PERSONAL MEMORIES

This is where to put all those memories Good, Bad or even Tragic.

Send them in and we will Publish them here.

Susan Schneider

Iwas born in 1953 while we were staying for a while with my Grandparents at number 50, Holyrood Avenue, South Harrrow.
They had moved there after being bombed out living in the East End of London which suffered badly during World War Two.
Both were real Cockneys Granddad William (Bill) and Nana Alice Cassimer they were affectionately known to Friends as Cass.
Their family consisted of three Daughters Alice, Rose and Mary my Mother and two Boys William (Billy) and Alfred (Alfie) unfortunately they have all died now except for Uncle Billy now in his eighties. Uncle Billy was a great dancer, girls would want to be my mother's friend just so they could get to dance with her brother.

Mum went to Eastcote Lane School as probably did Alfie. (Mrs Heaton was the cookery teacher and was still there in later years when I attended)
My Dad was from New York and he and Mum met through a friend.
They were stationed in Pennsylvania when the base there closed and my father went off on a remote tour of Greenland, Iceland and Germany.
So my mother (8 mths pregnant with me) packed my two brothers up and went to stay with my Nana on Holyrood, after I was born we moved to Park Lane.

For the first part of my Childhood we moved constantly between America and England and this carried on until 1965 when Mum and Dad got divorced, I then went back to Holyrood Avenue with Nana and Granddad. (then to Rayners Lane, Kent and Northolt)
This was when I attended Roxeth Manor School from 1965-1969 (previously known as Eastcote lane).
I really found a big difference between the Schools in the States to the ones in England.
I got to know most People who lived locally, a very good Friend of mine was Linda Wilding who lived in Walton Avenue

My Husband says he knew me when he was stationed at the USAF base in Victoria Road but my real recollection is meeting him at the West Ruislip Base known locally as the 4MU, where he was posted after the Base closed.
This was a very popular venue for Dances on a Saturday night with a live Band on stage.
When that also closed down he was then stationed at High Wycombe as Chief of Police, which is where we were married and lived on the Base, we stayed there from 1976 until 1981 before moving to America.

Looking back I remember the shops in Eastcote Lane at the bottom of Holyrood Avenue with the Co-op on the corner, Nana would often send me down to buy Ginger cake which was Granddads favourite it cost one shilling and four pence then.
When my Aunt and Uncle who had moved down to Sussex came to visit, he would send us down to the Co-op to buy some boxes of matches at a penny each and he would then give us a three-penny piece for each box, I suppose that made him my favourite at the time.

We live in Texas now and I am and have been in touch via email with a few other People who attended the same School,
One lives in Australia, my best friend lives in Canada, Dawn in Texas also and others over the years some of whom have now passed on.

I went back to England twice in the last twenty five years once in 1996 and again in 2003, and I noticed a lot of changes, I have often though I might go back to live but really have serious thoughts as to whether I would really enjoy it there since it has changed so much.

I am not so crazy about Texas sometimes – HECK it’s 100 degrees here now and I hate the heat!!!!!!!!
Yeah I know everyone in England always says “You are lucky all that hot weather”
I tell them “TAKE IT PLEASE”
Should anyone who remembers or knows me I would welcome an email.

Susan
Schneid957@aol.com

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School Memory
It didn't pay to be honest at Eastcote Lane School in 1952, after reading the Bible about sling shots, my mate and I built one, when trying it out. a rock hit a window, breaking it, The next morning in assembly Mr Watkins, got up and asked who did, this terrible deed, My friend Dinger Bowell and I got up, now we were never sure if our sling shot had done the damage, how ever Mr Watkins treated us to a dozen licks with the cane, and gave us both a conduct mark, for years when asked about the conduct mark on my record, I cheerfully told it was for good conduct, which impressed my employers and I was never out of work, Dinger went his way and I went mine, two different worlds apart, But my bottom remembers that cane.
Its amazing which part of the Bible we boys paid attention to.
© Brian Bernhardt

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I remember the Sunday morning in 1939, I had gone up to Doreen's Newsagents and Tobacconists shop in Eastcote Lane to get Dad some cigarettes, on the way back down Walton Avenue the sirens sounded louder than ever before, we had often heard then practising but never like this, the noise was deafening and I started running, I crossed the roundabout by Arundel Drive and was on the last stretch home when my Father came running down to meet me, " Come on Son" he said "It's an Air Raid, German planes have been seen coming towards London, they just said so on the wireless".

It turned out that it was a false alarm, but it took everyone by surprise, and little did they know then the havoc and chaos along with the heartaches that were about to happen over the next few years.

©Syd Dean

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Sports fashion at Eastcote Lane School.
One can hardy say the sports fashion during my time at Eastcote Lane School could be listed in the top ten for today's fashions,
We girls had to wear beautiful designed navy blue knickers for net ball and other sports, if we had worn them correctly they would have been down close to our knees, how ever the trick was pull up tuck up, and try to have them look like short shorts, rather than bloomers, or make an excuse not to go out for P T that day ,being the youngest girl in the family.

I was treated to a lot of hand me down, my sister being a great deal larger than myself, and the family Loco being (Waste not wont not),

I became an expert in the pull up tuck Up game with my navy blues, we all hated them so much and when asked today what I remember most about sports at Eastcote Lane School, not the challenge of beating other teams in contest, but keeping your navy blues fitting tightly.
©Dawn Rice

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8th October 1952.

There was a triple train crash at Harrow & Wealdstone Station, two express trains going in opposite directions collided into a stationary train waiting at a platform picking up passengers.

Doctors and Nurses were rushed from many hospitals, and a large contingent went from the United States Airforce Base at Victoria Road, South Ruislip.

There was an urgent appeal put out on the radio by the BBC for any medical people who were not actually at work to attend immediately.

Everyone worked frantically to rescue as many people as possible and give treatment where they could to the injured.

All available ambulances including American ambulances were needed to take the injured to hospitals wherever they had any beds not being used.

The carriages of the trains had piggy backed onto each other and could be seen towering above Wealdstone bridge.

The final death toll was 112 people.

Services were held in many local churches for the victims.

The work carried out by all the Medics was exemplary, and people were honoured for the effort including an American Sister who was given a medal at Buckingham Palace, which I believe was the George Cross or a George Medal struck especially for this purpose.

I saw the carnage, but I cannot remember if it was the same night or next day, my Uncle had a car showroom on the main road, on the bridge.

©Syd Dean.

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Terry Hissey Terry has donated so much stuff I have to give him his own page and received with thanks. Terry Hissey