South Ockenden 1952 1966

A Memory of South Ockendon.

My story begins in 1951. Born in London but moved to Easington Way three months later, then onto Cruick Avenue. House number 107, opposite Mardyke School. My first memory is 1956? Starting junior school, first day bumped heads with Neil Rayson who lived at the beginning of Cruick...whatever happened to Neil? 5 years at junior school and names I remember are Geoff Buck who married the girl next door(?) Jeffrey Seddin, Patricia Armstrong and Jennifer Peacock. Best memories are twenty-a-side football matches, jumpers for goals, marbles and building your own cart and racing round the block. 1961 and I attended Culverhouse School; famous names.....Graham Chinn, Taylor, Endacott, Howlett, Mickey Vale(?) and the lad in the Beatles jacket. Good days spent with model aeroplanes at Bellhus park, Wanstead flats, Hornchurch aerodrome, Upminster and scrumping at Langdon Hills and Bulphan. Ford place and chestnuts from the trees behind the bus stop. Of playing 'commandoes' in the woods, dangerous times playing in the quarries beyond the Dog and Partridge and visiting Grays on mud. Culverhouse Boys School gave me football and cross country running; the latter meant buying fags from the shops, exploring the army barracks behind Jarmans farm and eating peas from the farmers field. Met a lad named Don Liddard who also flew model planes. I left school with my twin brother in 1966, left on a Friday and started at Batas shoe factory at Tilbury on the Monday. Nine months later the whole family moved to Daventry because dad worked at Fords and he was given the option to move. Daventry is another story.