Aldershot

My stay at the Cambridge Military Hospital

I had my tonsils removed at the Cambridge Miltary Hospital in 1981 (aged 8).  The only memory I have of this time is of a little girl named Yvonne Cherry who stayed in the bed next to mine, she never had any visitors and spent the majority of her time looking in my locker.

My father, Eric James was an ambulance driver for the Cambridge Hospital for many years.  It's a beautiful building and it is heartbreaking to think of it standing with empty corridors and dusty old cobwebs.
Contributed by Tracey Barden

The Cambridge Ghost

The Cambridge Military Hospital was apparently founded as part of the initiative begun by Florence Nightingale after the Crimean War to improve medical facilities for the Army. It was built on a grand, traditionally solid Victorian scale, and as I remember, had very long corridors, which seemed to be about a quarter of a mile long! At least, it seemed, standing at one end, the roof and floor met at the other.
In February 1969 as a cadet at the nearby Sandhurst, I had an accident on the assault course, twisting my knee badly on the frozen ground. The injury was quite severe and I was required to have an operation and physiotherapy as an in-patient, so I spent several months ...read more here
Contributed by James Ritchie

Hospital Stay

My son Thor had a branchial cyst removed when he was about 20 months old. The staff were wonderful. I stayed in the hospital all the time and beds were made available for the mums. For our meals we would cross over the road to go to the army canteen and the food was incredible. My son soon made a speedy recovery.
Contributed by Monica Peck

Aldershot Cottage Hospital

How could I forget the Cottage Hospital?  I had my tonsils out here!  Strangely enough, after all these years I can still picture parts of the Children's Ward, one or two of the nurses, and the bed that I was in.  Hospital is never the most pleasant place to be but, if I remember correctly (and I am sure that I do), the worst part of my stay was "Nil By Mouth" after the operation!
Contributed by David Vickers

Aldershot cottage hospital - I was born here

Don't remember too much but I was born here 07/1968, now forty years on I still talk about where I was born. Jacki
Contributed by jacki gatfield

Memories of Aldershot Hospital

I remember going here to have my tonsils out at the age of 7, and I was in hospital when President Kennedy was assassinated!

Aldershot Hospital

I was born at the Aldershot Hospital but I don't know if its this one. It was in St Josephs Road near the Catholic St Josephs School. I was born there with my twin sister in June 1956 and had my tonsils out there too!! very painful!
Contributed by Janis Harris

Swimming lessons

I learnt to swim at the "command baths" in Aldershot in the 1960s. It was a very old building and very cold. I hated the lessons as the instructors used to have a long stick to push you back into centre of the pool. I now know why I hate swimming!
Contributed by Janis Harris

The Queen Hotel

I used to work in this pub with my sister. It's 4 walls have set the scene for many a drama! It was a great pub back in the day - and excellent fun on Airborne Forces Weekend (not so much fun for out of towners, I'd imagine!) LOL!
Contributed by Tracey Barden

Ist Job

My first full time job, Woolworths, Union Road, what a job that was.
Contributed by jacki gatfield

Place of marriage

My wife and I were married here in August 1962.
Contributed by bill rutland

St Michael's Church

I was christened in this church in 1949, both my sons were christened and married in St Michael's. I went to Sunday school there and also I was confirmed there.
Contributed by susan marriott

Aldershot Swimming Pool

I remember being thrown in the deep end by some other kids. We used to go there lots of times when I was a kid. I was born in 1956 and lived in Aldershot until I was 11 years old. Don't know if its still open anymore? Summer at the pool was lovely when it was very hot - not like our summers now!
Contributed by Janis Harris

War years

For two-and-a-half dreadful years, from July 1942 to October 1944, my parents and I survived in three rooms at the top of number 40, Victoria Road, rented from a Mrs Pither. Only the front two rooms, overlooking the street, were habitable and the back room my father used as a sort of workshop. Water was from a tap, a few inches off the floor beside the loo, in a small closet at the top of the stairs. Hot water was boiled in a teakettle on an old gas stove in the ‘kitchen’. Washing was done in an enamel basin and the dirty water was carried out and flushed down the toilet. One of my earliest memories is of going to get ...read more here
Contributed by Alan Hickman

Saturday morning pictures

The ABC song certainly brought back memories of my regular Saturday morning trips to the pictures in the late 1940s and early 50s. In Aldershot we were lucky that the ABC – the Ritz, and the Empire – an Odeon cinema, were situated right next to each other. We looked at each programme displayed and, depending on which film we fancied, chose the one we wanted to see. It certainly gave our mums an hour or so without having to amuse their kids at weekends!

My most vivid memories are of the huge ruched curtains which went up at the start of the show and of horrid boys who kept clambering over the seats or ...read more here
Contributed by Diana Lawer

Aldershot Lido

As kids my brother Ray and my sister Jan and myself spent every weekend and all the summer holidays at the lido, we used to take our food and stay for the day. We had season tickets and I must admit the summers seemed warmer.  Sue Marriott (Crockford).
Contributed by susan marriott

Aldershot Swimming Pool

I remember learning to swim in this pool. Once a week we would be taken from school. After our lessons we always had some sandwiches which our mothers sent with us. I always had lettuce and marmite sandwiches. To this day when I have the same sandwiches I can see and smell the swimming pool!
Contributed by Penelope Dale

The Odeon cinema

I started working at the Odeon in 1967 as a projectionist, and the first film I showed there was the original Casino Royale. The screen curtains were made of a heavy velvet with weights at the bottom, but with the lilac coloured spot lights on them, they looked like silk as they opened and closed.It was always a lovely building, and it looks even more beautiful today as The Kings Centre.
Contributed by julia clarke

1st child christened

My first born was christened here 1992 and my second child 1995.
Contributed by jacki gatfield

The Cambridge Ghost

See my memory regarding this wonderful old bit of Victorian architecture, linked to the 1891 photograph of the Cambridge. In my day, 1969, it was mostly full of civilian patients although there was a fair sprinkling of families, car accident victims and some military having tatoos removed (one having 'hate' removed from his knuckles before enlisting in the police force). Others I recall from my ward (Ward 7) on the ground floor, had been e.g. victims of petroleum fires in depots with severely burnt arms (as walking wounded, we had to feed them and take them to the bathroom etc) and on one occasion a large number of paratroopers injured during a large scale parachute exercise over the nearby ...read more here
Contributed by James Ritchie

To North Town

I'd get the number 11 or 12 bus (I think?) religiously for 3 years, every day after school, having gone across the railway bridge at the station, from the now defunct St. Joseph's Primary. Sometimes it would go via the military area up by Alamein Rd, and sometimes it would go via Redan Hill, past the footy ground. I never knew why?
The waiting bay at the station was home to several thousand pigeons. We used to try and feed them Space-Dust!
Contributed by First name Last name

Bus Journeys!

I used to catch the bus every day to go to school in Weybourne from Cove. It seemed to take ages waiting in the rain for the Cove Bus. If I missed the bus to All Hallows School in Weybourne I had to walk all the way instead!
Contributed by Janis Harris

I met my wife-to-be on the firing ranges at Aldershot!

I met Elizabeth Sewell while we were both on a Territorial Army training exercise at Aldershot. We were both serving with 39 Signal Regiment. It was April 1970 and I first saw her in her WRAC uniform, green beret and brown boots! Very nice too!
I managed to sit next to her in the back of a three tonner on the way back to our barracks and we talked all the way.
We arranged a date for that evening and slipped out of the barracks to visit a pub. We have now been married for 37 years!
Contributed by John Howard Norfolk

Talavera Junior School 1970

Talavera Junior School is still standing and used, whereas Aldershot Manor School is now no more.  I went to both - living for a while just outside the gates of Talavera Junior.