Childhood Memories

by Jalaluddin

Dear Wil

I was looking at the school web site, the photo at the bottom of the scenes is I think the cottage where we used to come for holiday when I was very small.

We lived in Birmingham then and used to visit usually about the beginning of September. The cottage, if the pic is of the right place on the estuary back in the early 50's belonged to a woman called Nancy and her sons, Mervyn and John.

I think Mervyn worked on the Royal Air Force base and John was a fisherman and maybe other things as well. I can remember him taking us out in his boat to catch lobsters from his pots, catching shrimps in the estuary for Nancy to cook, the beautiful beach and the little bridge.

On the opposite side to the beach was a sheltered cove my father used to refer to as Shell Beach, for many years I still had the jar of cowrie shells he sued to spend hours looking for there.

I have visited several times in later years what is the place of so many happy childhood memories and the most beautiful beach.

Sadly John drowned I learned years later when his boat capsized. If my mother had know he couldn't swim she would never have allowed us to go out on the bay with him.

If any local reads this please pass this onto the school so they can if the wish add to their web site.

Jalal email:jalalu9@gmail.com