Reader’s memories of Southfield Road

Being born in Southfield Road before the Second World War, I also remember the fish shop queues, during and after the war.

Towards the end of the war my pals, Dave Warwick and Geoff Parton (both from Southfield Road), would visit what we called ‘Lyons Farm’, Sompting Road (which is now a children’s playground and park), and collect newts, frogs and tadpoles from a large pond which was a wild undergrowth area.

During the late 1940s, Dave and I were in the Southfield Road Fish & Chip shop queue when there was a massive bang, and all houses within a square mile of the park were covered with a white sludge.

What we didn’t know was the pond was made up from a German bomb, which had been dropped earlier in the war and not gone off. We were lucky lads.

I later served my national service in the Royal Engineers and was taught how to handle bombs and explosives. Ha ha.

Peter Knight

Langdale Close

Sompting