedge in 1940/41, when two German bombers, who had been flying just above the waves, came and dropped bombs near us. One bomb went down the lift-shaft (500lbs.) of Marine Gate flats. We were very shocked as machine-gun bullets were above and around us.

 We spent hours in the air-raid-shelters doing times-tables and singing Marie Lloyd,s Welsh-favourite songs.

My dad Norman Holford, born 1908, was 1st cousin to Frederick Holford born 1906 at Blackrock farm.

I would like to make contact with Chris Holford my 2nd cousin.

I enjoyed the Black Rock Farm article.

Molly Styles (nee-Holford). 

This page was added on 23/04/2010.
Comments about this page

Hello Chris, I am the daughter of Norman Holford, born at Newhouse Farm Sheepcote Valley in 1908, the son of Silas and Beatrice.They had 13 children, he being the youngest! Silas had brothers, Rote, William, Clement and Ward,who lived in Tidy St. Brighton. I met him during the war, and Lawrence(your Grandad) with the sisters make a total of 12 children.

The Holfords had a large Dairy herd of possibly 200 cows? Milk was delivered to customers from around Roedean boarding school to most of Kemp Town and down to St. James  ice cream parlour!

I was born at 2 Manor farm cottages, Manor Farm. This was demolished when building began on the new estate. 2  police houses were built on the exact site of the cottages which were in turn  demolished to make way for St. Marks new school. I was at the reunion in 1995.

When my father was in the Pioneer Corps we moved to live in Bennett Road(31). during the war, when we were bombed out, May 18th 1943,we lived for some weeks in the red brick house (Park House) east Brighton, with my grand parents, Mr. & Mrs. Alf Hodgkin.

By mollystyles
On 30/04/2010

Re: In Air-raid Shelters. Mr. Lloyd was our class teacher who taught us Welsh songs (Lonely Ash Grove and Men of Harlech) Miss Reddick was our Headmistress.

By Molly Styles
On 30/04/2010

Hi Molly, my aunty lived at 37 Bennet Road in the 2nd w/war .Her name was Marg Norris she went to St marks so did my mum Ann mountford, they were sisters.

By julie annets
On 05/11/2010
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