A trip down memory lane

Local historian and retired carpenter, Dennis Cross, has lived and worked in and around Diss all his life. After decades of collecting Diss memorabilia, Dennis turned to fundraising, selling charity calendars in aid of the Big C. Featuring an extensive collection of old photographs, postcards and press cuttings dating back to 1865, his calendars have been a big success over the years, raising thousands for the Norfolk cancer charity. With sales growing year-on-year, the calendars are well travelled, with copies sold in New Zealand! We took the opportunity to find out more about the man behind the memorabilia. enthusiasm for collecting memorabilia. I still have some very rare postcards of Burston Station, which are my most treasured items.

Where do you source your photos and postcards from? I found most of my items from antique fairs and postcard fairs. I started going to these in 1976 and, after finding a few fascinating postcards, I became hooked. It then became a weekly trip on a Saturday to a different fair. I discovered a very early postcard of Sunnyside in Diss at an antique shop in Felixstowe! The more I collected, the more I wanted to collect. I then joined the Norfolk Postcard Club, where I continued to collect local memorabilia. People would know what I was interested in and they’d reserve postcards for me. Friends would also keep an eye out for me, and the photos would often be a good talking point in the pub

You have a lot of stories to tell Dennis, how do you remember them all? I’ve done many things in my life, worked with many people in different jobs and learned a lot. The more you do, the more memories you make. I can remember one of my earliest memories – learning to ride a bike with my mum in Shimpling. She kept telling me to turn left and I went straight ahead, into a hawthorn bush! I also have a lot of farming memories growing up. Living in a village with lots of fields meant I had to help with the regular farming duties.

Dennis, tell us a bit about yourself: I’ve lived and worked in the Diss area my whole life. I grew up in Shimpling, went to Burston Primary School then Diss Secondary School and later moved to Diss where I’ve lived for many years. I started out as an apprentice carpenter and learned the trade on the job, doing various carpentry jobs in Diss. I’ve seen many changes to the town over the years.

What sparked your interest in collecting memorabilia? As a child, I was always fascinated with railway stations - my father worked on the railway. I used to collect railway tickets, which I suppose was the early signs of my

Of all the historic events in Diss, what stands out most in your mind? I remember when Aldridge’s Brush Factory in Diss, which was built in the early 1900s, caught fire. I ended up helping to lay a flat roof on top of the remains.

Where can our readers view your images and postcards? Once I’d got a good collection of items, I produced a couple of books with all my local snaps and postcards in. My first book was published in 1991 called ‘A Portrait in Old Picture Postcards’ followed by a second book ‘Memories of Diss’. I still have some copies available for people to buy. I also have regular features in the ‘Village People’ magazine, where I share photos and postcards of a different local village every two months. Recently, I was featured in the Diss Town Guide too. What gave you the idea of creating a charity calendar? I have a huge collection and, after producing my books, I always wanted to do another project. I’ve known many people who have battled with cancer in their lives and it dawned on me one day that I could use all the images I’d collected to raise a bit of money for a good cause. I was chatting to my friend Rob, from Photo Elite, and we came up with the idea of creating a calendar featuring different images of Diss and local villages. I sourced the images and Rob helped with the production. The £10 sale of each calendar went to the Big C charity. We started the first one in 2016 and it’s become more popular every year! I’ve raised between £5,000-£6,000 in total.

Dennis will soon be working on a 2023 calendar, which he hopes will be ready for sale in August. Featuring even more unseen images and postcards from Diss and local villages, this one is sure to be another hit! If you have any historic photos or postcards of Diss and our local villages, Dennis would love to hear from you on 01379 651897.