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| Portsmouth and Southsea, Hampshire |
| When we were given "shore leave" ( ie when they let us out !) we would wander down to Southsea front and the pier. These old postcards are all from the early 20th Century. The card on the right was mailed in 1931. Click on any image for a closer look. |
| "The Cathedral of the Navy. HMS Victory, showing stern. Tonnage 2162 tons." |
| Victoria Barracks no longer exists. It was a Royal Navy establishment at the time of this postcard (c 1910) and was still in existence in 1956 when I reported there for my National Service on May 28th. |
| Part of our "basic training" - ie keeping us occupied for a few weeks - was to take us on a tour of HMS Victory, which was at least interesting ! I tripped over the plaque on the right and was put on a charge, much to everyone's amusement !! These two postcards were sent by me in 1956. |
| Portsmouth is in the county of Hampshire on England's south coast. It has been one of the three main Royal Navy bases in the UK for several hundred years and is home to Nelson's Flagship HMS Victory. Southsea is now part of Portsmouth and was the location for Victoria Barracks, a naval establishment for training new entrants to the service. I was in the Royal Navy for two years National Service in 1956-58, and was stationed first at Victoria Barracks and later at HMS Victory. I remember marching through Portsmouth at the head of the rest of the recruits and hoping they were following !! Also being on guard duty in the middle of the night at Victoria Barracks and not being aware that someone had gone over the wall during my watch !! All very silly but it was fun. |
| A rather faded old card of Southsea. |
| A couple of early 20th Century cards of Clarence Pier, Southsea. I hope the horse hasn't been drinking the salt water !! |
| No date for this interesting card of the USS New Jersey off Southsea. This ship is now permanently moored in the Delaware River at Camden, New Jersey, and is open to visitors. We were in Philadelphia (which is across the river from Camden) in September 2001 when the ship arrived at this mooring - everyone thought it was a defensive measure after September 11 !! |
| Southsea Common - a 1926 postcard. |
| Elm Grove, Southsea - a rather faded postcard from 1907. |
| A 1908 postcard of the Ferry Landing Stage, Portsmouth. |
| Portsdown Hill, Portsmouth - a postcard mailed in 1906. |
| An Edwardian postcard showing Southsea Lighthouse. |
| A nice old view of Southsea Pier. |
| An interesting postcard - where are the cattle being shipped to ? The barges don't look large enough for a sea voyage. Any thoughts ? |
| Postcards of the Past |
| Victoria Park, Portsmouth. |
| South Parade Pier, Southsea. |
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| An undated postcard of the Queen's Hotel, Southsea. |
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| South Parade Pier, Southsea. |
| Did You Know.........that Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the British engineer whose achievements included the Great Western Railway, the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol, the SS Great Britain and the Royal Albert Bridge at Saltash, was born in Portsmouth in 1806 ? |
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| Reproductions of postcards with a (Z) following the description are available to buy from Zazzle - just click on the (Z) ! |
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| Victoria Park, Portsmouth. |