Have you bought your copy of my recommended reading from the last post? No! Then here is a sample of the 'memories' in the book.
This is the only one that I can reproduce here without breaching copyright - I wrote it - but there are many better tales in the book.

In the early 1950s, before caravans had been planted on the Martello Tower site, the field in front of the tower (which I am told was known as Cartbridge Field) spawned a sea of tents for a number of weeks during the summer holiday period.

These khaki army style tents were the home of equally khaki clad lads from the London area who were feared by the local youth and known as “The Borstal Boys”.

Borstal was still a recognised punishment or corrective regime for wayward youngsters then.

My story involves a well known figure in the town at the time, Mr. Newton Sharman, known to everyone as ‘Newt’. He was one of the local ‘Snobs’ or shoe repairers with a small workshop in Mill Lane, opposite what was then the library and is now a gents hairdresser.

The Borstal Boys made their way to and from their camp site via Mill Lane and regularly cheeked and taunted Newt as they passed his workshop. He put up with this for some time until one day a lad went into the workshop, grabbed some shoes that were on the counter and threw them at Newt, before scampering off down Mill Lane.

Little did the boy realise that Newt had been an accomplished athlete in his younger days as a star player for the Walton Town Football Club. Newt leaped the counter and pursued the youngster, soon catching him at the point in the road where the Car Park is now situated. Here a small stream ran under the road and I was playing with my friends catching sticklebacks to take home in a jam jar.

Newt grabbed the lad by his collar and with a swift jerk of his arm tossed him over the edge into the muddy water. Now that was real justice. Nothing was made of the incident to my knowledge unlike today when Newt would have been charged with untold offences and probably imprisoned.

Those were the days!

There are still another 44 good stories to read in the book - get your copy soon before they are sold out and become collector's items. I've already seen one for sale at a premium on eBay !

Firstly my apologies to those loyal readers who have emailed me asking why there has been no recent activity on this blog. I've been rather preoccupied with preparing a new beach hut for the family to enjoy this summer - although with the recent terrible weather I'm beginning to wonder if my efforts have been in vain.

When I've not been working on the beach hut I've been reading a splendid new book published recently to raise money for the restoration of Walton's All Saints Parish Church.

The book is titled "Memories of Walton-on-the-Naze 1900-1980 by those who lived here" and it does exactly what it says on the tin!

Tales written by 45 Walton folk recounting their memories of the town and its inhabitants. Contributors include many well known Walton people with stories and details that are new to me. Childhood memories, The 1953 Flood, Walton Senior School, Coastguard memories, Wartime tales and Lifeboat stories are just a few of the subjects covered. Truly a must-read for anyone interested in Walton. 79 pages including many black & white photographs and beautifully presented in a softback book.

I understand that the book has proven so popular that a reprint has already been put in hand. You can obtain a copy from the church or the local newsagents. If you do not live locally then you can get your copy from Mrs. Elizabeth Cull, 3, Grants Court, Victoria Road, Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex CO14 8BU. The price is only £5.00 although you will need to add extra if you require it to be posted to you. You can contact Elizabeth Cull on eliz.cull@ukgateway.net for more details and to find out how much postage to anywhere in the world will cost.

This will be one of the best five pounds you will spend this year. Not only will you enjoy the read and learn so much about Walton but you will also be doing your little bit to save the town's magnificent old church.