Thought i would add some more to Jimmys Lambeth. Like my sister Jan I grew up at 12 Tracey Street Kennington,London having been born during the latter part of the 2nd world war.
My first school was Walnut Tree Walk until leaving at 11 yrs to go to West Square near the Elephant and Castle.
Our playgrounds in those days were the street of South London and its Bombsites, one in particular was the site of Lollard St.School which was firebombed during the war and burnt to the ground. This later became the location of the Lollard Adventure Playground the first one of its kind in the U.K at the time.It started in the mid 50s and was run by Mr and Mrs Turner.
It still operates (although somewhat differently) to this day and celebrated its 50th birthday in I think August 2005.
My Uncle Jim like most of the youth in those days did his National Service in the far east and after that went into the print at a local printers called the Greengate Press at the Junction of Ethelred St. and Tracey St opposite the Greeengate Fish shop.
He later went into the Post Office and spent the rest of his working life as a postman.
My friends then were Sammy Kirk (now aLondon Taxi driver) Ray Wright, Alan Cole, Johnny Macarthy, and Lenny Tillier. I have not been able to locate any of the latter to this day.
A few other memories are of Shannons the sweet shop in Ethelred st. run by Old Mrs Shannonwho sold us tuppeny weights (fags) She was the mother of a family of sons some of who ran scap metal yards, One of them was a street bookie and part time driver for a newspaper. His name was Johnny Shannon who had some success as a small part actor in films. (he was the salesman in Fawlty Towers who gave Basil a horse to bet on. It was Dragonflyin case you have forgotten
