Salfords School 1939 To 1946

A Memory of Salfords.

I well remember going to Salfords School at the age of 5. Miss Licence was my first teacher, after the roll call every morning we would start most days by singing 'All Things Bright and Beautiful'. Miss Atherton was the head mistress, I remember her coming to school every day in her Black Austin 7 car, she would drive across the playground and park in the open fronted building on the A23 side.
The school was just as others have already said, the sliding partitions dividing the main classrooms, all the cloths pegs for coats etc, the basins for washing your hands, the upstairs area which was rather small. Outside, the playground and the green area with trees on both sides, the air raid shelters and of course the outside toilets at the back. I'm not too sure but I think we used to walk to the Village Hall in Salfords every day for our school dinners. I remember all the shops, especially Mr Kennedy in the butchers and Mrs Pratt in her wheelchair in the cycle shop.
Because of the war, my education suffered badly, every time the air raid siren sounded we had to leave our classrooms and go to into the shelters to sing songs. because of our singing we didn't hear much of any air raid that might be going on.
A lot of school days were missed as we had to stay at home if there was an air raid going on. I remember at home we were supplied with a morrison steel table, it was about 8' X 6' which was erected in the kitchen, under this steel table was where I had to sleep every night.
I failed my 11 plus and in 1945 I went on to Horley County Secondary School in Lumley Road, and then on to the new school when it was built in Balcombe Road.
What with the black-outs and food rationing during the war years, does anybody remember me?
Gordon Dayman.

Contact Contributor

Added 28 December 2010

#230633

Comments & Feedback

I was there at the same time as you Gordon -can't recall your face, but your name is familiar!
I arrived from Hastings with my parents around1942/43 and lived in Woodside Way - leaving to go back to Hastings in 1951 after spending 5 years 'wasting my time' at R.G.S. having passed Eleven Plus!
I was in the Church Lad's Brigade in Redhill - and was a choirboy at Salfords Church under Rev,Metcalfe for a few years.
Had a wonderful war! Canadians everywhere, Italian POWs, Buzz bombs, aicraft at Nutfield,Spitfires/Liberators etc.
All sorts of adventures - including incendiary bombs in Petridge Wood !
Where did you live at the time?
Get in contact if you can - for a good natter!!
Regards,
Keith Fuller.

By Keith Fuller on Fri Sep 12th 2014, at 4:23 pm

Hi Gordon, your last name is very familiar. I was at school at the same time as twins Janet and Jasmine Dayman, there was also Jeffrey Dayman. Could they all be related to you.

By Richard Chisnall on Fri Sep 25th 2015, at 7:50 pm

Hallo Keith, It was so good to get a message from an old school friend after about 70 years. I remember all the things that you remember, the good old days. I wonder if you remember the other Daymans at school, there was Donald, Roy, me, and Doug,
Roy has died, I spent half of my life farming, and the other half as a self-employed greengrocer. I am fit and active but I don't travel much as I have several medical problems.
Regards, Gordon.

By Gordon Dayman on Fri Oct 2nd 2015, at 8:48 am

Hallo Richard, Thank you for your interest about the Dayman's and Salfords school, I wasn 't at the school the same time as you, but I can tell you ab out the twins, Janett and Jasmine, I am their uncle, also uncle to their brother Jeffrey.
They are all quite well and live local just like me, I live in Smallfield, just ab out 4 miles from that old school.
Hope you are well, Regards, Gordon.

By Gordon Dayman on Fri Oct 2nd 2015, at 8:58 am

Hi I am the daughter of Janet Dayman.
Was wondering if Gordon Dayman was still alive as Ethel Dayman was wondering and speaking very fondly of him.
Many thanks for your help.

By davescarrepairs on Sat Aug 24th 2019, at 8:53 am

Yes I am still here, I have lots of aches and pains so I don 't go out very much, the good thing is I am still able to drive.
Jasmine has phoned me a couple of times for a chat, but I have not heard from her for several months.
It was good to read what I wrote about my school days all those years ago, it brings back memories from over 70 years ago.
Hope you and your family are keeping well. Gordon Dayman

By Gordon Dayman on Tue Aug 27th 2019, at 7:14 am

Hi great uncle Gordon I hope u OK. I trying to find out what my grandad was like at school and growing up I would love to to some stories about him. Please. James d. A. Howick. Jasmine dayman son

By jameshowick76 on Mon Feb 10th 2020, at 10:00 pm

Hi Jim an Jasmine, I see that you have read about my school days in Salfords, to me it brings back memories of what I call the good old days, you said you wanted to k now about your grandad, I think you mean my father. During the war he worked at a military food distribution centre in Salfords.
He was in the Home Guard, we lived in New House Lane, Ron and May lived next door, that's where Sarah was born in 1944, every night my father would put on his helmet, take his 303 rifle and walk up and down New House Lane to make sure there was no visible lights showing from the houses.. He died on 14th November 1948. aged 66, the same day that Prince Charles was born, I was 14 and still going to school, times were hard, when I left school in 1949 I got a job working for Peter Kenedy at his pig farm in South Nutfield for two pounds and 10 shillings per week

By Gordon Dayman on Tue Feb 11th 2020, at 2:38 pm

Hi its James Douglas A Howick I'm jasmine son. I was trying find about my grandad doug. I still would love to hear your stories. How's u. I used to pop in your shop when I was a kid

By jameshowick76 on Tue Feb 11th 2020, at 6:11 pm

Hi its James Douglas A Howick I'm jasmine son. I was trying find about my grandad doug. I still would love to hear your stories. How's u. I used to pop in your shop when I was a kid

By jameshowick76 on Tue Feb 11th 2020, at 7:10 pm

Hi its James Douglas A Howick I'm jasmine son. I was trying find about my grandad doug. I still would love to hear your stories. How's u. I used to pop in your shop when I was a kid

By jameshowick76 on Tue Feb 11th 2020, at 10:12 pm

Hi James, OK, Doug Dayman is one year younger than me we went tp Salfords School together with his brothers Donald and Roy, in between the air raids, we all got on well, at the age of eleven we went to Horley schools. When Doug left school in 1950 he got a job on a farm, called lady lands farm in Meath Green Lane, quite near to where he used to live in Lonesome Lane. Didn't see much of him until we were able to drive, we would then meet at a pub with friends for a pint, Doug was then called up to do his national service in the army, on his discharge a few years latter he got a job as a barmen working for two brothers in a small pub in Reigate call The Bell, The two brothers and Doug went to a pub in Bakcombe Road Horley, now call the Parsons Pig, From there they all went to the Greyhound Pub, they were there for many years until both brothers died. Doug was left some money and some property, he sold the property and the bought 57, The Haven, in Reigate Road.

By Gordon Dayman on Wed Feb 12th 2020, at 8:06 am

1st off thank u so much for talking to me I remember pub's I used to sit at bar with my dad. I remember one this man having go about no kid's allowed in bar area. Well I was allowed so he got told to leave. (He did.) what was the first car doug ever had. Did he have any hobbies. What music did here listen to when he was young
I loved to no means a lot to me thank you

By jameshowick76 on Sat Feb 15th 2020, at 6:15 am

Hi James, I can't tell you very much more about Doug, after school days we didn't see much of each other until we started driving, I had a little commer van, I think his first car was a ford escort van, he would meet me and lots of other friends every Thursday night for square dancing in chayne hall, chayne walk Horley. the hall has long gone for housing, Roy would come sometimes, they were our courting days. Hobbies and music, I don't think he was very interested, his main concern was his job on the farm until he got called up for national service, if only Roy and Ray were still here, they would be able to tell you a lot more

By Gordon Dayman on Sun Feb 16th 2020, at 9:22 am

Thank u this means so much to me. I remember commer van we had a camper my dad hand painted white and blue. What kind of hair styles and clothing did u all where.when u went dancing. What can u tell me about my mum when she was growing up. And my dad when did u first meet him

By jameshowick76 on Tue Feb 18th 2020, at 12:21 am

How old was doug when he was call up??. What regiment was he in. What did he do in the war. What did u do if u don't mind me asking. Thank u for what everybody did in the wars and the sacrifice everyone made for. Us to live the way we do.. We do not no how lucky we truly are.

By jameshowick76 on Tue Feb 18th 2020, at 12:45 am

Hi James, When the war was on, me and Doug were still at school, Doug was called up to do his national service at the age of 18, I think it was about 1953, I wasn't called up, I think he was in the Royal Artillary and he got posted abroard.
It was in the 1950's and 60's a lot of boys has long hair, cloths were much the same apart from Jeans. most boys in those days wore shorts with braces up to about the age of 14. then most young men wore flares. Flares are long trousers where the bottoms of each leg was about 12 inches wide. they soon went out of fashion when jeans came on the market.
I can't tell you much about your mum and dad in by gone years as I didn't see them very often.
Regards from Gordon.

By Gordon Dayman on Tue Feb 18th 2020, at 11:05 am

Hi Gordon thank you. For everything you said about family it means a lot. How r u today hope u doing OK. my mum sends her love. What was your favourite thing when you was farming. And what was the worst job in farming. Hope u don, t mind me asking. I loved to here about my family history.

By jameshowick76 on Sat Feb 22nd 2020, at 2:09 pm

Hi James, After leaving school I worked on a pig farm for about a year then about 20 years on a mixed farm, pigs, cows, chickens, turkeys and arable, best job was driving tractors, every thing else in those days was done by hand where today its done by machine, up every morning at 5a.m. to milk the cows, home to breakfast then back to work, with one day off each week, it was hard work but I enjoyed it, more so in the summer, hay making and harvest time, when the sacks of corn from a thrashing machine weighed 2 and quarter cwt,
that is 18 stone, all other sacks were 1 cwt, where today they are half a cwt, I really did enjoy my working days on the farm, ok, know the worst jobs was every December, killing and plucking chickens and turkeys by hand, then plucking them in a shed and getting smothered by fleas,, then the birds were hung for a few days, then I had to gut them, truss them up, put them in the cold room ready for customers, another bad job was to did a hole and bury dead animals, the law is different today, any animal that dies gets collected and taken away, Regards, Gordon Dayman.

By Gordon Dayman on Sat Feb 22nd 2020, at 6:22 pm

Hi Gordon I used hate December when I was a kid I work in butchers whan I was nine. Saturdays I used pull feet of Turkeys. clean fridge out. I only got job coz he court me nicking saw dust for my hamster. Which was stored out back My dad used to gut and hang birds all time. I used love driving tractors when I was kid.. So how did u get in to fruit ang veg. Was that side of farming u liked

By jameshowick76 on Sat Feb 22nd 2020, at 10:33 pm

Hi James, Back in the 60's when I left farming I got a job in the greengrocers department of the cash and carry in Salfords, after a few years I rented rented Howards greengrocers in Nutley Lane Reigate, after a few years in 1975 the shop where I am now came up for sale, I was so lucky to borrow the deposit and buy the shop with a long mortgage, in those days it was 15%. it was the best thing I ever done because the shop was freehold, in those days there was no self service, it was all counter service, Tesco in Hookwood wasn't there and there was about 6 greengrocers in Horley. Doug had a pick up truck and he used to go and buy Christmas trees for me. Today I have many medical problems, but I feel I have been luckey, because if my shop had not been freehold, today I would have nothing.
Gordon Dayman

By Gordon Dayman on Sun Feb 23rd 2020, at 7:15 am

Hi how are you day hope u OK. I remember your fruit and veg it was fresh fruit was yummy. my dad used take my up to mates near your shop I used to pop in get sometimes I don't no if u remember it was long time ago. I got lots to ask bout Alfred I loved him so much. He used to look after me.

By jameshowick76 on Wed Feb 26th 2020, at 10:43 pm

Hi Gordon how's u hope you're OK. My email is Jameshowick76@Gmail.com

By jameshowick76 on Wed Mar 18th 2020, at 10:35 pm

Add your comment

You must be signed-in to your Frith account to post a comment.

Sign-in or Register to post a Comment.

Salfords, School 1907

Photo ref: 57630

Photo of Salfords, School 1907

Add to Album
What's an Album? Info

Sparked a Memory for you?

If this has sparked a memory, why not share it here?

Add a memory of this photo

Add a memory of Salfords