The nineteen thirties

my profile... I was living with my father,mother, and three older sisters in a typical 2up 2down terraced house in Hackney bordering Shoreditch in London. No electricity just gas for lighting and cooking. A poor but very happy family.

All my relatives lived (with one or two exceptions)within a 2 mile radius which was the norm in those days.

For a Sunday treat in the summer mum would make some banana sandwitches and a bottle of drink consisting of water and lemonade powder (sugar and lemon flavouring). We would catch a no.47 tram to London docks walk through to tower bridge and at low tide a flight of stair was lowered to a small beach .With the docks being so busy the raising of tower bridge was quite common.

The real big day out was a trip to Southend. A 49 tram to Liverpool street station and then a train ride . A special treat being a "Rossi" ice cream cornet on the front This being our main holiday about twice a year but "magic"