Portsmouth schoolboy hero’s hunt for lad he rescued – 72 years ago | Nostalgia

Ed sent me a cutting from The Evening News from 1948 which explains how he saved another boy from drowning.

He dived into the sea where there is a steep slope dropping from the Esplanade between the former miniature railway and Southsea Castle. A strong tide runs from west to east at this point.

Ed was 14 at the time and the boy he saved was 10-year-old Phillip Pennery who lived at Harleston Road, Cosham.

He had climbed through the safety railings and slid down the slope.

He was swept 30 yards out to sea before he was spotted by Ed who, without a thought for himself, dived in to rescue the boy. Bystanders helped pull the boys out.

Phillip had been in the water for some 15 minutes and was suffering from shock and exhaustion.

A photograph of the dramatic scene was taken by Mr CE Jones, of HMS Illustrious.

If the rescue had happened today no doubt Ed would have received some formal award, but different days, different ways eh?

Ed tells me he knew many of the Portsmouth managers. He played in the veterans side at Pompey goalkeeper Alan Knight’s testimonial so must have been some sixty-five years of age by then. Amazing.

The whole reason for Ed dropping a line was to ask if Phillip Pennery is still with us as Ed would like to make contact.

He would be about 82 now. Please contact us if anyone has any knowledge of his whereabouts.

On another note, you’ll see on that front page, in the top right hand corner, headache pills cost from 4d to 3s 2d and yet the Evening News was just 1d, less than 100th of today’s pound coin when there were 240 old pennies to a pound. Just how many copies were sold for Portsmouth & Sunderland Newspapers to cover the cost of producing the paper? There were hundreds employed at the Stanhope Road head office.

• Christine Pannell sent the photo of her mother Joan and sister Kathleen wearing modern-looking swimwear in the mid-1940s. Christine says the modern craze for reusing old materials is not new. She believes her mum’s bikini was once a cardigan?

The bikini, named after Bikini Atoll, was invented by Frenchman Louise Reard in 1946. So, if this photograph was taken in the mid-1940s could it be that Southsea beach saw the first bikini?