Hamilton House Prep School Ealing

A Memory of Ealing.

As a child, I lived at 24 Sunnyside Road Ealing W5 not far from Ealing Studios, from when I was born at the start of the war in1938 until I was 16 and my parents moved to Harrow on the Hill.
I went to Hamilton House Preparatory school in Florence Road from 1945 until 1949.
It was situated in a large Victorian house and was presided over by the headmaster AG Phillips.
In those days corporal punishment was the accepted norm in private schools and Phillips relished using a leather shaving strop with which he would beat you on both hands for the slightest misdemeanour.
He would prowl the corridors in search of prey and if you were unfortunate enough to be sent to stand outside the classroom door for, say talking, he would march you to his study for a beating.
He had assembled an extraordinary array of teachers, who were decidedly eccentric, including a Mr Roll who taught Geography and History. In later years I am surprised how much I managed to learn there, given that I lived in total fear for most of the time.
We had to wear a somewhat ornate uniform consisting of a blazer and cap with blue and white striped piping adorning each lapel and edge.
If there is anyone out there that was at the school at the same time, do get in touch. It would be fun to reminisce.

Graham Anthony