BUTLINS SKEGNESS REDCOAT REUNION 2008

The Reunion proper started at 7.00pm on Friday 23 May 2008,
with Registration and Wine Reception in the Royal Arthur Suite.
.

BUTLINS REDCOAT REUNION 2008

Above we see fewer than half of those in attendance, almost all of whom did us proud by dressing up in evening wear.

Saturday morning commenced at 10.00am with a meet-up in the Convention Suite. This was immediately followed by 'Scrapbook Corner,' where all the former Redcoats were invited to bring in scrapbooks and photos from their Butlins' days. I was told beforehand that no-one would be interested, but whoever said that couldn't have been more wrong. I laid out six tables in anticipation but then, as photo albums began to flood in, I had to quickly arrange a further six or more tables to accommodate them. So popular was the display of photos, that the Redcoats left them out, for all to see, until the very last minute before leaving on Monday morning.

Skegness Redcoat Reunion 2008 at Redcoats Reunited 3D

Skegness Redcoat Reunion 2008 at Redcoats Reunited 3E

Just one of the photo stalls, being besieged
by  former Redcoats.

And here is another group of ex-Reds, eager to trace
the history of their Butlins' peers.

Heri Harrison at Redcoats Reunited 2008

And here's a stall with TWO attractions.:
Firstly Heri Harrison herself, whose history with Butlins goes back to 1946.
And then her photos, from Skegness 1947; Mosney 1948; and Skegness 1949.

HERI HARRISON

Skegness Redcoat Reunion 2008 at Redcoats Reunited 4

 The two guys used to wear red coats,
but now they've switched to blue jumpers.
L to R: MIKE ONIONS, RAY ALLEN,
JANET ONIONS and EVE ALLEN

MIKE ONIONS and JANET

Skegness Redcoat Reunion 2008 at Redcoats Reunited 2A

Skegness Redcoat Reunion 2008 at Redcoats Reunited 4G

PETE LACEY meets up with his Children's Auntie,
CHRISTINE CHEESEBOROUGH, whom he
worked with at Skegness 1974

PETE LACEY

Here Pete is reunited with some of his
teammates from Barry Island 1972.
VAL MARTIN, KELLY KELLEHER,
PETE LACEY, and RAY MARTIN.

Sunday morning found us all on a Ramble around the Camp, looking for any buildings which were there pre- the major redevelopments in the 1990s.

Skegness Redcoat Reunion 2008 at Redcoats Reunited A

Skegness Redcoat Reunion 2008 at Redcoats Reunited 3B
The Ramble started off from where the South Swimming
Pool used to be.
As the prevailing wind begins to chill us to the bone,
Val Chambers (left) is seen to be turning into an iceberg.

Towards the end of the Ramble I was able to indulge myself in a further bit of nostalgia, and arranged with our kindly group to recreate a photo I'd had taken in 1973, outside the then Queens Showbar. Not a bad effort, is it?

A.J Marriot Butlins Skegness 1973

A.J MARRIOT BUTLINS SKEGNESS

L to R: ELSIE HILL (wife of 'Uncle Arthur') 'A.J' MARRIOT, and HERI HARRISON
plus one bemused child who was snatched from the passing crowd.

A few things have changed since 1973: the women have got shorter; the children have got taller,
and my hair has gone down the plughole. Poor thing!

At first glance, when walking around the Camp, it appears that all the pre-1986 buildings on the Skegness site have been demolished, except for the Queens Building and the Ingoldmells Hotel. However, there are actually a few more, although they are hard to recognise as they have been covered in cladding.

Skegness Redcoat Reunion 2008 at Redcoats Reunited 4A

Skegness Redcoat Reunion 2008 at Redcoats Reunited 4B
On the left is the Ingoldmells Hotel as it looked in its heyday. And here is the Ingoldmells Hotel as it looks now.

On Sunday afternoon we had rehearsals for our 'Redcoat March,' before performing it on Sunday evening. The 3.30 rehearsal contained just SIX volunteers, from which TWO dropped out. However, come 6.30 the numbers had risen to FOURTEEN, which allowed for a far more respectable presentation.

Skegness Redcoat Reunion 2008 at Redcoats Reunited 5

The twenty minute rehearsal proved to be a little too little,
but most were pleased to have been involved.

The TWO main attractions of the Reunion were to meet old friends,
  and making new friends. Below are examples of both.

Skegness Redcoat Reunion 2008 at Redcoats Reunited 6

Skegness Redcoat Reunion 2008 at Redcoats Reunited 8

BILL & BEN The Flowerpot Men reunited.
Actually its Uncle Ray King (Allen) and
Camp Compere Mike Onions,
who had worked together at Skegness in 1972.

RAY KING and AUNTIE EVE

CAGNEY & LACEY Reunited.
Alias Val and
Paula Manchester (Skegness 1973-74).
They arrived as single travellers, and left as good friends.

SKEGNESS Paula

GIRLS, GIRLS, GIRLS

Skegness Redcoat Reunion 2008 at Redcoats Reunited 9

Skegness Redcoat Reunion 2008 at Redcoats Reunited 10

Kelly Kelleher and her party of six girls. And when I say 'party' - these girls really knew how to party.

Three ex-Reds who met their wives at Butlins, and are still married all these decades on.

Skegness Redcoat Reunion 2008 at Redcoats Reunited 12

Frank & Marion Worrall - see webpage
BARRY 1969 Frank and Marion

Skegness Redcoat Reunion 2008 at Redcoats Reunited 13

Alf and Elsie Hill - Minehead 1963

Skegness Redcoat Reunion 2008 at Redcoats Reunited 12

Sham and Val Chambers - Barry 1972

BARRY 1972 Sham and Val

Our grateful thanks go to Eve and Ray Allen, Kelly Kelleher,

Val and Sham Chambers, and Rob Lewis, for the above photos.

I'll be happy to post any further photos you may care to send in.

o-o-o-0-o-o-o

Redcoat Reunion Reviews

REDCOAT REUNION RANDOM REMARKS


If you are a former Redcoat, or were one of the Resident Entertainers, from ANY Butlins Camp or Hotel,
between 1936 and 1986, and have photos, memories, anecdotes, or funny stories to contribute to the website,
please send an email with your contact details to:
A.J Marriot, at Redcoats Reunited, using the link below left:


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