Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Memories of childhood in wartime Harringay
Welcome to a new member of HOL, Pat Stuart, who has shared these evocative memories of a childhood in wartime Harringay
At 80 years, so pleased to discover this site.
I was born in January 1936, our family lived in a flat above Disney stores in Green lanes.
Early recollections are outbreak of war causing our front windows to be criss crossed with sticky brown paper to protect from blast. This made my view of the trolley bus and other passing traffic difficult to watch as they passed below.
Finsbury Park had huge grey barrage ballons that looked to me like huge floating elephants in the sky helping to keep enemy bombers away. There was also a big gun that I was told was named Big Bertha. During raids my brother and I sat on our flats staircase and felt safe when we heard the big gun.
Later on our family moved to St Ann's road into a ground floor flat of a block called Salisbury Mansions and I started school in Woodlands Park School Infants, later the Junior School whose entrance was at the rear of the buildings. On the way to school was a little bakery on the corner I think of Etherley Road where I could, once a week, buy a sticky bun for a farthing, my weekly treat.
Many children were unfortunate to catch ringworm and we were sent to the clinic in Chestnut Park where treatment was to be announced with gentian violet, sent back to school with violet markers to let all know our plight. I had ringworm on the head and when evacuated with the school in 1941 was completely bald.
For a time, many children were brought home for various reasons and I was one of a number who as schools all closed had the freedom to roam . We got up to many tricks and called ourselves the Chestnut Park gang. Hardly any cars meant the roads were our playground until the powers that be gathered us all up and got the school on again.
The Ever Ready factory in St Ann's road was bombed and our flat windows blew in and glass cut through our parents eiderdown and mattress. Luckily mum and I were in the Morrison shelter and had only few cuts to show for our adventure. My dad and brother were on duty that night dad as ARP warden and John as messenger. Dad was also in the Auxiliary Fire Service and was part of team who saved St Paul Cathedral's when it was hit. The blitz decided my parents that it would be safer to go to sleep in the underground shelter in Manor House tube and I have many memories of those nights .
Just a few memories stirred.
No doubt I'll have more to add as I lived in Harringay until I married in 1954. Good to have a spot for my recall of those times.
Tags for Forum Posts: world war two
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Edward Constable on
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Hi Pat, why did you call yourself Staurt, if your Maiden names was Blight ?????? If you are Pat Blight from the Salisbury Mansions, in that bottom right hand Flat, back in the 40s and 50s, then you would or should remember a lot of other kids that lived in Salisbury Road and also in St Anne's Road ????? Frank Scarfe was one of those kids, lived at 24 Salisbury Road and he knew you also, from my recollection, you were sweet on him, much more than me, which used to upset me. ha!ha! Then there was Erny Wise who lived above the Glass Shop on the Corner of Salisbury and St Anne's Road. Also there was a few more people who you should remember, who also lived in Salisbury Road, Terry Blackwell, Allan Ladd, Maureen Davis, Billy Davis and the twin Boys ( who's name I can't remember ) who's Father only had one arm.Shirly Sargent, lived above the shops on the Corner of Salisbury Road and Grand Parade, Pamela Mathews also live up there. I thought you were an only child also ????? I heard that you Married a Guy who was something to do with physical Education?? Also I think you would remember me, because I came from a large Family and was always wearing worn out carments, which I put down to you not liking me, because Franky Scarfe was an only Child and had all new clothing, his Mother was a School Head Cook and his Father Drove Buses. ha!ha! There are a load more names I can remember, so if you can recall any names from the old days, please let know ????
Tell me one thing Pat, did you enjoy living in Harringay back in those Days and are you Happy now ???? Keep in touch if you feel the need, because I would like to remember you as you were. Eddie Constable.
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Sounds to me, Pat, like someone used to be rather "sweet on you"! Which is always flattering no matter how many years have passed...
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Thank you Antoinette for your kind words, regarding my feelings, so long ago..I hope You have some Wonderful Memories also. Eddie
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I think your stories are fascinating. It's only now I regret never having thought to talk to my own grandmother about her recollections. I can share a couple of short tales from another perspective.
My mother was born in 1938 in a small provincial town in Belgium. One of my most prized possessions is a photograph of my her aged 3 or 4 wearing the most beautiful white fur coat and matching bonnet tied at the neck with fur pom poms. She looked like a cross between Shirley Temple and Betty Grable! I jokingly said to her "you didn't have it so tough in the War", to which she responded "hardly; they were my pet rabbits". She went on to explain that she rarely eat meat at all as a child and that rabbits were a staple part of their diet. Competition for wild rabbits was fierce and she was in charge of farming her pet domestic rabbits and when the rabbits went in the pot, the skins were saved, cured and fashioned into this beautiful garment. My grandmother, being the ever resourceful woman she was, not to mention an amazingly skilled seamstress, constructed this coat in a cape style and each winter further pelts were added to bottom so that the coat grew as my mother did. It was the only coat she had for the duration of the war. But by god she looked glam! As long as you didn't look at her feet. My mother went on to relate that from the age of 3 she didn't have even one pair of shoes and my grandmother had to fashion homemade clogs for her. She blames this for the shocking state of her feet all through her life. Fur coat and clogs... what a combo!
Many years after my grandmother died, I was about to throw away some crocheted lace doilies that to me were horribly old-fashioned but my mother shrieked "you can't throw them away; your Granny made them in prison". "In prison???!!!" It transpires that when the nazis marched into their town, my grandmother had jeered them and encouraged others to do the same. The black shirts arrived the next morning and my grandmother was taken away. No trial or hearing, just imprisoned there and then and my mother left without either of her parents for 2 years. So when I hear stories of how the Belgians were weak - willed collaborators, people simply don't know what it was really like to be occupied by the nazis. I wish I had known during her lifetime about the stand my grandmother had taken but the truth is it destroyed my mother's relationship with her. She never forgave her for effectively abandoning her at such a crucial stage of her childhood.
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Wow !!!!!!!! I cannot believe after all these Years, that there was someone I knew from back then, also my memory served me right.
Now you said you were Married in 1954, that would have made you 18 years old, why did you get Married so young, or is that no concern of mine ??? I was into my second year of my National Service at that time, but may 2 years lasted for 3 years, simply because of my unfortunate start in adult life!!! By that I mean," I made the biggest mistake of all." The Girl I was going with at the time, became Pregnant, in 1953 and we had this Beautiful baby Boy, who changed my whole life completely. You see I was doing my Basic Training at that time, in December 1953, and I was doing just great, with the chance of getting a Strip at the end. But once I saw my baby son Gary, that was the end of the Army for me, because I kept going absent without leave. So that cost me extra time on my Service,I just found it too hard to leave him each time. Also I had to serve Military Prison time, which was very unpleasant. In the end the Army sent me to East Africa, to confront the Mau Mau. That was the best thing to happen to me because I learnt to Drive not only Army Transport but Public Transport also ( I still have my Kenya Driving License) and finished up Driving the Commanding Officer of my Battalion. Who turned out to be my Best Friend, who Died about 12 years ago, sadly missed by me and my whole Family.
Sorry but I do not remember those girls you mentioned, simply because I never played down that end of Salisbury Road. You got the Harringay Racers song right, and you would never believe it but I have a friend out here in Brisbane, who's name is Duggan and he is related to the Duggans from Sydney. What a small World is that ???? The Harringay Arena was a great place to be in, you must remember tha Ice Skating, I played Ice Hockey for a short time, for the Harringay Racers.
I would like to know, if you agree, that we exchange e-mail addresses, so that our conversations are more Private and we can send old and new photos of ourselves ?????? Bye the way, where do you live now, I take it, it's in tha UK, you don't have to mention if you don't want too. Will close now, because I could go on for ages ha!ha! Regards Eddie
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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on
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Pat and Eddie. Just in case you don't know, you can also chat and exchange information privately on this website. For instance, if you click on Pat's name on one of her posts it takes you to a page called "Pat Stuart's Discussions" . Under the title you'll see a link called "Send message". It will then ask you to add Pat as a connection. Once she has accepted away you go.
But please don't stop putting your memories on this site. They're wonderful to read.
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Hi Michael,
Thanks for making this site so interesting, and for giving people the opportunity to relive there Memories of days gone by. So here goes another memory for me, in the Days of Harringay. I'm not quite sure of the Date, but I think it was between 1947 and 1949. There was a " Riot " at the Harringay Greyhound Race Track, one Saturday Night. Apparently one of the Greyhounds that was in a Race, suddenly slipped sideways and got caught in the Hares mechanism. The Race continued while the Dog was struggling, at which point he died. The crowd on seeing this, all went berserk and started to attacked the Tote Building and anything to do with the Race Organisers. What they couldn't smash they set on Fire,. Police and the Fire Brigade eventually arrived, but by that time there was a Large number of Buildings on fire.
This was the first night my Father and Mother never went, thank there lucky Stars, because they were regular goers to the Dog track, amongst may other Tracks in and around London. I use to listen every Saturday Night to the roar of the crowed at the start of each Races, I think every one who lived right next to the Track, must of been completely Deaf ha!ha!
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The thanks need to go to Hugh and Liz who keep this site going!
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Much later than this Eddie, in 1984 when I moved here, my neighbour Nancy used to work at the dog track. At the end of the races she'd walk back home to Warham Road with the night's takings in a bag. Nancy was a tiny woman and in her early 70s when I first met her, but feared no one! You always knew when she was on her way back because she'd sing hymns at the top of her voice while she walked up the street.
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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You mean this riot? It happened again ten years later.
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Hi Hugh,
I thought he ment another Riot, but, I think he ment, " He moved to Harringay in 1984 !!!!!!!!! " And as for Nancy carrying the Nights Takings Home, she must have been built like a brick Sh/ house and twice as Strong. ha!ha!
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Did you see my links to the old newspaper articles. Was one of those 'your' rout?
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