I came to Pitsea so I am told when I was 6 months old. We lived in a wooden bungalow along Rectory Road on the "S" bend three quarters along the road towards Burnt Mills. I still remember the shops that were along that part of the road; no-one seems to remember them now, although I remember they had funny birds eye glass in the windows of the shops. Opposite I'm sure was a place called Judds. I remember having a bath in a tin bath and an outside toilet, and yes we had cut up squares of newspaper or izal toilet rolls.

     Dad cobbled our shoes and mum made a lot of our clothes and when we wanted more room dad built a lean-to onto the back. Mum used to do the washing with the mangle out the back in a wrap round skirt and her bras.

     There was a bakers next door to us and he used to send in big cream cakes. He used to do the round on his horse and cart.

     When I was around 4 we moved to St Marys Crescent and our family grew. In the end there was eight of us: Brian, Barry, Barbara, Bernard, me, then Janet, Beverley and lastly Stephen.

     I attended Pitsea infants and then Pitsea junior school and well remember Mr Green who raised his eyebrows at yet another Bull. I remember a Mrs Ramsbottom, and a Mr Wakefield but I think he was my sisters teacher because in those days we had to wait for our elder siblings to walk us home so we went into their classes till they finished their lessons. Our classes were huge, I suppose it was due to the fact that practically in those days they had a lot of children, no telly and no birth pills!

     Round the crescent we used to try to get out in the street with the other kids (mum gave in in the end when every time we were let out we escaped). We played marbles, conkers and five jacks. We had to play that with stones as jacks were too expensive for us, and we had a rope tied to a lamppost as a swing. Pitsea school had a real bike shed and we played mr piggy, at least I think it was called that, and the dreaded netball. Ahh happy days.