Janice Addison

Thank you so much Carol. I do have a couple of photo's of what I looked like back then so will send them over. I won't have access to your email address though:( But I will send my contact details with the book which has my email and home address on, so you can contact me through there. Will keep in touch. xxx

Yes my name was Janice Addison. My name now is Janice Bruce although for writing, my name is Janice Cooke as I wrote Peckham Cry before I married my second husband. I kept the name of Cooke because it sounds better as an author, and also because I keep the married joint account separate from my business account. Sometimes I even forget who I am! lol xxx

Hi Carol. Yes I lived at 41 Keston Road, near Goose Green. I worked in Jones and Higgins when I left school and then Timothy Whites the Chemist. I had a brother (half - also adopted) called Adrian. I was taken into care in 1961. I have wonderful memories of Friern. I also went to Bellenden Road from 1948 - 1955. I live in Devon now. I think most of the Londoners have moved out of London. I am quite intrigued when I watch A&E about Kings College Hospital. There were no stabbings there in my day...Nice to hear from you x

I was at Friern Road Comprehensive School for Girls from 1955 - 1959. Miss Thompson was the Headmistress and Mrs Pringle the Deputy Head. Miss Young was my form teacher from 1A - 4A. She was also the French Teacher and had glasses on a chain and her dark hair rolled up into a French Pleat. Unlike most children I actually loved school. It was an escape from my horrendous adopted home life. It was the only place I felt really safe. I used to wear a Frankie Vaughan fan club badge instead of the Yellow Eagle on my blazer. Miss Thompson used to let me get away with murder as I suspect she felt sorry for me. I also used to take my little white mouse to school in my pocket along with a tiny square of chocolate. It frightened the life out of Mrs Coates our English Teacher. Miss Marshall was our music teacher and she lived in Pollards Hill South just past Streatham. I remember going to Ivydale School for Domestic Science when the bus strike was on in the mid 50's. It was a long walk! On my first day at Friern I was mortified to realise that my 'mother' had made me a red gingham checked dress in one inch squares instead of the smaller quarter of an inch. Did I get teased? But not much bullying went on then thankfully. Girls that I remember are Gloria Freeman, Susan Mann, Maureen Thew, Pauline Hyams. I have written a book called Peckham Cry which is actually written as fiction but based on fact. It is out in paperback and also re-written for the Kindle eBook Market. The Kindle edition is 77p and the p/back is ?1.99 with all profits going to help augment child abuse charities. Both are doing very well in the Amazon charts. As I seem to be one of the older ones on here, I'm sure that not many of you can remember me, but I live in hope.