My grandmother Bessie Gordon was in her early 40s during the Second World War. Her husband Alex, had been seriously wounded in the Great War and it is likely that he suffered from ‘shell-shock’. Alex and their 9 year old son Roger, had been evacuated to Dursley in Gloucestershire along with his sister Dorothy (Dolly)….
Category: WW2
The Remarkable Adventures of a Sussex Bee-Keeper, Film Maker, Explorer and Rebel
In 1898 a swarm of bees made their home at Exceat Farm, close to Cuckmere Haven on the bend in the road between Seaford and Friston. Some would consider this lucky but sometimes bees can stray inside an old house and become a nuisance. In 1909 it was decided to remove the swarm. The man who was chosen…
The Story of a Pock-marked Grave
The grave of Mary Ann and Edmund Sinden in Ocklynge Cemetery, Eastbourne is badly damaged. The couple married at Folkington Church on 11th May 1856. Edmund was then living in Brighton and Mary Ann was from Wannock. She was the daughter of Henry Thomas who was a farmer there. Edmund’s father was also a farmer, John Sinden…
Preparations for the Dieppe Raid and the D-Day Landings.
Postman George Martin (1908-1976) lived in Seaford, Sussex. During the Second World War he was a volunteer fire-warden and ran the Seaford branch of Toc-H, a Christian organisation which helped visiting servicemen. He witnessed the build up of troops in Seaford prior to the Dieppe Raid of 19th August 1942 and the D-Day landings of…
A Sussex Camera Obscura
Paul Dixon’s wife knows that there is another love of his life – a beautiful if rather elderly lady whose recent makeover has given her a new lease of life. Paul is the Chief Engineer for Eastbourne Pier and it is clear that he loves the old lady very much indeed. I met Paul a…
A local D-Day Hero
I met Roy Walker and his wife Anita in 2017. They were a quiet charming couple who lived in a small but tidy bungalow in Chyngton, Seaford surrounded by a well maintained garden. I chatted to Roy about his experiences in the Second World War and I am embarrassed that I did not take many…
Good from Evil
Is it possible that good can come from evil? – well yes it is and there is proof in Alfriston! During the War the Nazis used naval mines to attack allied shipping in the channel. The naval mine was probably a German invention as during the Schleswig Holsten War of 1848, Kiel harbour was protected…
A Sussex – Canadian hero
I was recently lucky to meet and interview a 93 year old Seafordian with a Canadian accent. As today is the anniversary of the D-Day Landings I thought you may like to hear his story….. My full name is Anthony Edwin Stride Elliot and I was born on 14th November 1925 at 9, Pelham Place,…
A War-Memorial Mystery!
The War Memorial in the East Sussex village of Bishopstone gives the names of nine men from the village who were killed in the First World War and four from the Second World War. The memorial includes the name of Eleanor Standish-Barry, an interesting woman who also used the stage name of Nell St John…
A Sussex Architect with bottle!
In 2011 I was honoured to be asked to say a few words at a meeting of the Alfriston & Cuckmere Valley History Society which was called to pay tribute of their former president, the late Lady Edna Healey who had died the previous year. I was in esteemed company, as not only Lord Denis…
Quirky Sussex History by Kevin Gordon 