Croxley Station 1940 1945

A Memory of Croxley Green.

Hi, my name is Brian Nicoll. My mother, father and I lived in 10 Frankland Rd from 25/9/35 when I was born until 1956 when I got married. As a small boy I used to have a friend called Roger Gosney who lived over the Croxley station, his father was the station master. It was a great place for him and I to play in and around, the living area ran right across the top of the station with windows overlooking the road. It had all passages in the roof with lots of places for us to play hide 'n seek. His mother was very nice and made us cakes. He had a sister, I can't remember her name. They were very lucky as one night a German plane dropped bombs on a row of cottages just along the road that runs on the left side of the station, the whole fronts of about 4 cottages were blown away. My uncle took me round the next day and you could see the bedrooms and lounges all open, like looking into a dolls house. I don't know if anyone was killed or hurt there, I was only about 8 years old.
There was another bomb dropped nearby which fell in the back of the fish and chip shop which was opposite the Red House pub but it didn't do much damage. I spent a great childhood roller skating around the station, playing down the canal and over the Croxley moors, it was a great place to live then. I attended York Rd, Harvey Rd and Durrants High Schools. We could play cricket in the street, no traffic, only horse and carts, coalman, milkman, baker, fishman all came up the street. I couldn't wait for school holidays to go swimming down the canal and getting towed down the canal on a rope that hang out the back of the longboat with the barge lady swearing away at us while trying to knock us off with her mop (I learnt how to swear very early from them. I think they would give Gordon Ramsey  a lesson or two.
I remember doing a few trips from Uxbridge to Dickinsons papermill on a large barge full of esparto grass towed by a beautiful big shire horse, I got to ride on its back while it towed it along, so lovely and slow watching the country go by, very peaceful, a lovely memory.
I also belonged to the Croxley scout group, had good times camping at Lady Clutterbux farm in Chorley Wood way, now a big motorway I believe.
If anyone knows where Roger Gosney /David Foster /Peter Crowley/ Alan Letter or any of the scout group in the 45-50s are, I would love to hear from them.
Brian Nicoll

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