Dundonald School

Greetings to you Jim, from Henderson, West Auckland, New Zealand. I was born in our house at 51 Effra Rd. In September 1943.
How well I remember the Saturday morning pictures at the Gaumont, and opposite,The Elite. And not forgetting of course, the Kings cinema, (AKA " The Flea-pit"!!) And yes, Kennards.
You mention the builders merchants that used to be next to Wimb station. That being William Ways. I wotked for them for a short period, prior to our emigrating to NZ in November 1969.One of the then directors, John Hauxwell, gave a lovely glowing character reference. Which, as it so happens, I came across recently ehilst sorting through some letters.
We hsve never bern back to the UK, since our arrival here. But I often have a look at Wimbledon on our computer, and compare the old Wimbledon, to the polished? version it has become today. But that's probably I guess. Warm regards to you Jim.
Chas Joyce.

Hi Jim and Chas,
I have sent a note to you Jim as we did know each other back in the day, although you were I think a year older than me but we both went to Dundonald and also Pelham and for what it's worth shared the same uncle and aunt who lived in Toynbee rd.
To follow on to both of your comments, I also remember the 'trek' up Wimbledon hill pass the fountain where you could get a drink, then continuing past the Dog and Fox on to the Common and the pond 'The Rushmere' and then the large expanse of the Common, the old windmill where you could get an icecream, lower down in a bit of a gully there was the Queensmere pond, and a little further on you found the Kingsmere pond on Putney Heath. Near by was the Green Man pub at Tibbets Corner which is where they originally had a set of Gallows (I believe) for public hangings. If you still had the energy and as kids we had plenty of that, you could cross the road and continue into Richmond Park, which was bigger again, wild deer, stags, people riding horses, Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon lived in the grounds. To think a few years later I was flying through Richmond Park on my Vespa on my way to work in Oxford St. (I lived by then in New Malden). Yep, Through Richmond Park, Putney, Hammersmith, Shepherds Bush etc, etc. Memories.
Chas..., Effra Rd.. when you were born in 1943 my mum and my sister lived close by in Cowper Rd with my gran, (my dads mum, who I never knew), which was of course in the middle of the war, my dad was in Nth Africa at the time. In fact my sister was 12 mths old in 1939 when he went off to war and he returned when she was seven in 1945!
Close to Pelham school either Southey or Montague rd, on the corner of Kingston rd there was a bombed pub sheeted up with corrugated iron to keep people out...except kids..., we use to break in, the roof was opened up the rain use to come in, the old bar , beer taps, even the odd stool (the type you sit on'...nudge nudge) were all covered in rubble. We use to let 'bangers' off because they reckoned it was haunted, one of me mates thought he saw something and we all tried to clamber through the one small exit at the same time. In fact my brother in law who also grew up in Wimbledon, Hartfield rd (which is the road where I grew up) could remember the day/night that pub was hit.
You mention Chas that you worked for a builders, because my dad and his brothers started a building company in Hartfield rd, 'Aubrey Bros.', they later changed it to a hire business 'Homedex'.
The Aubrey's all grew up in Cowper rd or there abouts, there was about 7 of them, my dad went to Queens rd school, but that would have been in the 1920's. I had a cousin David who also went to Queens rd in the early 60's. My sister went to an infants school in Garfield rd.
Anyway I've rabbited on for too long.
All the best and Cheers, a beer down the Crooked Billet or Old Ale out of a barrel at the Hand in Hand even better...more memories. Cheers Peter Aubrey

PS Chas, I now live in Australia, since 1974.
New Zealand is a wonderful country, I once hitched from Auckland to Christchurch back in 1977/78?