Twickenham Road Primary School, 2010

“I started attending Twickenham infants school at the age of five (1934/5) … my first teacher was a Miss Edwards, lovely teacher. When it became your birthday, you were given two sweets and a badge to wear for the day. Milk came in 1/3 of a pint for which we paid the princely sum of halfpenny. Every year sports day was held on the large grass area in front of the school … I remember in the caretaker’s garden was a large model railway which us lads always wanted to see working … Miss McGowan was the head teacher, she would arrive to school in a grey Austin Seven. Teachers I remember were Mr Wayne who would play his violin for some of the lessons he took.”

“On Fridays, we were allowed to bring comics and foreign stamps to exchange; during my years there war was imminent so we all had to carry our gas masks and were at times made to put them on.”

“I started there in 1937/38 and remember Miss Ryder and Miss McGillicuddy … Miss Wilson was head mistress. I so remember the cloakroom with the iron pegs and the little washbasins and at the top of the playground the tiny toilets. There was a lovely big picture of the Madonna high above Miss Wilson’s desk … I moved with my gas mask to the juniors and remember Mr Hill, Miss Masterson, Miss Smith (she was in the huts). Miss McGowan was the headmistress. Miss Smith used to bring her two Scottie dogs on Fridays for us all to see.”

“I had the pleasure of presenting Miss McGowan with a sundial on her retirement, which is still on the outside wall of the school.”

“I remember Mr Blades, the head master (you heard him before you saw him, he had metal toe caps on his shoes). I remember Mr Smith, Miss Bayliss, Mr Edwards and Miss Rizvie.”

“I attended Twickenham Road 1965–72 … Mrs White played “Chanson de Matin” on the piano on the way into assembly every morning … I remember Mr Houchell, Mr Burton, Mr Blades was the Headmaster.”

“Went to Twickenham Road infants and primary 1962–1967. Mr Trevor Smith was my form teacher; he and Mr Lane coached our football and cricket teams, we won lots of cups over the years.”

“I went to Twickenham Rd when we moved to Shard End and the school had yet to be built! We had to go by coach to school … I think it would be around 1955/6.”

“My father, Walter Frank Parsons (known as Frank) was born in 1930 and attended Twickenham Road School. He was evacuated to Ripley, Derbyshire and spent many happy years with Raymond & Doris Leary who owned the local butchers shop in the centre of Ripley.”