Tony Hulls
The following is a brief outline of the memories I have of Eastcote Lane primary and Roxeth Manor secondary modern as it was called then.
I lived at 71 Walton Avenue and had many school friends who lived close to me.
Do you remember the Cycle Shop Knights of Harrow which was 2 doors away from the chip shop. I spent a lot of time in Knights as I was an avid cyclist and member of the Harrow and Rickmansworth CC. I loved the chip shop and ate their wares often.
As a 13 year old I also worked on Saturday mornings at the chemist shop in the same Eastcote Lane row of shops. My Job was to work in the upstairs flat bathroom, and in the bath wash all the returned medicine bottles so they could be used again. I am sure the practice would be illegal today.
I do remember some of the medicinal preparations were almost impossible to clean out entirely and subsequently got mixed with the new preparations UGH!
I also worked early mornings as a paper boy for the news agents at the Top as we called it. ( you remember that I'm sure.) Doreen's for those who are not sure.
Barry Lambden was a particularly good friend and we had a lot of good times together. I have lost touch with Barry but I do know he was very successful in the UK electronics world.
I emigrated to the USA in 1967 after completing my engineering education in 1962 at Brunel College.
The years in between were spent in the entertainment business in London and the USA. But that's another very long story which I will save for another time.
My primary school years were very well spent at Eastcote Lane Primary School. My sister Brenda preceded my by 5 years and I know she would echo my comments. Her best friends were Vivian Bartleman and another lovely girl by the name of Shirley Wells.
My favorite teachers were Mrs Hastings, Miss Butt, and of course the fabulous Miss Atkins, the English and Gym teacher. I think she caused the first crush I ever had on any female, and I can distinctly remember the absolutely devastating news when she announced her forthcoming marriage to a teacher at another school. Coincidentally his name was Mr Atkinson.
I remember with fondness another teacher, Miss Freemantle who left the school to be married and travel to a new teaching post in Port Said Egypt.
The amazing part of these recollections is that I am remembering things as I write, and some of the facts have not crossed my mind in over 50 odd years.
One event however, which seems to be cast in stone in my memory is the accident which befell my school mate Ray Smith. I had just gotten out of class and had crossed Eastcote Lane in front of a stationary No. 114 bus. I was horrified to see Mrs Hastings sitting in the road in front of the bus cradling Ray Smith in her lap. He had been run over by the bus and one of his lower legs had been crushed under the buses front wheel. As you might imagine the sight was very disturbing, and I was just in time to witness the arrival of the ambulance which whisked poor Ray off to Harrow hospital.
Strangely enough, I was to experience a similar accident when I broke both legs badly after falling out of a very high tree that I was climbing in Ruislip woods. I was carted of to Harrow Hospital shortly after Ray was released some weeks later. Both of us recovered after missing significant amounts of time at school.
With regard to Ray Smith, I am sure many will already know that Ray went on to become a fabulous Jazz pianist. His interpretations of the Jelly Role Morten Ragtime piano era was nothing short of superb. I learned to play Jazz trumpet after leaving Roxeth Manor and that is where I ran into Ray again in the Jazz Clubs of London in the late1950's and early 60's.
While on the same subject, Rays older brother Dick played Base and toured with the Chris Barber band for many years. My sister Brenda went on several dates with Dick before she decided to emigrate to the USA ( long before me ).
The South Harrow area produced some very good musicians, particularly jazz piano players. Gordon Beck lived just down the street from us, and he was to become famous in later years.
After the 11 plus exams which I obviously flunked, I attended Roxeth Manor. Although I was just an average student , I did excel at sports and by 1955 had achieved a great deal of success in track and field, cross country and Rugby. I was capped for Middlesex 4 times during 1955 season.
I can remember some wonderful teachers. Mr. Coles was a mentor of distinction. Mr Harris my english and scripture teacher was memorable to say the least, and Mrs McClennon, was a particular favorite. She taught modern history and I was well aware at a young age of her left wing tendencies.
She had a class nickname , communist Kate as I recall. I remember having some very detailed discussions with her in and out of class, on the principles of left wing politics, and Russian history,
To this day, I am amazed at the level of influence a teacher can have on a 14 year old boy.
She was a wonderful teacher. I admired her dedication to the cause, even though I learned in later years the pitfalls of the left, and was to become myself a confirmed conservative.
I went back to the school some years later and was fortunate enough to see her just before she retired.
She was very warm and remembered me. She wished me well and said some very nice things, which I shall always remember.
During the 1954/5 Rugby season the school senior 15 traveled to Llanelly South Wales to play the local school team. We all stayed with our opposite team members, and I spent the two nights with Yarowith Evans and his family. I remember the three generations of the family that lived in this tiny row house. They all spoke fluent Welsh, and only spoke English in deferance to me when I was in the house.
Mr Coles and Mr James were the teachers on the trip, and after loosing to Llanelly we were treated to a trip to Cardiff Arms Park, to see the England/ Whales game which I believe Whales won.
Before the trip was over we were treated to a visit to a major steel rolling mill in Llanelly. As I recall, it was the largest rolling mill in the UK at the time.
It is worth mentioning if only to set the record straight, that I was sorely beaten in the 1953 school boxing tournament. I was pitted against a bloke in my class by the name of Harry Goodman. I remember Harry well as a wonderful kid with a terrific sense of humor. At the start of round one, he proceeded to pound the daylites out of me, and by round three it was obviously a no contest event.
My parents were devastated, and I went home that night with my tale between my legs.
Harry came up to me the next day and apologized for the beating. It was totally unnecessary to apologize, we were after all I thought, in mortal combat. We remained the best of friends, and I often wonder what happened to Harry. Harry came from a really tough family in the area and I remember his older brother Ben, He knew my sister and was a very nice chap. Everyone liked the Goodmans.
I just thought of something else !
There used to be ( before all the factories sprang up,) a long strip of vacant land on
Field End Rd.
It stretched all the way from the Eastcote Arms pub roundabout, to the railway bridge
over Field End Rd. and that god awful pig farm the other side of the bridge.
Gypsies camped out there for years, and I even remember the ones that went to
school with us local kids.
But there was a bunch of older Lads, they would have been teenagers in the early 50's
that set up a cycle speedway track on that vacant field.
We used to go to the speedway races to watch them at weekends and I think also in
the evenings.
The local team was captained by a Lad by the name of Dixie Dean.
See Tony's pictures and Speech programmes in the Extra Pictures section.