School Days

A Memory of Tilbury.

As far back that I can remember, it was the summer of 1934 when I first started school at St Mary's Roman Catholic School in Calcutta Road. I sat next to a friend that I had made (John Toole) Who later in life emigrated to Canada and was killed on a railway crossing in the early 50's. I recall the first bell that was sounded at school and we both thought it was time to go home which we did. However some 30 minutes or so later we were marched back to school by our parents and given a polite telling off. When the bell sounded it was time for play and not going home.
I can remember some of the Teachers names but they were mostly nuns and they lived at the Convent which was in the school grounds and also the church.
There was sister Margaret Mary, sister Borgia. sister Teresa sister Bernadette and the priest was father O'Donnel whom we all loved - he would visit us in the classrooms most days and speak to us.
I can still remember the many friends that I had from school - Billy Watts, (now passed away) Joey Watts,(passed away December 2006) Cecil Gregory and his sister May (who died at a very young age whilst we were still at school). Ken Wigley, John Evans (later became professional footballer for a Northern Club) Teddy & Alan Googe, George Stevenson, Billy & Lou Yallop, the Mc.Clusky brothers,my sister Kitty and her many friends as well as many others that I cannot now remember.
When the 2nd World War started in September 1939, I remember I was playing in the garden- we lived not far from the railway station at Dock Road, I remember a little sweet shop on the corner, I believe it was called Slowleys and just to the rear of that there was a bakers where I would go and get freshly baked rolls (4 for one penny).
I recall my mother looking out of the top window and she was crying. She had just heard that war was declared and she must have been worried about us (Our family at the time was myself, my brother Danny and sister Kitty.)
My father's name was Patrick Ryan and was very well known in the Tilbury area, he was a docker and I can recall him having to wait at the dock gates to see if there was any work for the day.
I can also recall the Tilbury Riverside Hotel where we would go and watch the boats go by and also Tilbury Fort which then had anti aircraft guns mounted on blocks of concrete. One night in about 1944 there was an air raid of which we had them most nights but I do remember this one particular night when there was a terrific fire in the sky, the German planes had dropped incendiary bombs on the Hotel and completely destroyed it killing quite a few people.
It was in 1940 that the bombing got so bad that the government decided to evacuate young children to safer areas in the countryside. About 50 of us were evacuated to Devizes in Wiltshire so off we went with our gas masks and few belongings where we caught the train from Tilbury Dock Station. Before we left however, we had a photograph taken of our group at School and this photograph was published in the "About Tilbury" magazine issue no 22 dated February 1999 - it is quite a clear picture and gives the names of all children therein.
I stayed away in Devizes for about a year but many of my friends had returned home before then where we all had to face the bombings and then came the doodle bugs and V1 / V2 rockets for about another 3 years of misery.
I hope this little note might bring back memories to some of my old friends who might still be with us as I am now 77 years but thankfully still well and agile. To all my friends
Yours,
John Ryan