WE always encourage memories from our Looking Back readers and now, without further ado, we embark upon the recollections of Jean Matthews, nee West, of Dorchester.

Avid Looking Back readers will remember us taking a look at a 1995 restoration of the Naval Dockyard Lighthouse at Portland Harbour, triggered by a more recent facelift of the historic lighthouse.

Jean remembers: "I was quite young, before the war, and away from school, recovering from an illness. My father had forbidden me to go anywhere near the harbour, but child-like I wandered down there and I can clearly remember that there was a new landing stage close to the Pavilion., it was covered in coconut matting (non slip).

"I was happily throwing stones into the water, I must have slipped because I was in the water, luckily the high-tide was covering the platform, so I wasn't actually in the deep harbour. I was able to crawl up the steps and out - no-one saw this because the Jersey boat was being unloaded and everyone was busy with this - so home I went like a drowned rat, mother was out so on to my grandmother's (10 Market Street) where they undressed me and wrapped me in a blanket. I expect my parents were too relieved to grumble at me, but I do know that my father forebade me to go anywhere near the harbour again - and I didn't!"

*There'll be more Portland Harbour memories from Jean next week.