Bombed out of London
Moving from Highbury to Kirkaldy Green (oral history)
Watching the building
We used get the old train from Highbury, we used to live in Holloway Road, y’know Islington, and we used to get the train from Highbury out to South Oxhey and before it was all getting rebuilt, and we used to come out to see the houses being built, and wait for our house to be built. We used to live in Kirkaldy Green, that’s where we moved into, our first house was in Kirkaldy Green.
Bombed out
[Did you have a choice which house?] No, what actually happened, when we came out here, the people who had the property before we moved out, they wanted to move back to London. So what happened is we done a sort of transfer, they moved where we were and we moved back, we moved here. The reason why we moved here because half of London was nearly bombed out. So we thought we’d move out, Mum and Dad said “let’s move out to a new estate” so we came out here. But half of London where we were, half of it was all flattened…
Add your comment about this page
We moved to Oxhey Drive in the 1950 Doctor Scott was our
Doctor for many years. Had my hair cut(Tony Curtis) near the Station, Best fish and chips next to corner cafe in Prestwick rd. My Aunt and Uncle The Droys lived in Kircaldy Green for many years remember the house fire! I went to Hampden school. Mr Westerway was head master…I still have my school reports and prefect badge…my cousin Ronnie Droy went to Clarendon.I have many nice memories.
David Greenland.
The house that caught fire was to the left of my house as kids we awoke the morning after the fire, to the strong smell of burnt wood.
The house had been on fire the night before and a young woman was stuck upstairs, my father Kenneth Slade got a ladder to the landing window of the house and rescued the young lady.
I do not remember if the same family came back to live in the house.
But I do remember it was recorded in the local paper about my fathers bravery, although he never spoke of it.
My Dad grew up in Kirkaldy Green before moving to Australia, l think at No. 10 if my memory serves me correctly. Both my grandparents lived at the address up until their deaths in the late 90’s. My uncle continues to live on the estate to this day.
I too lived in Kirkcaldy Green , remember a house catching fire was repaired within days, we were very posh with an outside workshop and covered toilet, loved living there it was one big playground,
Remember the ” Droys” I think that was their name, living opposite. Irish guy lived next door. My parent moved down to S Wales, in about 62. Went for a short time to a Infants School at Bushey and belonged to CTC.
Remember playing in the woods and catching newts.
Belonged to the scouts for a short time.