Figure 4.-- This is a photograph of my parents and us boys from one of our seaside holidays. This one was taken in 195?. I usually wore sandals on these summer holidays. This photographs show the type of clothes worn on holiday. I might have worn white socks at the weekend on Sunday but not after turning 7. It was then knee length grey socks.

I just read Jonathan's account of his family holidays and it reminded me of our holidays just a few years earlier. His was a different experience to mine. We never visited a campers park for a holiday. We visited the seaside. There were on towns on the East Coast. Whitby, Scarbrough, Bridlington. Each was visited in turn. In 1959. The warmest and sunniest English Summer I can remember we visited the Isle of Man. This broke the tradition and we never went to these places again as a family. I went with my Gran to Brighton in 1961. There was no holiday away in 1960. Dad had a bad accident that year and my twin brother and sister were born. In August 1962 we went to Morcombe for a week. This is near Blackpool.

Seaside

We visited the seaside. There were on towns on the East Coast. Whitby, Scarbrough, Bridlington. Each was visited in turn. In 1959. The warmest and sunniest English Summer I can remember we visited the Isle of Man. This broke the tradition and we never went to these places again as a family. I went with my Gran to Brighton in 1961. There was no holiday away in 1960. Dad had a bad accident that year and my twin brother and sister were born. In August 1962 we went to Morcombe for a week. This is near Blackpool.

Train Rides

This was all before the time that many people had cars. We travelled by train. Seeing trains a few weeks before the start of the holiday made you wish and to see trains weeks before the holiday would make want to be on holiday. The ride there was always filled full of excitement. The ride home in the train was always a sad time because you were going home.

Hotels

We stayed in hotels at the cheaper end of the market. Today these would be considered bed and breakfast hotels. They provided three meals a day. Mum insisted on this type of a holiday. Her philosophy that she too wanted a break from home keeping. Having meals cooked by someone else was her idea of a holiday. The small family hotels we stayed at provided accommodation and meals. There was a lounge and little else in the way of things to do. It was expected that once a meal was over you would seek activities in the holiday resort. This was beach during the morning, an outing in the afternoon and town amusements in the evening.

Holiday Camps

Dad would not tolerate Billy Butlin holiday camps. He enjoyed these places in his youth and felt that they would be more suitable for youngsters who wanted to holiday with there peers and not be with their parents.

Scarbrough

Scarbrough castle was the place I remember visiting. The steep climb up the bank and then the inside a vast piece of grass land. I always liked places that were smugglers haunts. I enjoyed the fun fair and being on the beach and playing in the sea. In the evening we would visit the theatre and local cinemas. There was an open air pool in Scarbrough. It was a scene of an adventure that my brother and I got into about 1958. This was the time we learning to swim. I had perfected the doggy paddle but my brother could not swim. We had bouancy aids which we clutched in our hands as we climbed the steps to the waterchute. Mum and dad had told us were to meet them once we were changed. We saw the water and the water shoot and in our excitement we rushed off to have fun. Mum and dad saw us but we were too far away for them to stop our dash to the water. They were horrified to see us climb the steps to the waterchute. Mum alerted a life guard who dived into the water to rescue my little brother because once down the water chute we found ourselves in trouble the water was deeper than we expected. I was able to make it to the side but the life guard rescued my brother. We got a good telling off.

New Friends

There were always lots of other children staying at the hotel who we made friends with and enjoyed playing together. We went to bed about 9 o'clock and always wanted to stay up longer but that five minutes more often stretched out to be a good half hour extra fun packed play.

Brighton

In 1950 I went with my gran to see relations in Brighton. I had a fantastic week, roaming about this seaside town with my cousin. It was the first time I had been away with\out my parents. I was 12 at this time so this was a sign that I was growing up. I liked this frieedom. My cousin and I went everywhere together. We were both 12 and had similar interests so we got on well together.

Seaside Food

Seaside food to me is ice cold milk shakes, ice cream and strawberries, banana splits, toffee apples and candy floss.

Beach Play and Toys

Mum and dad stayed in the place on the beach were dad had erected the canvas deck chairs. We wandered down to the sea and splashed about in it. We made friends with other children that were there too. Dad always bought us a bucket and spade for digging in the sand and making sand castles. The castles were built were wonderous to us but the incoming tide destroyed the hours of work we put into building them. On the last day of the holiday my brother and I could choose a new toy. The trip to the toy store was always a joy. even now when I am on holiday I treat myself to new gift at the end of a holiday.

Holiday Clothes

Holiday clothes between 1953 and 1960 consisted of suit to travel in. This we wore to the theatre or cinema in the evenings and to important events that we attended. During the day we wore a blazer, short sleeved shirts, khaki shorts, ankle socks. I don't recall these being white. They were often a sandy brown colour and brown sandals. We wore swimmimg trunks on the beach. We changed into swimming gear on the beach.

William Eric Ferguson