School Days

A Memory of Ealing.

As a girl i lived in Ruislip, but, having passed the 11+, went to Notting Hill and Ealing high school, travelling by bus every day. The school was in Cleveland Road, from the art room you could look over the wall of St Davids home and see war casualties in their wheelchairs and beds taking the air in the garden. Horrifying so many years since the war ended.

When it was too foggy - those of us who had come by bus were allowed home early, in the daylight. The smog was yellow and choking, we used to wind our scarves overf our mourh and nose, and when we unwound ourselves, the scarves would be stained with the smog. Before the clean air act that was. When the river Brent flooded, the bus took a long detour, via the iron bridge over the Uxbridge Road, which meant we would be late.

~My memories of Ealing were first and foremost going to Fosters, the uniform outfitters, with my mother, The compulsory uniform clothes were very expensive; most of the pupils were fee paying private students; I was pretty poor by comparison. I think the uniform was supposed to equal out differences, but it was only me who wore a white shirt with red cross stitch ( sewn by my mother) rather than the shop-bought red herring bone, and had a simply enormous pair of gym shorts, bought to allow for growth but which never fitted and was mocked by some of my classmates. I also remember being in the choir, to sing Brahms Requiem, along with boys from Ealing Grammar in the church in the Broadway. A wonderful experience- I can recall most of the music and words to this day.

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