Chapter 2 Early family life in Streatham Common
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| 1952 Streatham Common mum(Estelle) dad (Bill) me and Jacky |
We lived on the ground floor so had an outhouse, which dad used as a carpentry workshop, a garden which had a pear tree in it that we used to climb, and an outside loo.
On the middle floor was another flat where a Mr and Mrs Clarke lived and a large planning room with maps and military flags and the only indoor toilet and a bathroom. I don't remember ever using the bathroom!
On the top floor lived my friend Gillian and her mum and dad. Her mum died and she and her dad moved.
In our flat we had a living room with a large round table and an inefficient coal heater. Mum once chase us round the table when we were arguing. That was out of character. She was incredibly patient.
Off the living room was a bare kitchen with a sink, gas stove and a ringer for washing. A door from the kitchen led to the garden and another door led to dads workshop. There was a large metal hat on the wall from the war. The toilet we used was cold and had spiders and an old fashioned cistern and pull chain.
The sitting room had an old three piece suite that my parents never got rid off and it moved with them! And a coal fire that we toasted bread on and marshmallows on special occasions.
The bedroom had three beds, mine, Jackys and my parents. It was heated by a paraffin heater which affected my lungs along with getting whooping cough.
I was looked after by a child minder in Streatham Vale, an Irish woman with lots of children. Then I was looked after by a rich middle class family in Streatham Mews the Lockharts where I believe I was assaulted and sexually abused. My parents collected me covered in bruises. At least I gave him a good fight! He had daughters my age who later went to a grammar school in Streatham, and an Alsatian dog. Im wary of Alsatians to this day! My parents returned me to be looked after by them! Years later I challenged my dad about it, he hit the table and muttered loudly under his breath. Soon after this he descended into dementia. I wondered if the two were connected?
My father used to collect me in a push chair and as we passed the sweet shop Polyjoys I would put my feet down to stop us so we had to go into the sweet shop.
Sometimes I was taken to work with my mum. She worked at the time in the typing pool in the Ministry of Works. I remember going in my all in one suit, being sat on a table and fussed by the typists.
I went to my dads work very rarely. He was at Electra House in Temple Gardens and then moved to Fleet Building in Farendon. I often wondered if he had been part of MI5/6 as the occupied the top part of Elektra House. As a telegraphist it was an obvious job for him. Just once I went to Fleet House and saw the telegrams flying around a large room up and down the walls and across the room. They were put in little capsules and sent off to their destinations around the building. We always had a lot of white tape at home which was what was used to write the messages on. I used to make models out of the tape, like using paper mâché but without needing water as the tape was sticky backed. It was gummed strip. (See http://www.spencerweb.net/telegraphs/html/news_and_views.html)
My dad was called up for Korea as a retired naval officer, so he went to Chatham. I have no idea what he did there or if he stayed but I remember his naval officer uniform. This was from !950 until 1953 but I don't think he was there all the time. there is a picture of me on the swing in the garden with his hat on when I was about 4 in 1952.
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