My Story

A Memory of Peckham.

My name is Peter Mills. I was born in 1939 and I lived in Barest Road, Nunhead. I lived through the war years, evacuation, hiding in the Anderson shelter, having to use the bungalow bath, outside toilet, coal fire, ascot water heater, copper for washing clothes, wringer, mangel, cracks in the walls, bed bugs, nits, - very hard years. I went to Holydale primary school in 1946 till 1950, then on to Peckham rye secondry school till 1954, then in 1957, I joined the army. Kids I knew were silver burrows, gloria colleta, barry Jarvis, arther macney, fred mc cleave, alfy beven, to name a few. I knew of wilsons fair, steam trains, trams, low decker buses, the 3 cinamars, odean, guilmont, tower, saterday morning pictures, having to have a bath at the baths at goose green, east lane market, pie and mash shops. I worked at Samuel jones, ayres bakery, worked on the funfair when it came to Peckham. In gorden road nunhead there was a doss house, and cows at the bottom of Gordon road, evan and cooks in Peckham high street, the horse troff in nunhead lane, the bomb shelters on Peckham rye, the prison of war camp also on Peckham rye,the 2 markets in rye lane, the speedway at troy town, if any of this shakes your memory, I am glad you were around in those days too. The hop picking, the coronation street partys, the pub outings to the coast, moter racing at crystal palace, the rockers and mods, teddy boys, tony Curtis hair cuts, mini skirts and drainpipe trousers, the big cars, and the dormabills. How life has changed,from black and white tv, telephone boxes, radio grams, transit radios, records, tape recorders,,i loved those days, how about you, tell me your story, thanks for reading mine, peter.