Pollards Hill In The 1940s 1950s

A Memory of Mitcham.

My name is Paul Wood, born in Greenwood Road in 1940. We didn't get blitzed much, but we had a land mine in our road and we were all evacuated. Buzz bombs or doodle bugs were a different matter, we had 8 in the area, at Sherwood Park Road, Wide Way & Manor Road, we were bombed out twice. We sheltered in an underground shelter which is now under the Church of Ascension, Father Shute would play his accordian as we all sang cockney and First World War songs. I went to school at Pollards Hill Infants & Junior Schools, at 12 I moved across the playing field to the senior school, then in 1953 moved to the new building in Wide Way, and our old school became Alfred Mizen School. My sister Elaine went there, previously she had to be bussed to a school, catching it outside Wedges in Chestnut Grove, the local paper shop. Our only transport locally was the 118 bus to go to Croydon, one walked up Galpins Road to London Road, Thornton Heath to catch a 16 or 18 tram, or across Mitcham Common up Watneys Road to catch a trolley bus, 630. Later the 166 bus Streatham Common to Chipstead Valley ran through South Lodge Avenue, this was replaced by the 130 Streatham Common to New Addington.
South Lodge Avenue was full of new prefabs, and concrete made houses, built by German POWs who were at camp on Tooting Bec Common. Dad was a postman driver at Croydon so every available minute I travelled in his Morris postal van, even during the the V1 & V2 attacks. We were a cycling family, with tandems and push bikes, so we cycled to Hampton Court, Box Hill and other exciting places that were away from the bombing.
I was from 1948 until 1956 a Scout in the 20th Mitcham Troop. I am pleased that I am able to write this as in the late 1960s due to a serious illness I completely lost my memory.
Paul Wood.