St. George's School, Flower Lane, Mill Hill, London, Nw7.

A Memory of Mill Hill.

I too was a pupil at St. George's, probably from 1944 to certainly no later than 1950 when I was shipped off to a boarding school in Sussex where I remained until leaving at age 17 in 1956.
I was fascinated to hear I was not the only 'lefty' to incur the wrath of the infamous Mrs. Smith.
I was told her husband was a badly wounded WW1 veteran and allegedly met her in a hospital - judging by her subsequent behavior I could believe perhaps it was a German hospital!
I do have distinct memories of her husband walking with a limp, one leg in a metal 'leg iron' and literally a very prominent dent on the top of his bald head.
However, I must admit to no recollections of physical abuse by her, maybe I was more flexible or perhaps she was saving herself for you later guys! Incidentally my younger brother Peter also attended St. Georges so I'll have to get his input when I next talk to him.
I recall the school was a large private house that was converted to provide classrooms in the main building supplemented by a long structure erected in the back garden so as to provide several more classrooms. The house was only 1 or 2 doors down from the adjacent Mill Hill Park where we spent our breaks or sports activity. I did make a pilgrimage to Flower Lane in about 1995 but was greeted by an empty building site so I have no idea what happened to it ?
I also have vivid memories of the smell of partially washed milk bottles that permeated the hallway of that house - must have contributed to my lifelong aversion to most foods colored white, and this in turn reminds of 'school dinners' specifically those bowls of sago, rice, and semolina - even now I can gag at the mere recollection !
Another feature was that we pupils had to clean our desks thoroughly at the end of each term as the use of pen and ink took its toll on the woodwork.
My parents lived on Sunbury Avenue in what was technically The Hale though we knew the area as The Green Man for the local pub. I rode the 221 bus from the pub to Broadway and Flower Lane (by the Catholic church) whereafter I walked the length of Flower Lane to the school - until they changed the route of the 221 made it the 221B along Flower Lane and shortened my walk!
Still, its good to know that we all apparently survived our varied experiences; for my part I emigrated to the United States in 1967 and lived in various places before retiring here in the Pacific Northwest.
Richard Gray.
Olympia, Washington State.

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