Bandon Hill High View School Days

A Memory of Wallington.

We lived over the Express Dairy (opposite the Odeon) My early school days started in 1937 when Bandon Hill Infants were at Milton Road - we moved to Milton Road in 1935. The 654 Trolley bus route was nearby and sometimes the conductor would take out a long pole from under the bus to relocate the overhead poles to the cables above. When our class went up to the Sandy Lane school the Second World War had just started and often we would sit for hours in the air raid shelters where previously had been the sports field. During one raid a bomb fell in Ross Parade and killed one of my friends - his surname I can only remember was Abbot. Later we went on to High View School in The Chase and would swap shrapnell shell cone heads and bullets collected from the previous night's air raids.
When the war ended we were encouraged to take 'Holidays at Home' and in Mellows park there is a large mound now covering the air raid shelter where an outside entertainment was put on. One of the acts was with a young dancer named Margaret Anthony who dressed in white tie, top hat and tails to sing and dance that same act. Margaret lived in Upper Road and earlier when we were aged 6 she was my very first girlfriend. When war was announced my sister and I witnessed the very first arrival of the RAF at Croydon Airport when we were walking up Forester Drive to the original Roundshaw Park - before it became a housing estate.
The aircraft were ancient Gloster Gladiators and to us seemed of First World War vintage. Later we would stroll up Foresters Drive to talk and chat to the airmen that were billeted in many houses that were requisitioned. The pavillion in Roundshaw had become the Guard Room for Canadian troops - and they would give us huge doorsteps of white bread - butter and jam - absolute nectar to us children that
were used to only dull and meagre wartime rationing.
While the war had its horrors, for many children when the war ended it was also the end of what had otherwise been a colourful exciting time.
Sadly the Wallington of today with its constant bulldozing of its old buildings is well on the way to losing what little remains of its former character and pleasantry.

Sent in by Brian Phillips, May 2011