St Josephs Catholic Primary School Opposite The Empire Pool By Paul Farrell

A Memory of Wembley.

I was born in 16 Dagmar Avenue. Then moved to 95 Oakington Manor Drive when I was 4. Our house at OMD backed onto the stadium and I remember I was in the garden when England scored the winning goal of the World Cup in 1966. I was terrified by the roar and ran in crying. We used to play in Sherins Farm. Never any fear in those days (1964-1973) we played football and used the playground swings and roundabout.
Dad used to send me to the corner shop at the triangle to get him '10 Embassy tipped.' I was only around 10 then!
I also did mums shopping when I was 11-12 at the Key Market on Wembley High Road opposite the Post Office.
£5 shopped for 8 in our house for a week. Aldridges and Spurriers bakers were at the triangle and our bread came from one of them.
I attended St Josephs from 1965. Outside toilets that were really smelly. Mr Harrison was headmaster I think though maybe he was a little later. Mrs McEwan was my first teacher and Miss Evans the classroom assistant. Sue Reynolds was my favourite teacher. There was however a beast of a teacher, a big woman in dark blue who to this day raises hackles on my neck. She was a bully and for some reason hated me. I'll never forget a travelling orchestra came to the school and were in the huge school hall. Everyone was invited to go and see the musicians and their instruments but she made me stay in the classroom to finish the sums that I just couldn't do and she knew it. Had her for two years and she made my life a misery. She would fall asleep at her desk and leave us all just sitting there.My poor old catholic Irish immigrant Dad looked up to any form of authority and sided with her when parent/teachers meetings came around.
My brother Neil had a part time job in Zodiac toyshop on the highroad.
I was in the 11th Wembley cubs and scouts. Mick Hallam was the Akela and main man. He was great fun and being a cub was a great way to learn new skills and socialise as a youngster. My mum was an artist and painted the scenery for the scouts gang shows.
I do remember Henry Coopers brothers fruit stall. Henry was often there. No paparazzi in those days.
If there had been any sort of mental health assessment in those day I guess I'd have been on the spectrum of ADHD but as there wasn't I was just a kid who was full of beans and who ran everywhere. It paid dividends in the school football team and on the running track where I did quite well. I went to St Gregorys Secondary in Kenton for two years before moving to Ireland.
Lots has happened in between then and now. I'm almost 60. Life has been full and interesting. Lots of ups and downs so I guess that's normal. All my siblings are still alive and we all get along very well. Dad died in 1995 in Ireland where we'd moved to in 1973. Mum at 93 is still alive and living in London among us all.
I still drive through Wembley, the triangle and past the Irish club where my old school used to be. (it moved to Chatsworth Road at the triangle) The whole area is unrecognisable from the 60's. Once bright and bustling it's become dirty and slummy but perhaps that's the rose tinted spectacles we all wear as we get older!
Wallys was a great DIY balsa wood plane shop among other things.
St Josephs Catholic Church had Cannon Marriot,Father Dunne,Father O Looney (really!) Father Foy.
I remember a girl called Nolan (I think) was killed crossing from the triangle to the church. She was in my school.
The centre of the triangle had underground toilets that Mum had forbidden us to ever go in so we did regularly! Smelly and painted green.
That's all I remember. I wonder if Sue Reynolds is still around? She'd be in her 80's now if she is.
So there's the old grey cells coughing up the past.
Have loved reading some of the memories on here and seeing the old pictures.
Tomorrow hasn't happened and our memories are all we have.