A family at war who looked mighty suspicious to police

Their parents, William and Jane Larkin, had once lived at Tide Mills but prior to the war they moved to the town centre and lived at 17 East Street.

They recalled that this was one of four three-storied terraced houses and had an outside loo at the bottom of the garden.

Roy also remembered that there was a large metal range in the kitchen. The boys went to the infant school opposite the church and later moved on to the junior school in Steyne Road.

Roy managed to get a part-time job working at a small factory near to the Wellington pub.

This was the Union Jack Corn Paste works which was owned by a Mr Gallagher but run by his wife.

There were about four boys employed there to mix the ingredients of the liniment which was used to treat corns.

Roy recalled putting the mixture into a small pot and attaching a label which had a picture of a Union Jack.

All the other boys had bicycles and Mrs Gallagher kindly bought a new bike for Roy to ride as long as he paid her back 6d a month.

At weekends, Roy and Cyril's father used to take the boys up on to the downs to catch rabbits.

He owned five ferrets and used to send them down rabbit holes and catch the rabbits in a net when they ran out.

The boys used to sell the rabbits to neighbours for 9d each.

They also used to play on the beach and particularly liked to jump into the sea at Splash Point but in 1938 the family moved inland to Vale Road.

They lived at 169 which at that time was at the end of the road adjacent to a smallholding and open fields.

Soon after they moved, Mrs Larkin died and the boys remembered walking the short distance to Seaford cemetery for her funeral.

War clouds were approaching and their playground, the beach, was made out of bounds due to the large amount of barbed wire which was laid as an anti-invasion precaution.

Roy remembered that there were also a number of huge searchlights positioned on The Esplanade which were crewed by women.

In 1940, at the age of 15, Roy joined the Local Defence Volunteers.

He did not have a uniform but was issued with a rifle (although it had no ammunition) and many hours were spent patrolling Seaford Head at a command post near to South Cliff barn.

Roy was once on sentry duty when he heard some suspicious voices late at night. He quickly raised the alarm but the suspects turned out to be two coastguards!

As Seaford was on the front line in case of invasion, there was a programme to evacuate Seaford children.

However, William, who had just lost his wife, was determined not to be separated from his children.

He decided to leave Seaford and stay with his eldest son, Ron, in Gloucester.

In June 1940 they set off on two bicycles for the 200-mile journey. Cyril (then aged nine) sat on the crossbar of his father's bike and Roy used the bike given to him by Mrs Gallagher from the factory.

After a day they arrived in Croydon and a kind lady offered them some water.

However, when she heard about their plight she gave them a meal and allowed them to stay overnight on a makeshift bed in her garden shed.

The next morning they were provided with a hearty breakfast and headed west.

By nightfall they had arrived in Reading but by this time they were fed up with cycling.

Mr Larkin took the bikes and sold them and they continued the rest of the journey by train.

Roy was upset because he still owed money for the cycle!

When they eventually arrived in Gloucester they found that Mr Larkin's son was out and were spotted as suspicious characters by the local policeman who wanted to admit them to the local workhouse.

The family settled in Gloucester and Roy was surprised that Union Jack Corn Paste, made in Seaford was on sale in the town!

Mr Larkin was very astute to move his family from Seaford; soon after they left the town was shaken by a series of air-raids.

East Street was damaged by bombs on October 25, 1942, and again on August 17, 1943, when their former home was destroyed.

The Larkins survived their journey to Gloucester and Roy and Cyril have spent the rest of their lives in the area; however, they regularly return to their old home town of Seaford which is full of happy memories for them.