Kevin's Grandmother, "Bessie Gordon" lived in Eastbourne all her life. She wrote and kept a diary of her life in and around the town.
When she passed away she left all her diaries to her Grandson Kevin because of his love of ancestry and history.
ELHS member and Author Kevin Gordon, extracts and posts entrees from Bessie Gordon's diaries everyday on the ELHS Facebook page and she has hundreds of followers. This is the book to accompany daily posts.
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Richard Hassell now aged 91 has spent a lifetime in Eastbourne and has many fascinating memories about his life here.
ELHS Archivist Mick Hymans spent some time with Richard documenting his stories to create this publication, which throws some light on family life in the town before, during and after WW2.
Our story recounts the events day-by-day of the crews rescue and the fight against the raging fire. Local firefighters and two tugs with firefighting equipment extinguished the blaze but could not save the tanker.
We tell the story of the battle of those brave men.
This is an attempt to tell the story of many royal visits as reported in newspapers of the time, from the single paragraph in "Jackson's Oxford Journal" in 1780 to the multi-page articles with illustrations of visits in the late twentieth century.
This booklet shows examples of the work of Ellis Kelsey who took over 2000 images,many locally, around 1900.
This booklet gives details of the story of the cemetery and the creation of The Imperial War Graves Commission during The Great War. The text takes the form of a guided walk around the cemetery highlighting some of the graves and the stories associated with them.
When the Battle of Britain came to Eastbourne. Two German airmen were killed one crashing into the roof of a school; the other drowned off Holywell. Who were they? Who shot them down? A detailed account of the action from the German and from the British side. The enduring grief of a widow interviewed in Munich. A colourful RAF pilot court-martialled and cashiered. The beautiful daughter he never knew who would go to Hollywood and star in a Bond film.
Few people know that German TV was received and monitored by British Intelligence at Beachy Head during the Second World War. This booklet is a unique account of that story, with first-hand information from the German as well as the British side, and also relates how an inquiry to ELHS about a hidden diary revealed a radio intercept station above the Downs Golf Course staffed by exiled Germans.
What was it like for Eastbourne families during WW2, when the town was one of the most-bombed on the south coast, and families were often divided? Mrs Nell Edmonds' letters home in 1940 have been collected here, with a foreword and account of the Spencer Road bombing, which killed a number of people including Mr Edmonds, by their daughter, Gillian Rogers.
How did Eastbourne Borough Council become the owner of the Downs between the town and Beachy Head, and on what terms? How did that effort relate to other contemporary campaigns to save nearby downland, in particular the Seven Sisters? Using contemporary documents and newspapers, this is the story of the people and events of the original campaign in the 1920s to 'save our Downs'.
The Ascham St Vincent's Memorial Arch in Carlisle Road, Meads, Eastbourne commemorates the old boys of St Vincent's, Ascham and the merged prep school who died serving in the First World War. Their stories are told in this book from the school Chronicle's accounts of their schooldays, from war records, newspapers and letters, taking us through the war from the Western Front to Mesopotamia, from the cavalry charges on the Retreat from Mons in 1914 to the devastating 'flu pandemic of 1918.
100 black and white illustrations.
The history of Eastbourne's pubs, from the Angel to the Windmill. Every pub, inn, beer shop and brewery that existed in the town up to 1986 is listed and described, often with a photo or print, and in many cases with anecdotal or historical information. Public bars, brewers, landlords and advertisements are also covered in fascinating detail.
Original architectural plan with fascinating detail.Ideal for framing, as in picture. (Supplied unframed. Glass of wine not included.)
A3 £4 + £3.20 p & p, supplied in cardboard mailing tubes.
This size is recommended in order to see the detail more clearly:
A4 £3 + £1.90 p & p, supplied in card backed envelopes.
George Ambrose Wallis, Eastbourne's first mayor, and his brother, William Lumb Wallis, were responsible for the parades and promenades, Upper Dukes Drive, the Devonshire Baths, many fine houses and much beside.This booklet contains much new information about the Wallis brothers, about Henry Currey, the architect, and others who played a significant role in the building of the Victorian town of Eastbourne.
A meticulous transcription of the names, ages, employment and addresses of those living in the Parish of Eastbourne on the night of 6/7 June 1841. An invaluable reference for genealogical researchers.
The story of the Canadian Army in Eastbourne during the Second World War. Thousands of men passed through – but which houses were taken over? What really happened at Belle Tout and when Ratton Manor caught fire? Where were the AA guns? Two fighter bombers hit the power station in 1942; Canadians shot down one but the other escaped, its pilot later interviewed by the author in Hanover. Where did they drink and brawl? How did we interact and what was the impact on local women – single and married? How many became war brides? Fully illustrated.
An impressive illustrated record of the origins and use of these defences against the Napoleonic threat, together with details of the soldiers and military units which manned them.
A detailed, fully illustrated story of the men who learned to fly and of the machines in which they flew; also a record of the RNAS occupation and the 250 aircraft that were built here.
A guide to the old coach road from Lewes to Eastbourne. Fully illustrated in colour. Extended second edition.
An illustrated history of the Bourne Stream. Third edition.
Every one of the society's periodicals from Autumn 1970 up to Winter 2020. Fully indexed and fully word searchable PDF Immerse yourself with over 4300 pages of Eastbourne related history.
