Dreams of Heaven
My memories are of the ending of the war, the German one in the Second World War. My family and I went to a VE party down the Greenford Road in Kings Avenue, I was about 7 years old at the time and while I was dancing with my elder sister, my elastic broke in my knickers and I was trying to hold them up and trying to tell my sister what had happened and she took not the slightest bit of notice of me and carried on dancing. The music was provided by a man an a piano dragged from someone's front room, and, apart from the worry of my knickers, that evening was one of the best memories of my life, my family was together and all was right with the world. Eileen
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RE: RE: Dreams of Heaven
I remember the VE party in Kings Avenue. I lived round the corner in Queens Avenue in the flats by the wooden hall. I was only 5 years of age and we had our own street party, music was supplied by the Porter family with a wonderful spread of food for us kids. The adults danced well into the night with the men adjourning to the White Hart for liquid refreshment. Born in 1940 I lived at No 24 until I got married in 1967 and moved to Epsom. My parents stayed at No 24 until they passed away. My grandparents lived at No 30. Their daughter Enna was run over and killed opposite the White Hart by a lorry, this was never traced but was thought to be from J. Lyons & Co. My grandfather was a grave digger in the cemetery at the back of the flats. The area used to flood through into the back gardens. He was responsible for planting the Poplar trees to help ease the problem. Ena should have been buried in this cemetery but my grandad objected and she was buried in the old Greenford cemetery in Costains Lane (opposite the British Legion Club). My father was a bricklayer and worked on Sainsbur'ys shop in the Broadway. He also worked on Gillette's and Firestones on the Great West Road. We had our local shops round the corner by the White Hart There was Hardings, a general store and Post Office, Wash the butcher, Eddir and Joan who ran the green grocers, regular customers used to get a little glass of sherry at Christmas, next to this was the paper shop whose name escapes me.
Comment from Brian White on Saturday, 26th November 2011.
RE: RE: Dreams of Heaven
How lovely to hear from someone else who knows Greenford in my time, I was at Stanhope infants and Juniors. I believe the girl that you have said was killed was in my class or there may have been two girls run down at that end of Greenford. I am sorry the name of the girl I knew escapes me but it might come back one day. My loveliest memories come back when I remember the wonderful walks down beside the River Brent, I have photos taken by my dad in the 1960s, and the walks through Church Fields, to Hanwell church and Conolly Dell. it had always had a fascination for me because of the ducks and swans, and quietness of the place, I suppose the quietness was because it was quite low, you had to walk down slightly and the noise was cut off. Of course the was another aspect of Greenford. I lived in Redford Crescent on the Greenford Road, just in front of the Dump as we used to call it. The Italian prisoners of war were brought here every day and they were kindness itself. One made me a beautiful glass bracelet, and another made me a plastic ring with two colours as stones. I kept the ring for years and now I like to think that they were thinking about their children or families. Thankyou Brian for your memories. I always in my memories go back to Greenford I was a child with three sisters and two brothers and the most wonderful parents who had nothing, no money, only what they worked for and all the love in the world for us their children. Thanks, Eileen
Comment from Eileen Margaret Tristram/nee Wheeler on Sunday, 27th November 2011.
RE: RE: Dreams of Heaven
DO YOU REMEMBER... The Mill Pond on the Greenford Road, that used to freeze over during the cold winters after the Second World War. Many people used to skate there, but I was too young, although I did venture to the small island in the middle. On the opposite side of the road was a searchlight battery during the war. The Greenford Road used to join the Uxbridge Road at the Iron Bridge after passing through the present site of the Handons Timber Yard. Outside the timber yard used to be the original Wycombe Cafe. It was gutted by fire one night and us kids entered in the morning and helped ourselves to ice cream, what a treat that was. The wooden bridge that crossed the River Brent at the bottom of the hill that led down from Hanwell Church near the entrance to Sharps Park (Bunny Park). 'Dick Turpins Cave' amongst the trees at the side of the church. It was in fact an underground ice house. But to us kids it was "Dick Turpins Cave" The Holy Redeemer Church with the 2 brick built air raid shelters outside. A couple of houses in Otter Road with large "V" signs painted on the front wall at the end of the war. When the River Brent used to flood at the junction of Ruislip Road and Costans Lane. The Granada and Playhouse cinemas where we used to go to Saturday morning pictures. In the Granada they had the mighty Wurlitzer Organ. Families I remember who lived in the Greenford Road area: Mr & Mrs Hobbs, Mr & Mrs Timms, Bess Preedy, Kath & George Weedon (my Aunt and Uncle). More memories when they come to mind...
Comment from Brian White on Thursday, 12th January 2012.
RE: RE: Dreams of Heaven
spring heavy pink blossom kings keats..roads..queens...cherry trees still now......white hart gone long time now.....weedon lived 1940s50s west ave 7..southallmiddx..west side top road.....organ went to wormwood scrubs prison..dick turpin yes ice hse....hanwell heath 1800s maps highwaymen....hansons up by iron bridge..stanhope sch there....greenford hall..now pantos xmas,,,,,,,,,,post office ..opposite redlion by catholic church sch...where buses turn sweet shop fish chip shop...etc etc....yxx
Comment from Yvonne Butler on Monday, 30th April 2012.