"The very first time I went on holiday without my parents was in 1950. It was a far cry from the neat seaside boarding house in Lowestoft. I was now a young man of eighteen. I had been working in Scotland since I was sixteen and making very good money too. It was the summer of 1950, July to be exact. I had been invited to join my girlfriend and her parents for a holiday at Warners Southleigh Camp at Holland-on-Sea near Clacton, Essex. They had been here before and enjoyed it so much they made plans to return and asked me to go along too. I jumped at the chance. We drove in her Dad's 1936 Morris Eight. It was a lovely well kept car, that had been up on blocks all through the war. Now in peacetime it was all shined up and ready to go anywhere."
"We arrived at the camp in the early afternoon, registered and were told where our chalets were. Carrying our suitcases we found our accomodations and unpacked. Taking our maps along, we walked the entire camp, exploring the attractions. There was a lovely swimming pool, a huge dining hall, and dance hall and lots of lawns for sunbathing. Our chalets were quite basic, but after all we hoped we would be spending the majority of our time involved in camp activities. Each day there were planned events for any and all to participate in. Dance instruction, exercising sessions, trips to the seaside, numerous organized games, swimming races and tennis amongst others. We could come and go as we pleased, rent a two seat, four wheel pedal bike and cycle along the seaside. The evening activities were the most fun, a dance every night, to the music of "Frank Stockers Band". We enjoyed fancy dress and "Topsy Turvey" evenings. This is where the men dress as women and vice versa. Naturally, some men dressed in 'very exagerated attire' which created a great deal of laughter. Sing alongs and good company were all part of the well organized Warners Holiday. At the end of each evening dance, the song "Good Night Sweetheart" was played as the last dance, then we'd head home to our chalets, tired but happy. Overall we had a great time and everyone enjoyed themselves. Good food, good fun and great weather. Thank you Warners for those happy memories from July 1950!!!"
Click the links below to view some of M.D. Lalonde's pictures. Each image is also linked to the next.
