Crescent Road School

I lived in Betsham road until 1966, I had been at crescent road school until 59 then onto Erith Grammar. My parents had to buy the school uniform from Mitchell's, I remember the great wire system that they used to send cash up to the office. I had my 1st pint at 14 as well, in the Earl Haigh. After leaving school in 64 i went to work for British Ropes in Charlton. I transferred to Doncaster in 1966, so missed most of the destruction of the town centre, but saw what was happening on my regular trips home. I Remember watching all the shipping on the river in the 50/60s. We used to sit on the end of the wooden causeway and watch the tide coming around us-no health &safety issues in those days.

I'm wondering if you are the Derek Clark who was in my class at Crescent Road school in the early '50s? I remember teachers Mr Taylor, Mr Enoch, Mrs Payne and Mr Chinery and there were classmates Rodney Holloway, Ian Tremain, Dave Monk, and Harris twins. Great days there before I went to North Heath school.

Yes, I am the Derek Clark! I remember both the teachers & the fellow classmates you're talking about, between us we could probably name the 30-odd kids in the class. Probably the last I heard of you was as a cub reporter on the Erith Observer.

Thanks for that, hope you are well. Yes, I worked as a reporter at the Erith Observer and later joined the Daily Mirror for 30 years! Met up last year with Rodney Holloway and Ian Tremain in Australia where they now live.

I lived in Apperfield road and went to crescent road school from 1955 to 1961.I remember this school with great affection,i would say it gave me a great education right from the start.My name is ken ives,to name a few of my class mates,there was Billy Hamilton,Ronnie Knight,Geoffrey Mercer,Keith Wyeman,Teddy Holland,Dereck Davies his dad run a clothes shop up pier rd,Ronnie Middleditch John Norris,Shirley Harris,Mary Seely,Janet Liddey,Kathy Thomas,Anne Treadwell,Sheila Brown her dad was the vicar of Erith baptist church, Irene Baker she lived up Alexandra road.My first teacher was Mrs Fairhurst then we had Mr taylor Mrs Payne was the headmistress,she had a brand new mini when they first came out i remember Mr Chinnery and my last teacher until 1961 was Mrs McCarthy she was a very good teacher.I remeber going to the old swimming baths with the school it was always freezing cold to me.The local policeman Sgt Harrison was the person who really got me swimming.I now live in essex but i have been back to Erith many times because i still have family living there,it makes me weep to look at it now.They should have taken the planners and hung the lot of them,Erith was a great community and they ripped the heart out of it.I had a great childhood there saturday morning pictures at the Odeon football up as we used to call it the rec.Who remembers once a year they used to have show jumping at Erith stadium.We used to go down the river front and watch all the ships,they used to have a display with all the funnels and flags of the different shipping companies,happy days.