Teks a lot to mek yours truly get to his feet when ah’m slouched in me armchair watchin the box.

Any appearance bah her Majesty will usually set off a cracker betwixt me cheeks and have me vertical but durin’ the Eighties there was one other occasion when ah’d find meself springin’ up and into a salute.

The sound of that Sergeant Major-tarp yellin’ aht BENEST’S OF MILLBROOK, AND FINEPRICE, ST CLEMENT’S COAST ROAD was enough to mek a man instantly sarn up for the local militia (if we had one). Struck the fear of God into me, thet chap did.

Anyways, his ancestors hev been around since 1888 when William Benest first set up shop at Lisbon House in Millbrook, St Lawrence. They didn’t hev the Interweb nor cars bek then so in the years to come the

Benest’s made good use of hoss ’n cart, prizing tightly squeezed coins from the fists of the local farmers in return for grub ’n booze ’n thet.

Shortly after the war they went ’n conglomorated the post office next door and before you knew it Benest’s had turned into the multi-national retail monster you see before you today.

They even added a pharmacy in 1952, (much to the delart of mah old man, who was
suddenly spared the cycle ride into town fer thet hem’roid cream occasioned bah him havin’ lost ’is saddle in a drunken game of shove ha’penny with young ‘Flush’ Le Gros.)

Apparently Benest’s ain’t owned bah the Benests no more but it will always be Benest’s in mah book. Anyone interested further in the shop and its history should find ‘The Benest’s of Millbrook’ by Jack Benest in the Town Library (provided ah can be bothered to bring it back). Got pictures ‘n everything.