I Remember It Well

A Memory of Hayling Island.

I went to Hayling Island Suntrap School When I was Five Years Old Around 1957/1958,
I remember one boy hand his head hit by a train while looking out of the train window on a school trip and seeing blood running down the train window, I am not sure they told us of the outcome.
and I also remember all the school getting colds,Playing with the toy shop on my own, and going to see The Queen Mary Liner leave Southampton for the last time sailing to New York.
I Remember the fisherman hut on the beach and getting the coach back home to London.
Only one name in my mind Antony Sandwich I think he was good at Cricket, I remember one Teacher was leaving to get married and being given an ironing board as a wedding gift, and having my 6th birthday there and having a square birthday cake, up to then birthday cakes were always round. I remember red hot poker flowers, and the lady next door not giving us our ball back.
My Mum And Dad would visit once a month, and send me parcels with toys or books and I would write home each week to thank them, but to me what was more important was that with the parcel came there love, and that was more important to me then anything else.
A few years ago I found a letter written by the matron and sent to my father after my first term saying how sick I was and Totally writing me off as never being able to achieve anything,saying I was backwards and unfit for formal education,Well how wrong she was, and I wish I could show her my CV.
At 11 I went to a great School , I loved Drama and Art, and at 13 was picked to be in a TV series and got paid for it, I had a great Mum and Dad who bought me up with great standards, no one told me I could fail, and so at sixteen I left school with 3 O Levels and started work in Oxford Street were
I went into retail and started at the bottom, I went to college for three years got my exams and worked hard to work my way up, after many years I became The General manager and buyer, I also played in and managed a successful glam rock pop Band in the 1970's and then started my own successful business.
Not bad for a working class lad "that will not be an achiever"
I have now retired and live in Northampton, and will be off to Australia to visit my daughters and grandchildren in March.

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