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Our Time in Westminter John & Sylvia Gell We moved from a one bedroom flat over the Vet's in Sheerness High Street the day before our daughter Sue's 2nd birthday, into a three bedroom house in the village of Westminster. We had no idea what to expect, but we found everybody friendly, and soon got into the routine of village life. One of the best things we were able to do was buy a bag of coke from the Gasworks in the village, which mixed with a bag of coal, would make it go much further. The only drawback about the Gasworks was the black smuts that got on the washing. John was an officer in the local Sea Cadets and I had to be careful not to get them on his white shirts and starched collars. Our son David John was born in 1960. After Easter, 1961, our daughter Sue disobeyed us and went with some other children up onto the sea-wall by the Gasworks, on what was the old coal pier, and she fell in and knocked herself out. Luckily she had on a big coat which went over her head and caused a big air bubble, that kept her afloat. The first I knew about it was when a little girl came and told me that Sue had got her feet wet, and was still in the water. I ran up to the coal pier, and could see something out in the water. I screamed for help and two local boys, John Burnett and Tom McWhinney, who were further along the beach, came along on their bikes, and John Burnett swam out to her and started to bring her in. But because of the heavy coat he shouted that it was `hard going', but by that time Tom McWhinney had stripped down his clothes and went in, and together they brought Sue onto the seawall. Tom started to give Sue artificial respiration, and then the ambulance arrived and took her to Minster Hospital. The next day she was running about with a big lump and bruising on her head. John & Tom were awarded the Royal Humane Society's Award on Parchment. Unfortunately, Tom died quite young, but Tom's certificate is now in pride of place, in our Sue's flat in Purfleet. John was on the village committee that organised jumble sales, floats for the carnival, trips to the pantomime, discos and lots of other things that went on. At one time John was Father Christmas and went around on Christmas morning ringing a big bell with some of the committee dressed up in fancy dress. Malcolm Keen was the first Father Christmas. We had a nice little bit of beach with sand where you could go and swim, and some of us mothers would take the little ones up there with our flasks of tea or drinks and knitting. Later the older ones would come home on the bus from school straight up to the beach for their swim. Our Sue tells the girls where she works all about Westminster and that she wouldn't have wanted to grow up anywhere else. It is such a shame that it had to be pulled down all for nothing as it still remains a piece of waste ground after 34 years. Gone but not forgotten! **********
Sylvia, John, and Sue Additional thoughts sent to newspapers: "After reading in a newspaper about unfriendly neighbours, I would like to take this opportunity to say that I have lived in the village of Westminster for 17 years. I can look back and remember happy memories, good neighbours and friends and a good community spirit. We will be moving soon as the village is being pulled down in the name of progress, but I hope we will not lose touch with our old friends and that we will make new ones." ********** "Once upon a time, about 20 years ago, there was
a nice little village called West Minster. There were also
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