Rosewood Avenue

A Memory of Elm Park.

Hi all
I moved to Elm Park in 1950 and moved into a newly constructed house at 75 rosewood avenue. My dad Bert worked at Ford Dagenham, my mum Doreen was a dinner lady at my school Ayloff. It has only recently become evident that my terrible time there is due to ADHD? No diagnosis was available then. I was always the class clown, always in trouble, I lost count of the times I received the slipper on my backside, and I’m now sure the teacher whose name I cannot remember was a sadist! He took great delight in running across the room to deliver a mighty whack on my tender bum. Later I went up to Suttons in Hornchurch where my ADHD proved as troublesome as before. Every chance my teachers got to send me up to “Pikey” was gleefully taken. Happily I escaped at 15 and was directed by the occupation chap whose job was to give us work interview. I was sent to work in Upminster at John Collyers the tailors at the princely sum of £4 per seven and a half day week. My hobby then was motorcycle related. Many hours spent in the café opposite the Elm Park hotel. Rides out with the gang, joined the famous 59 club east London, now after three marriages living in Royal Tunbridge Wells. Happy memories.

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