Heber primary school memories

[prefabgirl]

Hi again, Pamela.

I see you lived in Friern Road. I lived there too, at the top in a prefab at number 287. Valerie lived further down near the junction with Landells Road and I used to knock for her on my way to school. We were also friends with Sally Webb but she left when her family moved away. Other girls in my class that I remember were Susan Dalton, Yvonne Voisier and Julie Fitzpatrick.

[pamelamcnamara]

Hi Lynda, I don't recognise any of the names unfortunately. My maiden name was Coates. My Dad was called John and my Mum was Barbara. We lived at 189 Friern Road, near the junction with Goodrich Road. The prefabs were fabulous little homes weren't they?

Best wishes, Pam

[prefabgirl]

Trouble is, at 65, my memory is now like a sieve! Your name does sound familiar though. 287 Friern was Lordship Lane end, near Etherow Street. I loved living in a prefab! We had such a lovely big garden and a bomb site next door to play on. They were so convenient; warm and well-fitted out. Whenever it had been raining Dad used to put me up on the roof with a broom to sweep off the puddles before they seeped through. Valerie lived near the junction of Goodrich, not Landells. I was getting mixed up as that was where one of my aunts & uncles lived (Bill and Joyce Owen) and I seem to remember they lived in Friern Road before that. And I was in the Brownies at the Emmanuel Congregational Church in Barry Road. My great grandmother ('Big Nan' we called her)lived in Rodwell Road and died aged 95. Her surname was Bull. I'm sure I was in Miss Nicholson's class in the Infants. Just remembered that.

[racyjan2]

I went to Heber road as did all my brothers and sisters..there were 5 of us! I was there in1962.. I remember the head mr Easter...I loved that school and when I was 2 years old I could,nt wait to go to school. There was a big rocking horse outside the reception class and that is all I ever wanted from the day I saw that horse..I have been lucky enough to have real horses...our family name is Prankard..don,t know if anyone on here remembers our family..some of us are still in dulwich....

[prefabgirl]

That was about the time I left, but you've solved a puzzle for me! Lately I had a memory of a big wooden rocking horse, well-worn and with a red bridle, and I couldn't think where it was from. Certainly couldn't afford one at home and didn't have the space! So, thanks for that. Weird though. Mr Heester was the headmaster and was very keen on caning kids....

[JOHNNYBOY]

My Dad, Fred Chinery, was a Parks Foreman for Southwark Council and worked with Alf Prankard, all our family went to Heber Road School, I remember Alan & Linda Prankard, If you have any photos & memories you would be willing to share I have built a website, its about, the Council, East Dulwich, Peoples memories, etc, always looking for new material to add to help build up a picture of a community that has now gone, any help you could give would be great, the website address is camberwellboroughcouncil.co.uk

[JOHNNYBOY]

Hi Prefabgirl

I lived in a Prefab at 198 Underhill Road from 1953-1970 and loved every minute, my next door neighbor at 200 was Francis Rossi, lead guitarist with Status Quo, an Elderly peoples home is now on the site where my Prefab once stood, I went to Heber Road School as all of my family did, my Dad worked for the Parks Dept on Southwark Council, My Mum worked for Everitt Veros at the bottom of Crystal Palace Road, my Secondary School was at Thomas Calton in Adys Road, My Grandparents also lived in Rodwell Road, I remember two of the names you mention, Julie Fitzpatrick & Susan Dalton, did Julie have a brother called John ? I have uploaded a lot of photos onto my website if you have any Photos/Memories you would be willing to add that would be fantatstic, my website address is camberwellboroughcouncil.co.uk

[JOHNNYBOY]

I remember walking home from Heber road school about 1960/1962 in the thick smog, I had a piece of old white sheet that my Nan had given me in the morning to wrap around my nose & mouth, you could hardly see your hand in front of your face, I started at Heber Road School about 1956/57

Don's sweet shop was always handy if you wanted some sherbert pips, potato puffs, fruit salad's, bubble gum, gobstoppers, sweet tobacco and all of those other wonderful sweets, I remember on the opposite corner to Don;s the wall attached to the corner house had broken glass cemented on top of the wall, I cut my hands on it once, the last time I looked it was still there.

Miss Dyson was my Teacher for the first two years, what a lovely person she was, anyone remember her ? I still have some of my old school reports. Mr Regan was a bully, he used to hit me on top of my head with a clenched fist and his rings would dig into my head, one time he lifted me up off of the floor by my ears, I had to go to the hospital after that, he was very lucky he didn't have to after my Dad had a word, Keith Regan, his son, was also in my class.

I Never stayed for school dinners, I always went to my other Nan & Grandad's in Whatley Road for dinner at lunchtime.

I remember Roy Daniels, Andrew Gould, Tony Randall, Julie Thorn, Sandra Legon.

[Martipe]

Hi!

I attended Heber School in the 50's as did my Brother Colin.

Our Father also went to the school as did my 2 sons.

We lived in Frien Road and we both made many friends during our time there.

Good memories.

My Teacher was Mrs Baket

[Penguin68]

ADMIN - there have been some really great sets of social history posts in recent years, is there any chance that these could be specifically archived? - not as a new forum area for new posts, but just as a set of links - I believe that social and history researchers could find this a really useful asset. People like computedshorty are research gold, believe me. Although it's possible to search the site for these things, you already have to know the site's value and, well, history to know what to look for.

[Goodrich36]

I went to Heber Road school in 1966 when I was about 5 and also attended the Juniors. I think my first teacher was called Mrs Newson. I remember crying over my milk and biscuits on my first day. I remember in assembly the headmistress had a hymn book that had a gold cover I couldn't stop staring at that book, not sure why. I remember a girl being sick all over me one morning in assembly and I had to wear "dressing up clothes" all morning while my dress dried on the school keepers fence - don't think my mum ever believed that! I can remember in the playground to the right of the entrance gate there was the big shelter held up with metal bars and everyone swinging on those metal bars in the morning and at playtime. I can also remember 3 or 4 coal bunkers to the left of the gate which we used to try and climb on. My sister who was a little over 2yrs older than me also went to Heber as did my brother 6yrs younger than me. I know at one time my sister had Miss Graver as a teacher and one morning in winter my mum took me into school late after having a doctors appointment and my sister was in the playground in her vest and knickers doing PE. It was freezing and Miss Graver was wearing her sheepskin coat, scarf and gloves and my mum ordered my sister to go inside and get dressed whereby there was an argument between Miss Graver and mum! When I was in the juniors I know Mr Stevenson was headmaster, I can remember Mrs Pearson who played the piano, Mrs Parsons who had a baby and I think left, Miss Girling who had long ginger hair and I think I remember a Mr Beaston? In the juniors Miss Graver was my class teacher and I was also in The Unit which I think was experimental where all the classrooms were knocked down to make one big long classroom. I remember a film crew coming in making a film on The Unit and being shown on TV. We seemed to be left to work at our own pace through exercise books but I don't think anyone kept tabs on whether you did or didn't. In my case I preferred playing all day with my best friend Susan Mustafa. My other friend was Pat Randall and I can remember Tony Magee, Gary Johnston and Timothy Moore. I don't think I learned an awful lot in the juniors and when we were told we would be doing the 11 plus the following week it didn't really mean a lot. If you passed it you went to a grammar school if you failed it you went to the comprehensive. Simple. No stress. I went on to go to Friern. My sister went to Peckham Girls and my brother to Kingsdale. We lived in Goodrich rd there was a shop at the end called Blackmores, owned by Mr Blackmore this sold sweets and also useful things like plasters! However I do remember Mr Blackmore died and I don't remember it opening as a shop again. At the other end - Crystal Palace rd end there was at one time a bakery on one side and The Castle pub on the other. Opposite the bakery (which did close and become a house) was a fish and chip shop, next to another sweet shop which became known as Ally's. Found memories of the school, Goodrich Road and East Dulwich. It was a great place to grow up.

[Martin-Bailey]

Everyone seems to remember their time at Heber Road through an affectionate mist. I was there 1950-54, and certainly wasn't unhappy; Mr Hatton could be an inspirational teacher when the mood was on him. When it wasn't, he could show a vicious temper. East Dulwich was a deprived part of a very shabby London, and we came from homes that would seem miserably poor and uncomfortable by today's standards.

There could be a hidden, nasty side to life at Heber Road. The teachers plainly thought theselves a cut above the children. Physical punishments were frequently and arbitrarily imposed on pupils - boys, at any rate. Casual wallops and cuffs by some of the teachers, canings by the headmaster Mr Hester, were commonplace. I still have a vivid memory of a scene I didn't understand at the time, and about which I have never spoken to anyone - not my parents, not my wife from whom I have few secrets, not a glum psychotherapist whom I saw many decades later (not that it was relevant but it would have cheered him up professionally). At the end of each summer term a party would go to "school Camp". I went, with many of my year, to a shabby dump in Surrey called Sayers Croft. It was like a grubby, run down military establishment with buildings like Nissen Huts. A teacher slept in each hut, and we children had bunks in long dormitories. One evening we were ordered to shower, and Mr Hatton supervised a dozen naked little boys while we sploshed about cleaning ourselves. Very necessary, no doubt, but I have never forgotten a look of extraordinary fascination that came over Mr Hatton's face as he watched us oh so intently. I felt horribly uncomfortable. As far as I know, he did nothing to anyone; I didn't understand what it was about; I mentioned it to no-one. He was a very musical man; in his spare time he was a church organist (first rate) and choir master. No doubt he had dealings with many little boys. I hope he kept his feelings under control, and maybe this in some way explains his temper.

I also recall another teacher called Mr Welch who made a practice of terrifying and ridiculing his pupils. He had been a sub-mariner during the Second World War; no doubt he'd seen some terrible sights just a few years before I first encountered him, but that was no excuse for such bullying behaviour towards small children. Hard to imagine a less suitable person to allow in a class room. To my horror, he turned up at my secondary school, where his behaviour remained as unpleasant as at Heber Road. At least he was consistent!

[the-e-dealer]

Is it ok to say this about Mr Hatton? Admin?

[Martin-Bailey]

I thought very hard about this, The-e-dealer, but felt that truth about the past is a very complicated matter and Heber Road School in the 1950s was no exception.

I've always thought Mr Hatton was (for me at least) one of those very few teachers that can unlock their pupils' potential. He was also a much more complex man than one might have thought. Please note I am not retrospectively claiming he actually molested anyone, but that there was a dark side to his character just as there was a dark side to the School. On the whole I enjoyed life at Heber Road; I had challenging teaching from Mr Hatton and made some good friends. Indeed, where are they now, David Weedon (nephew of Bert, the famous guitarist), Neil Evans, Roger Cook, Paul Vining...

[Penguin68]

If he is dead, you can say anything you like. If he is not, as long as you have accused him of nothing criminal (and he hasn't been accused of anything criminal) then I cannot see that there are grounds for action - if the event described was invented out of whole cloth (i.e. simply wasn't true) there might be a case, but I am not sure what it would be.

[the-e-dealer]

The family might also have a stake. I just don't know but I do know admin is careful!

[Penguin68]

The family might be upset, but they have no legal dog in this fight.

[Charles Martel]

JOHNNYBOY Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> [...]

>

> Miss Dyson was my Teacher for the first two years,

> what a lovely person she was, anyone remember her ?

Yes I remember Miss Dyson from Top Team at Heber when I was there 73 ? 77. She was a great teacher. She had a brother who had a open topped sports car. Once when our class went on a school trip to Devon her brother took me and another boy down to Devon in his car rather than go on the coach with the rest of the class. It was an outstanding trip. He drove at 100mph at times, laughing and pointing this out to us on the speedo. We went past Stonehenge then stopped off at the Fleet Air Arm museum.

> Mr Regan was a bully, he used to hit me on top of my

> head with a clenched fist and his rings would dig

> into my head, one time he lifted me up off of the

> floor by my ears, I had to go to the hospital

> after that, he was very lucky he didn't have to

> after my Dad had a word, Keith Regan, his son, was

> also in my class.

>

I remember Mr Regan. As I recall he was PE teacher who also ran the pottery kiln that was in the Jennings building. I still have a pottery piggy bank I made in his class. I don't remember him as a bully, but maybe he had mellowed by the mid 70s when I was at Heber. I did see Mr Regan get beaten up very badly by the brother of a pupil he had slippered. To date it is the worse act of violence I have personally witnessed anywhere. The boy's brother just walked into the classroom and knocked Mr Regan down with a series of punches to the face then kicked him across the floor. Mr Regan was left drenched in his own blood. I vividly remember how it gushed from his mouth and nose soaking his shirt. The boy and his brother departed as quickly as they had arrived. Mr Regan was away from the school for several months after the attack.

[jaydee1847]

I am the brother of Miss Dyson (now Mrs Anne Ncheke living in Lesotho) mentioned above.

I do not remember ever having an open top sports car - in the years 73-77, only MK1 Cortina. Are you sure it was not slightly later when I had a bright read Ford Fiesta 1100 cc with tilt/sliding/removable roof? I can certainly remeber the journey but am not sure if any car I owned at the time could do 100mph.

I have forwared the address of this web site to my sister and she may well reply.

There is a possibility she may be comong over to London later in the summer

[Old Gold]

Hello prefabgirl . I was just casually browsing the web looking for Heber school and found this website - fascinating after so many years . I was in the same form as you ( Mrs Sanderson's )after having been in Miss Rabbatts class for the first two years at Heber .I remember Valerie , Susan and Julie and the other girl was Elaine Voisin. Susan was my country dancing partner.There were 11 boys and 31 girls in the class I believe . Other names I recall are Sarah Haunton ,Brenda Search ,Sandra ?,Alison ? also , weren't there loads of Susans ? Of the boys ; Richard Wood ,Graham Ryder , Robert Irving , John Burchall , Maxwell Gross , Christopher Muscio ,John Wells .It's weird hitting 65 or more and yet Heber seems like only a few years ago ( I realise I'm kidding myself ).

[prefabgirl]

Hi Old Gold, Great to hear from you! I moved away just after we took the 11+ exam and lost touch with everyone so I was so pleased to find this site. Valerie Fuller was my best friend but I remember Julie and Elaine and there was a Jacqueline. (You must have a better memory than me). And of the boys: Maxwell Gross, Patrick Helicar (?), John Wells and Charles Smith who was, apparently, a second cousin of mine. I lived abroad for 5 years when I was 19 and my M & D moved back to East Dulwich in the meantime so I did come back then and Charles Smith's dad was my driving instructor. A lot of my family lived round there but they've all gone or died now. The world's such a different place now, isn't it? I can't believe I'm an OAP either! We did get a decent education there although I never realised it at the time. Huge class numbers - I think it reached 52 at one point- and yet I was told that almost everyone passed the 11+.

[jules66]

Mrs Mukaji, the woman I credit with my ability to write in italics. She would get us to copy the cards over and over again and I have a lot to be thankful for. People often comment favourably on my on cursive handwriting. Mr Wood was headteacher and I remember his science lessons with David Attenborough videos being shown. We learned so much about the animal kingdom, dinosaurs and nature. My favourite teacher Mrs Howell, lovey bubbly lady. Then there was the tuck shop lady Mrs Percival I think her name was with a son called Jimmi. She used to sell Cadbury chocolate fingers and we would cue up in the corridors during our breaks and cups of orange juice were also sold. I remember doing the maypole dance and line dancing in the playground, an all school affair in Darrell. Going to dinner at Heber and the chants of 'boo to Darrell' from the Heber children. I am smiling as I type...so many many fond memories.

[jules66]

I remember ....Mrs Baker - sewing classes, we would make calico bags with and learn a range of embroidery stiches using wool and embroidery threads.

Mr Stevens - head teacher and director for nativity plays, very encouraging man, much preferred him than Mr Wood

I also remember...

Mr Regan - in love with his reflection, could never really imagine him with Miss Baker, she seemed so prim

Jennings Building - Pottery classes, Jennings, that playground that you had to run across during play time, as the boys played football so ferociously.

I remember when we transferred from Darrell to Heber school we had to have school dinners of site, forget the name of the road we used to walk to, with the dinner lady monitors.

I remember a girl called Suzy who lived next door the Heber, and she was an actress and would have many days of school.

Dolly the Lollypop lady on Barry Road, always wished she would call me by my name like she did of other children.

We lived in Hillcourt Road, and how I longed for the days when would eventually go to Frien school and wear that red, white and blue uniform. Never fulfilled the aspiration.... we moved to Lewisham in 1977 and I ended up wearing a blue and white uniform instead.(Greenwich Park Girls).

[peteB]

Blimey Lynda, I remember the Laundry Shop in Crystal Palace Rd. It was around the corner from my house in Thompson Rd. I used to hang out with Richard Bull and is a friend of mine on Facebook. I also know John too and their Dad (Len) used to play Bowls with my dad (Harold Kneebone)

I have put a pic of the Toll Gate Laundry & Cleaners on here for you to see. Hope you like it.

[peteB]

Hi JayDee (Brother of Anne Dyson)

I really hope she is fit and well.

She was my Teacher at Heber Road as she was my Brother's too.

She was also my "Friends Re-United" friend until it closed down not too long ago. I hadn't spoken to her for a few years and glad to see she is still well. Please, please remember me to her and if she is on Facebook or anything else please let me know and I'll add her as a friend. My name is Peter Kneebone. She was a lovely lady and always helpful.

Regards

peter