Growing up in Portsmouth's Victorian housing | Nostalgia

Williams says he was at number 27 School Lane, Buckland in 1924.

He adds: 'At 10 days old I was fostered by my uncle, Richard Chandler, and his wife and went to live at 19 School Lane where they raised me.

'On the corner of Finsbury Street and North Cross Street was a little sweet shop. The backyard backed on to School Lane. I can remember Mrs Mancton who owned the sweet shop.

'At the Buckland Street end of School Lane there was a Missionary Hall next to a pub called the Sun. The hall was where I attended cubs and Sunday school.

'Number 19 School Lane was a two up and two down house with a gas meter and lighting.

‘Under the stairs was a coal bunker where sacks of coal were delivered to.

‘The sitting room had just a table, a few chairs, a coal fire and an oven.

‘From the sitting room we move on to the scullery where mum used to do the washing on a coal-fired boiler.

‘The scullery led to a back door where there was a lean-to toilet. On the wall outside was a single tap for water.

'When I was four I went to the infant school Wellington Place School until I was 11. Then I went to Drayton Road School until leaving aged 14. I then started work at Palmers brush factory in the warehouse.

'In 1940 my father and his brother dug up the garden between 19 and 21 School Lane and put in an air raid shelter. On January 10, 1941, my father and uncle were both in the pub when the air raids started. We were showered with incendiary bombs. Customers in the pub were taken to the cellar, no doubt with their pint glasses.

'In December 1941, aged 17, I joined the army . My service took me to the Battle of Arnhem. I was taken prisoner and when I came home after the war from the prison camp I married my girlfriend Violet. We took over 19 School Lane. Here we raised two of our three daughters. About the time of your photographs, the 1950s, we moved into 49 Barrington House in Sultan Road, Buckland.

'I moved the furniture by hand cart. From the old house in School Lane to modern living at Barrington House… we had all mod cons including hot and cold running water and an inside bathroom.’