大象传媒

Fred Waite
Fredrick Waite aged 66 born 25.6.36 Custom House London E16. One of my first memories is collecting pieces of bomb when I was about seven or eight. We watched pigs running on fire from a piggery and horses being carried out of a stable dead. This was at Nelson Street East Ham. I once bought home a horse on a rope and put it in the front garden. We moved to Canning Town E16 and I spent most of my free time climbing bombed buildings. We all would play games every evening in the street. I was then at Star Lane School. We would invent our own games using a ball or rope or tin cans. If you were lucky you would have your father make you a wooden scooter or a wooden go-cart made from 4 pram wheels.

My father was in the army for six and a half years and mostly abroad. I then went to Pretoria School, which is now Eastliegh School. I remember the laughter and fun at the Queens coronation. We had fancy dress for all the small children that my sister and brother joined in. (I was too old then at 14). I had a good childhood it gave me the chance to explore and to create and also appreciate what we were given. I left Pretoria School at 15 to go to work, then went to into the army to do my national service. I left there and met my wife on holiday at Leysdown Isle of Sheppy and we discovered that we both lived in Canning Town and our streets were next to each other. We had three daughters and have three grandchildren. I have a GCSE in Art and Design, Grade B and went on to do a two-year Art and Design in Ceramics, City and Guilds and passed top grades at the age of 65. This was very satisfying; we do our art classed together and our Ceramics together and have never been bored. Our 41st Anniversary is in July this year (2002). I believe that our strong family unit when being brought up has helped us to achieve and feel good in ourselves. Our parents had nothing but they gave us themselves and that is all the children need to grow confident in themselves. I only wish they had encouraged boys to do arts and crafts when I was at school as it was not considered a 鈥渂oy鈥� thing only sport was encouraged.

We have taken part in an advert for TV and enjoy the mixing with people. Our youngest daughter Jackie has a BA in Theatre costume design and is so talented in so many areas. All our three daughters are very creative, kind and respectful and can socialise anywhere. We feel children can not mix and play as we did safely, they have not the freedom we had or the chance to know how satisfying it can be to create something from nothing and to find their own self esteem for the future.

We have just enjoyed all the jubilee celebrations so many people mixing and enjoying themselves, reminded me of the coronation and Silver jubilee.

Maureen Waite

Maureen Waite aged 61 Born 02.09.41. Plaistow, London. I was born Maureen Morris during the last war. We lived in Baron Road from when I was a baby until I married at 19 years of age. One of my first memories are of my mother holding myself and my sister to her knees screaming hoping the bombs over head would not be for us. We were not evacuated with the other children; our mother would not let us go. We stayed with our grandmother and our uncle who wad special needs. We all lived in No. 32 Baron Road, Canning Town.

Most of my childhood I was dressed in second hand clothes from jumble sales, which my grandmother would take me to in an old pushchair. She would fight her way to the front to get the beat of clothes and toys for us. Our Christmas stockings consisted of an apple, an orange, some nuts and sweets and maybe a paper shaker on a stick and a colouring book (my favourite) All these things were rare as there were not many fruits or sweets to be had they were all on ration books. We would open up the front room for Christmas (shut all the rest of the year) my mother would play an old piano belonging to my grandmother. We would sit by the fire and sing. Lovely memories. I had a large tin full of old plastercine, which I can still, remember the smell as I opened that tin, it was all one colour, brown, black where I had mixed so many colours over the time.

As time went on we (my sister and I) had a special set of clothes we used going to the photographer or for our one special day out to the seaside in a steam train. I can remember our heads outside the train cabin window and our faces black with soot when we arrived at Southend Station. We would all have a bag to carry with food and drink for the day. We never had swimming costumes just our dresses tucked up in our knickers to paddle.

I went to Star Lane School (still there) where I had to wear shoes with the address of the Social printed on the leather between the sole and the heel. I used to walk with my feet flat to the ground and in assembly so not to let the other children know we were poor and came from a home that needed Social support. There was no money given in those days only a chit to go to get children鈥檚 shoes or blankets for our bed. I remember how hard and itchy they were (they were army grey blankets and the shoes were black or brown boys leather lace up shoes) My grandmother got me a pair of second hand red tap shoes and I wore them to school and got told off and sent home.

I then went to Pretoria Road School, which is now Eastleigh School, Canning Town. I left when I was 15 to go to work in a flour factory. We earned 拢5.00 a week we worked 7 am to 5pm and to 7pm overtime. We had to put 拢3.00 from our wages for our keep at home or we did not eat. We did not have a radio. Only one person in the street had a TV and only one car.

I remember the parties we had for the Queen鈥檚 Coronation every child had a fancy dress they were made from crepe paper. The parents did all the food. We had a stage and I won ten shillings (a lot of money_ I was only 10 鈥� 11 years old). I sang a song called 鈥� Daddy鈥檚 Little Girl鈥�

I met my husband when I was 17 陆 and he was 22. I met him on the first holiday of my life at Leysdown, Isle of Sheppy, only 80 miles away, which seemed like the other side of the world to us. We celebrate our 41st anniversary this July (2002).

I was lucky to have the freedom to play on all the bomb sites, making houses with dirt, stones, wild flowers, able to invent my own games, and use my imagination. Our upbringing may have been lacking in material things but we had a close loving relationship in the family unit. I believe today the aim seems to be give as much material things to make up for the lack of time given to our children. I have three lovely daughters and we have tried to teach them social skills and be able to mix with all people. I hope they have learned the most important thing is to show respect and caring and to have self-esteem.

I have just retired from being a childcare worker in the same church that my grandmother took me to in the pushchair to the jumble sales 鈥� the Baptist Memorial Church in Plaistow. We also have a children鈥檚 Centre in Cumberland Road, Plaistow which is where the two centres are now called Step by Step. I never dreamed I would be working there for 25 years and would love it.

I have an A grade in GCSE which I did at the age of 49 and my husband did the same exam which was Art and Design and got a B. The he went on to achieve a City and Guilds 2-year course in Art and Design in Ceramics aged 65. We both recently did an advert on TV for a disc that is coming out so we have had a good active life and we have just enjoyed the 4 day jubilee where we sang and danced in East Ham Park (Jubilee Nights 31 May 鈥� 3 June 2002). There were so many families enjoying the moment and celebrations, there was just a feeling of joy and sharing the event. It was lovely to see so many children鈥檚 faces smiling and alight with the firework display.

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