brighton & hove people 1927-1945 (2)
Pictured through the lens of a Sussex Daily News photographer.
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This photograph of the West Pier, Brighton would have looked very different as WW2 evolved. Piers would have had their planks removed to prevent German Forces landing on the and using them to establish a beach head. In Brighton both piers were mined to stop enemy ships docking.
But this didn't happen until after the Fall of France and the Benelux countries in 1940 when invasion suddenly became a very real and frightening prospect.
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Crowds gather for 'Remembrance Day' 1929, Grand Avenue, Hove.
For the days following the WWI, Remembrance Day was attended by thousands given that nearly everyone in the City would have been touched by WWI
One poster wrote on Brighton Past that it was amazing to put this photo into its historical context. The Nazis had just overrun France and the the Low Countries and the Dunkirk evacuation was still in full swing. On 1st June when this wonderfully evocative photo was taken outside Hove General, almost 64,500 British and French troops were rescued off the Dunkirk beaches.
This appears to be a photograph taken in Western Road. Brighton of someone clearing a wasps' nest from the awning of Marks & Spencer.
The shops on the opposite side of the road would have been demolished a several years later to build Churchill Square Shopping Centre.
According to Robert Jeeves on Brighton Past. This is thought to be the Southern Miniature Railway which was near the Western Lawns on Hove Seafront, next to the Kings Esplanade which runs from The Kingsway then left past King Alfred to the lawns. All the buildings in the background are now demolished.
The building in the background is the Hove Coastguard Station.
According to Brighton Past, this photograph is of a funeral for Sir Harry Preston.
Harry was a contraversial, but generous and popular man with many.
Drivers and boxers were among those who attended the funeral at St Peter's Church, Brighton. Ten large cars and two 30 seater busses were registered to carry the wreaths, one of which was from the King . The cortege went from the Royal Albion Hotel to St Peter ' s Parish Church . The internment was at Cuckfield . this photo shows , Mr Charles Coborn , the veteran actor , at St Peter ' s Church , Brighton for the funeral service . 18 August 1936"
An interesting array of comments on the Brighton Past Facebook site about this picture. It seems that during this period many houses had iron fences removed to use for the war effort.
The lady here is pictured with her collection of metals that is likely to be donated to the war effort.
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This picture of a lions in a visiting circus, quite rightly caused a lot of outrage on the Brighton Past Facebook site and if anything shows how far we have now moved on in terms of understanding animal welfare.
This appears to be a very civic occasion and a large crowd gathered at York Place, Brighton (next to St Peters Church).
Leading the parade appears to be what appears to be a Mayor of Brighton?
The calendar on the wall gives the date aways as December 1937 and could be any Tailor somewhere in Sussex.
On this website, nearly everyone appears to be dressed much better than people today,. This despite the average person being less wealthy than the average person today.
This could be several places along the coast - perhaps Lancing? I think significantly it is a great photograph that set the scene of the conditions and brings back memories of any walk on the seafront when battling gale force winds.
The concencus of opinion on Brighton Past was that this picture was taken in Sackville Road, Hove.
This is likely as the Queens Nurses lived and worked at the bottom of Sackville Road, Hove.
This picture was taken on Worthing Pier and resulted in a lot of interest on Brighton Past |(mainly men!).
In a more PC world these events are a thing of the past. But this photograph is a fantastic portrait of social history depicting the fashions a bygone era.
Tommy Trinder pictured outside the |Brighton Hipodrome in 1938. Tommy was a British comedian whose catchphrase was 'you lucky people' and regularly played the Palace Pier, Brighton. He also went onto live locally in Saltdean. Not be confused with Max Miller who was Brighton born and bred who has a statue outside the Dome Theatre, Brighton.
This picture prompted a debate on Facebook about boys toys and the amount of guns children of this age once had. In reality the photograph took some setting up and could be seen as some pre-war propaganda, encouraging men to sign up to be an army reservist.
North Street Quadrant, Brighton (The bootom of Queens Road and Air Street). The poster on the building of Winston Churchill is a reminder that there was still a long way to go until victory in WWII.
The London to Brighton Road relay won by Mitcham AC Denis Brickwood. ( His club has now merged with Sutton to become Sutton and District.
The race was run as a relay over 45 miles.
This is very likely the old wooden stand at Devonshire Park, Eastbourne. A tennis tournament takes place annually. The stand differs from that of East end of Withdean Stadium.
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A stroll along Brighton Seafront. In the background is a then very new Embassy Court block of flats (which is opposite the Peace Statue) a fantastic example of Art Deco still standing today.
The calendar on the wall gives the date aways as December 1937 and could be any Tailor somewhere in Sussex.
On this website, nearly everyone appears to be dressed much better than people today,. This despite the average person being less wealthy than the average person today.
Holding box