WEB PAGE NO. 13th March 2022 First Picture: Duffle Bag

Second Picture: Channel Airways

Third Picture: Portsmouth Airport

Forth Picture: Duffle Coat

When you were a young teenager did you ever collect those either sew on, or stick-on badges from the places that you and your family visited or went on holiday to. Once acquired the next job was to attach the badges to my red duffle bag, they were all the rage at the time. Remember them. A duffel bag was and still is a large bag made of either natural or synthetic historically with a top closure using a drawstring. Generally a duffel bag was often used by non-commissioned personnel in the military, and for travel, sports and recreation by civilians One of the first ports of call whenever we went away was the souvenir shop to try to find a badge I did not have. If I was lucky that town would have more than one. I remember on a school coach trip to Cheddar jn the second or third year I was lucky enough to acquire four badges on one trip. Cheddar Gorge, Goughs Caves, Cox’s Caves and nearby another from Wookey Hole. Mind you this trip was tinged with embarrassment when on the way home on the coach I was sick into a towel provided by Miss Crocker who promptly rolled it all up and gave it to me and I was told to have it washed and return to school clean. This I found deeply embarrassing so I hid the towel in my duffle bag and when I got home I sneaked it up the garden and hid it deep under one of our hedges. I never said a thing, no one asked for the towel back and as far as I am aware 60 years later it could still be there!!!!! As a family we never went abroad on holiday but we did fly to Guernsey twice for a weeks break. We flew Channel Airways from Portsmouth Airport. I understand that this was one of Freddie Lakers first ventures. Here in Guernsey I managed to find all sorts of badges some even with French writing on. I was one satisfied lad at the time and when I could get one from a visit to Herm and another to Sark I was over the moon. Looking back, I wondered what ever happened to that duffle bag and then of course was the whole era of the duffle coat, But that’s another story completely. Just to say I had two a navy blue one and a camel coloured one. Stay in touch Peter gsseditor@gmail.com