大象传媒

In the year of 1919 on October 31st,I was born in London in the Borough of Lewisham. My birth certificate states that my father was a master builder. I can only presume that my parents were very poor,as I do recollect that I was placed in a nursery at the age of two, and I can only conclude tht my parents must have died when I was very young as I have no knowledge of there passing what so ever.

The exact year that I was placed in the school that I was to spend the next ten of eleven years in,is one of the many things I have no knowledge of,the year that I have mentioned above are purley guesswork on my part.

The name of my school was the Annerly Residential school, situated about one mile from the old all glass crystal palace. Two sides of the school were bounderied by the railway and the other two sides with very high brick walls,over the other side of one of these high walls was another school for all children who were deaf and dumb,who we did come in contact with from time to time when football or tennis balls found there way over these walls.
The school curriculum was very mandane and strictly routine, disapline was very strict.
The schol was very big and accommodating both boys and girls,I would put the figure at approx 6-700 children,with the girls in their seperate part of the school and the boys in theirs.

The staff comprised a superintendant,a matron,teachers and mistresses who looked after us when not at school.

Discipline was very strict indeed.The superintentant would administer the cane for any would be offenders of the schools rules and regulations.I was the recipient of the cane on three occasions that I can recall,one for wetting the bed and two for stealing apples out of the school orchard and for these offences six strokes was the norm and i can quite recall quite clearly it was the days before one could sit down comfortably as the posterior portion of the anatomy was very blue,bruised and painful.

But in looking back i hold no grudge againts the school and its discipline in fact it put me in good shape for my years that were to follow when joing the army.

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