Blackhill

Born in Mortimer Street in 1937, attended Tin Mill School in 1943 and loved it. My brother had started school in 1942 and I would follow him there every day so Miss Maud said I might as well start school. Gran would pass the school to do her shopping and I would follow her, she would buy me an apple and then drop me back at school on her way home. We left Blackhill for Jesmond after primary school and so I never attended Benfieldside. Even though a small child I vividly remember the war and when the bombers came over we, like many others, went under the stairs 'for safety'. Gran said if they bombed the house the air raid shelter, which had been built in the back yard, would also be hit so we might as well stay inside. After a few years away we lived at the Royal Oak Hotel in Medomsley. We loved dancing and I remember the Co-op and Mr Hindmarsh teaching us all ballroom dancing. We went every Thursday evening and never missed the 10-2 dance, great times. I now live in Cambridge, a lovely town in the North Island of New Zealand oops hit the wrong button. To continue: Like most people during the war when the planes came over we went under the stairs 'for safety' even though we had an air raid shelter in the back yard which Gran refused to go into. I have many happy memories of living in Blackhill, the sledging in the winter, playing rounders in the street in the light summer nights, walking down to the River Derwent for a swim - lots of good times.