I also went to Webb Street School in 1947 my mates were Freddie Lane, Roger Wardle who lived in Guinness’s & Kenny Everdon who lived in Pages Walk, last house before the railway entrance in Old Kent Road. The first day I went to Webb Street the first bell went, which I think would have been after about an hour & went home thinking this is not too bad. Needless to say, my mum soon had me back at school with all the other kids laughing, well I was only little.
First of all, as a kid living in Guinness’s, Pages Walk for me was great, like most families we never had much money but it was HOME I can still hear my Mum saying we may not have any money but it cost nothing to say please and thank you. The flat we lived in was second from the top, two bedrooms and a big living room ( I nearly said lounge then I’m forgetting where I came from) .Me and my brother Bob slept in one room ( same bed ) mum, and my two sisters Sheila and Jan in the other all in one bed.( now for those saying where did Dad sleep I'm afraid when I was about 6-7 he went out for a packet of fags & forgot to come home) It must have been so hard for my mum at that time. I can remember carrying bags of coal or my iron framed push bike up the stairs to our flat, it was bloody hard work. I remember climbing on the sheds, you could climb on one side and slide down the other to Swan Mead or if George Horton came along drop down the big wall into Harold Estate I can remember digging the putty out of the cement in the square to put on the end of my bow and arrow we must have drove Mr Horton (Guinness’s caretaker) mad. like most of the kids we used to collect jam jars, lemonade bottles, beer bottles, waste paper and we chopped up firewood for money. Does anybody remember the fogs we use to have? this was the time we use to cross the road in Pages Walk to the houses and tie the knockers together then knock on the door and watch as the first door opened & shut the one next door would knock this went on until both doors opened at once and the penny dropped. This was also a good time to hang on the back of the horse and carts going along Pages Walk. I remember the toffee apple man, but can anyone remember the merry go round, also can anybody remember, I think his name was Bill who used to walk along and all he ever said was "oh six hundred." My bedroom looked out over the park in Leroy Street and after the Pubs turned out (The Pagoda, George, Victory) I would lay in bed and hear the people ,obviously half cut making their way home singing at the top of their voices “,Maybe It’s Becos I’m A Londoner,” “My Old Man Said Follow The Band” & laughing their heads off then gradually fading off into the distance as they got nearer to the Old Kent Road, happy in hard times, for me a wonderful memory.
Tower Bridge Road was great all the stalls, Joyces Pie & Mash, Rossies Ice Cream, Edwards Donuts which was near where my Nan Katie Oliver & my Uncle Stan had their salad stall, they were also outside the Magnet Pub on Sunday mornings. (Picture).
We hear people today saying we need a playroom. The streets were our playroom, the bomb sites, the bomb buildings the parks & all the games that went with it, we were poor kids but we were happy kids & looking back dare I say lucky kids??