D-Day 80: Granddaughter remembers "loving" granddad who designed Memorial Stone - Portsmouth's first architect

Adrien Jouvin Sharp created several key structures in the city, with some of his work still being seen on display to this day. He was responsible for the renovation of Portsmouth Guildhall after it was bombed on January 10, 1941, during a Nazi air raid.

Services will be held at Adrien’s poignant sculpture in Southsea on June 5 and 6 to remember those involved in the Normandy Landings. His granddaughter Valerie Godwin said she is immensely proud of his work. She told The News: “I absolutely idolised him. It’s absolutely marvellous that the D-Day stone is at the centre of all these ceremonies. Its simplicity doesn’t seem to matter, it’s the focal point. Whenever I am in Southsea, I always make a point of going to see it.

Adrien was born on September 15, 1883, and served in the Artists Rifles and the Royal Engineers during the First World War. He married his childhood sweetheart Florence after meeting at a ball when he was 16, which Valerie described as love at first sight.

The Emsworth resident said her grandfather made a big impression on her at a young age, spending a lot of time with him during the Second World War. “We were incredibly close”, she added. “He was a loving man and taught me life’s values. He showed me the way people should behave to one another. He taught me one very valuable lesson, to not run away from fear. He was just so kind.”

Adrien’s creativity was paramount from his professional and personal work. He was first appointed as the architect to the Portsmouth Education Committee in 1920, going on to design a number of schools including Northern Grammar School in 1932.

Two years later, he would go on to form a swimming bath for Victoria Park in 1934. He was named as Portsmouth’s first city architect in 1935, going on to sketch plans for the Lido at Lumps Forts, the spectator stand at the Alexandra Park cycle track, the Coronation Eventide homes in Hilsea and the former arch and tower at Hilsea Lido.

Valerie said Adrien always had a creative streak, coming from an artistic family where his sister was a dance teacher who taught Queen Victoria’s grandchildren and an older brother who was an actor in the West End and Broadway.

She added her grandfather was remarkable not just because of his talent, but because of the man he was. He made all her toys during the war, from a wooden kangaroo which would leap down a slope, a truck on wheels and bows and arrows to play Robin Hood.

Valerie said when her mother Nancy was 21, Adrien had organised a ball in Brighton. When they arrived, she found out she left her stole - a women’s shawl worn around the shoulders - behind. Adrien drove all the way back to fetch it for her without hesitation.

“That’s the kind of thing he did,” she said. “I once left my bow and arrows out in the country. He searched the woods until he found them, so I wasn’t upset.” One of the defining moment of Adrien’s career was restoring Portsmouth Guildhall.

After the bombing raid, the centre of the structure was in ruins - though the shell still survived. Valerie said: “Only my grandfather would go up to look at the damage, no one else would go. He went up three times, assessed the damage and said it could be repaired. That is why we have the Guildhall today. He did so much during the war.”

Valerie remembers the line-up for D-Day itself, despite being “knee-high to a grasshopper”. “I was inside the cottage and my mother said there was something I should see and it was important,” she added. “We went up to the A32 and there was just a sea of Khaki. It made such an impression on me and I was not quite three-years-old. There were tanks, lorries, motorbikes and soldiers everywhere. I remember much of my time at the cottage because it was so lovely. When you’re a toddler, you don’t really know there is a war on.”

Adrien retired following the war on December 31, 1948. Valerie said her grandad passed away on June 15, 1955, after an unfortunate accident. He slipped on the pavement in Palmerston Road, Southsea, and had a brain haemorrhage he could not recover from. The D-Day stone is still regularly used to honour the armed forces throughout the year. Valerie said she will remember not only her grandfather during the 80th anniversary commemorations, but also those who served their country.

She added: “He was such a steady character and an influence on all of us. He and my grandmother were sweethearts until the very end. He was the absolute best and I could not fault him. He was so thoughtful, and very firm. He didn’t let me have my way if it wasn’t right, and if I did something wrong, he would tell me off with gentle firmness and kindness.

“We must never forget wars, they’re a terrible thing. It’s not that we are glorifying it, but we are remembering the sacrifice that so many made so we could be free today, and make sure it never happens again.”