School Days

I'd need some help here, Pete...anybody! Here goes.. FRONT ROW: Alan Hall, "Prof" Eddie West, (?), (?), George Cowing. 2ndROW: (?), Lionel White?, (?), Alan Groves, Derek Sandle, Peter Hall, ?Dennis-?. 3rd ROW: Dennis Edrupt, (?), (?), Reg Eaton, Roy Taylor, Bill Mallion, Ronnie Burrows. 4th Row:(?), ?- Marney, Alfie George, - Hayden, (?). Back row: ?Dennis Lill, Peter Leonard, Alan Frazer (begorra, so it is!), Herbert "Bugsy" Newman, Alfred Ackers, Peter Hendry, Leslie Lynch, John Hall, (?). How's that for starters?! Just look at us! It's the year we left school Go to work. Child exploitation I call it! P.S. John Ruth (back, right hand side) was called-up same day as me in 1950, to go in Royal Signals, Catterick. The irony was, he was already (I think) a teleprinter operator in civvy street. I went on to train as a teleprinter and wireless operator, but he was withdrawn partway through training, and transferred to the infantry, and sent to KOREA! I met him late in 1952, outside the Gaumont, Rose Hill, and he said it had been "B....y awful!" I'd love to know how all those in the photo fared, in later life. To think- we went all through the Blitz and V1 flying Bombs. We saw all the destruction on and around our estate- and (for some of us) the heart ache of evacuation. PPS. The photo WAS taken in 1946, then surely, we were in Form 9 by then...?!

Regret I cannot name any of the unknown lads but can say I knew of two of them. Dennis Lill was the elder of three brothers. Colin the younger and Brian both friends of mine who all lived in Glastonbury Road before moving to Halesowen Road in the early 1950s. The Lynch lad I believe lived in Love Lane and had a sister who's name I cannot recall. The last time I saw him was when he lived in Forest Road, an extension of Love Lane leading up to Sutton Common Road. At 76 years old I never knew either of them personally as they both were about ten years older than me and must be in their mid eighties by now. Other lads who I knew who may be in this picture but I do not recognize are, John Chapman, Billy Burrows, Lesly Wing, Ronny Wing, Billy Wing, John Cutts, Roy Harford, Freddy Harford, Roy Radford, Cyril Credding and Terry Knight. 

The reason I can remember so many faces is that I lived at 119 Love Lane by the railway bridge where every one in the local district had to pass either to go shopping in Sutton Common Road or on their way to work catching the bus into Morden Or Sutton. Over the years I got to recognize so many folk coming and going and most people in those days would stop to talk to other folk during their journeys, not like today with their noses glued to a hand held or on their phones telling each other where they are at that very moment or some other mundane piece of information.