ID: WW01_041 / Winifred Hone

TitleTollesbury, and taking the Victory - Winifred Hone memoirs
AbstractWe had almost given up the idea of taking a pub, the war coming to an end many people had the same idea and licences were very hard to get hold of. Quite casually, we heard about the Victory at West Mersea from a visiting Officer stationed at West Mersea. It seemed a carefree way of earning a living, just pulling pints, talking to customers and taking the cash. I soon found out that there was more to it than that. Mr Trim was the proprietor of the Victory, I remember so well cycling over to Mersea as soon as I heard he wanted to leave. It was a sunny afternoon when I knocked on the back door loudly and in time it was answered by Mr Trim himself minus several garments as he always had a rest when he came back from work. I asked him timidly if he wanted to get rid of the Victory; if so, would he tell the Brewers that he had found suitable tenants. Naturally he asked who and he looked very surprised when I said me. He must have liked the look of me for he arranged with the Brewers for us to take over the Victory and agreed to stay until my husband was demobilised from the RNVR.

Thought to be G.R. 'Ronnie' Hone, in his RNVR dress uniform as Lieutenant Commander

Mr Trim was a Mersea man and had most of the locals as his customers, he was very well liked, but taking over the licence doesn't always follow that you take over the customers. We had made what we though an improvement with the addition of carpets, some antique furniture, silver and brass, but the wanted to keep their pub as they had known it. However, the sore was quickly healed when they realized what what we were trying to do. Businesses are like individuals - they must go forward or go back.

Mr Trim was the first man to get to the German Zep that had passed very low over the Victory before it came down at Wigborough; he took his bike in a dinghy and landed up a creek and was soon at the scene to witness all the smashed grandeau. He telephoned Dr Salter, a very famous man in many walks of life, to tell him of the Zep and also that a farmer had been in a serious accident. He was taking the injured man back to his farm and would look after him until he arrived. Mr Trim had been chief sergeant with the Mersea special constables, of which Dr Salter was the chief. When the Doctor arrived, he went with him to the hospital with the patient. Dr Salter always thought that Mr Trim was the most active person that night and was very disappointed that he was not rewarded for his part in the proceedings. At a later date a special watch was presented to him by Dr Salter suitably inscribed on behalf of the Lord Lieutenant the Earl of Warwick, which Mr Trim was very proud to show me. I believe the presentation was on this birthday, and incidently Dr Salter had brought him into the world 56 years before, I believe the 25th birth of a total of 7,000. It was quite a memorable presentation. Unfortunately the victim of the accident died in spite of every effort to save him.

AuthorWinifred Hone
Publishedc1969
SourceMersea Museum / Wendy Brady
IDWW01_041