Portsmouth plaque turns up in Bognor shop

Back in January 26, 1968, the Lord Mayor of Portsmouth, Alderman Denis Connors, unveiled a plaque commemorating the sailing of a fleet of 11 ships in 1787.

By The Newsroom

Published 9th Jul 2016, 06:48 BST

Found in a house clearance and picked up by Dave Quinton in an antique shop in Bognor Regis.

It was led by HMS Sirius and it was to form the first colony in New South Wales, Australia.

Alderman Connors said that Portsmouth proved to be the ‘Mother City’ of Australia and linked the ceremony with the round-the-world voyage of Southsea greengrocer Alec Rose.

As I remember, some years later there was another ceremony when the Queen visited the Sally Port at Old Portsmouth to mark the sailing of what had by then become known as the First Fleet.

The 1968 plaque that was unveiled was recently purchased by an antiques shop owner when he visited a house garage clearance sale.

It was in turn bought by reader Dave Quinton of Lichfield Road, Portsmouth.

What I and David would like to know is: where was the plaque initially on display and how did it end up in someone’s garage in Bognor Regis?