Gordon and Connie

 Gordon my dad, had met Connie my Mum when he was a trainee manager for Stevens and Steeds provision merchants.  Manager of the Maury Road Stoke Newington branch was Frederick John Parker who lived over the shop with his wife Fannie Elizabeth and their four daughters, Violet, Constance, Evelyn and Joan. 

In 1925 when Connie was eighteen she and friends had a holiday at Herne Bay. 

Gordon followed on his motor bike.  As you see, they were good buddies by then. Gordon had various bikes including a Norton, an AJS and a BSA. I think.  

At Herne bay Connie is fourth from the left in the group.  

Also below, Frederick John Parker. is on the left with brother-in-law Alf Saunders taken about 1920. F.J. died, stomach cancer, about 1925. He had  spent time in the Great War at the Royal Naval Air Service base at Otranto Italy. 

Paul's 'Largely Before 1936'

   PAUL - LARGELY BEFORE 1936

I walked past 137, Capel Rd. Forest Gate -it's now Manor Park I think, with Gwen, Andrew and Janet in 2002. Took a photo of it including me, before we carried on across Wanstead Flats to 12, Empress Ave… I was born there, at No: 137, on the 9th September 1930, overlooking the grassy tree-lined Flats, but at that time I wasn't taking much notice of the scenery… I was crying and getting slapped.  In fact we left there when I was about a year old, so this is all hearsay.  I heard that Dad built a rose-covered pergola in the back garden. I've got some photos of me in a tin bath.  

Another story goes that Dad's brother Frank who, -unmarried until 4th June 1931 must have been staying with us, saw his father, my Grandpa, -from 12 Empress Ave., at the door one morning. He hopped over the back fence into the cemetery.  He should have been at work. Possibly Frank was working at his father's grocery at the time but for a large part of his working life he drove a London tram. 

Two of Grandpa's brothers, Willie and Reggie I think, had groceries, 'provision merchants'.  They extended to about a dozen shops at one time, in London, in partnership with another person and trading as 'Stevens and Steeds'. "Stevens and Steeds where a light to determine goodness is shone through every egg sold." Grandpa had his own grocery but said he couldn't afford to set Dad up. So Dad traded on his own as 'Steeds Store' in Angel Lane, Stratford.  I think the whole lane has now succumbed to a new road system for the 2012 Olympics stadium.  

My first memory is/was of seeing a fire, possibly only a grass fire, from my uncle Holford's little Hillman. I remember/ed it had a pram-type hood with fake chromed hinges at the sides.  Excuse the vacillation about memories but they are reinforced by previously 'remembering' these things over so many years and so are they 'memories'?  In that file also is the recollection of my sitting on Dad's shoulder, (how young?) while he walked along a quayside, with tie also flying over his shoulder, and then onto the "Golden Eagle" which he and I took as a day trip from Margate to Southend.  From that memory I have always known which is the port side of a ship. 

In 1932 we left and moved to No:2 Frimley Rd. Seven Kings.  I remember lots of happiness in our four years there.  It was a fairly new house and Mum and Dad had a sunken lawn excavated out back.  I've a photo of me toddling among planks there before the grass grew.  I only recall the green lawn which had clumps of crocuses planted in the lawn that appeared near the four corners in Spring.   

Then, further down the garden was a big pile of earth. Taller than me, I could run up and down it. Then  I discovered masses of ants in it and I just knew that it was an 'ant hill' There was a small damson tree nearby too by the neighbour's fence.  Not very pleasant to eat but the damson jam was very nice. Then there was the aviary up near to the kitchen where Dad used to breed canaries.  It was my job to take them their feed… Hard-boiled egg and 'Osborne' biscuits crushed up. It was only a few steps to the aviary. Just as well because that mix tasted lovely. There was always something to do, if only setting snails to race each other on the concrete. I was a very patient lad…

Grandma Parker lived with us all the time we were at Seven Kings.  She was not impressed when one time just about the whole of the ceiling plaster fell down in her room. A near new house!  I remember sleeping in her bed one time when I had a 'made me cry' bout of ear-ache.  My room was the small one on the corner at the top of the stairs. Dreams are what I remember that room for… I was on the platform of an Underground station… The tunnel opened to my left. It's floor was a metre or so above the track level but, no tracks, it was a river, and there were monkeys playing in the waterfall it made!  

I enjoyed my books of course.  There was one story that impressed,- it was supposed to!  It was called ‘The Forty Winks’ This little child used to cry a lot in its room - which had a fireplace. There was a goblin that lived up the chimney.  The crying disturbed its 'forty winks' and it came down the chimney, and with its sooty hand, plucked the 'forty winks' out of the childs mouth, -one by one!  Then there was the painting book I had. A promo from OXO.  There was an athletic type… 'Felix Tremely-fit on OXO', and there was 'Greta Colday with a cup of hot OXO'…

Our's was the end house in the row and our neighbours were the Parishes.  John was a little younger than I was. What we played at I don't know. When you're three or four imagination is 90% of the game. Funny the things that stick though.  I was at his place one time when he had a bleeding nose.  Apparently one treatment was to put a cold key down the neck. I rather freaked out.  I thought they meant down his throat!  

John had a slightly older sister Doris. I rather liked her but don't remember ever getting to play with her… I think there was another older sister but our paths never crossed.  

Mrs. Parish had a father who lived about 100 metres away on the other side of us, fronting on to South Park Drive. He was a great carpenter. He used a shed down the Parish's garden and I'd spend quite a bit of time with him. I was really thrilled when he made me a board game called 'Bobs' I think.  There was a wavy green baise covered plywood base with brass lined holes on the middle ridge and you had to roll big ball-bearings to get them in the holes. I had that for many years…  Here I leap sadly to 1941. Mum's Mum, Grandma Parker, took me back one day to Seven Kings to visit cousin Maureen who lived in nearby Barking…  We walked past No:2 Frimley Rd.  There was nothing.  Just a front door step.  A bomb had been dropped nearby and demolished several houses.  It had also killed my friend Mr. Beamish.  By the way he had spent most of his life I believe in New Zealand and had apparently retired to be closer to his daughter.  One of the Hawkes Bay or Gisborne Beamishes? I don't know… And another by-the-way,  the Parish's apparently survived the bomb and, so I heard, retired finally to Auckland.  I never did try to contact them.  Such is life.