Memories of South Oxhey
Clarendon Secondary Modern
By Barbara Birch
My brother put me onto this site, what good memories all your contributors have, most of them I have, but had forgotten going on the bus to get fish and chips. we lived in Sidmouth Close , and got off the bus in Hayling road, surely the fish and chips were cold by the time we arrived home ? I have been in Australia for 42 years, and never had fish and chips that tasted so good.we walked everywhere, including Little Furze infants and Clarendon Secondary modern, I have really happy memories of school years. I seem to remember my brothers sister and I also walked RuislIp Lido, there may have been a bus involved.The golf course was at the end of our garden, we would cross it to get to the woods, and play there for hours.My group of friends loved the school band, we each had our favourite boy, mine was Ian Mckinnon who played the trumpet.i wonder what has happened in their lives, Brenda Alen, Pat Smith, Alma Quarrel and Pat Tavener, I have a photo of John Johnson, Jacqueline Steers and I posing with a model of some sort, we made it into the local paper, think it was the echo ? If anyone remembers me, would love to catch up and hear all your news. Barbara Birch.
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Barbara, my sisters went to Clarendon, Ann in 1955 & Cherry in 1957, obviously before your time. We lived in Blairhead Drive, they didn’t go to Little Furze when they moved from London in 1950 as it hadn’t finished being built but went there later as did I when I was older (1956). Ann has lived in Australia since 1974. She remembers Mr Elliott, in fact my dad, John Birch, donated his drum kit to the school band. Yes, we walked everywhere, I remember the first library was in a house across the other side of the estate, it was the last house on the right as you came out towards Oxhey Lane. My sister Ann, the eldest, had the surname Phillips but Cherry & I were Birch. My Nan lived in Erskine House Henbury Way, I used to stay with her in the school holidays. The new library on Bridlington Road had been built by then so I went there everyday.
I remember you Barbara , I was the bloke who got caned every week by the sadist ” Mr Marx’s the PE teacher . My name is Ray Pringle and I hated that school . Live in Poole Dorset for the last 24 years , so much nicer than south oxhey .
BARBARA
HI A good friend of mine Reg. Sergeant lived in Sidmouth
Close . Was at Clarendon was in in the original Band . A talented soccer player
Did you know him???
Ray Eyre (ExLudlow Mead)