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Airco crash Lancing

Nelson writes:
It’s been some time since I last saw this photo and don’t think it has ever appeared on our forum before – even if it has it is probably worth another look.

Lancing Clump in the background. Decorative board on the left probably advertising a new estate of houses and behind it the intended buildings have been staked out. In the centre is what appears to be a tractor surrounded by debris ……. until you realise the tractor has a propeller attached to it and uniformed (RAF?) men clamber on the wreckage to load broken aircraft wings on to a lorry. The aircraft looks much like an Airco DH9A used by the RAF from 1918 to 1931 that has come down in Lancing on an approach to the airport.

captioned: Clearing up aircraft wreckage. Worthing to Brighton Road. June 18th 1927
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Largest ship built in Shoreham?

At 533 tons, length 104 feet and armed with 48 guns HMS Dover was probably the largest vessel built at Shoreham for the Royal Navy. Launched in 1653 she saw action at the Battle of Lowestoft 1665, the Four Days Battle and St. James Day Battle  the following year, the Battle of Martinique 1667 and Battle of Solebay 1672. Her duties took her to the Mediterranean, Newfoundland and Ireland and during the 1690’s captured three French ships Lion Eveille, St. Antoine and Marianne as well as a privateer the Beaulieu.

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Ghost of Dyer & Son

A ‘ghost’ picture we put together for someone else but thought it could be shared here. Dyer & Son were using this shipyard during the 1870’s building ships of this size, the ‘Osman Pasha’ being the last, before it was taken over by Henry Stow and Sons then the Sussex Yacht Club

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Lifeboat House on Beach

A postcard that shows a fairly usual view west of the beach end of Ferry Road but one that unusually includes the old lifeboat house that stood there next to the coastguard cottages up to the 1920’s. On the extreme right of the card marked by the asterisk more bungalows nearer to the sea are just visible that were built after 1912 and narrows the probable date of the card.

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Lifeboatmen

Michael Fox’s recent posts concerning the lifeboat prompted me to search our records and found these images of former coxswains who’s identities have been checked with RNLI at Shoreham. The first is Charles Smart who was involved with the Miown rescue and later a coxswain himself. The second is William Young, coxswain from1929 to 1940, next is J. Austin who we know little of and lastly Fred Laker, coxswain from1920 to 1924. 
 

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Brussels Grounded 1922

A photo that unusually records both the grounded SS Brussels and the last of the two mystery towers before it was demolished – July 1922

The lifeboat house and lifeboat had been  moved to the beach in 1892 after the build up of the bar had prevented the lifeboat from leaving the harbour. They were returned to Kingston after the bar had been cleared and after that photo was taken. Holloways of Shoreham were involved in harbour reclamation work in 1925 which seems likely to have included clearing the bar.

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Mystery Railway view Fishersgate

A painting for sale on e-bay. It’s being advertised as 1950’s Shoreham but the engine is clearly older and the year 1894 can just be made out on the reverse of the frame. Comparing the painting with the 1898 OS map the only area that seems to match is if the artist was sitting with the Kingston Lane bridge behind, the  signal (SP on the map) south of the railway bank by the access tunnel from Gorringe’s Kingston House and the terrace on the left perhaps Pier Terrace. Any other thoughts?

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HMS Pheasant

HMS Pheasant was built for the Royal Navy in 1798 by John Edwards at Shoreham. A sloop of 373 tons burthen, 106 ft gundeck, 16 six-pounder guns, 4 twelve pound carronades, two nine-pounders and a compliment of 121 crew. It was an amazing coincidence to discover that a predecessor captured by the French in the Caribbean but released in an exchange of prisoners was conveyed to HMS Spartiate some miles away in the Pheasant. Shortly after he was still with the Spartiate when that vessel took part in the Battle of Trafalgar.

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Residents in Adverts

Hadfield’s advert featuring early 1900’s Old Shoreham farmer William Norman and his massive mangolds! In 1910 another Shoreham character that featured in an advert was Myrtle Winton who’s husband Reg Eley ran a motor cycle business in Shoreham. This over-pasted and grubby insertion from the ‘Motor Cycle’ magazine in the Winton family scrap book is nevertheless an interesting relic perhaps.