Memories of St. Helier

Moved there in 1939

By Ken Simpson

Ken Simpson Welbeck Road School 1949-51

Donated by Ken Simpson

Hello! my family - The Simpsons - moved into 2 Hartland Road some time in 1939. We came from Battersea where we lived in both Colestown Street and Banbury Street.

Mums name was Violet Ethel, known as 'Epps', Dad was Jim, my sister (3 years older than me) Joyce and me, Ken - sometimes my Mum called me Kenneth - but only when I was in trouble.

Both Mum and Dad have passed on. My sister now lives in Worcester Park with husband Bob. I live in Carshalton. So neither of us has moved far.

We moved from Battersea to 2 Hartland Rd., Morden, Surrey, (no post codes then) on the St. Helier housing estate during 1939. At the time it was said to be the largest housing estate in Great Britain. I felt quite proud – the biggest – that meant a lot to a little boy of 4.

Joyce, my elder sister and I were looking out of the window of one of the rear facing bedrooms filled with trepidation - this brand new experience of a new home took a bit of getting used to. Will we be able to make friends? Will we like it? What are the schools like? All these things to worry about. We were a bit scared I suppose.

The lady next door was in her garden ‘having a go‘ about something, using language that we had never heard before. Mum told us she had been to a foreign country and that is how they spoke there. Such a sheltered life we must have had until then.

Our house was a three bedroom end of terrace, with a bathroom and indoor lavatory. Cor, fancy that – an indoor lavatory. Most WCs were somewhere down the garden in those days, and a bathroom!! We bought our ‘cottage’ bath (long galvanised iron thing with two handles) with us and it hung on the outside wall for years. What luxury, a bathroom, no hot water – but WE had a bathroom. In a corner of the kitchen was a ‘copper’ Not the ‘PC 49’ variety but a copper, a cauldron with a brick support and a place to light the fire underneath. There was a cold water tap to fill it and a jointed pipe about 12 -18 inches long which could be lowered into the copper. When the pipe was lowered into the ‘full of hot water’ copper, the adjacent stopcock was turned on and then the cold water tap in the bath was turned on and low and behold hot water from the copper was syphoned into the bath, magic!! I still don’t understand how it worked – but it did, if you failed to turn off the bathroom tap, cold water ran after the copper was empty but you needed some or the water was too hot. Then add a handful of soda and your bath was ready. Friday night was usually bath night, the copper fire was only lit when needed. Friday night for baths and Monday for washing day – yes, clothes were washed on Monday. Poor Mum, standing at the kitchen sink for most of the day knocking her knuckles out on the rubbing board. The first ones I remember were made of wood, which had a little bit of ‘give’, but later ones were metal or glass rubbing surfaces, really tough on the hands!!

When we lived in Battersea I have vague memories of nursery school, drinking warm milk, ughh! and trying to sleep in the afternoons on canvas beds, but now was the time for proper school. I have no recollection of my first day, but off we went, Mum and me, along Halesowen Rd, turn right into Hexham and there was the entrance to the ‘infants’. My most vivid memory was an incident the day after a bomb fell in the playground during a night air raid. We had our playtime with a bomb crater in the middle of the playground, the top surface of tar-macadam was blown all over the place and left lots of ‘clinker’ (which was used in those days as a foundation for the top surface). Well a lot of this clinker was being thrown about and a lump of it hit me on the left eyelid – ouch – tears – both hands to my face looking down. Soon my hands were covered in blood, it was streaming everywhere! Mother was summoned, not working as a Clippie, for she was on a late shift out of Sutton bus garage, route 80 I believe. Off we went to the doctor's in Forest Rd. – seven stitches – ouch. “You have been a very brave boy” he said to me, and to Mum said “That will be 7/6d please. Mum paid up, no NHS then. “Come back in four days time and I’ll remove them!” So we returned. “Yes that’s healing nicely. I’ll remove the stitches now.” Quick as a flash Mum asked, “How much?” “Another 7/6d, said the doctor. Quicker still Mum grabbed me by the hand saying, “Come on son,” and took me home! On the gas stove went the kettle, out came a pudding basin and some cotton wool. “Hold your head over the pudding basin,” scalding hot water on cotton wool, a dab or two on the eyelid and the stitches were withdrawn one by one. I did my best not to cry – nothing to ease the pain – did it hurt? Not too much, but quite a sensation as the stitches slithered out!! I can feel it now. Well done us, we saved 7/6d.

Just a bit about the gas stove: Mum did not like the gas stove that was in the house when we moved in! “It’s too dear. I want a 4d a week one” Well some huffing & agitating later it was decided that a different gas stove would be fitted, not necessarily the one Mum wanted. “Four pence a week like the one we had in Battersea from Wangas!!” but one with a plate rack and grill above the four rings, with a nice white enamelled door and a thermometer mounted on it. That had to do. I think it stood next to the copper, Mum would light the oven, open the door and stand with her back towards it to warm up after a cold late shift on the buses. There was a coal fire in the front room – but we were not allowed in there except for Sunday lunch, not during the week, we could only go in there to dust and polish the furniture. That Mansion polish used to bring out a wonderful shine. Then of course the front door had a brass knocker/letter box and keyhole, these were ‘Brasso’d’ every day and heaven help you if any polish dried on the surrounding paintwork.

Dad was in the AFS – Auxiliary Fire Service – stationed in Bromley, Kent. He cycled home when he had any time off. Five foot nine inches of muscle and ability. ‘My Dad could do anything’ we all said that about our dads didn’t we, but my Dad seemed to turn his hand to any manner of useful jobs. Our Anderson shelter was one!! He dug a big hole about three feet deep, lowered in the sections of the Anderson, bolted it together, then laid a cement base inside, no water ever came in. Built bunk beds for Joyce and me while he and Mum slept on a slightly raised double bed which nigh on took up all the floor space. Outside he ‘piled’ into the ground what must have been 4x4 wooden posts at each corner of the structure. To these we hammered, horizontally, wooden planks and filled the gap between the shelter and the planks with earth. My job was to hold a 4lb club hammer against the upright 4x4s while Dad drove in some 6” nails to hold the planks. What good I did I know not, as each time Dad struck a blow, me and the club hammer would fall to the ground, but I did my bit, I was helping my Dad.

When the soles of our shoes wore down, Dad would mend them on the last, cut off the old sole & heel, and with a mouth full of tacks, Dad attached new leather, hammering the tacks as quick as I could count them, cut off the excess leather, burnish the edges with a hot special iron (not the one Mum used). Then he would hammer in a few ‘Blakeys’ to the heel and toe to make the repair last longer. On his own shoes and Mum's he would glue a piece of leather then cut a groove in its periphery and sew the new sole into place. Our little shoes, which we would grow too big for did not warrant the grand sewing treatment, they would not last as long as Mum's and Dad's.

On his trips home from Bromley, Dad would undo his saddle bag and withdraw a sacking parcel full of sheep droppings. These he would place in a four foot tall wooden barrel filled three quarters full of water and previous donations of droppings, then he would give the contents a good stir – what a stink!! It was awful, but we did have some of the best tomatoes and other vegetables ‘down our street’!

 I have added a photograph taken when I attended Welbeck Road School between 1949 & 1951 in the Commercial Class. My mate Colin Neal joined the same time as me but in the Technical Class.