Growing Up In Southall.

A Memory of Southall.

I was born in 1949 to Nellie and Ashford DISNEY. We lived at 15 Albert Road, and my father worked in the Post Office at BATH'S on the Weston Road. Mr. William Bath was my father's uncle. Before Mummy and Daddy got married, Mummy used to work in the Post Office as well. - that's how they met. Our neighbours were called Mary and Joseph Packer and every Christmas we had a card from Mary and Joseph. As a very little girl I thought that was special. I had a younger brother called Stephen. I went to Featherstone Infants and Juniors and from there went to Western Secondary Girls School. I remember when I was at the Junior School, one of the teachers was called Mr. Neame. Every lunch time he would ask me to go to the newsagents on the corner (Hill's I think it was called) to get him a quarter of sweets.
Mummy and my grandmother - Mrs. Nellie Goddard of 48 Wentworth Road, would do the "week's" shopping in the Kings Street when I was little. Later, we used to go to Ealing Broadway, when something special in the clothes line or something for the home was needed.
I vividly remember the winter of 1963. I had a paper round and did the Western Road route. I didn't miss a day, only because I was saving up to go to Germany with the school trip!!
Boy was it cold.!! The Canal froze over if I remember correctly.
We lived near the Park, it was just down the road. I seem to remember spending hours in that park with my friends. We used to walk through the park to the Canal and watch the barges being pulled by lovely Shire horses. We used to walk to Osterley Park, passing the Donkeys, I think a Mr. Brewer was the owner. As children, we walked everywhere, unattended by adults, from Osterley park to one side of us and to Cranford Woods to the other side. There was never any thought that anyone would do us harm in any way, and nothing ever did happen to either us or anyone else. We truly knew the meaning of freedom - I didn't appreciate it at the time, but I most certainly do now. My generation was the last generation to know that freedom, mores the pity.
I remember asking my father if I could go to Ballet lessons - he said he thought I was more suited to Tap Dancing - so I was enrolled with Vera's Versatiles!!
We used to get the most awful smogs - that was thick fog and smoke from all the coal fires. I remember mummy tieing a thick wool scarf over my nose to send me off to school in Western Road and the bus conductor was walking in front of the bus waving a lantern from side to side to guide the bus driver. The conductor allowed us children on the bus for free rather than us walk. Once the smokeless coal was bought in and no-one was allowed to burn ordinary coal, we never had them again.
When I left school, I worked as a Junior secretary in the Personnel Department of International Aeradio, I then went to work for a practice of GP's in Lady Margaret Road.
The Doctor's were called Dr's Ginsberg, Freeling and Clyne.
London Airport was only a bus ride away and when the Beatles came back from their American Tour, I and a friend were among the masses of screaming girls welcoming them back home.!!!
Mine was a happy childhood - I made friends with a girl called Diane Jago when we were both 4 years old. We have remained friends even as I write. She came to visit with me only last week. That has got to be some kind of special friendship - if not a record!!!
Another good friend was Susan Tite, however we lost touch over the years.
We moved to Wellington in Somerset, my father's birth place, when I was 17/18

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