42 High St. Northwood

A Memory of Northwood.

Left Potter St School at 14 years of age. Two years later, without any particular aptitude or skills, I found my way to Marabelle Fabrics. Styled as a wharehouseman, I cycled from Field-End road everyday except Sundays. The business had been bombed out in 1940 at Eastcheap, London. It moved to the safer confines of Northwood.
Large bolts of dress material were delivered from Balloch, Scotland and from Lancashire. Mr Oddie, who owned the business hardly ever came there. A Mr Parker, who survived having polio and walked stiffly, was the manager. Tom Swindells was the secretary. A former soldier, Bert traveled up from Islington each day. He was grossly underpaid. He worked for the firm pre- war. He did just about everything, wrapping the cloth in smaller cardboard formers. He made excuses for his employers over the phone, a one man band. He parcelled up the cloths and he and I delivered the pieces in the Fordson van.
I saw much of war torn shabby London and the garment district. They had two dress shops at Ampthill and Woburn. Out we would go, Bert driving furiously. The Governor, Mr Oddie was a Lancashire man and bought a new Ford V8 Pilot. He paid himself 15 pounds weekly. Bert got five pounds and I 35 shillings. I was told that "you would not have lasted five minutes in the old days" - probably true.
The Clifton Hotel was just about eight shops down the road. I had to bring a dinner from there on a tray, covered with a dishcloth once in a while for Tom Swindells. Ashley Hawkins, the barbers, was also near and he cut my hair on many an occasion. A newsagents was across the road and I used to buy the "Boxing News" there. A dreadful sport, I no longer have any interest in. There was a mens wear shop and I think it was called Edgeleys. A confectionary and a jewellers, were also on the same side as Marabelle Fabrics. An older man called Pope did some painting for the store. He was well known in the area.
Another sort of middleman business was quite close to the hardware store, where Mrs Swindells worked. Here is the heading over that business. "Kingsley, Scholes and Page." (Formerly Kingsley, Fankhanel and Kingsley). The gentleman was an "importer of toys and novelties". He came in to the office of Marabelle Fabrics, to get some customs forms.
I rememer the name on the forms as "Ad Valorum". All very mysterious to me. Bert was pressing for a raise and his attitude changed from a cheerful cockney to a tense individual. Finally he left, having first started with Marabelle in 1934 and was in the army for a five years interval. He lived with his mum and dad, the Arsenal Football game was his chief interest on a Saturday.
Tom Swindells, the secretary treated me decently and he was in WW1. At seventeen and a half years of age, he was blown up on the Western Front. He lost a leg and a chunk was taken out of his forehead. He wore a curl of hair over the deep round cavity.
I took my twelve year old daughter who was born in Canada, to take a sentimental journey in 1973, all the way from in-laws at Chelmsford. I had a can of beer outside the Clifton. I noticed Boxalls Cycle Shop near Hilliard Rd. I remembered the V1 that fell on Addison Way. Not to be dramatic. I bowed my head for a few seconds in memory of an elderly lady that was killed. I had seen it come down, living in Eastcote at the time.
National Service called and I had to go to Catterick, Yorkshire to join the Royal Signals.
I did not return to Marabelle Fabrics but trained as a wireless operator at Bletchley Park. I did pay a vist to that firm and only Tom Swindells was there in 1960.