As I spent my young days on the estate during the second world war, except for the period that I was evacuated but� also the years until I left in my early thirties. Obviously the place and the times I lived there had some effect on me and as one becomes older you feel that you want to write about� the people that were there and the experiences you had .
The picture above is from 1950. It was sent to me along with those� on other pages while I was serving in the army in Malaya in 1952-1954. As youngsters we were always hanging about around the shops. At one small sweetshop we would climb over the back, take some lemonade bottles, go into the shop to collect 2d on each empty! This was an old trick but the poor old dear in the shop never tumbled it. Too late to make amends now.� During the war after an air raid we would go over Rosehill Park as soon as we could to salvage any shrapnel� from the shells fired by the ack ack batteries� that were over there, some of it would still be very hot,� and we became quite expert at knowing what type of shell it came from. I can remember vivedly the very first air raid that our street experienced,� I don't know the year , either� 1939� or 1940. We were playing in the street, me and my mate Frankie Elllens, I remember I had a toy drum I was 6 years old, suddenly we saw the aircraft coming over from the direction of Croydon and they were in what we thought were British formation in three's, so we started to wave, although they were very high! Suddenly the sirens started�� and we were called in quick to take shelter in the coal cupboard! I don't recall what happened after that, but� the� Blitz became an every day occurrence that we lived with. We got so used to hearing the sirens that we could tell which ones they were! They would usually begin from the direction of London, so we would hear� Streatham, Mitcham Wimbledon, Morden finally the one at Rosehill.� After one raid we found that a toy shop had been bombed or rather it had received a blast from the bomb that fell nearby, it was along the parade of shops that can be seen in the photo. The shop was wide open with toys everywhere! We were all grabbing toys as fast as we could. I got a tea chest and filled it up, suddenly the police arrived, my box was so� heavy I couldn't move it! all I had was a small box of tacks! Serves me right.� On another raid, a sweet shop was bombed, we swarmed over it like locusts!, now there were very� little sweets around in those days so when we saw bars� and bars of chocolate we just grabbed handfuls and run over the park to make ourselves sick, then we discovered that all the bars were dummy bars and made of cardboard!�
'Scrumping' was a way of life then, all boys did it , orchards and small boys were made for each other so I have detailed a few memories on the next page .
From the back of our house in St Benets Grove, we could see both the Gaumont Cinema and The Rose Public House . Both played a large part in my growing up on the estate.�
The Sutton Creameries had their yard at the back of the shops on the right and when I was thirteen , I used to help our local milkman whose name was George to deliver the milk. At that time we used to have a push trolley which had one small wheel in the front with two large one at the back just like the one shown below . These were solid wheels so you can imagine how hard it was to push when loaded with milk crates! About a year later in 1947 we had electric milk floats!, These were smashing because it allowed you to� walk� in front driving the float� behind.� It was against the law for the lads to drive the floats, George was alright and in the backstreets he would let me drive, what I would do was to stand on the float behind the handle and drive it that way to save walking!� That was a bad winter in '47 so we had to pull the milk on a sledge, great fun but hard work!
I must tell you about one time when we were about 11 or 12 years old, Kenny Green who lived two doors away from me, found a wig in his house when his mum was out. This gave him the idea of wearing one of his mums coats and also a hat so that he looked just like an old lady! We all went over to the main road, Kenny got dressed up out of sight and then started walking slowly along the pavement, all the rest of us walked behind calling him names, a couple of men started to shout and came towards us and you can imagine their suprise when the 'old lady' and the rest of us gave a loud cheer and ran off!
Just after the war, barrow boys started to appear along the main road that can be seen between the the shops. The shopkeepers didn't like the idea especially the greengrocers as most of the barrows carried the same produce, but of course cheaper! The police would be called to move them on or book them, but the barrow boys were wise to them coming so they would push their barrows across to the other side of the road which came under Mitcham police ,� which meant that the�� Sutton police couldn't touch them! Eventually everyone gave up and the barrows are still there today!
When I was seventeen I worked at a butchers shop about halfway along the right hand parade� of shops, it's not there now, it was called Gunner's. At that time meat rationing was still in force so it was a big help to my mother as the guv, as� he was called, gave all the staff some meat every friday! It wasn't� much, couple of chops for example, but it was very welcome. At Christmas� we had to truss hundreds of chickens and turkeys. I remember the day before my first Christmas Eve at the shop. The guv had told me to come in early as it was going to be our busiest day. I was looking forward to it as we had a staff box on the counter� and money was short. So I was up and getting ready to leave at 7 am, when there was a hammering at our front door, it was Steve and Fred from the shop " come on" they said "where have you been?"� "we've been on the go since 5 o/c !" When we arrived at the shop it was all lit up with the window dressed with turkeys etc, I can still remember that sight, it was still dark except for our shop, it really was a seasonal picture. That evening I recall the guv took me and Fred over to The Rose for� a Christmas drink, I had my first whiskey and it was my first visit to a pub! Afterwards I bought lots of fruit to take home for my Mum!�
As we all reflect on the byegone days we often say " They were the good times" and of course they were for us, and for todays youngsters it's today they will look back on, and say exactly� the same !
In August 2001, I returned to Rosehill with my sister Pauline for a nostalgic trip down memory lane. Of course we expected changes, but not so dramatic as we found. The lovely building 'The Rose' had been demolished and in it's place was a rather ugly supermarket! The large roundabout that we used to play on, was surrounded by traffic lights! Generally we found the area dirty and graffiti on every possible location. When we lived there it was cleaner and not so run down but then I think this applies to most areas today. The memories of the old Rosehill will be the ones we carry in our memories.
Have you a memory? Post it in the forum below.
Where this picture was taken was exactly the spot I was parked on the morning of my wedding day! I was with two friends and there used to be a betting shop to the right. It was Grand National day so we were trying to pick a horse out, we couldn't make up our minds so we decided to back the three horses at 33-1 odds. At the wedding reception we disappeared outside to listen to the race, we had the winner,second & fourth which got us out of trouble with the Bride!
