A recent old photograph in Hassocks Life triggered memories for local resident David Andrews.
Seeing the photo of Hassocks Motors in the March edition of Hassocks Life, before it became National Tyres, reminded me of the time that I worked there as a petrol pump attendant from July 1969 until Christmas 1970.

By the time I started, David Hitches was the owner, and he lived in Underhill Lane with his wife and three young children. He had been a reasonably successful racing driver in the late 1950s and managed both the sales and servicing side of this small British Leyland garage.

Initially selling Mobil fuels and lubricants, we switched to a lesser known brand, Trident, at the beginning of 1970. I wonder if any of the older residents of Hassocks can remember this. A gallon (4.55L) of 4 Star was 6 shillings (30p), so 7p a litre sounds reasonable by today’s prices.

It is still obvious from the photos that two of the three workshop bays were converted into additional showroom space, which enabled 3 or 4 new cars to be displayed inside.

These included the revolutionary Austin Maxi, with its five-speed gearbox, the MG Midget, and different Mini variants including the sporty Cooper, retailing at around £600 brand new! Used stock from £150 upwards was displayed on the forecourt.

Dame Vera Lynn and her husband Harry were regular customers. On one occasion, Harry phoned to say that they had a flat tyre on their Bentley, so I was despatched in the workshop van to their home in Ditchling, to remove the offending wheel and replace it with the spare. This proved to be quite a challenge, as I was used to changing wheels on much smaller cars. I was quite skinny in those days, and Harry rewarded my efforts with a “Five Bob” (25p) tip and the advice to buy myself a couple of pints of Guinness!

Hassocks was a much smaller community in those days, all the wide range of retail outlets were occupied and busy, the Big Four banks were all present, and charity shops had not been invented!