Growing Up In Wallington

A Memory of Wallington.

I lived in Bute Gardens West, from Oct 1943 to when I married in 1965. My friends were Donald Scott, Rex Poge, Yashew, an immigrant boy who we nearly killed with a bow and arrow, and brother Dave. We had a club, The Silent Death, we called it the T>S>D>, and to join you had to do all sorts of stupid things like jump off Donalds garage roof, or kick a hat [with a brick underneath it!] funny, we only had 3 members...us. My Dad had a small flooring company called Patey & Sons, which later moved to 110 Stafford Road.
Saturday mornings we went to the Saturday morning flicks at the Odeon. It cost sixpence but you could take your own torch, but don't get caught.
Went fishing down Beddington Park, for sticklebacks and carried them home in a bucket. All dead by the Sunday morning. Went to the Grange for tortuous dental work, but later graduated to the butcher who opperated out of his bungalow on the corner of Demesne road and Stafford Road.
Fell in love with Ann Jackson, Beryl Ferris, and others when I was 7 or 8. Attended Holy Trinity Primary School in Bute Road and was friends with Jim Roamer and Nicholas Stoy among others. Went swimming with my class with the Headmaster Mr. Hood, down to Beddington Park - a had to break the ice to get in! You could get away with murder in those days.
First paying job was as a paperboy for Wally Marshall up near the public hall in Stafford Road. Used to 'mark-up' everybody else's papers first and then go out and deliver 2 rounds of 75 papers each. Hated Thursday when the Radio Times came out and doubled the weight. Wally always promised to let me have some "horn powder" with the pittance I was paid [15 bob a week}... I had only an incling of what he was talking about!
Wallington was a great place to grow up.