I first discovered Monica Edwards children’s books when I was about 10 and am sure I was attracted to the title Wish for a Pony because I was also that girl who wished for a pony of her own. I was astonished to discover that the book and others were set in the area in which, ever since I was six years old, my parents had taken their holidays. I was, therefore, already very familiar with Rye, Rye Harbour, Camber and with monuments such as the Martello Tower and Camber Castle.
Moving on to the Punchbowl series, I was further astonished to discover that these were set in another favourite childhood haunt; indeed, my parents very nearly bought a property close to the Punchbowl. In fact, they bought a property near Rye when I was 13 and I became best friends with a girl who lived at The Watch House in Rye Harbour. With my vivid imagination and encyclopedic knowledge of ME’s books, I virtually lived with Tamzin and Rissa for the next few years. I explored the castle, climbed the walls of the Martello to the roof, dived from the harbour arm and messed around on boats on the river.
I must have read most of the books a dozen times, still revisiting them to this day. To my delight, my own daughter fell in love with them, too. On the day I found not one but two rare copies of Storm Ahead at an Antiquarian Book Fair in Rye we each read a copy simultaneously. By an odd and almost cosmic coincidence, this was also the day of the annual Mary Stamford memorial service in the church at Rye Harbour.
A few years ago, having found a copy of The White Riders at another book sale, I was startled to see it had once belonged to the brother of my first proper boyfriend, whose mother I was still very friendly with.
Amazingly, she told me then that she had known Monica and had often gone to tea at the vicarage when both were young girls. She remembered clearly the Mary Stamford disaster. All of the above has led me to feel a rather close bond with Monica Edwards and I regret not contacting her before her death a few years ago to tell her what a big part her books have played in my life.
Favourite books? Probably The White Riders and The Midnight Horse. Favourite character? Well, it can only be Jim Decks.
There is still some dispute about the identity of the “real” Jim Decks: he could have been a character named Crusty Crampton. I have found some photographs of him. He could also have been Charlie Cutting, a ferryman at the harbour around the time of Monica’s childhood, or one of the Caisters of whom there were many. I feel it likely the fictional character was a composite. The pictures of all these are in a book by Brian Parks called The Monica Edwards Romney Marsh Companion [Girls Gone By Publishers].
Bernadine Fiddimore is Mayor of Rye