My Early Days In Romford

A Memory of Romford.

I was born in 1929 in my parent's house at 40 Medora Road, adjacent to the old football ground. Any time I hear the Sousa march - 'Liberty Bell' - I am reminded of Saturday there. It was played at the close of every match to get the people to leave in an orderly manner. My father worked at the Labour Exchange on North Street. In the first days/nights of the air raids we slept in the employees' air raid shelter behind the office building. Later on we slept in Shelter No. 4 on North Street across from the Henry Haysom furniture store. That store was hit one night and burned to the ground. The Alms Houses across the street, of wooden constrution, also burned from the heat of the fire. Apart from his day job as manager, my dad also had a full time voluntary night job with the ARP. I became a messenger boy at age 13 and spent one night weekly at the Report Center under the Town Hall. I got involved due my dad and my membership in the St. Edward's Church Youth Club. Four of us signed up for that service.
I attended Mawney Road School as a youngster and then the Royal Liberty School in Gidea Park as a youth. I visited Mawney Road School during their 100th anniversary. I am still in contact with friends from that era at the RLS. I attended the 50th reunion a few years ago. In 1947 I wanted to see the world and emigrated alone to Ontario, Canada. Later I moved to the USA, then back to Ontario and finally with my firm to Wisconsin. I live now in Tallahassee, Florida and enjoy the weather here as I am in my 82nd year.
Early memories of Romford include walking to the Market Place on Wednesdays and Saturdays to see the animals and the stalls. We would watch the huge scale by the Laurie Cinema and try to guess what the cows weighed. We went to the Laurie on Saturday mornings to the "tuppeny rush" to see cowboy films and others. It was always a big crush to get a seat. I used the old library at that end of the Market Place as I loved to read. That was a way to pass time in the air raid shelter during the Second Word War years. If I remember correctly, the first bomb that I heard fall landed on Jubilee Road or Avenue in Chadwell Heath. At that time we were invited to use an Anderson shelter in a neighbour's back garden on Brooklands Road. I was seated against a sheet of plywood at the entrance and the rush of air blew it against my back.
I well remember the buzz bomb that hit on Victoria Road. I was at the Wykeham Hall for our Friday evening Youth Club meeting when we heard it coming. We all dropped to the floor and heard it hit and explode against the railway embankment just east of the station. Good job it did or it might have come as far as the Market Place. Lots more memories but not enough time for all of them.
If anyone recognizes my name I would be pleased to hear from that person.
My sister Joan, now 86, lives in Suffolk. I lost my brother Alan a few years ago. He had also emigrated to Canada and later lived close by my present home.
This is a great page. Best of luck.
Geoffrey Styles


Added 10 April 2011

#231894

Comments & Feedback

Hi Geoffrey, I was born in 1935, Lived at 155 North Street, remember the Haysoms furniture store being burned down during the blitz, I walked past it the following morning on my way to Mawney Road infants school...Moved to Hornchurch 1943, and eventually to Kent where I am now...

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