Portsmouth History - Portsmouth Now and Then - nowpompey.com
   
         
 
Express FM History Show
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

Amongst other things, we went back thirty years to the Dockyard Pipe Shop and to the Dockyard Club's dances at Clarence Pier with Doreen Dewar, to an idyllic evacuation from Landport during WW2 with Eve White and to what used to be almost the undeveloped countryside of Baffins in the 1930s with Norma Waldren.

There was Boys' Own adventure in Roy Ritson's account of how, about 70 years ago, he was shot at in Guildhall Square when he had to take cover under the 'Town Station' High Level railway bridge from an attacking German fighter plane!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Retired local pub pianist Larry Nicholas related his big break into performing in public at the age of just 14!

There was more musical references from the past from our nearly resident "Portsmouth Pop Of The Past Person" Pete Cross plus, especially this week, news of how to enjoy our local history over the half-term hols!

 
 
 

A couple dance the Charleston in the 1920s

We heard of young love in Portsmouth in the 1920s and later from John Hatherley, Doris Kay and Doris Davis, just to help to get you in the mood for Valentine's Day next Saturday!

We had a request for another song from that bawdy and camp female impersonator, the late Lee Sutton and we met the latest local history Quiz winner Chris Bloxsom.

Ellie Young and Dave Chapel are two people we met who are actually making local history at the moment, the former here in the ExpressFM studios and the latter up the Guildhall clock tower!

 
 
 

Do you recognise these 1960s Portsmouth chart-toppers?
Hover your mouse over the image for the answer ...

There were of course many other aspects to the local live music scene in Portsmouth at around the period disc jockey Pete Cross continued to tell us about this week.

In addition we also now turned to Larry Nicholas, for another view altogether, actually playing music from behind a piano keyboard in the 1960s and beyond!

Our announcer, octogenarian John Hatherley, told us in touching detail about his early home life in Portsea and then, after being bombed-out during World War II, at his family's new home in Wymering.

We also had a chance to hear just a little about the early romances of both John and of the late Doris Kay of Eastney, but we'll ensure there's time next week to hear them in full!