Post War Cranbury Road Michael Norton

A Memory of Eastleigh.

I was born at 247 Cranbury road Eastleigh on 12 December 1944 and stayed there with my parents, Jack and Tess Norton and my younger brother Richard, until 1963 when I left to join the Royal Engineers.

Every family was struggling in those post-war years with conditions that could be best described as, austere. Ours was a rented house, 12 shillings a week, gas lit with no electricity and horrendously cold in Winter. The highlight of the day/evening for me was listening to Radio Luxembourg's Dan Dare, horrors of the Black Museum or Dick Barton Special Agent.

Our neighbours were the Shearmans, Sid and Beatrice, with children, Rosemary, George and Pat.
other families were the Hyatts, Reilly's, Pearce, Smith, Penny, Mussell and Imm.

My Primary School was Chamberlayne Road, Shotton the Headmaster, and other teachers, Russell, Stockley, Davis, Lavis. Strangely I can remember my register, Adlam, Barratt, bentley, Buckland, Cordorey, Cragg, Davis, Demott, Handford, Hughes, Jago, King V, macNeish, Nockles, Myself, Oram, Pearce.

Then on to Toynbee Road but that's another story.
Mick Norton