Memories From Cambridge Road, Cargo Fleet

A Memory of Cargo Fleet.

I spent the first 10 years of my life in Cambridge Road, Me, my younger sister, Janet and Brother Gary, My father was Gerald Thompson, there was an outside toilet and no bathroom. I remember Snaith's off licence, and the sweet "scrambles" - word would go out that their'd be a scramble, all the Fleet children would gather and Mr Smith would throw handfuls of penny sweets into the air. I remember how all the children in the fleet would be friends, we'd just play outside until dark with whoever was there, and all ages of children were included in the games, the heavy rope for skipping, stretching right across the road, marbles, cans. One year the summer play leader brought in a load of sand and we had a beach behind the houses for the summer and I've never forgotten sound of the men's hob nailed boots on the roads as they all walked home after work. The Snaiths bought the old Taylors shop and turned it into a junk shop -I used to buy up their daughters old "true romance" comics - I'd hide from my unhappy life in those comics - the owners were very kind - they allowed me to continually swap them back free for another set of about 20 comics. - I've never forgotten that. I went to St Alphonsus school - the nuns were quite cruel, it was OK then to cane 6 & 7 year olds! My great aunt Joanna Lynch lived up the road she had a piano with lights on the end in the front room and when we finally left my granmother Norah Thompson lived in the house until it was demolished, we later emigrated to South Africa.

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