Chandler's Ford Today

Doug Clews

My Love Affair with a Beautiful Lady – Part 1

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I was prompted to write this article by the inclusion of a photograph of the ship ‘Australis’ in part 121 of Adelaide Goater’s Journal- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford, published on this site by her Grandson, Rick Goater, on 12th. April 2020 … Thank you Rick!

s.s. ‘Australis’ berthed at Southampton in 1973 in her new grey / white livery.
s.s. ‘Australis’ berthed at Southampton in 1973 in her new grey / white livery.

s.s. ‘Australis’ berthed at Southampton in 1973 in her new grey/white livery

Above photo by Les Fisher, via Flickr, from his album ‘Old family photos – A collection of memories’

Most other photos used are from Chandris Lines ‘Official’ brochures, unless otherwise stated. A couple are my own.

My love affair with this beautiful lady lasted just 3 weeks, from Wednesday 9th. March 1966 until Friday 1st. April 1966, only to be
re-kindled in October 2000 when I started writing my life’s memories, but that, my friends, is another story … [Read more…] about My Love Affair with a Beautiful Lady – Part 1

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A VERY L–O–N–G Shot from Australia

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Phil, a friend of ours from Sheffield, England, is over here in Perth, Western Australia at the moment visiting family … on Saturday, he visited us in Glen Forrest, as he has done for the past eight years.

On this occasion, he presented me with a copy of Barbara Hillier’s book, ‘CHANDLER’S FORD, A PICTORIAL HISTORY’ (1994 edition – Front Cover shows Fortune Court and a VERY blue sky) … Phil bought it via Amazon U/K from a bookshop in Reading, Berks … [Read more…] about A VERY L–O–N–G Shot from Australia

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Walking with Llamas – By Doug Clews

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Although my experiences with llamas are in Western Australia, and indeed I write from Western Australia, it is my hope that the article is of general interest, and also that it may give a retiree or two, actual or potential, an idea for a pastime in retirement. I have put links to a few ‘local’ locations towards the end of the article.

My Introduction To Llamas

I retired from full-time employment in September 2000, and, as I am not a serious gardener, our ½ acre ‘bush block’ in the Hills east of Perth, in Western Australia, requires little attention apart from a bit of pruning and leaf raking to keep it tidy, so I was left wondering what on earth I was going to do with my time … [Read more…] about Walking with Llamas – By Doug Clews

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Christmas Then and Now

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As a child in Chandler’s Ford, Christmas was a special time for my family and me, albeit mostly during WW2, as I was 5½ at the outbreak.

I was, to all intents and purposes, an only child (my sister, Jean, died from Scarlet Fever aged 7, 4 years before I was born), so, I guess, understandably, I was ‘spoilt’ (so I was often told). [Read more…] about Christmas Then and Now

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A Night in the Cells

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I read the appeal for help by Hampshire Police to find a missing teenager in Chandler’s Ford, which led me to a post by Mike Sedgwick back in April about Chandler’s Ford Policing: Burglaries and Traffic Problems and the fate of Eastleigh Police Station.

These stories in turn led me back to my own memories … [Read more…] about A Night in the Cells

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My Memories of the War Years in Chandler’s Ford 1939 – 1945 (Part 6)

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Doug Clews lived in Chandler’s Ford between 1938 and 1966. Now living in Perth, Western Australia, Doug shares his fascinating childhood memories of Chandler’s Ford with us.

Part 6 (Final)

I remember that, due to the shortage of diesel (distillate) and petrol, the buses were powered by gas, generated by a converter of some description, which was located on a little trailer towed behind the bus (very dirty and smelly).
[Read more…] about My Memories of the War Years in Chandler’s Ford 1939 – 1945 (Part 6)

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My Memories of ‘The War Years’ in Chandler’s Ford: 1939 – 1945 (Part 5)

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Doug Clews lived in Chandler’s Ford between 1938 and 1966. Now living in Perth, Western Australia, Doug shares his fascinating childhood memories of Chandler’s Ford with us.

Today I’m going to share an eye-witness’ account of what happened in WWII in Winchester, recalled and written by David J. Ward, at that time a student at Peter Symonds’ School, Winchester. [Read more…] about My Memories of ‘The War Years’ in Chandler’s Ford: 1939 – 1945 (Part 5)

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My Memories of ‘The War Years’ in Chandler’s Ford: 1939 – 1945 (Part 4)

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Doug Clews lived in Chandler’s Ford between 1938 and 1966. Now living in Perth, Western Australia, Doug shares his fascinating childhood memories of Chandler’s Ford with us.

Extracts from The Doug Clews Story, or As I remember it, 81 years on.

[Read more…] about My Memories of ‘The War Years’ in Chandler’s Ford: 1939 – 1945 (Part 4)

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My Memories of ‘The War Years’ in Chandler’s Ford: 1939 – 1945 (Part 3)

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About the writer: Doug Clews lived in Chandler’s Ford between 1938 and 1966. Now living in Perth, Western Australia, Doug shares his fascinating childhood memories of Chandler’s Ford with us.

Extracts from The Doug Clews Story, or As I remember it, 81 years on. [Read more…] about My Memories of ‘The War Years’ in Chandler’s Ford: 1939 – 1945 (Part 3)

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My Memories of ‘The War Years’ in Chandler’s Ford: 1939 – 1945 (Part 2)

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About the writer: Doug Clews lived in Chandler’s Ford between 1938 and 1966. Now living in Perth, Western Australia, Doug shares his fascinating childhood memories of Chandler’s Ford with us.

Extracts from The Doug Clews Story, or As I remember it, 81 years on.

At the start of the war, there were no such things as shelters, but when the bombing started, community surface shelters began to appear. [Read more…] about My Memories of ‘The War Years’ in Chandler’s Ford: 1939 – 1945 (Part 2)

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My Memories of ‘The War Years’ in Chandler’s Ford: 1939 – 1945 (Part 1)

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About the writer: Doug Clews lived in Chandler’s Ford between 1938 and 1966. Now living in Perth, Western Australia, Doug shares his fascinating childhood memories of Chandler’s Ford with us.

At age 5 at the outbreak of WW2, I did not have anything to compare life and standards of living with, so the War, as I remember it, did not seem to be such a hardship for us, as it was for many, many, thousands of other people in England.

So many of them lost loved ones, their homes, their possessions, and in many cases, their dignity. [Read more…] about My Memories of ‘The War Years’ in Chandler’s Ford: 1939 – 1945 (Part 1)

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