Prefab Living

A Memory of Harold Hill.

I was born in Askern Yorkshire in 1945. When I was 2.1/2 we moved to Bow
That was where my dad came from. When I was 5 we moved to Myrtle Road
Harold Hill. The buses ended outside our Prefab. After coming up Straight Road, the bus turned right into Briar Road the left into Waverley Crescent, then left to Myrtle Road and stood outside our Prefab, no 6. I started at Hilldene Infants School in 1950. The Headmaster was Mr Dutton. My teacher to start was miss Thomas, later on Mr Williams. I was in the school Cricket team for a while. On leaving in1956 I went to Quarles
Secondary boys school, Tring Gardens.The headmaster was Mr Laws. I left school in 1960 with one exam under my belt.
Technical Drawing. Nothing else.
Teachers I remember there were Mr Leason, Mr Gentry, Mr Adams(Seth)
I can't remember the others. About 1967 we moved to Chippenem Road,
Our prefab was pulled down not long after.
By the way I married Irene Cuthbert in 1968 who lived 12, Myrtle Road.
We have been married for nearly 50 years and Iive in Collier Row.
John Skillett


Added 23 June 2017

#392216

Comments & Feedback

Hi John, I was born in Chippenham road in 1953, what number did you live at?. I had an elder sister and brother(Shirley and Freddie Jones) I still live here and have lovely memories of the days playing tin tan tommy and run outs to but a few. My dad used to sharpen all the lawn mowers, lawn mowers and knives. Eileen
Hi John, Like you I was born in the north, Stockport Cheshire where my Mum was from my Dad
was a true Cockney from Stepney they met at the end of the war we moved back to Stepney in 1949
for about 5 years my Dad worked for Charrington's Brewery in Mile end rd I think it's why he's got forearms like treetrunks even today, he's 96 now we moved to Harold Hill about 1954 first to a flat
up behind the Pompadours pub on Hilldene ave then to the prefab estate Holly Rd at the far end of Myrtle rd it was the first house as you turned right off Myrtle it was a dead end on the left was a little bit of green park no bigger than a a postage stamp from memory the first prefab on the right on Myrtle from Straight rd was a friend of my Dad's his name was Bill Phelps he drove a big petrol tanker which was always parked outside his prefab don't tell anyone but he sold the unrefined petrol ( jungle juice ) on the sly to friends including my Dad don't know what it did the car engines.
I was born in London in 1948 and we moved from East Ham to Harold Hill in 1954. I lived at No.1 Myrtle Road. On the corner of Marigold close. We used to play on the green there. I went to Hilldene Primary school in Straight Road and then to Broxhill secondary school. I can remember playing with Marilyn and Barbara Muller, Maureen Fry and her sisters. Other friends, Lesley Townsend and Maureen Samways, who all lived in the prefabs. We used to shop at Briar Road and at Hilldene shops. Lots of happy memories.

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