National Front march through Lewisham 1977
Patricia McKinnon Lower grew up in Lewisham since the 1950s and has remained in the area ever since. Here she remembers the event that became known as the 'Battle of Lewisham' in 1977. The National Front were given permission to march through South London, passing through Lewisham where the residents were mainly left-wing. It caused a massive uproar and police had to protect the National Front from violent left-wing demonstrations against their march. Shops were barricaded in fear of them being destroyed in the process, police horses frantically trampled all over people's front gardens... "The day has been seen since as a turning point in the fortunes of the National Front and the 1970s anti-fascist movement as well as in policing - riot shields were used for the first time in England." - Wikipedia
National Service and Life in post-war Hackney
Alex Mitchell speaks in a very positive light about his time doing National Service. He was fortunate to have job where he did not have to train or due guard duty but look after the officers, a 'Back Man' as it used to be called. It was a great atmosphere and he even formed a Skiffle band with some of the other men. Alex also talks about how he met his wife and how she waited for him after until after he finished his National Service when they consequently got married. Alex has always lived in Hackney, East London. He recalls what the area was like in the 60s and 70s and how he used to see the Quay Brothers out and about the place...
' Beneath the sea ' oil & silver leaf speed painting time lapse
http://www.stevenmontgomery.co.uk/ Art from the start, from preparing the canvas,mounting it & finally painting on it to produce 'Beneath the sea ' oils & silver leaf painting on canvas 5 foot 6 inches x 3 foot 7.5 inches
Life as a war-time child; routines, play and evacuation (Part 2)
In the concluding part of her interview Vera talks about some of the childhood games she and her friends used to play, like 'Knock Down Ginger' and 'Hopscotch', with her least favourite being 'Under the Covers'. Vera tells us about her mother and father, her father worked on the docks and at one time she remembers him bringing her some bananas and her not knowing what to do with them! Children in the area were not particularly well-off and did not have many toys, they made their own entertainment. But she does remember her favourite possession being her beautiful bike… And when she was a bit older, her first pair of nylons!
Life as a war-time child; routines, play and evacuation (Part 1)
Vera shares some of her childhood memories of growing up during WW2 in Rotherhithe. It was a time of strict rules and regulations. Children went to school and came back, and were never far from their parents. But they still managed to have very imaginative play, making the most of their stark surroundings and even playing with bits of brick and shrapnel… She also recounts her experience of being evacuated with the girl who lived next door, one that she hated. She spent the whole time crying until she was brought back home to be with her mother. She remembers spending every night in the shelter under her block of flats during the worst of the bombing…
Life in Rotherhithe during the 1940s and 50s
In the first part of her interview Vera paints a picture of what everyday street life was like in Rotherhithe during wartime. She describes a vibrant community with streets full of market stalls and vendors, a stark contrast to the empty streets we see today. Vera describes how the butcher would give her free crackling, how her and her friends would meet upstairs in the pie and mash shop to cause havoc and how she used to go to the newsagents to buy snuff for her neighbour... It was a simple way of life but such a lovely community where everyone knew one another and everything you needed could be found on one street. Vera paints a perfect image in our heads of what life used to be like in the area...
Life before, during and after WW2 in South London
Beryl has lived in Rotherhithe all of her life. Before WW2 started she lived with her mother and father in a town house with a large garden, but the council knocked the houses down to make room for a large estate of flats, where she has lived ever since… During the war Beryl was evacuated to Hove and did not return to London until the worst of the war was over. She talks of how childhood and the area was so very different back then, it was a simple life where children played in the streets, caught trams to school and women never worked after they were married. Beryl went to work in the city when she was 18 for an accountancy firm. Women never worked in accountancy before the war, but after all the men were sent away to fight the women had to take over from them. She proceeded to work successfully in the industry for 42 years...
Growing up in Rothrhithe during WW2 (Part 2)
In the second part of her interview Vai Newman carries on talking about her life growing up in Rotherhithe before and after WW2. She focuses in particular on her routines and play as a child and as a young adult. It was a poverty stricken neighborhood and children had to mainly make their own ways of amusing themselves in the streets. Vai also talks about Rotherhithe and the little community feel that surrounded it. Before the age of undergrounds that went all across London, Rotherhithe was very isolated and even taxi drivers refused to go there as they would not get a fare back! Vai reflects on how the area has changed over the past half a century...
Growing up in Rothrhithe during WW2 (Part 1)
Vai Newman was born and has lived within the Rotherhithe area all of her life and experienced life there during the Second World War. Vai recounts some of the strict rules and regulations people adhered to during the war, life during the blitz and her schooldays. Vai also gives a vivid account of how different Rotherhithe was back then, with its dangerous riversides and mainly industrial wharfs that surrounded the area.
Everyday life and tradition in remote Sweden during the 50s and 60s (Part 2)
In the second part of her interview Christina finishes recounting what life was like in beautiful and remote Sweden in the 1950s and 60s. Here she focuses especially on the incredible landscape that surrounded her as a child and the everyday activities she partook in as a child.