The Old Brass Lantern
By Robert Crook
My grandfather had an old
brass lantern, which he had brought with him with London. With it he used to
entertain at meetings in Gedling St Mission in London with biblical stories
and stories with a moral. He would often show slides and get the children
singing ‘twinkle tinkle little star’. This was the days before cinema.
My grandfather collected
many old pictures of Sandgate, and from them had a collection of sixty
slides made. He then wrote his lecture with a story and history of each
picture. He spent months collecting and compiling his lecture. I was given
an old ‘Royal’ typewriter. And slowly with two fingers managed to type the
lecture. This made it a little easier for the lecturer. As first the lecture
lasted over an hour, but increased as more stories came to light and were
added. The lecture was very popular and was known as ‘Old Sandgate’. Any
times it was given in Sandgate, Folkestone and District. Mr Ullyett, the
retired Sandgate School headmaster, would often give the lecture. I very
often operated the lantern – so much that I began to know it by heart. There
was always a small admission charge: this money always went to the
Congregational Church or his beloved boys club. He collected a great deal of
money for a pipe organ to be put into the church. Lectures finished when
World Ward 2 began. On occasion my youngest son, Bruce, still does this same
lecture using the original slides and the same old brass lantern, if asked.
I started my education at
Sandgate School when I was five years old (1919). This coincided by the
retirement of Mr Ullyett, the headmaster, and the appointment of Mr Neil in
his place. I was very happy there, and particularly enjoyed the games of
football in the old concrete playground. Very often, an old tin can served
as a football.
Each day started with
assembly, a short address, a prayer ad a hymn. Being a church school we had
the occasional visits from the Vicar of Sandgate Parish Church. My best
subject was art, and from the age of about ten I was selected to attend the
Technical Art School for one day each week.
In August 1928 I went into
the Bevan Nursing Home for the removal of my tonsils adenoids. I was there
for five days. I still have the receipts for this operation. The total cost
was:-
Miss Mumford
for 5 days nursing £3. 3s 0d
Dr Bradbury,
who lived two doors away £6 6s 0d
I must confess that I once
had a snail for a pet. It was housed in a little box with a glass front. It
had a base of earth, a bowl of water, and I fed it with fresh leaves. I
forget its name, but it was a joy to me for many months.
On a visit to London, my
aunt bought me a chick, probably only one day old. They looked so inviting
in a glass case outside a house. The chances of it surviving were almost nil
– but with a constant supply of hot water bottle, blanket and loving care it
survived. I took it back to Sandgate and found a box to keep it in. I
thought it was from heaven, and I gave it constant care. We became so
attached that is would follow me and recognise me just like a dog.
Unfortunately, it grew quickly, and became a full blown chicken, and I
reluctantly had to part with it. A friend in the country who kept chickens
said he would take it – with a promise that it would never be killed. This
friend had a son of my age, and he was thrilled to find that it would always
follow him. The amusing part was that it would only eat from a bog and not
with his other chickens. It proved to be one of my friends’ best layers.
| Article donated to the
website March 08 |