Shenfield, Essex

Part of my early schooldays

I remember fragments about living at Hutton - I lived in Lilian Crescent, in a new bungalow, having moved from Hawskmoor Green. I learnt to ride a Fairy cycle - as little 2 wheelers were called then - by pushing myself along with the aid of a low brick wall.
I remember my first day at school, saying prayers, and how I ran away - all down Hanging Hill Lane, back home - maybe I didn't like it! Mum had to take me back again on the back of her bike.  We had a chicken house (quite large), in the back garden with 3 pullets, Sally, Hoppy and Perky, and my sister, Pauline hid in it at the tender age of 2.

I had friends who were twins who lived just across the road by the surname of Grimm and their dad always reminded me of Bing Crosby (though I didn't know that at the time).

I can remember going to Brentwood on a Saturday morning with my mother, and having a currant bun and orange juice, in some teashop - a big treat.

We then moved to Stansted Mountfitchet , when I was around 7, to a new house.

The Parade

We lived in the Parade, down by the station.  The fish and chip shop was run by a rather large gentleman. eventually something happened, and we took it over. The soldiers would pack it out and there would be a long queue outside on Friday nights, and anyone seeing that would think we were making money hand over fist, but in reality we were dirt poor and had  hardly any furniture upstairs, just mattresses. There was a wonderful automatic piano on one of the floors though, and it played Back to Sorrento and other classical  music. One of our neighbours was Edie. There was an alleyway at the back of the parade and as I walked up there one day, someone shot me in the chest with an airgun. It stung, but my sternum stopped the slug from doing serious damage. I used to walk all the way to Barnstables at Upminster Common ( called Tylers Common now), and beyond, just to be with horses. On  some evening of the week I had to take fish and chips to the cop shop in Brook street, and come scampering back in the dark. The coal-yard was opposite the Parade,  a butchers just at the bottom of Queens Street. On the corner of the Parade was a barbers, maybe, run by two brothers one, or maybe both of whom had been in a German concentration camp and still bore the number on  one wrist. Next to that was a sweetshop and tobacconist, where I was always having to go to get my mother some more fags. I used to go up Rose Valley and then the  private lane to get to Shenfield Common with our dog. I remember  there were  a lot of wood ant nests in certain parts - you could hear them rustling they were so large. I didn't like Brentwood, or school ( Doddinghurst Road) but it was made bearable by riding horses through Thorndon Park, or  bringing the cows in for Mr Farmer ( his real name) down Sawyers Hall lane behind the school.

Auntie DID have TB

I have recently been doing some research into our family history. I was always told by my mother that her elder sister, Bessie Dubora, died from complications following a tonsilectomy but, having now obtained a copy of the Death Certificate, I have discovered that she died at High Wood Hospital in 1925 from TB at the age of 12 years.

My family originally came from the East End of London, so I was at a lost to understand why the Death Certificate originated in Billericay. Having studied some of the entries on this site, I can now see that High Wood must have been what used to be known as a "sanitorium" for children with TB.

Obviously I never got to meet my aunt Bessie but, if there is anyone out there who survived this terrible disease and remembers her, I would be delighted to hear from them.