Canvey Island Memories

During WWII  a small group of us boys, mostly from the Parkway and the Driveway area, would stick together, roaming around on weekends, climbing trees and “scrumping” the way boys did.

In those days there were trees and fields behind Tremains and the Rio cinema, and we tended to do “stuff” around there as it wasn’t too far from home for any of us. Sometimes our rovings took us behind the Haystack Pub and the shops along Furtherwick towards Lakeside corner. There was a butcher’s shop, “Durbans” I think along this row and something that we saw behind that shop, and in a small open area, intrigued us for a long time.  A huge canvas was covering what appeared to be a very large object!  none of us could even guess as to what it was, and being “inquisitive” boys we were determined to find out what that big canvas was hiding.

We knew that it would have to be an “after store closing” project and plucked up enough courage one evening to creep up to the mysterious canvas.  Someone managed to pull a corner open and to our amazement we saw this huge “American” style car, it was black and beautifully sleek and long.  Now that we had discovered what was under there we could go on to other things.

It wasn’t until several years later that I learned a little more about the vehicle, and this from “hear say”. It was similar to the 1939 McGhlaughlin Buick and much like the one used during the Royal visit to Canada in the late 1930’s. Rumour also had it that it may have been puchased from either an American or Canadian miltary “big wig” early in the war???

Perhaps someone out there could provide the true details..