NOSTALGIA: Health inspectors would have had a field day at this Portsmouth butcher's

NO FLIES ON US LADY.

A Portsmouth butchers in the 1920s. All in the open — NO FLIES ON US LADY. A Portsmouth butchers in the 1920s. All in the open

The painting on the packet was by Laurence Bagley and shows the Type A fast patrol boat HMS Aggressor leading a convoy of the class into Portsmouth Harbour.

Eighteen of the class were built and Aggressor was constructed by Saunders-Roe Vosper Company at Chertsey in Surrey, believe it or not.

They could be classed as motor gun boats or motor torpedo boats depending on their armament.

The

Dark-class fast patrol boat HMS Aggressor leads a convoy of the class into Portsmouth Harbour. — The Dark-class fast patrol boat HMS Aggressor leads a convoy of the class into Portsmouth Harbour.

Most of the class were decommissioned in 1957 and those that remained were released from service in 1960.

I have heard from men who served in all classes of naval ships but never from this class.

If you served in these fast boats please let me know.

• In the second picture we move to Cowplain where a three-lane depot for the use of cars belonging to the Portsdown and Horndean Light Railway is being built.

Under construction at Cowplain circa 1904 is the tram depot for the P&HLR . (Barry Cox Collection)

It was taken out of use with the close of service in 1935 but remained in situ well into the 1960s with the arches bricked up.

It may have still been standing in the 1970s. If you can tell me I would like to know. Perhaps you might have a photograph of the depot in later years?

• I have no name for the butcher’s shop in Portsmouth, but it was well before the days of the environmental health inspectors of today.

All the meat is open to the elements so I assume the photograph was taken during winter. Imagine the flies there would have been buzzing around that meat if it had been during summer.

Arriving at the Royal Marine Barracks are soldiers of the Hampshire Regiment returning from France in 1919. (Robert James collection)

The rib of beef over the top of the 7d sign has a label saying ‘frozen’ so it might have been at the time when Britain imported much frozen Argentine beef.

Anyone who has a clue about the shop’s location, please let me know.

• Seen marching along Cromwell Road, Eastney, heading for the main gate of the Royal Marine Barracks, we see soldiers of the Hampshire Regiment having arrived home from France.

The regiment was retitled The Royal Hampshire Regiment after distinguished service in the Second World War.

During the Christmas of 1914 members of the regiment took part in the unofficial truce when German and British troops fraternised in No Man’s Land. I wonder if any of the men on view here took part?

During the war to end all wars the Tigers lost 7,580 officers and men killed in action.