Nick Valentine

Memories from Nick Valentine

We came down to Boscastle on holiday at least once before the war. One of my earliest memories is the two day drive from London to Bos in a 1928 Austin 7 then having to reverse up hills!!

My father was killed in 1940 in the army and my mother brought us down to Boscastle. Initially we stayed with Jack and Mary Hilton in Fore Street and then we moved to stay with Adeline and Leslie Beard at 3, Jordan Vale and we stayed with them until the end of the war.

My mother, Leonie Valentine, worked as a secretary/receptionist at The Wellington Hotel for Mrs Stock.

Initially I went to the Boscastle School with Mr Elford and Miss Old, moving onto Pendragon School at Bossiney which was run by Father Milburn and finally Truro School.

Both schools I attended were boarding schools so I would have been out of the village for much fo the year. As my mother worked at The Wellington Hotel, I got to know the children of the many guests who came down for quite long periods. One of my friends was David Taylor, son of Mary Taylor, a wheel chair bound pianist for the Ginner Mawr School. Mary latterly became Mary Williams and she lived in Honeymoon Cottage overlooking the harbour.

I spent most of my time fishing, either handlining from “The Point” using lug worms dug at low tide or for trout in the Valency with garden worms. The license was 5/- paid to Mr Couch at the Estate Office. I never caught much but it was very enjoyable. I remember one day as the tide was going out a school of whitebait came into the harbour followed by a shoal of mackerel followed by three seals across the entrance. People were bailing the mackerel out using shopping baskets!

I have many happy memories of Boscastle and remained in touch with Leslie and Adeline until they passed on.

I also remember the name Ferrett!