Taken at Shoeburyness Essex beach circa 1954 – My Grandmother is the one wearing the hat!

 It is no surprise that my Grandmother is wearing the hat in the photo above. My Grandmother was a great one for a joke. If she was in a store that sold hats, she just had to try them on.

In my early 20s and I would regularly meet my Grandmother and Aunt for a coffee and lunch at Debenhams in Guildford. The deal was, I would meet my Grandmother at Marks and Spencer’s at Guildford, make our way to Debenham’s at the bottom of the High Street to meet my Aunt and possibly a cousin or two. If I got my Grandmother to the restaurant without her being tempted to try the hats on Aunt bought my lunch and if she didn’t I bought Aunt’s lunch.  Guess who bought the lunch? Such happy memories.

Brighton Beach circa 1953