Feltham 1945 1967 David Murr

A Memory of Feltham.

I was born in Feltham army quarters D Block in 1945. My father was a professional soldier Charles Murr M.B.E. (Charlie) who was coming to the end of a 30 year career in the army. He was the Regimental Sargent Major, Warrent Officer First Class. Apparently he was nicknamed 'Smiler' as he never smiled on duty. My Mother Doris came from Whitburn a small fishing village the other side of Sunderland in the North of England. I had 2 brothers and 2 sisters. Brian, Peter, Audrey, Gail.
I went to Cardinal Road infants School, of which I have little memory, I do however remember having a friend called David Gresswell. I also remember trying to catch tadpoles with my Sowester hat from the Longford river between the Feltham Hotel and St. Catherine's Church.
We moved to Shelson Avenue in Lower Feltham when I was 8 . I went to Feltham Hill where the headmaster was Mr Shattock. My Class teachers were Mr Hemings in Upper 8, Miss Collorossi Upper 9 and Mr Davies Upper 10 and 11. I also remember Miss Cousins a wonderful History Teacher. Mr Davies was a sadistic -------. Who would whack you across the knuckles with his pointer stick if you had your hands on your desk. He would also throw his chalk board wooden duster at you if you were talking in class.
I went from there to Kenyington Manor for 2 years before passing my 13+ and going to Twickenham Tech.
In Shelson Avenue I had 4 friends, Roy & Don Holdaway, John Curtin & John Ayton. At the top of Shelson Avenue where we all lived was Greenham Gravel Pits. At weekends and during the school holidays we would go fishing there. My first rod was a very cheap green painted bamboo stick with a small black plastic reel. It was useless for reeling in a fish, so if I had a successful strike, I would run up the bank holding the rod and reel tightly, until my friends told me to stop. They would then remove the fish ( usually a perch) and put it unharmed into the keepnet. Fortunately it was not long before I got a second hand glass fibre rod and descent reel. The 4 of us went everywhere together and were Founder members of the Top Ace Youth Club in Feltham in the early sixties.

I met my lovely wife Rose at the Top Ace in 1963 and we are still together after more than 50 years and have 3 children and 10 grandchildren. We married in 1967 and bought our first house in Yateley, Hampshire. We still live in the Parish of Yateley to this date.
Friends I remember from those days include, Marion Webb, Martin Webb, Victor Mountstephens, Barbara Lane, Janice Francis, Linda Curtis, Maureen &Linda Darnell, Victor Briggs, Terry Burton, Dougie Rue,
Classmates I remember. Feltham Hill. Janet Lucas, Susan Shaw, John Bull, Rodney Surman, Kenyington Manor. Carol Woodward, Raymond Pankhurst, Janet Zimmer, Alan Brain, Brian Clay, Pat Green, Leonard Veale, Andrew Johnson. Coleen Nelson. Twickenham Tech. Frank Bradley, Ian Mason, Graham Hill, Robert Kenny, Clive Johnson, and of course there are many more where I can picture them in my mind but for the life of me I cannot put a name to.