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Where was your first holiday?

Old Boy

Old Boy

master brummie
I remember my first real holiday was in 1938. I went to camp at Weymouth with the Boy Scouts. There was a fleet review being held at the time and I well remember groups of proud young sailors on the promenade no doubt trying to impress the girls. Amongst them were lads from the aircraft carrier HMS Courageous and the battleship HMS Royal Oak. Both these ships were sunk very early in the war that started soon after and when I heard I had a flashback to those earlier happier days.

During that week we sailed on a boat from Weymouth to Lulworth Cove. It was my first sea trip but not my last as when my time came I went into the Royal Navy and travellesd to the Far East.

Can you remember your first holiday?

Old Boy.
 
Old Boy said:
I remember my first real holiday was in 1938. I went to camp at Weymouth with the Boy Scouts. There was a fleet review being held at the time and I well remember groups of proud young sailors on the promenade no doubt trying to impress the girls. Amongst them were lads from the aircraft carrier HMS Courageous and the battleship HMS Royal Oak. Both these ships were sunk very early in the war that started soon after and when I heard I had a flashback to those earlier happier days.

During that week we sailed on a boat from Weymouth to Lulworth Cove. It was my first sea trip but not my last as when my time came I went into the Royal Navy and travellesd to the Far East.

Can you remember your first holiday?

Old Boy.
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Old Boy,

I well remember my first holiday. I think we called them "holidays" when we travelled away to the seaside. didn't we...?

But, up until the age of 15 - that would be about 1943 - I had never seen the sea. That year - wartime or no wartime - I was determined to see the sea.

So a mate and I booked up a bed and breakfast in Rhyl and we biked it there...! It took us 11 hours to get there from Adams Street in the old end, but we made it. Well, we had muscles in those days, didn't we...?

But I was never so disappointed in my life....

I had expected the sea to be an exotic blue, such as I had always expected from looking at the holiday displays and magazines. But I dismounted from my bike and walked down a promenade that showed a grey, sullen-looking ocean.

What I didn't realise, at the time, was that the sea reflected the colour of the sky, and the sky when we arrived wasn't blue. It was a murky grey...

But the next day, when we turfed ourselves out of bed we found a lovely, sunny day waiting for us - and, guess what? - a brilliant blue and white foaming sea...

My faith in the seaside was restored, and I had my first real holiday by the sea. I enjoyed every minute of it. And we biked it back to Brum with a great feeling that we had accomplished something worth going after...!

Cheers,

Jim Pedley (pedlarman)
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My first holiday as a child was towards the end of WW2. We went with our next door neighbours, by Midland Red bus to Bewdley, I can't remember how we got to Arley, but do remember standing at a signpost with the 'grown-ups' arguing about which way to go. We stayed in a real gypsy caravan in a farmer's field near Arley. The caravan had large wooden wheels with horse shafts, and steps up to the end door. It was decorated with bright colours inside and out. It had a wood burning stove for cooking. I used to go with my sister down a hill across the railway track to the River Severn, and I remember a small island in the river at that point. We used to watch US airplanes flying along the river so low we could look down on them from the hill. I also remember the pub down by the river.
Memories........:)
 
Old Mowhawk did I put this on for you before or was it another member?. This is the field above The railway track where the caravans were the other the island with myself and my twins and the other the railway line you had to cross to reach the island. Jean.
 
Hi, Jean. Yes I had mentioned my holiday before in the Severn Valley Railway thread. I remember your photos, but had not seen the one on the left. The scenery in it looks something like I remember.
Thanks
oldmohawk:)
 
My first holiday was Talybont near Barmouth when half the street piled into a lorry with all their camping gear. We hired a field and made it our home for two weeks. Other more well off folks followed on in their cars motor bike and side cars and the lads rode on their bikes. Great times had by all. Jean.
 
G G Jean said:
My first holiday was Talybont
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Lovely photos, are two of the ladies in the left photo wearing 'pinafores'? I seemed to remember my mom wearing similar. I like the tents, but you could trip over the 'guy ropes' when walking in the pitch dark nights.:)
 
Old Mohawk I think three as Mrs Wilkins had a cardi over hers and mom had only a short one on. Doesn't the little girl in the back ground look sweet. Guess who?. Jean.
 
I never had a proper holiday until I had left school. We were always having days out at various places including the seaside but my first actual holiday was when I was eighteen. I took my mom to Mudeford near Poole for a week.
 
G G Jean said:
Doesn't the little girl in the back ground look sweet.
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I had a feeling I knew who it was, was going to mention it in my previous post. Have a feeling I have seen her before in posts. By the way, what do you think of Stitcher's new avator?:)
 
oldMowhawk, the new avatar is the result of trying to understand the BRAwomin on this site. Especially Maggieuk.
 
Sticher, Although I mess about a lot with my computers, even using Linux instead of Windows at the moment, I've never delved into the hidden parts of the forum, where all these BRAwomin ? hang out ! I'm off to bed now even though someone nearby is letting off fireworks!!
Oh, and apologies to Old Boy for drifting slightly off his topic.:)
 
your better off not knowing believe me. Goodnight oldMowhawk.
 
Old Mowhawk I love Stitchers new avator much better than the previous. Trevor Pete's first holiday was when he took his mom and dad to Burnham after finding a wad of money in the gutter. Jean.
 
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You will never guess where my first holiday was.......it was Burnham i was 7 years old and that old wooden light house....well

My favourite place is Weymouth you might ask your self why i dont live there the simple answer i could not afford to buy a place down there, i used to go there a lot when my late brother lived on Portland Bill,he had a pet store in the old market by the White Hart in Weymouth you would not believe the amount of people who buy new collars for there pets when on holiday

Mossy:cool:
 
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Dont remember it :rolleyes: but this was my first holiday.The field where we camped in Tewksbury was owned by The Birmingham Angling Association...still is, I think.
 
Oh forgot to say,I am the babby in the bucket.
Jean,Sticher changed his avatar after he was informed...the tight Y front underpants he was wearing would affect his virility.:(.
 
My first holiday was Budbroke Brks, Warwick, N/S call up 1947 it lasted for 2yrs with some home visits!!. :greatbritainflag::D:D:D Len.
 
Len trust you. Sounds like you enjoyed your national service then?. Ray I have one of me in a bowl somewhere when we camped. Will sort it. Love you in the bucket though. Jean.
 
Some more photo's of our holiday at Talybont. I'm the one standing by the horse [the small child]. Jean.
 
I couldn't afford a place in WEMOUTH Mossy even if I could find it:D
 
I wonder how many people on the forum [apart from Mossy as we know where his first holiday was] are now living where they first holidayed?. My cousin Beat's was Mortehoe and she spent the best part of her married life there till she died a couple of years ago. Just a thought. Jean.
 
Believe it or not my first holiday was Birmingham (coming up vrum Zummerzet) I would have been 4 at the time and remember a smacking in the Rag Market for throwing a tantrum wanting a wind up trolleybus Mum couldn't afford (just after seeing my first real one in the Bull Ring). The trams made the biggest impression on me, and the noises they made. (That's never gone away). We stayed with relatives in Alum Rock so rode the No. 8 although I remember some rides from town on the 10 and a walk through Ward End Park that always made my legs tired so I had to be carried the last bit. Other than that was a haircut on an ostrich in Lewis's and a bus ride on a Midland Red bus to Dudley Zoo. We had several more Birmingham holidays over the years before I moved here in 1959. My only seaside holiday as a child was a week in Torquay in 1948 but then we lived close enough to spend many a long summer day at Birmingham on Sea (W-S-M), Clevedon or Severn Beach.
 
My first holiday was in Gt.Yarmouth in 1952. It took a good 5 hours to get there by coach from Brum. The roads were a lot quieter, but no motorways, by passes or dual carriage ways.
 
Some nice looking tents in this thread - we bought one from the Army & Navy stores - there were a lot surplus after WW2. Also that rubber dingy certainly makes a good seat - it looks slightly military type - wonder if it ever made it to the sea ?
 
Motorman Mike,

Why on earth did you move up to Brum from beautiful Somerset? It cannot have been the lure of the trams because they had disappeared by 1959. I bet there is a story here. Can it be told?

Old Boy
 
Old Boy said:
Motorman Mike,

Why on earth did you move up to Brum from beautiful Somerset? It cannot have been the lure of the trams because they had disappeared by 1959. I bet there is a story here. Can it be told?

Old Boy
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Nothing exciting really Old Boy. I wanted a job in the offices of the local bus company but they didn't want me without a GCE 'O' level in Maths which I hadn't got. My family then wanted me to work at the Admiralty or in local government, but same problem, no GCE Maths. Whilst I was on a holiday in Birmingham the Council were advertising for school leavers with or without GCE so I went for an interview and landed a job in the Transport Dept at Congreve Street. Because it was Local Goernment the family OK'd it and I was in amongst the buses - double bonus!. The rest, as they say, is just history. Fair to say I nearly went back in 1963 due to lodgings problems but then moved to Billesley and stayed on. Where I live now, just beyond the Maypole, is on the edge of beautiful Warwickshire and Worcestershire countryside that's hardly 15 minutes away in the car and there's plenty of trees and green space with several City Parks and Moseley Bog within in easy reach on Birmingham side of the boundary too. I still look on Somerset as home even after all these years but I will always be grateful to Birmingham and it's people for putting up with me and doubt that I ever shall move back now.
 
And very glad we are too that it turned out the way it did/has.
 
My first was in Blackpool. I cannot remember it but a photo saw me sat in a pushchair and my dad in his demob suit in front of the Tower. No way would I choose to retire there or anywhere close. Hate the place for quite a number of reasons.

Rhyl was my just remembered holiday. Blue sky ,seagulls tin buckets on the beach. After that it was just days out until I joined the Air Cadets then I travelled all over.
 
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