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Roots I was born at 6.00am, at Edgware General hospital,
North London, on 30th June 1952. The Growing Up In London The Watling Estate, N.London, was to some, the school of hard knocks,
but in other ways at that time, it taught you RESPECT. A word that's
sadly missing now in our society. Moving To Mill Hill It was the best news my mother could have
had, after 13 years on the council waiting list, we had finally
been given a house on the
Brookfield Estate, Mill Hill in North West London. Moving from the
Edgware Rd was a bit daunting for me, even though it was only about
five miles, it seemed like the other side of the world. I would miss
my mates, what about school?, it never dawned on me there are "things" called
buses!! I don't really remember the actual "move", but I do remember
the run-in I had with a bunch of kids the same day, when mum had
noticed a few shops at the bottom of the road & gave me a shopping
list! The next thing I remember was the half brick lobbed at me and
I waited for the confrontation, but it never came, not THAT day!
It was to be several weeks before I bumped into them again, and this
time I wasn't alone. Tony Fox, who I had grown up with & gone to
school with had sometimes gone over to see me and it was unlucky
for one of them he had! The usual taunts had started, and Tony being
Tony smacked the loudest right in the mouth! That seemed to sort
things out...and one of those kids ended up a close friend, Funny
how it ends up! Dad had just been released from prison shortly after
moving to Mill Hill, and it was strange having him home again, but
things gradually settled down. It was then another sister was born...Ginny,
and I was now outnumbered by two girls!! All Site Content © Copyright 2010
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country
was fighting in Korea, Dennis Compton had scored 107 in his county's
game against Kent at Lords & there was disaster as the prototype
of a new jet fighter, the Gloster GA-5, crashed & exploded during
tests. After a short spell in a single room in South London, we moved
back across the river to Burnt Oak, Edgware Rd, where I was to spend
13 years growing up in a single room rented above a two up-two down
council house on the Watling Estate. Mum had a tough time of it,
and I finally had a sister born six years later between dad serving
yet another prison term.
My
grandfather was in many ways my father-figure what with my dad hardly
at home due to yet another prison sentence or having to lie low for
one reason or another. We were living next door to my grandparents,
so it was lucky in a way for mum, in that there was support in trying
to bring me & my sister up in one room, plus I had a ready made brother....my
youngest uncle! Raymond was the youngest of the five brothers, being
born the same year as me but two months older. Its funny, but when
your that age, two months puts them at the top of the pecking order...not
that would have stopped Ray anyhow. He was a natural leader, and
usually led me into a rake of trouble! Our playground was the park
just down the road, but usually in the back alleys that were the
lock-ups for the market & stall holders in the area. There was another
haunt..."the cave". It was a hollowed out area just underneath
the shops and by a dark alley over the stream & sewer pipe. All sorts
of initiations took place there with one kid getting badly burnt
on the hand as a result! In later years, the "glue-sniffers" took
over the place, and the local hairdresser, "Jon's" was always under
siege as they would lean against the back door out of it, and suddenly
all fall into the shop with customers looking horrified! |
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