Guest Post by Beniron
For those of you that don’t know, the title is a famous strap line from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – a great radio series and book and OK film and TV series. I chose that title as this article is about life from my perspective and how growing up in East London (my universe at the time) and everything that’s happened to and around me; so join me, in what will be a ramble I’m sure, as we meander through the metaphorical streets of my life!
It began in January 1957 when I entered this world – a gorgeous bundle (my mum’s words) in the East London Maternity hospital on Commercial Road (gone now – you’ll hear that quite often through this tale I’m sure!).
Only remember snippets of my early life as we all do, but we lived with my Nan and Grandad in Stainsby Road until mum and dad managed to rent a one bedroom place in Ellerman Street (gone now), lived there until I was 2 and a half , me, my brother, mum and dad; but all my mum’s family were close by – my dad came from Wales and had the saddest start in life but that’s for another time.
We then moved to the Isle de Chien – Isle of Dogs to you lot! Into a two bedroom tenement block – but it was a council place! In those days in my area everyone was dirt poor, so nobody took any notice, but getting a council flat was what you aspired to! It comprised of two bedrooms, a toilet, a living room and a scullery.
There were 5 families on my landing and there was a communal bathroom that had one bath, one massive boiler that all the families washed their sheets etc in and a mangle. My mum, dad and older brother used to go to my aunt’s every Sunday (only once a week in those days) for a bath, I was in the butler sink!
The block was L shaped and we lived on the end corner of the short side, my best mate Pete lived on the corner at the other side. Every Friday we would have tea (not dinner) at each other’s houses, one week mine, next week his unless there was a family do somewhere (in those days there were always do’s going on). I remember in my house it was nearly always corned beef and chips; but one week at Pete’s I remembered his dad was home and had been all week, I got there and was invited in for tea and was given a bread and sugar sandwich, yes two slices of bread and butter with a layer of sugar. It was lovely, I asked my mum if we could have that and she explained that Pete’s dad had been laid off and they had no money – bear in mind the previous Monday I had to hide behind the settee with my mum when the rent man from the council knocked. So even with poor people there are those worse off.
In those days all my playgrounds were built by the Luftwaffe – being so close to the docks there were bomb sites everywhere; there were also loads of factories that had dumping grounds all over the place (nobody had heard of environmental issues back then), one of which my estate backed onto was known as Barney’s (Barnfield’s paint factory), the waste ground near that was always the colour of the latest best selling paint, I had pink plimsolls years before they were fashionable!
We also had a massive area in front of the block where all the washing was hung out and the poles made great goal posts!
It was also at this time I had my first kiss, I wont tell her name in case she by some chance reads this but she was a year older than me and lived on my landing and it was behind the old bomb site.
They were innocent times back then but very insular as it was for all under 8’s I assume. Anyway playing football and supporting West Ham were my past times, but my dad worked Saturdays, and living where I did on the Island made it tough to get to see the family in Poplar unless I was accompanied, so I never got to see them live. Then in 1966 at the tender age of 9 two things happened, West Ham won the world cup and we moved closer to Poplar and the rest of the family, still on the Island but by the Blue bridge (won’t mean a lot to most of you but it was just a bridge that went across the docks).
My uncle knew I was into football as all kids were and asked me if I wanted to go to a match. I jumped at the chance and so we went. I remember the start of the day and being all excited, my mum took me on the 277 bus to Poplar, she and my aunt went to Chrisp Street market. My uncle took me in the bookies (he was a regular, so no questions asked) then finally we left for the match.
A number 15 bus from Poplar to Upton Park (stopped just before the Boleyn), it was summer (in my memory every day in the summer holidays was sunny and perfect!), there were loads of people, I was mesmerised, all a blur getting into the ground, just remember my uncle pushing me through the turnstiles with him, my first experience of buy one get one free! Next thing I know I was right at the front with loads of kids eating Percy Dalton’s finest. To be honest the occasion got to me, the match was going on as I was looking around the kid next to me was chatting, it was great, and I was hooked. I remember all the swearing and shouting at half time but in the second half the noise was unbelievable it seemed there was a goal every 5 minutes – anyway I know it was against Burnley, we won and I think all the goals were in the second half and the score was 4 – 2.
Going home I didn’t stop talking, my mum was waiting for me at my aunt’s and that was that. Next day I was with my mates and told them all about it and now we were 10 and used the buses ourselves we all agreed we’d go the next game – only problem was money none of us got pocket money in those days. We had all these plans etc. and were all now experts on football and West Ham (sound familiar?), next weekend we were all out on our bikes round Castalia Square (a parade of shops with a square that we could build ramps etc and do our jumps) when a fella came out with the Evening News (in those days in the stop press on the back of the paper it had the latest scores ). “How’s West Ham doing?” my mate shouted, “Got thrashed 5-0 “came the response. Suddenly all the enthusiasm died, kids are fickle, I know. We still wanted to go but the far-fetched plans and lack of money seemed unsurmountable.
So the rest of that late summer was spent playing football, riding bikes exploring London on a Red Rover keeping an eye on the scores – I don’t think we won again until we were all back at school.
All we had to look forward to was bonfire night, we had already been collecting wood all summer just had to build it and guard it from those toe rags from King’s Bridge, that year was going to be the biggest bonfire yet.
The next instalment (assuming this gets published and you want one of course) will be my first game with my mates.