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  1. Home
  2. Great Wakering
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  4. Childhood In The Village

Childhood In The Village

A Memory of Great Wakering.

I lived in Great Wakering (Twyford Avenue) from 1960-65 although my mother had been born and raised there as had her mother and grandparents. I attended the junior school and then the secondary school. The secondary school was the best school I ever attended and was very well equipped for sport, domestic science & technical subjects. Mr Prince was the headmaster at the time. The fish & chip shop is a vivid memory as well as the baker's shop where you could buy yesterday's cakes for a 1d each! Mr Marsh the butcher was a very kind man who would give you a rabbit's foot if you asked (we used to hang them on our school satchels).

Youth Club at the secondary school was great as were the dances held every month. The school swimming pool was available for use during the summer holidays. Such fond memories of 'raking the streets' as my mother used to refer to it. After doing the housework during school holidays, I used to go out with my friends romping through the fields, making dens by the allotments near the 'rec' walking miles and going down to the creeks.

My best friend lived within the boundary of the factory at the end of Alexander Road because her dad was the manager and we used to play amongst the grounds where there was an old concrete shelter from the war.

Having read the other memories on this website, it all came back - first love, first pair of stockings, first bra - riding my bike through the potato fields to Shoebury to pay the rent. Smith's crisps with the little blue salt packet, R Whites and Corona soft drinks, ice cream with cream soda, sweets for 4 a 1d, taking the empty bottles back to get the deposit back to spend on chips.

Over the weekend I will sort through my photographs and see if I can find any from Gt Wakering days to add.

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Added 08 June 2012

#236770

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i lived in great wakering from about 1955 in a house (293) opposite the old police station in a new house built by ernie adcock & son having been born in my grandmothers house in southend on the 7 th june 1952 my father was born in the middle house in mill head viler's right out in the middle of a field half way across the common i went to great wakering primary school where my first teacher was a never to be forgoton mrs rodgers i was always being told off and had the ruler over my nuckles by mr chandler the headmaster for spelling my first name antony without an h untill one day my mother went to a young wives meeting where they were addressed by someone telling the origin of names mrs chandler was there so my mother asked the chap about my name and he told them my name was indeed correct and was in fact the oldest form of the name and it is spelt that way in the bible good old mum no more rapped knuckles from the primary school i went to the secondary school where my favorite teacher was tommy (taffy ) davies i muddled through to the 4 th year when it was time to start studying for a and o levels and i decided it was time to pull my socks up so started night school my first night was maths albert brooker was the teacher (feared by many for his love of his slipper and cane) he asked me why i was there and i replied sir i realise if i dont pull my socks up now i wont get anywhere in life . the following day i was summoned to his room and told that from then on he would be my main teacher and from that day on when my friends went to there classes i went to mr brooker for nearly all subjects and it is with gratitude i left with 3 o levels and 2 a . it was with deep sorrow some years later i learnt he had died of cancer as did mr prince the headmaster
i trained as a plumber and heating engineer with sharp bros of cromwell rd prittlewell after leaving school then moved to wales where i met my wife married and settled down to raise 6 girls but even after 40 years here i still consider wakering my home and would move back tomorrow if i had the chance
By mantony2 on Wed Jan 11th 2017, at 6:56 pm
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