VINALL FAMILY
By Rob Vinall
This a photo of my grandfather Frank Vinall, quayside in Dieppe. I am unsure of the date but probably about 1920. He has clearly enjoyed the local hospitality, which he did on a regular basis as he was a stoker on the cross channel steamers, again not sure what boats.
He was in the Royal Sussex Regiment in WW1 and was at Mons and then wounded at the first battle of Ypres. I am not sure whether he was discharged, but at some stage he must have joined the merchant service. I was only 9 when he died and did not, to my regret, ask him about his life previously.
My brother Rodney joined the Brighton as deck boy at 15 and was welcomed in Dieppe by the younger versions of the same providers of local hospitality, once they knew of his background. There was a large black and white photograph of a hospital ship on the wall of grandmothers house and I was told he served on that in WW2 apparently it took a direct hit somewhere in the channel.
If anyone can put flesh on any of these bones or had relatives who served with him I would love to hear from them. One of his brothers in law was Jack Simmons, grandmothers brother, who features in these pages.
Newhaven is a small town and I am always amazed at the names I don't recognise compared to the people I do know!
An addendum to above I have just found my grandfather in a photo of the crew of the Arundel, so I now what ship he was on!