Shotton Memories
Ray Jones, now in Australia wrote:
For a short period of time during the war years I lived in Ash Grove in Shotton. There were many kids around, fathers in the Forces and were running their mums ragged. One of our favourite games during the daytime was to build large sandcastles by the Dee and stand on top waiting for the Ebb (I think that was the name we called the tidal wave). Another, during the evenings, was to have a group on Hawarden Bridge and one group on the Queensferry Bridge, we used to signal to each other with torches. Imagine our surprise when we were all approached by the Police and Home Guard. They thought we were spies pinpointing the steelworks. Couldn't sit down for quite some time.
Reg Hughes from Holywell wrote:
During the 1930s the Hawarden Bridge was open for maintenance. The gates on the bridge were locked, but we used to go over and ride over the river - many times chased off - any one else remember this?
Hayden Ellsum now in Australia wrote:
Yes I remember a lot of those comments, even to playing on the bridge and the jetties (no we could not swim) And then one Sunday night we saw another unlucky swimmer at the wrong side of grappling hooks. I went to StEthelwolds school and still cherish the prize books I received Off W.J.Crossley ,as you may know The Headmaster. After leaving StEthelwolds in 1958,and Shotton when I was married, I do remember a small anecdote regarding Ginnie Jones'chippie .Visiting again from mid wales I was told, probably because of my new welsh accent.[You are not from around here are you?by the present owner]I smiled to myself,had my chips and left Wing Wah Chippie, How could they know? Yes my Grandad had two butcher shops and the local abbatoir. The tidal wave was called the eddy.
Keith Butler from Garden city wrote:
I was brought up in Shotton, born in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, but arrived here at a very young age due to dad's work. We had great times down at the River Dee. I learned to swim in the Dee. We use to fish of the jetties, which used to rattle when the trains went across. They were the good times when we were safe to do what we wanted. Used to go and meet our dads coming off days or afternoons from the steelworks.
Maureen Torres, Pearl City, Hawaii USA wrote:
As you can see by my address I now live in Hawaii. Boy do I remember swimming in the river Dee. I was raised in Connah's Quay, High Street, I have a home in the Quay, and go back twice a year. I sure remember the Hipp, Alhambra, and the Vaughan Hall, and the monkey run in Shotton on a Sunday evening, what fun we had. You know it's changed a bit, but I can still recall all the fun we had as kids on a Saturday after the 4pm rush at the Hipp running around the river bank playing cowboys. We were all poor, but we helped each other, and I remeber me mam leaving our doors open when she went shopping, no drugs, just clean fun. I've lived here for 44 years but I still call the Quay home.
