On the pavement on the other side of the road immediately outside St Dunstan’s Church was a brick built air raid shelter. We were Anglicans and members of the congregation at St. Dunstan’s Church, but for some reason I joined the cubs/boy scout group at the Congregational Church on the opposite side of Bellingham Green. It seemed as if I had developed a tendency to get to know other religious organisations because around this time I was not only a member of St Dunstan’s and the Congregational Church, but I became a member of the Salvation Army. Their Mission was in a Nissan hut, which I think was located at Fordmill Road, beneath the railway bridge carrying trains from Bellingham Station. I have a vague memory of a shop kiosk being located in that same Nissan hut.
George joined the infants of Elfrida Primary School on the same day as Alan Bicknell, the son of our next door neighbour. The Bicknells had just two children, the other being Margaret, the elder of the two. Coming from a small family, Alan was not hardened to the hurly burley of a larger family, which was probably the reason he cried a lot on that first day. Our teacher was a young lady by the name of Miss Field. Before going into prayers at assembly each morning, Miss Field would have us recite the ABC and also the multiplication tables. These were displayed on the wall behind and above the teacher’s desk. This learning by rote proved to be a very good thing as they stayed with me for the rest of my life. So, at that time the school was blessed with the presence of Ron, Pat and now George. However, after about a year Ron would have moved on to Atheleny Street School.
Behind the Scott family home there were allotments. These could be arrived at by passing through some large wooden gates, which were located a couple of doors down from their entrance. I have no idea who cultivated the allotment plots. The Scott’s house was joined to its neighbour on their left by an alley way. This was open at the front entry, but enclosed by wooden gates leading to the back gardens of the Scott’s and their neighbours, whose name I do not remember, at the far end. So long after this period my memory of neighbours' names is limited, in addition to those already named, to Tamplin, Kelly, Reynolds.
I don’t know at what point Pat did some babysitting for a couple who lived in a maisonette in Meadowview Road, and Pat wanted me to accompany her. We would listen to the radio on which we heard largely plays and classical music from the BBC. I think it was possibly at that time that I developed a love for this form of music.
When I passed the 11 Plus exam, known as the common entrance examination, I won a position at Brockley County Grammar School. I used to travel by tram from Bromley Road at Bellingham, along the main road to St Mary’s Church at Lewisham and from there I would follow the steepish footpath at the side of the church to arrive at Ladywell Road. I followed the Ladywell Road until I reached Adelaide Avenue and then turned up a poorly maintained Eastern Avenue into Hilly Fields to reach the entrance to the school.
In my first year, in Class 1A, I met Vic Snowden, who would many years later become my Best Man, when I married in 1963. I also met a boy by the name of Derek Michael Brosinovich, who would always wish to be called Bros. For some reason I never did call him that and until this day I call him Michael or more often Mick.
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