Bushy School Amd Motsper Park

A Memory of Raynes Park.

I was born in Phylis Avenue, Motsper Park in 1943 and went to Bushy Shool in 1948. The first thing is that it was just after the war and there were NO CARS! The steets were empty and the only person that had a car was the Canadian doctor who lived at the end of Phylis Avenue, Seaforth. Unfortunately he ran over and killed a very dear friend of mine on about her sixth birthday as she was on her way home from school (I was only about two at the time). Very sad memories as we had been playing the night before together. Her name was Jeany Cornell. She had a brother but I can't remember his name. Bushy School had bullet holes in the railings where a German plane had straffed it in the war. I remember one of the teachers names at Bushy was Mrs Crocker who always had a crocodile broach on.
Just as you went into Motsper Park at the oposite end to the railway crossing there was what remained of a large lodge and at the back were the old stables, still in tact, painted inside blue I remember. I now live in the Caribbean and what do you know, a friend/neighbour who lives close and was the same age lived in Crossways!
You speak of the shops, well there were no sweets and rationing big time and one afternoon Weetabix were giving away free Weetabix and if you were lucky you could get one with your name on in icing!
Lots of good memories. The head at Bushy gave us all a pep talk one day in Assembly and i remember he said "Don't give an opinion on something unless you have tried it!" Have never forgotten this and I am sure he didn't mean try everything!
Had two lots of grandparents living nearby, one in Addella Avenue and the other in Tenyson Avenue. Hera, my grandfather and his wife and my great aunt lived together and they were twins. In about 1952 they had their photo as a center spread in the daily mirror as the oldest identical twins living, and yes they both dressed the same.
In all, a great place to grow up and have good memories.

Colin Plummer

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