SWIMMING POOL

The full history of this and Stowmarket's other swimming places now available.
Details

Ever since I can remember, I have enjoyed swimming at the out door swimming pool which was situated at Boulter’s Bridge, Combs Ford. I remember the wooden changing cubicles with their graffiti. My early visits would naturally have been with my parents and I would have spent all my time splashing around in the infant’s pool. It had a raised wall surround and I recall being fascinated by the gurgling outlet in the centre of the hand rail at the deep end and a gushing re-fill cascade at the shallow end which used to be nice sit with your back against.

My early attempts to get into the big pool were filled with trepidation as I was convinced that I would be doomed if I stepped over the thick black line painted on the bottom of the pool. The line which was about 3 feet from the end wall signified the end off the 3 foot area and my imagination insisted that if I just dared to venture one toe over it I would be sucked out of my depth and drown. However with weekly summer school visits to the pool my courage soon began to build and I qualified for my 10 yard beginners certificate by successfully completing one width of the pool.

The first couple of mates that I used to spend most of my time with were Michael (Scotty) Scott and Raymond (Sonny) Cattermole who were both from Haughley. Scotty, Sonny and I would spend all week-ends, holidays and most free time through the summer, sun-bathing, swimming and generally goofing around on the small one-metre diving board and charging around playing tag on the grass area. Unfortunately, Sonny, who remember as having a round face and almost white blonde crew-cut hair and an infectious laugh, died tragically in a road accident whilst on a bike ride round the lanes of Haughley aged just twelve.

As I got a bit older I became friends with Keith Martin from Gowle Road and we would dare each other to dive of the higher diving boards. We started on the three-metre spring board, standing nervously on the end with our hands pointing waterwards, finger tips touching, bending over as far as we could so that our heads were as near the water as possible. After the first graceless plummet from nine feet above the water, I emerged triumphant from the water exclaiming how easy it was so that Keith would then be compelled to follow my lead. After several goes at perfecting this manoeuvre the next dare would be set. The next stage was making the board spring. Again it was me who went first and tentatively bounced up and down on the end thinking that it must look quite impressive and that I was going really high when in fact it was probably only a few inches, but eventually getting the nerve to pitch myself forward head first. When I surfaced with my pride as well as my back both hurting I still forced a smile as if to say ‘that was a piece of cake’. The ultimate was of course the five metre board which we knew in pre-metric terms as the fifteen foot or high board. Diving off this monster took every bit of nerve that I could muster, but the same rules applied that had gone before. The high board was not used much for which it was designed, for once you had dived off it you had earned the right to sunbathe on top of it and generally pose in front of lesser mortals and more importantly those members of the opposite sex.

Keith went on to represent Suffolk in national schoolboys competitions. But back at the high board, we were still out to have maximum fun. One of the most spectacular dives in our repertoire was the ‘cannon’ dive. If this was timed right it would cause a very spectacular splash, which for those with a bit more bulk than my skinny fourteen year old frame could be made to reach the shallow end of the pool.

Another favourite past–time at the pool was swimming under water. Doing a width soon became a doodle but swimming a length (thirty-three and a third yards) took a bit more doing.

Remembering your cage number that had your clothes in was also sometimes a problem especially when you had been down there from the first thing in the morning and was now nearly closing time (this was a time before wrist bands with the cage number on them, you had to remember you own number). In the picture it could be me on the top board.

Front row left to right
1. Janet Hammond, 2. ? .3.Terry Aspinall. 4.Aubrey Morley. 5. ?. 6.?. 7. ?
Two in the Middle.
8. David Taylor 9. Ronnie Gooch.
Back Three.
10. Tony Cracknell. 11. Neville Taylor. 12. Martin Buxton