combe haven

Murco filling station, Combe Haven, Bexhill Road, St Leonards on Sea around 1966

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Shared from Keith Harris. British roadscene 1955 – 1995 https://www.facebook.com/groups/496289463761461

Keith Harris… Murco filling station, Bexhill Road, St Leonards on Sea circa 1966.Worked there with Heather, Sammy and Jiffy Bower. Redex, sir? Can I check your oil?

Ray Barry… Redex 1p a shot

Chris Britten… Worked there in 1968 and sacked for having long hair ! Triple green shield stamps for all on my last night

Jacqueline Hillier… Gosh, how I remember that I lived in the chip shop Taffys. Just along the road. Happy Days

Chris Meachen… Looks a bit different now!

Uli Twelker… Thanks again and again for your wonderful glimpses into golden years and a more sedate pace of life.
Uli Twelker, Bielefeld, Germany

Alan Elsdon & His Band – Combe Haven – 1970.

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alan elsdon band

Kevin Sherwood… Looks like a evening to stay in!

Andy Knight… I remember the Elsdon band when I worked there as a bar boy in 66

Terry Pack… Crikey! I did a few weeks there in the early 80s, backing the cabaret acts and playing dance music with a quartet called Tuxedo Function! Pure class! The keyboard player, a very nice man called Rod, sang, reading the pop stuff from buskers’ books. He had clearly never heard half of the songs, and his pronunciation of certain words was fantastic. In Get Back, he sang that ‘Jojo left his home in Tuck sun, Arizona’.

Veronica Lingley… Does anyone know what happened to the Margaret Mason duo?

Corin Moore…  Hello Veronica. In 1971 I worked my second season at Combe Haven as an Entertainments Organiser/’compere’ with Margaret and Ian. Midway through the season we three were ‘sacked’  – due to Ian ordering a young lad to get off the stage as he was pushing the amps and speakers. I knew nothing of this until later. We all left the following day and I instigated court proceedings. David paid me my contract and costs, a week before the Hastings hearing, but I was unaware of how it was resolved with Ian and Margaret. They had to leave their house (owned By David) and move back to London. Many years later Margaret phoned me wondering if I had seen Ian as he hadn’t been home for two months. I liked both Ian and Margaret and believe she continued playing local gigs etc. Many, many years later she telephoned asking if I had seen Ian as he hadn’t been home for two months! I trust the family and their children, who are probably married with kids themselves by now, are all well.

David Kenny Sussex Ltd Bexhill Road – caravans.

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remember him at Combe Haven?

Phil Gill… He wasn’t living in a caravan when I went to college with his daughter Clare. They lived in Westfield Place by then and he drove a Jensen Interceptor.

Martin Richter… how much?

Andy Knight… I worked hard as a bottle boy so he could buy the DK1 plate for the car

Moya Wilson… My Dad. Andy, it was DK 50

Andy Knight… Don’t get me wrong Moya I enjoyed every minute and met some interesting people, including Ken!!

Colin Jefferys…. I doubt he actually lived in a caravan

Moya Wilson… He did actually

Sounds Bob Rogers – Combe Haven Hastings 1974.

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bob rogers

bob rogers 2

Helen Costa Pescott… Found this in my record collection !!!!

Jim Breeds… Gosh. Who knew!

Andre Martin… Great venue in the 70s

Peter Millington… I played at all 3 bars in the 60s and 70s (Meadowbank, The Music Bar and the Clubhouse) – with THE CONFEDERATES and then SPYKE. Bob Rogers was a class act.

Alan Esdaile… the musicians are listed as…Bass – Ron Seabrook, Drums – Len Clarke , Leader Guitar Producer – Bob Rogers, Organ – John Smith, Vocals – June Lesley.

Veronica Lingley nee’ Hall… Fond memories of Combe Haven at Hastings.  Remember the bars, main clubhouse where a guy hosted with his wife Margaret.  Remember seeing Kenny Ball.  I won a beauty contest.  Children getting on stage and singing.  At the end of the evening we would all sing Show me the way to go home.  Family entertainment.  Remember meeting Keith Lawrence my first holiday romance.  1966/67. Memorable family holidays.

Pete Millington… We (The Confederates) played in the clubhouse during the summer of 1966 here’s a memory for you

Pete Millington… Another reminder of some good times

Leigh Wieland-Boys… I worked as a barmaid there for three summer seasons – 1974/1975 & 1976 – loved it!

Robert Searle… We,Haze, played there one Sunday lunchtime.It was about 1971/72 and was so hot,it was a nice gig

Terry Pack… I did a Summer there in the early 80s with a band called Tuxedo Function (!). The organist/singer used to read everything from buskers’ books and didn’t actually know any of the songs he sang. He would mispronounce a lot of the words: “Jojo left his home in Tuc(k)son, Arizona..” was one example. We used to back the cabaret acts. One as a very unfunny ‘comic’ who also fancied himself a singer. His pronunciation was extraordinary: “Dee see da lice aah owees braa, On Browee” and “You are da wim binee ma wim”. I think it was the worst band I ever played with more than once, but they didn’t get fired.

Pete Millington… The funniest thing I ever saw in the clubhouse was Nookie the Bear who told very rude jokes – not appreciated by David Kenny (owner at the time). One snippit was “what’s up my bum Batman” “Cock Robin” I don’t think the entertainment organiser understood the act and should have put Nookie in the adult bar. Still we thought it was hilarious. That would have been 1965/6

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Trio wanted for Combe Haven – advert from February 1967

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Martin Richter… 8 bar solo followed by 8 bars glass collecting ? <sorry> nicked that from Spike Milligan

Geoff Peckham… Confession: During this season and ’68, I, and a couple of other lads in mid-teens, hung out at Combe Haven caravan park offering ‘holiday romances’ to girls of a similar age and persuasion. Can’t remember if we had any takers…..

Dave Weeks… I think it was the done thing at the time. I remember sneaking into the swimming pool at night too. No real security then

Terry Pack… I did that trio gig in about 1983/4. The trio was called Tuxedo Function. We used to back the turns and the talent shows. The organist was a really nice guy who knew no tunes and didn’t busk, so he sight read everything from a huge pile of songbooks, often mispronouncing the words. We once did Get Back with a very uncomfortable ‘swing’ feel because neither he nor the drummer had ever heard The Beatles’ version, and he sang that Jojo had left his home in Tuck Son, Arizona. It was a strange gig. We usually had no more than a handful of bored punters and a few screaming kids. Most of the turns were fans of Jim Davison and Bernard Manning, and sang in ‘the club style ‘ as exemplified by Vic Reeves and Billy Connolly. They usually had charts that were unnecessarily complex, written by ‘arrangers’ with no notion of the gigs that these turns were doing or how dodgy their singing was. The results were a hilarious series of missed key changes, tempo changes and codas, and unsuccessful rallentandos.

Patricia Burgess… Met my husband there in 63, love the Talismen , think they have all past now

Andy Knight… I was a bottle boy at Combe Haven in 67, I can’t remember the trio, Temperance 7 played there (there was 8 I remember), Cedric Utley was the Bar Manager who did a Bed of Nails act when the cabaret didn’t turn up, Mr Edwards the other Manager, had my first Whiskey Mac at the staff party because David Kenny the owner drank that, never again, Dad had to pick me up, asleep in the laundry room

Roland Clarke… Was the 8th one an alcoholic?

Andy Knight… Roland, the trombone player wet himself on stage once, so maybe, or just a weak bladder!!