My First School

I was born in Grayshott Rd 1936 At 3 and a half I was evacuated to Devon. When I returned to Battersea we lived in Ashbury Road Opposite what was then called the Chambers I went to Holborn St school for 1 year as I was now 11 yrs I then went to Battersea Comprehensive until 14 when took an exam and entered the Westminister College at that time part of London .Uni. I remeber he Tea rooms in Clapham Junction next door to Lyons . The Northcote and Battersea park where there was a pig farm before the Festival was built. Also of course Adding and Hobbs . my grand parents lived in Old battersea until the house was bombed and then they lived in near the Northcote. My 4 brothers all went to the Lavender hill school

Hello I went to john burns school and lived at no 95 Beaufort road my name was Jacqueline griffiths , I left there and went on to Garrett green school in the very early 1960 I loved living in battersea , had a great childhood never had much but always had great fun, I was an only child so I always had lots of people round my house , wonder if anybody remember me be good to hear from you

Hi all, does anyone remember the Princes Head Pub in Battersea? My Grandfather owned it in the 40's (Dave Allen) and I was born there during the bombing. Would be interesting to anything about those times.

My mum was born in Newman Street, just off Falcon Road, in 1926, they got bombed as soon as the war started, my Gt. Nan got killed in that. Later when my nan, granddad, mum and the rest of the family lived in Gwynne Road and when she was old enough (which would be about the time your grandfather was there) she would frequent the Princes Head Pub a lot and was known for getting up and singing "Frankie and Johnny". One of many memories is visiting my nan and granddad and during the day was having pie and mash at Maggie Browns and at night when all the family went to the pub us kids would stand in the doorway that had burgundy curtains just inside and we would get a bag of smiths crisps with the blue bag of salt in and a glass bottle of coke and be happy with that.

My sisters and I lived at 71 Beaufoy Road from 1956 to about 1964. 71 was one of a pair of new houses built on a bomb site. The other house, 69, belonged to the Bedlows, a family from British Guiana (now Guyana). Like Jacqueline Griffiths (above), my big sister, Pat, went to Garratt Green (circa 1964 under Dorothy Vaughan-Davies's headship) and like Paul Wingrove, we were both at John Burns (she four years before I) and I was in the same class as Timothy Spall. I daresay he and I shared the stage in a Nativity play or two and I vaguely remember a production of The Makado, so I should probably update my CV.

John Burns was demolished and rebuilt on the site of the neighbouring Wycliffe School, although the boys' entrance to the old John Burns, which some of you may remember was a gateway with "BOYS" engraved at the top, has been left in situ as a somewhat incongruous monument. I may be wrong but the home of the school caretaker, who was a Mr McCarthy when I was there, appears today to be much as it was back when I left in 1968, though now fronted by a car-sized gate instead of the infants'/girls' side of the original gateway.

Anyone interested can view what remains of the old John Burns (ie the boys' gate) opposite 49 Dunston Road, SW11 on Google Street View.

I went to John Burns School and was friends with Yvonne Wells, Rita Wales and Joan Reavlly. I remember Jackie Griffiths, a pretty little dark haired girl who lived at the bottom end of Beaufoy Road. I lost contact with all friends from primary school once I started at Elliott School in Putney, hope everyone has had a happy and fulfilling life. Vanessa (Leach)

Bernie Kaestner-I went John Burns in the late 1960s with my older brother Rob (who was a friend of Timmy Spall). We lived on Ingelow Road by Queenstown Road. There was a sweet shop by the entrance called Foxes (?). Mr McCarthy used to bowl ferociously at us playing cricket in the boys playground. I really remember Mr Airey, a great teacher from New Zealand. Pretty sure he liked the pubs on Lavender Hill after a day of trying to teach us lot!

i lived at no 114 beaufoy rd. my best friiends were paul wingrove and kevin clarke. my father and mother were george and edna. my sister sharon and brothers richard and gary. we all went to john burns sch.. does anyone remember the prefabs at the bottom of the street (near the railway lines). i remember foxes the greengrocers and the dairy shop and the bakers and the two off licences. does anyone remember the two bombed out houses that were in the middle end of the road. i remember bonfire night when each household shared their firworks with each other, and the bonfires in the middle of the road. then the fire brigade putting them all out...such joy...