What A Shop!

I enjoyed reading your memories of Birkhead's! I was born close by at no. 36, not that I remember it very much inside. But I do remember - and with deep feeling too - walking across the road to Knight's paper shop where my Mum bless her would buy me a comic or as on one occasion a railway signal with a lever to make it go up and down! I think in part it was a ploy on her part to keep me quiet for the journey we were about to take involving a change of abode (!) for we were going to live in Oatlands. Much later, during the very dark days of the early winter months of the war, at Christmas time, I would do my uttermost best to beg her to buy me one of the toy Bren-guns carriers on display in Birkhead's shop, in the rooms towards the back, along the fairly narrow passage way that all sorts of model toys that meant so much for youngsters! Again much later and after saving some ready cash from my errand-body's job at Barnes grocer's shop in Oatlands, I managed to buy a bike from Birkhead's, the model name (or manufacturer's name, am uncertain) was Norman. On other notes and memories of the area, I remember the sad news of the bombing of the Black and White fish and chip restaurant opposite The Bear public house which received a direct hit, and also the furniture store of Blakey's which also was hit by incendiary bombs and burnt to the ground. Could go on and on....Thank you for raising the name of Birkhead's.