KIWI, McDonald's/Oliver's/Hamilton's

A little bit about yourself growing up in Bermondsey
kiwi
Posts: 4802
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 2:53 am

KIWI, McDonald's/Oliver's/Hamilton's

Postby kiwi » Sun Jan 29, 2017 10:11 pm

The Bermondseyboy Forum
From out of the Blue
Brought us together to share
Memories too


Bermondsey born, and Bermondsey raised
So many years so many decades
Memories far back, some not so old
Places have changed but that’s just a must
Memories have stayed just gathering dust

We have had Pie and Mash and topics galore
We have been down to hopping but not anymore
From across the world
We all got in touch
The brain cells started ticking
To shake off the dust

Happy reunions with friends from the past
Recalling the memories when young and so daft
Sadly remembering the people not here
Then smile maybe, with a tear in your eye
Your part of my memories that will never die

Some have grown rich
Some have stayed poor
At the end of the day
When you look back
We all started in Bermondsey
So be very Proud of that
RAY (kiwi).
WELL PROUD.jpg

My name is Ray Hamilton I was born in Guys Hospital in 1942 & we lived in Guinness’s Buildings, Pages Walk, flat 366, from 1942 till about 1962 in Q Block near Swan Mead. In our Block, there was four flats to a landing, two flats to one toilet & washroom. Our bath was in front of the fire in a tin bath, which you shared with the family using the same water just topped up with pots of hot water when needed. We still had Gas lighting until about 1960? & no heating in the bedrooms. My Mums name was Annie Hamilton (Oliver). After my brother, Bob got married he lived in T Block next to Pages Walk with his family. living in Q Block with their families was Peter Emmerson (I think that’s how you spell it), the Bonds (no not 007), I can only remember two names John & Barbara. The Lawsons Jean & Maureen lived on the top floor as did Johnny Porridge. The Kent family lived next door to us at one time & mum Peggy Kent was a lovely lady who help my mum out when times were hard, wish I could meet her again to say thank you. The Grimwoods lived in S Block the same square & Brian now lives in Blackfen/Sidcup, we are still in touch. Rosie Comber & her brother lived in T Block & I think they were related to Johnny Porridge. Two other names I remember from the Square are Ronnie Oliver & Geraldine Jolly.
Guinness’s Building Showing Arrow to Right where Kiwi lived, Arrow left where Bobby lived.

Guinness Buildings,Left Arrow showing where Bobby lived, right showing where Kiwi lived..jpg
Last edited by kiwi on Mon Aug 17, 2020 11:25 pm, edited 5 times in total.

kiwi
Posts: 4802
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 2:53 am

Re: KIWI

Postby kiwi » Sun Jan 29, 2017 10:25 pm

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??
Nan & Stan.jpg
Gran Oliver, Born.16th March 1883, Died 20th March 1966.
Last edited by kiwi on Sat Mar 02, 2019 2:00 am, edited 1 time in total.

kiwi
Posts: 4802
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 2:53 am

Re: KIWI, McDonald's/Oliver's/Hamilton's

Postby kiwi » Thu Feb 02, 2017 1:47 am

McDonald.png
Mary,Charlotte (know as Georgina) & Annie McDonald.
The three girls were living with their parents up until at least 1891 in Neckinger Place, there was also a Mrs Hall who was the girls Grandmother.?
Last edited by kiwi on Sat Feb 11, 2017 4:11 am, edited 1 time in total.

kiwi
Posts: 4802
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 2:53 am

Re: KIWI, McDonald's/Oliver's/Hamilton's

Postby kiwi » Thu Feb 02, 2017 1:54 am

Charlotte.png
Charlotte (know as Georgina) McDonald.

kiwi
Posts: 4802
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 2:53 am

Re: KIWI, McDonald's/Oliver's/Hamilton's

Postby kiwi » Fri Feb 03, 2017 11:40 pm

Rays Nan on stall in Tower Bridge Road..jpg
Katie Oliver, on stall in Tower Bridge Road c 1955
stan 2.jpg
Stan Oliver,Tower Bridge Road. 1923-- 11th May 2013 Aged 90.

kiwi
Posts: 4802
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 2:53 am

Re: KIWI, McDonald's/Oliver's/Hamilton's

Postby kiwi » Tue Feb 07, 2017 3:47 am

This is my aunt Mary (Oliver) to me a lovely person, who sadly passed away in 2001. xx
Mary 1957.jpg
Mary 1957.
Mary.jpg
Aunt Mary.

kiwi
Posts: 4802
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 2:53 am

Re: KIWI, McDonald's/Oliver's/Hamilton's

Postby kiwi » Sat Feb 11, 2017 1:09 am

The picture of 92 Swan Mead is where my Nan Kate Oliver, my aunt Mary & uncle Stan use to live.
My nan, Kate McDonald, (Oliver) was born in Bermondsey in April 1884 in Stanworth Street. She had 3 sisters: Mary, Charlotte (known as Georgina) and Annie. She moved to Hargreave Square when she married in 1901 as did her sister Mary, who was also married and had the surname Lynch.
Nan married Ernest Edward Oliver, who was known as Albert for some unknown reason. (They had 8 children): Kate (married Jimmy Kelly), Sarah Anne (known as Annie, who married Robert Hamilton), Albert John Oliver (known as John, who married Katie Everittt), William James Oliver (known and Billy, who married Elsie Dawdry), Edward J Oliver (known as Teddy, who married Doris Mitchell - known as Dolly), Henry Oliver (known as Harry, who married Carry Mason) and Stanley and Mary Oliver both of whom remained single. The family moved to Swan Mead as the children got older and my grandparents eventually split up.
Every time you went into Nan’s house in Swan Mead you could smell the Beetroots cooking in the boiler, as I have said she and Uncle Stanley had a salad stall all week down the Tower Bridge Road. My Nan was a large lady, who had a chair with arms on either side, unfortunately she also had sugar diabetes and I can remember her injecting herself with insulin. Nan's sister Mary lived in Creasy Estate, Aberdour Street married name being Lynch. If my memory serves me right some of the Lynch family immigrated to Australia maybe in the late
Nan,Stan & Mary's home at 92 Swan Mead..jpg
92 SWAN MEAD.
50s early 60s.I can remember most of my mum’s (Sarah Anne Hamilton) brothers and sisters especially Kate who married Jimmy Kelly and lived in Eltham Street. I went to secondary school with both Michael and Terry Kelly at John Harvard in Union Street, Borough, that’s after I got expelled from Riley Road School TBR but that’s another story. We also went to Patricia Kelly’s wedding but I can’t remember the year.
Last edited by kiwi on Fri Nov 03, 2017 10:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.

kiwi
Posts: 4802
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 2:53 am

A Long Walk

Postby kiwi » Sun Mar 12, 2017 11:34 am

HI EVERYONE
Having been born in Guy's Hospital in1942, I can remember walking from Pages Walk to Guy's and getting a free cup of OXO or BOVRIL, can't remember which, I must have been about six or seven can anyone else recall that. I remember going over London Bridge to the Monument and then walking along the Fish Market to Tower Bridge. Also walking to Southwark Park, stopping at the mat slide in St James on the way. What surprises me reading other members stories, are the distances and places we all walked to as kid's. We had no worries no fear, how the world has changed, there’s some truth in the saying “the good old days”. I don’t know if anyone has mentioned the Hot Roasted Chestnut’s we used to buy outside the Globe Picture House in Old Kent Road, they were really great after coming out of the pictures especially if you hadn’t paid to get in. Can anyone remember if the man that sold them rode a bike or pushed a barrow, also how much a bag did they cost. While I’m around the Bricklayers Arms, could anyone tell me the name of the ice cream shop in Great Dover Street just down from the Library. We used to go in there quite a lot to get a glass full of Tizer topped up with ice cream.
Last edited by kiwi on Sat Apr 08, 2017 10:50 am, edited 1 time in total.

kiwi
Posts: 4802
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 2:53 am

Re: KIWI, McDonald's/Oliver's/Hamilton's

Postby kiwi » Fri Sep 01, 2017 4:23 am

This is a picture of Billy Oliver & Elsie Dawdry on their wedding day. Billy was my uncle & brother
to my mum Sarah & Mary in the picture. I can remember all the faces but sadly not all their names.
At the back and directly behind Billy & Elsie are George Hazell (my brother-in Law) & Kathy Hamilton his wife
& my sister. Mary is on the left. Billy & Elsie had two daughters Pam & Kim.
Billy Oliver & Elsies Wedding.Mary left,George at back with Kathy in middle..png
Rays Nan with Pam,Billy & Elsies daughter..jpg
Kate Oliver with Pam, Billy & Elsies daughter. picture taken at Swan Mead
Carry Mason) Carry with Kate Oliver,Swan Mead. Carry was married to Henry Oliver (known as Harry).jpg
Carry Mason with Kate Oliver,Carry was married to Henry Oliver (known as Harry) picture Swan Mead
CARRIE  MASON (OLIVER). KATE OLIVER RAYS NAN.  X.jpg
CARRIE MASON (OLIVER). KATE OLIVER RAYS NAN.
Last edited by kiwi on Sun Mar 29, 2020 10:06 pm, edited 4 times in total.

kiwi
Posts: 4802
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 2:53 am

Re: KIWI, McDonald's/Oliver's/Hamilton's

Postby kiwi » Fri Sep 01, 2017 4:45 am

RAYS MUM SARAH ANN HAMILTO(OLIVER) AT LEYSDOWN KENT,1950s.png
RAYS MUM SARAH ANN HAMILTON(OLIVER) AT LEYSDOWN KENT.
Mum & Jan,16-6-1950..jpg
Mum & Sister Jan,16-6-1950. Guinness Blds,Pages Walk.

There was five of us Kathy,Bob,Sheila,Ray & Jan. Leysdown picture 1950s.


Return to “Member's Short Stories”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests