Anyone Remember Us?

A Memory of Willesden.

My brother and I were born in Central Middlesex Hospital, me in 1949, my brother in 1953. We lived in Harlesden High Street in the late 40's early 50's.

We lived above the tailor, John Collier - its now Jasmine's , at 103a High Street. I remember as a small child looking out of the window and watching all the cars and buses going by. Our name is Foster, there was my mother Florence, dad Ernest and brother Nigel. We lived at 156a Rucklidge Avenue, and 3 Holland Road, and finally 19 Bathurst Gardens.

My first job was at the Kensal Rise Library at the end of the road. I was really sad when i heard it had been closed due to Brent's spending cuts. Mark Twain opened that library. I wonder where the brass plaque went that announced that Mark Twain had opened the reading room there is - it was just inside the door!

When I was young i had very bad asthma, my doctor was Hastings Banda, who later became life president of Malawi. He was a brilliant doctor and would visit me sometimes 3 times a day without my parents even calling him! Different to today! We only left Willesden because my father got work in Hackney. He had worked at the Celotex factory off the North Circular road, making hardboard, but the factory closed and after 19 years at the same place he was made redundant.

My brother and I are going to take a trip down memory lane in september and visit all the places we remember from our childhoods. All the summers we played in Roundwood Park,and the Scrubbs Lane Park, and Shepherds Bush Market. I used to buy all my records there! I loved going in to Woolworth's in the High Street. It seemed dark in there, and all the stuff was on the counters with a little glass barrier in front of the goodies. My brother, mother and me went in there one day and when we came out we found that my brother had leaned over the counter and had grabbed a handful of sweets! We had to run back in, no one seemed too bothered,my mother just paid for the sweets!! My brother and I were laughing so much! It would be nice if someone remembered us, I must have cousins still living there. I had uncles Leslie, Harry and Archie Foster.