Susan Schneider

I was born in 1953 while we were staying for a while with my Grandparents at number 50, Holyrood Avenue, South Harrow.
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 months 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
©Susan Schneider2008