School Street in The 1950s

Hi Jacqueline, I lived at 9 School Street. My name is Mike Hawkins and I was born in 1947. I think your name was Burgess and your brother Tommy was my childhood best friend. He moved to Welwyn Garden City and I never saw him again. You have a reply from Kathryn White who I think must be formerly Kathryn Gallagher. All my childhood memories are of playing all day long with Kathryn and Margaret Sullivan and David ('Spud') Burgess along with my brother Peter. We would play from nine in the morning till ten at night - kick can, ralivo, aunties and uncles, pin and needles. At night we would sit on Margaret's step huddled round her transister trying to get Radio Luxemborg. They were the happiest times of my life and we didn't have or want for anything. In the summer we would go to Chimney Pot Park and stay the day. We were never afraid to go anywhere, we had total freedom. We had nothing, but compared to today we had paradise. Your parents never worried because they knew you wouldn't be harmed. Adults looked after kids then. We would, on rare occasions, get on the number 15 bus and pay our penny halfpenny to Worsley woods and just spend the day running and hiding and talking. But most days were spent playing in School Street. I have seen David Burgess many times but not for about fifteen years. Margaret moved to America after school and I haven't seen Kathryn for about fifty years. Today's children don't know what they missed.