Abc Minors,Trolley Buses, Lonesome School, Oakleigh Way

A Memory of Mitcham.

I have just found this page and what memories it rekindles. I was a minor at the ABC, I even got a road safety prize from Coco the Clown. Thorpes record shop accross the road, there I bought my very first record, 'Runaway' by Del Shannon. Hutton's Fish shop, always had to bring a piece of previous day cold skate home for my gran. I went to Lonesome Infants School in 1950 and then to the Junior School until 1956. I remember the headmistress at the infant school, a Miss Chart. Those old pens we had to write with, and dipping the nib in the ink-well would always make a mess on the paper. I lived at the other end of Grove Road in Leaonard Road which was split in half by the border on Mitcham and Streatham. We used to always play football on Sunday mornings at Oakleigh Way field with about 20 each side with ages from 8 to 28 and when the guy who owned the ball had to go for his dinner that was the end of the match. Mitcham Fair was a huge highlight and we would build our floral grottos outside our houses and ask everyone for a penny for the grotto. My mum would decry our attempts and tell us they were nothing to the ones she used to build. One day someone moved in to a house on the Streatham 'posh side' of the road and reported us to the police for begging. The policeman had to explain the age old custom to them and told us to move it along the road a bit. When the fair was over and they were packing up, we used to go and try to find money that had been dropped. My gran used to love Mitcham Fair rock, I can still see the old ladies making it. Stickleback fishing in the Three Kings Pond was a regular thing with our little fishing nets and jam jars. How about those wonderful smooth-riding quiet trolley buses, why did we get rid of those? Who remembers Sparrowhawk, the rag and bone man, with his horse and cart?
Now to my first love....Football. Tooting and Mitcham at Sandy Lane, I was taken there by my parents in a carry cot and carried on until I was about 17. I went to all matches home and away, even went to Bishop Auckland up north and to Nottingham Forest for the famous FA Cup replay. We had great times in those days.