PEEPS into the Past travels back more than half-a-century this week, with some memories and photos supplied by Chris Guest, who grew up in Woking.
Chris, who now lives in Dorset, said: “My mum and her brothers and my brothers and sisters all went to Goldsworth School.”
His mother’s maiden name was Langstone and members of that family have been featured in Peeps previously.
In 2014, we told the story of Albert Frederick Langston. Albert died, aged 19, when the Lancaster bomber he flew in was shot down over France during the Second World War.
Chris has been reading pop and rock music drummer Rick Buckler’s book That’s Entertainment – My Life in The Jam. And Chris said: “Not that I realised it at the time, as I’m a couple of years older than Rick, but he went to Goldsworth Juniors, like I did.
“Also, we both attended the Boys’ Club and the Boys’ Brigade at Percy Street Baptist Church in Woking. What Rick writes in his book about his childhood in Woking certainly stirs some memories.
“The photo of the lads in the Lifeboys – junior Boys’ Brigade – at Percy Street was provided by Stephen Welch. I’m on the very left in front of Harold Welch. Peter Welch is in there along with two of my brothers. We could name quite a few of the faces but I can’t say whether Rick Buckler is in the picture.”
Chris supplied a photo of one of Woking’s two football teams who played in the Anglo-Italian League.
He said: “There was quite a large Italian population in Woking back then. This picture is from 1971 and is a team called Salernitana. It was run by the owners of Continental Stores of Wilfred Street, who were from Salerno in Italy.
“I’m pictured with the football along with my brother-in-law, Peter Nichols, to my left.”
Chris said that the other Woking team in the league was the Yellow Devils, whose players were originally from Naples.
The team was run by a man called Silvio, who had a popular hairdresser’s in his name in Church Path, and who founded a restaurant named Sinuessa in High Street.
“One of their players was Luigi Alighieri, a hairdresser, whose son later played for Woking FC. And staff from Sinuessa and Silvio were once contestants on the TV show The Generation Game.
“With no love lost between Salerno and Naples, local derbies between the two teams were often tasty fixtures.”
If you have some memories or old pictures relating to the Woking area, call David Rose on 01483 838960, or drop a line to the News & Mail.
David Rose is a local historian and writer who specialises in what he calls “the history within living memory” of people, places and events in the west Surrey area covering towns such as Woking and Guildford. He collects old photos and memorabilia relating to the area and the subject, and regularly gives illustrated local history talks to groups and societies. For enquiries and bookings please phone or email him at: [email protected]