Les The Window Cleaner: A memory of Barking

Les The Window Cleaner

A Memory of Barking.

Does anybody remember the window cleaner who cleaned all the shop windows at Faircross shops during the fifties and sixties? He was always immaculately turned out in clean jeans with a perfect crease to each leg and a gleaming white "T"shirt, whatever the weather. His shoes were always highly polished. I think his christian name was Les. Would love to know more about him. As I recall he was also something to do with the early management of Brian Poole and the Tremeloes. Info, anybody?.

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Added 22 March 2012

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Could be a man called Derek White, he was a commercial (shops) window cleaner in Barking & Longbridge Road. He was also a musician,he played the drums in Len Bells Quartet. Derek was a bit of a "Flash Harry" he drove a brand new MK10 Jaguar when I knew him.

By Roy Miller on Tue Oct 20th 2020, at 2:20 pm

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I knew Derek through Len Bells daughter, her name was June. They lived in Somerville Hastings House maisonettes in Longbridge Road. Before that June and her parents lived at 20, Axe Street just by R.Whites soft drinks. They were the last family to be moved out of Axe Street.
Len Bell was an engineer who had an engineering business (called Janown Engineering) in Howard Road just off Movers Lane in Barking. He was great pals with another engineer named Alf Layco,from Abbey Road, Alf and his wife also owned a florist shop I think it was in Gascoigne Road. I still talk to June after all these years even though we live miles from each other. Happy days of dancing at the Barking Town Hall, Ilford Palais and drinking in the Captain Cook pub.

By Roy Miller on Tue Oct 20th 2020, at 2:40 pm

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