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WELCOME TO ALBIE’S TALES –
The Adventures of a lad from Regis Place, in the little seaside
town of Sheringham on the North Norfolk coast. Join with me as I
look back at Albie’s childhood during the war years of the
’40s, learning more about the petulant teenager during the
’50s, and raving over his fab days during the early ’sixties.
Will it all be sun, sea and – saucy frolics? Just you wait
and see!
 LET’S
START AT THE BEGINNING with
the story of Albie’s birth,
in Regis Cottage, as told by Edie, his great-grandmother, with whom
the family lived in those far-off wartime days of housing shortages
and ration books.
How
were the family affected by the Second
World War? How did they eke out the meagre rations from their
allowance?
We
shall soon begin to discover the truth as it unravels itself through
the pages of Albie’s Tales –
the Adventures of a Sheringham lad.
JOIN
ALBIE ON HIS FIRST DAY AT SCHOOL
Let’s
go hand
in hand with Albie, as we accompany the lad to school
for the very first time, leaving his mother at the school gates.
Never before had they been apart, so it’s bound to be a shock
for both of them. Maybe Albie will think it’s only for a day
and he won’t have to go again – if so, he’s in for
quite a surprise!
Will
he be eager to learn, or will he think it’s all a waste of
time and just look forward to ‘playtime’? One thing is
certain, things will never be the same again for the little lad,
so how will he adapt to this sudden change in his life?
Stay
with us and we’ll find out!
Read
about a birthday Albie is destined
to remember forever. What on earth could happen to make his
special day, one which should have been filled with so much happiness,
one to be filled with sadness for, not only for the lad, but a great
many other people as well. You, too, may have been touched by the
events of that particular day.
Be
with Albie when he sits the dreaded examination – the
eleven-plus. Find out how he coped with the pressures of the
exam room. Would he pass, or fail? Would he become an engine driver,
electrician or was he destined for greater things? Or would he remain
a dreamer?
 Join
Albie and his mother as they buy his school
uniform in preparation for the start of a new term at a new
school – will it be a secondary-modern or grammar school? Who
knows, but you will find out if you read on.
Be
with the eleven-year-old on his first day at his new school. What
will the day bring? Will
it be a challenge? will he make new friends? He will certainly
discover it to be different to what he has grown accustomed in the
past!
Remember,
with Albie, that dreadful night in 1953 when the North Sea threatened
the lives of so many along the North Norfolk coast, and join Albie
and his friend Victor as they take a walk along the Sheringham promenade
– or where it used to be!
There
are so many stories to be told: pocket money to be earned; mountains
to be climbed; races to be won and lost
too; battles to be fought as Albie joins the Headmaster’s elite
force! No mercy shown, nor expected, and orders to be obeyed without
question at all times.
ALBIE’S
MOST UNUSUAL ROLE!
Suddenly,
quite unexpectedly, Albie is in great demand and fulfills a most
unusual role – but will others believe in him?
His
love of music begins to play an ever-increasing part in his life.
It may well be ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ time for the lad but
some – particularly grown ups – fail to share his tastes!
One
thing is certain, there are bound to be more pressures than ever
before upon him, with even more days spent studying and revising
for his eventual visits to the examination room.
How
will Albie cope with these additional pressures? Will he take it
all in his stride, or will he just go to pieces? Perhaps his doctor
may be able to prescribe something to help...!
After
those fateful days in the examination room, what next? When the
results are but known, what will be his ambition in life? Does he
indeed have an ambition? If so, where will he go from here?
That,
my friend, will be revealed in Part Two:
Albie Moves On. However, it doesn’t stop there,
as you’ll discover in Part
Three: Albie and the Lion.
It
doesn’t end there, of course, as Part
Four: Albie’s Swinging ’Sixties is also online
featuring many new stories of the lad from Sheringham.
But,
let’s start at the beginning with Albie’s arrival on that
bleak, snowy February day, early in the 1940s.
NEXT:
A child is born in Regis
Place.
A
POSTCARD FROM SHERINGHAM
WHY
NOT TAKE A LOOK at this brand-new website and see Sheringham through
the eyes of visitors to the seaside resort during the golden years
of the Picture Post Card. There are postcards from as early as 1904
through to the mid-1960s, so you will see the changes over the years.
In
a great many cases the postcards had messages for ‘back home’,
and these will be shared with you although the senders and addresses
will still remain private. “Wish you were here” or “Weather
is glorious” – you’ll have to take a look to find
out more.
The
website www.apostcardfromsheringham.co.uk
is now up-and-running, but postcards are still being added as and
when they become available, so, if you like what you see, call back
from time to time – or, better still, get yourself to Sheringham,
on the North Norfolk coast, and see what it’s like these days,
I’m sure you’ll be made most welcome!
Please sign Albie’s guestbook as I would love to hear your
comments –
or email:
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