School Days And Beyond

A Memory of Long Ditton.

I was born in Hook (surname then was Martin) and moved to Hinchley wood at a very young age. As there was no school at that time in Hinchley Wood we started our education in Long Ditton infants school, walking to and from as there was no transport . At this time the head teacher of the infant school was Miss Jefferson and one of the other teachers was Miss Edwards. My brother and one of my sisters also attended this school and we all moved on to St Mary's junior school which was then in the building opposite the recreation ground, now I believe it is a mosque. Miss S E Tranter was the head teacher there and in later years when one of my children attended St Mary's Miss Tranter referred to her as one of her grandchildren. In later years after my marriage we moved to Long Ditton and lived firstly in Effingham Road, and subsequently in both Fleece Road and Ewell Road. As we had motorcycles Commerfords was a part of our life and the shops on the parade in Ewell Road were my locals. While at St Mary's school we would attend religous services such as Easter and Christmas celebrations at the church of St Mary and would walk there in an orderly line returning thus after the services. I met a former school friend from Long Ditton some years later whilst visiting family in Texas, she is a member of a family named Rendall who lived in Ewell Road for many years and we had a chance to talk Ditton at our leisure. The old Parish hall at the far end of the recreation ground was damaged in the war years, and later t after it was repaired the children from St Mary's would walk along to the hall for their dinner each day. In later years I went there for a weekly meeting of anyone who cared to come along (during the 1960/70's) for a cuppa and a chat and we would have unwanted clothes and goods for sale which was a great success. The junior school of course had a new building in Sugden Road and I was priveledged to meet up with Mr R Hudson at a sports day while my daughter was a pupil. Mr Hudson was the first male teacher to join the staff while I was a pupil and did a great deal to encourage his young students. The education in Long Ditton was good despite an interuption during the war years when most of the children were evacuated from the area, returning later to resume where they had left off. These days there are houses where once there were farms and fields of horses to pass on the way to school, and a bus route which goes through the village.