Nottm Children's Home Skegness


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I remember two blokes, the younger one whipped me round the back of my legs with his whistle on a string a few times for not keeping up with the others on the forced marches, flipping hurt it did.

Can't wait to show this thread to my Wife & Mother-in-law to show them I wasn't exaggerating..

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Until I joined Nottstalgia several years ago I’d never heard of this Skegness place, nor Pinewood.   The reason being, I suppose, I was brought up in a working class household with 2 very loving paren

Whilst visiting Skeg today we had a wander down Roseberry Avenue. The old place has changer a bit but the main structure is the same, As Davep1549 says now council offices. This was never there.

Similar to me, Lizzie.   I know I was fortunate to be brought up by 2 loving parents - the only difference was that we DID have a car as my dad worked for the Ministry of Food  in the forties and then

Mr Nicholls & son Barry.

I remember the cocoa in plastic mugs as well.

The only good thing I can remember was that we never went to bed hungry, always very well fed. In fact at home it was the total opposite !

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Front row second from left could be Mr Nicholls with his son Barry front Row extreme right.

Mike, You have a good memory for names, l am the same age as you so we could have been there together at the same time. Maybe fought each other in the ring, was you the big guy that knock me senseless? What are you like on dates? Do you recall the year you were sentenced?

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I can remember some girls in my Junior school going, back in the 1950's, they were poor children who never got holidays, I saw the pamplet and it looked great......They were going to get paid 10 bob a week for helping out with the farm animals, it was for 4 weeks of the summer holidays - I wanted to go to get 10 bob - My mother would not let me as we always went away Pit weeks July/August to Brid or Skeggy in a guest house.......I sulked, but when I heard how badly they had been treated, I was glad I didn't go.................A girl called Barbara came back with whale marks on her body where she had been thrashed for laughing.............But I think School Teachers back in those days were all bar stewards, sadistic ex army blokes and frustrated spinsters - It was the bad off kids that were treated the worse, they never had a chance.......

Things had to change, but have they changed for the better ? .....I wonder........

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Robbie #74 I had about five annual "holidays" there fro 59 - 64 ? Def there in 62 cos I've got a photo to prove it, I'll get Mrs Catfan to sort it out.

I can remember boxing but can't remember any opponents.

On dates I usually behave myself very well hellothere

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Catfan You were lucky to get five holidays there, you must have become a monitor. Fortunately l only had the one which must have been in the late 50's, l must ask my mam and also ask her why l only was allowed to go on the one occasion....... maybe all of a sudden we became rich or my dad got a job.

Sorry about the 'dates' bit l should n't get personal about your courting days, they are nothing to do with me.

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Not lucky getting 5 holidays Robbie, we were made to go.

The bloke in charge before Nicholls was a bloke named Ellis, a really compassionate true gentleman.

We all thought he got the push because he was so compassionate, kids WANTED to go there every year.

Re the dates, Robbie, the answer was tongue in cheek !!!

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This place doesn't sound much of a holiday for kids, if they couldn't wait to get home. The authorities should have been ashamed of themselves.

You can't judge it by today's standards. Remember that in those days there were a lot of inner city kids who had never even been to the seaside let alone spent a few weeks there. For many of them, a regular bath may have been a luxury; see thread on "Roughest areas".

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Scriv, Even now It's not all a bed of roses for some inner city families and l am not just including Nottingham.

It was that good and popular it got closed down. The building is still there, it should have been demolished.

A couple of years ago l called into the place out of curiosity and introduced my self as an ex-inmate. The staff were very helpful and allowed me under supervision to have a look around but it didn't look the same obviously over the years it had been changed. The torture chamber and cells removed.

Standing outside on the pavement did give me flash backs of the walks.

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I used to get the cane & strap as punishment at Trent Bridge school as most of us did back then, it was normal. You did sumat wrong you got the cane or strap, must admit I deserved most of mine. But that place was just brutal, you got the cane/strap/whistle round back of legs for the slightest misdemeanor.... Does anyone know when it was closed?

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I went to a rough inner school not many went onto university but some did go onto to prison for murder but l never felt afraid or bullied and where corporal punishment was dished out daily, often for very minor incidents but it was nothing compared to what l experienced at the Skeggy home. They were brutal, they encouraged and enjoyed violence.

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I was at this holiday home in around 1954 for 3 weeks and I was terrified for the whole length of time. I seem to remember a Mr Roberts but I may be wrong and he was absolutely EVIL!!! Not only was he fiddling money, he was taking sweets off kids too. I remember watching him shout a young lad to him, order him to kiss his feet, although he had his shoes on, and take most of his sweets. I also remember the hot chocolate and dripping sandwiches we had for supper, after which he would shout "Hit the sack" and we had to scramble into bed and dared not move again. One person recollected him hitting kids with a piece of wood. As I recall it, he would stand in the doorway and randomly hit kids across the head, including me, with a wooden hand brush. I also witnessed kids being fiddled out of their money at going home time. For 6 shillings one lad got a cheap shilling brooch and 2 3p sticks of rock. When I was on gardening duty you could hear the girls shouting and laughing. They seemed to be having a lot better time than the boys as they were in a different building The only half decent memory was being marched to the pictures to see pinnoccio. 2 lads tried to run away while I was there. one of who was brought back from the bus station. They made him strip naked, stand on his bed and poked him with a cane. There was more than one adult present when this was taking place. The lad was crying and it was meant as a warning to all of us not to run off. I had nightmares about this till I was in my 30s and was deeply affected by it all. I'm glad I stumbled on this forum because nobody has believed me for 60 years. I feel a lot better knowing other people have experienced similar. Should there be a full government enquirey or was the government involved in it as well..Like many other young lads I wondered what I had done wrong to be sent there.

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Welcome to Nottstalgia DRW. Unfortunately, incidents similar to those you describe seem to have been quite common at childrens' homes in the past. It may be a slight consolation to eventually learn that you weren't alone in what happened.

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Welcome to Nottstalgia, DRW. I look forward to reading your posts and sharing your memories. I agree with Cliff Ton's comments and would add that the children concerned would never forget their experiences at the children's home. I think an enquiry into the accused people would be too late because it was over sixty years ago and most, if not all of them, would have passed away. Hopefully, to rot in Hell.

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One of the "Master's" son's is still alive & well I have been told.

He would have put a member of the "Hitler Youth" to shame with his antics.

Never mind one day I may bump into him in Skeg !

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