Tag: Battle

Happy Sussex Day


I’m sorry that I am a bit late with this. I fired up the post but family stuff got in the way.

From Wikipedia…

Sussex (from the Old English: lit. ’South Saxons’) is an area of South East England that was historically a kingdom and, later, a county. The current ceremonial counties of East Sussex and West Sussex cover approximately the same area. The two ceremonial counties border Surrey to the north, Kent to the north-east, the English Channel to the south, and Hampshire to the west.

Sussex is my home county. I was born in the coastal / port town of Shoreham-by-Sea. However, as my father was a policeman we were moved around quite a bit. So, home was Hove, Lewes, Westfield, and Battle. I left home to take up an apprenticeship in the Royal Dockyard, Portsmouth. In reality I haven’t lived in Sussex full time since 1969, having moved next door, so to speak, to the county of Hampshire.

The shield, central to the image above reflects the Sussex flag, bearing Six gold martlets on a Blue field, which dates back to 1611.

A martlet in English heraldry is a mythical bird without feet that never roosts from the moment of its drop-birth until its death fall

The motto We wunt be druv, is a Sussex dialect expression meaning “we will not be pushed around” and reflects the traditionally independent nature of Sussex men and women.

Which is probably where I get my stubborn streak.

My heart still belongs to Sussex.

Mindless Vandalism


Another example of the mindless perpetrating the unbelievable against the defenseless.

Vandals trashed the South Street centre by breaking furniture, smashing crockery and throwing soil from plants over the floor.

They made holes in the walls, broke windows and pulled things from shelves.

I can never understand the mentality of the people who carry out these destructive attacks on people and property.

When I was a spotty faced youth I lived in the village of Westfield just north of Hastings. Back then we had less to entertain us. There was no daytime TV and only two channels in the evenings. We didn’t have computer games in fact the only “electric” games available were our train sets. If we were bored we went down the rec, played football, dug up some worms and went fishing or just went exploring either on our bikes or on foot.

I recall groups of us going out and about when I was a teenager, hanging around on street corners in Battle. At no time did we ever consider going and trashing someones home or the local community centre or any other establishment. I do distinctly remember being challenged by the owner of the local dry cleaners, standing in front of a group of us with a large golfing umbrella, asking

Are you contemplating mayhem about my premises ?

I remember there was a friendly exchange of views but it was all light-hearted. Can you imagine the reaction of some members of our modern-day youth to any form of confrontation, let alone from someone using that sort of language. Yes we might have gotten up to some mischief. OK, I admit it, we did. We might have put out a window or two in a derelict industrial building but we never attacked people’s homes or places of work.

Now that I am much older and, hopefully, wiser I still can’t understand their actions.

Apparently police have arrested three teenagers, a 13-year-old boy and two 15-year-old boys who are being questioned on suspicion of criminal damage and theft.

If these lads are found to be the perpetrators then they should be made to help repair the damage. Fines or detention is not the answer.

They should be made to stand in front of the people who make use of this centre and explain why they chose to break in and trash the place.

Finally they should be made to spend a significant amount of their free time at the centre. Working there so they get a feel for what this place is doing for their community and what their actions mean to the folks that use the centre.

Anyone with information about the break-in should call Gosport police station on 101.

You can also give information anonymously by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Yobs trash safe haven for Gosport people with cancer – Local – Portsmouth News.