Festive Memories - TrustNews Dec 15
In this issue Phil Yates takes us back to 1930s Winchester and recalls Christmas past through the eyes of an 8 year old.
No festive lights adorned the High Street but shop window dressers excelled in their displays for the Christmas season. One of the joys for me was visiting Santa in his cosy grotto at Sherriff & Ward (now Debenhams). A gigantic sack full of sawdust filled with buried presents drew us children closer. ‘What do you want for Christmas, sonny?’ ‘A Hornby train set’ was my reply. After a slight hesitation, ‘well, dip your hand into the sawdust and make a wish.’ A small parcel appeared which turned out to be a dinky toy. Of course, free gifts from the store did not run to my real wish but never mind. Why not cross the High Street to the London Bazaar and make for the toy section on the first floor? There, staring me in the face, was a Hornby train travelling at full speed around its tracks. ‘This is what I want for Christmas’ I announced to the proprietor Mr Gordon-Watson. ‘l hope your wish comes true’ he replied.
And it did. On Christmas morning, there it was in Santa's sack — a Hornby train set complete with rails! My wish had come true. After lunch we gathered round the wireless to listen to the King's Christmas message. George V started the tradition in 1932 and it has been followed by his successors ever since. There followed festive tea with the relations, though I could not wait to switch on the wireless again for Children's Hour with Uncle Mac, Larry the Lamb and Ernest the Policeman.
I always looked forward to Boxing Day afternoon when my parents took me to the pictures, normally opting for the Odeon on North Walls because it contained a Compton organ with Basil Cuthbert in charge of the console. Festive songs and community singing were part of the programme. Then the lights dimmed and - joy of joys - The Adventures of Robin Hood starring Erroll Flynn and Olivia de Havilland with the villains played by Basil Rathbone and Claude Rains. Winchester did not have a theatre so a pantomime visit in January meant a steam train ride to Southampton and a choice of three theatres: Grand, Hippodrome or Empire (now The Mayflower). Names such as Gracie Fields, the Crazy Gang, and two of the greatest Dames of all time - Douglas Byng and Jack Tripp - come to mind.
Such are my early Christmas memories. We may have missed out on today's numerous TV channels etc but we were content with the wireless which had two BBC programmes, the national and the regional (Winchester came under West of England). My family were lucky having electricity in the house but for families reliant only on gas, large batteries or accumulators were the only way of listening to the radio. The first television service was not launched (from Alexandra Palace, North London) till 1936 and was only available in the Home Counties. The service ceased throughout the war and did not really become popular till the Queen's coronation in 1953. Those were the days.
I am indebted once again to Rod Youngman for his assistance with this article.