I suppose I did behave like a normal child on occasion. I was about ten when I had my first cigarette. Bernard Bull was a Day Boy who lived in Billericay. His father owned the Car Hire firm and whose large Limousine used to take us on holiday in the Summer. Bernard was an older boy and if I gave him twopence he would bring me five Woodbines or Player’s Weights. It made a change to have the odd fag. The other fourpence pocket money went on wafer biscuits.
We were permitted to use the Gymnasium during the evenings. It did not include me, but one evening it was dark, wet and miserable, I crept in and joined the other boys. It was marvellous! We were using the High Jump with a Spring Board to help take off. I of course fell on landing! The result was a very painful left arm. The next morning I had great difficulty in getting up and dressing. On the third morning I could not get out of bed at all, and so was taken to the Matron, and ended up with my broken arm in splints!
Matron by the way, was a great comfort (!) if we had a headache or felt sick. We visited her room where she soon “cured us” with the only medicine she had; a spoonful of Epsom Salts in a cup of warm water! Ever tried it? One did not go near the Matron if one could help it! Funny thing; it was at this time that I had a part in The School Play. I was “Mustard Seed” in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. However, my dream of acting was soon over. Life had reached BOTTOM! The night of the Play arrived. The venue was a Theatre in the town. I was sitting in the Front Row with my arm in a sling. Mother and Dad, who were sitting a few rows back, had come all the way from Billericay to see their little boy in his first play. After the First Act when the lights came on, I was able to stand up and wave to them. I can’t remember what they said. The School of course had not told them of my accident. Anyway the School did not know how it had really happened, because I was not supposed to be in the Gym. So I told them that I had slipped in the rain when running round a corner to get in out of the wet! What a life!
I had very little control of my life. I spent it dodging Pinder and trying to make a Basket from Cane and Raffia, wanting to take part in things with very little success. I seemed always to be in trouble. The boys were playing Cricket one evening when we were just back from a holiday. I joined in and along came a Master. “What are you doing?”; “Just playing Sir.”; “You are not allowed to play are you?”; “Yes Sir! My Father said I could play this term.” Consequently a letter was sent to Father. The answer was “No, I did not say he could play this term, he is still ill.” The result was two strokes of the cane on each cheek of the backside for telling lies. Gawd, what a Life! End of term.
On the bus going to Chelmsford. No, not to school. Where to then? To Chelmsford Hospital. Going to have my throat cut and the “lump” removed! Well, well! Can’t be worse than going to school!
All alone in a large room, quite a large bed. I suppose it seemed large, I really was only a little sod. Mask on my face, breathe in; asleep; wake up bandaged like a Mummy. Mother and Dad by the bed, a new life ahead of me. Jolly good! The Nurse used to come in with her hands behind her back and say; “Give me a kiss for what I’ve got behind me!” Cor, what a sauce! A kiss for flowers; sweets were alright! Anyway, I was in for some time, don’t know how long. Then home, and a scar from my left Ear to my Adam’s Apple! I’ve still got it. BUT, then I started to develop a bit. I could run and play, and I was no longer to be a Boarder!
Before I left as Boarder I must tell you about Princess Mary’s Wedding Day (daughter of the Duke and Duchess of York, later George V and Queen Mary). It was April 1923 and she married the Earl of Harewood (Henry Charles George, Viscount Lacelles) (actually Dad they married on 28th February 1922). I believe he was a bit of a hard man. It was a special day for us. The Tea Table was laden with cream buns and we were allowed to eat as many as we liked. I was sick in bed for three days! By the way, since I broke my arm I was put in a room on my own to sleep. It was above the Dormitory in a sort of Attic. I was scared stiff on my own in the dark!
I’m now a Day Boy. So what? The only thing I can remember about being a Day Boy was travelling to school by train from Billericay to Chelmsford. Leonard, Dad’s younger Brother, still went to Brentwood School. We travelled on the same train. He got off at Brentwood and I got off at Shenfield and changed to another train for Chelmsford. I can remember walking from the Station to School but nearly everything else is a complete blank! The only thing I can remember from that time was that Ray, Stan and I used to go to Sunday School. We had a penny each for the Collection, so we used to put one penny in the Collection and spent the other two pence on sweets! One day we saved the sweets to eat in bed so I kept them in my pocket. After going up to bed, I crept down to get the sweets from my overcoat pocket hanging in the Hall. I got caught and suffered the consequences on my backside!
It’s a little worrying, because my memory is good regarding most of my life.
Well that was the end of Chelmsford and Billericay. In 1925 I was twelve years old and we moved to Old Southgate in North Middlesex and life for me took on a completely new complexion. Dad bought No. 12 Mayfield Avenue (Enfield, London, N14). It had been lived in previously by Auntie Rene and Cousins Ernest, Vera and Rene, the Family of Ernest, Dad’s Brother, who died after the War – they lived at Knebworth then. They moved to Cheshire and we moved in to their old house. I remember that day because I did not feel too good. Ernest and I clubbed together enough cash to buy 10 Spinet Cigarettes. The trouble was we did not want to take them home with us nor throw them away. So we had to smoke the lot in twenty minutes! It’s a funny thing! I can see that cigarette packet; white “SPINET” and in red letters”Full Size Cigarettes”. But very bitter. Much more so than “Doctor Blosser’s Medicated Cigarettes”, that were “so good for one’s heart”!