School Run

A Memory of Hinckley.

I lived up at the Three Pots on the A5, just opposite the pub of that name, me and my mum and dad had just moved there from Wellesborough near Sibson when I started at Burbage infant church school in 1955. On my first day at school, around November time, it was really cold with deep snow and me and my mum walked up to catch the H21 at the bus stop up by the Co-op at the top of Wolvey Road. My feet got so cold and wet as I only had ordinary school shoes on, she had to take me back home again to warm me up and put me in some dry socks and wellingtons, I think I got to school about an hour late, on my first day as well. I still remember the headmistress Miss Wheelock who lived down Wesley Walk, a vision of a village headmistress she was, and a kind nice lady as I remember.

My next school when I was about 8 (1959) was Grove Road Juniors, a lovely school with a lovely headmaster, Mr Evans, a small man with owl-like eyes and a pointed freckled face. I have happy memories of that school as I do of all my schools. At going home time I used to run down Wesley walk up Windsor Street and straight into Newcomb's shop that was next to White's garage opposite the Sycamore's, with my bus fare (about three pence halfpenny as I remember), I got a few sweets or a jubilee, that was 3 pence then and then as the bus came up Windsor Street I would set off running to try and get to the next stop before the bus, sometimes a few of us who lived on the Three Pots estate would run together, and I would do this for 2 or 3 stops and then the bus would pass me for the last 3/4 mile stretch up to the Co-op bus stop where that route terminated.

When I got older and went to Hastings High I had my bike to get to school on and sometimes a few of us would get behind the bus and get pulled along in the slip stream, if we pedalled hard enough we could keep up with it right until the last stop, a few times we nearly all ended up piling into the back of the bus when the driver hit the brakes for some reason, the conductor would stand on the platform of the old double decker hanging on to the pole and shouting at us to pack it in and keep our distance. It always seemed to be summer then, that's how I remember it anyway, warm and sunny. Happy Days.
Ralph Lees.

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