Geography in Kent > City, Town and Village Histories

Walderslade Village

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castle261:
We, as 8 to 11 year olds - only used our sheath knives to cut silver birch trees - to make
our catapults - The quarter inch rubber, was bought from a hardware shop in Magpie Hall Road,
where incidentily, a box on the wall, we could inset a penny, an a cigarette would appear,
with Two swan vesta matches
I used it a couple of times later - before evacuated to Wales at 12 year old.

MartinR:

--- Quote from: Archi93 on April 30, 2021, 05:50:51 PM ---Would you believe back in 60's at Rye, we used to take sheath knives to school and played this really dangerous game where two boys stood about 4-5ft apart on the playing field. One would take the knife by the blade and throw it accurately so it landed and stuck in the soft earth just to the outside of the other boy's foot. He then had to move his foot to that position and return the throw to first boy. He likewise moved his foot to the position marked by the blade stuck in the earth. The game continued until one boy surrendered as he could not move his legs any further apart. It was called "Splits" and you could keep challenging different boys to a game to see who was the champion. It was probably more dangerous than conkers, now banned at school, but in all the days we did it, we never had an accident so we must have been pretty good throwers. It was a long time, like several months, before the teachers stopped us doing it!

--- End quote ---
I'd forgotten all about splits.  One thing though, if the knife failed to stick in the ground you it was a foul and you could bring your feet together.  It meant that it was a bad idea to throw the knife too far, although the craze petered out when one or two boys developed the knack of making the knife stick several feet away.

Archi93:

--- Quote from: castle261 on December 05, 2020, 10:48:04 AM ---Strange we all carried sheath knives then - to cut - wood.

--- End quote ---
Would you believe back in 60's at Rye, we used to take sheath knives to school and played this really dangerous game where two boys stood about 4-5ft apart on the playing field. One would take the knife by the blade and throw it accurately so it landed and stuck in the soft earth just to the outside of the other boy's foot. He then had to move his foot to that position and return the throw to first boy. He likewise moved his foot to the position marked by the blade stuck in the earth. The game continued until one boy surrendered as he could not move his legs any further apart. It was called "Splits" and you could keep challenging different boys to a game to see who was the champion. It was probably more dangerous than conkers, now banned at school, but in all the days we did it, we never had an accident so we must have been pretty good throwers. It was a long time, like several months, before the teachers stopped us doing it!

castle261:
To Dave Smith - That rough road from Luton - was partly made up with a few kerb stones.
Attempts to make it into a proper road - was non exsistant - only a few slabs laid down,
here & there - that was near - that hill

castle261:
I looked it up - on a map - I believe it was - I have just found out it`s on Princes Avenue - looking
in one of those red Medway maps. Of course there were no recognised reference points - in them
days -1935 - onward. I dont remember much about Walderslade Village, I dont think - we
walked that far, Chestnut Avenue was our limit - I was 8/9 years old then - that was two mile or
more from where I live, all across fields. Strange we all carried sheath knives then - to cut - wood.

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