Were you at Berridge?


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Oh Yes. Met at sweet sixteen and married 2 1/2 years later. I didn't have an engagement ring until my 25th wedding anniversary. Always did things in the wrong order.:rolleyes: 

 

Funny enough, I was doing a bit of sorting out today and found my wedding announcement in the Evening Post,Dec 1966 I saved it all this time.55yrs. It's rather tatty now. I haven't got  a copier so I can't put it on NS. Aint love grand.

 

Young Love oh Love, Filled with sweet devotion......Benj

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Through this door...and it's the original, although painted black in my day...I walked with my mum one cold morning early in 1962. I was just 4 years old. The door led to Miss Smith's office and my mu

How many Berridge children have secreted themselves inside this niche situated in the playground which fronts the old infant building, hoping to be left behind when the bell rang at playtime's close?

Sitting on this exact spot, facing the stationery cupboard in Mr Parr's classroom, in spring 1969, I sat my 11+ exam.

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Geoff, Janice Gentry?  Palin Street? 

 

Janice was a fellow pupil with me at ballet lessons in the 60s.  Her mum, so she said, had married a GI during the war and had gone over to the USA. Things didn't work out and she came back again.  I wasn't aware that Janice had any siblings. I assumed she was an only child. It must be the same family.

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It certainly is. Janice's mother was a short but large woman. I used to pick Jan up from dancing.  Liz, the eldest was short (4ft 11in to my 6ft 4in) and stocky. Terry was a little taller (all of 5ft 3in) and slim.

Betty, the mother was a GI bride and migrated to the USA.  Things did not go well as her husband discovered alcohol in a big way and ended up burning himself to death in bed whilst drunk (although his liver was failing as well). Betty went to the US in 1946 struggled through to 1964 and with the death of her husband returned to her home town Nottingham. 

I think we must have met in the late 60's as there are so many connections. 

As a complete flyer, I recently discovered Jackie Pollock, now Jackie Jobling on Facebook.  Does she ring bells as well? 

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I remember Mrs Gentry very well. She was always baking cakes for raffles!

 

While we were having our lesson, Mrs Gentry would chat to the other mums, including mine. I remember mum saying that Mrs G had experienced a very hard time and extreme poverty in the USA, struggling to find food to eat. I had no idea about the horrific demise of her husband. Janice never spoke of her father to my knowledge.  Janice was rather olive skinned with very dark hair and I often wondered if her father had been descended from native Americans.

 

I suspect Mrs Gentry has been deceased for some time but I hope Janice is well.

 

Neither of the other names you mention ring any bells.

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12 hours ago, carni said:

 

 

Young Love oh Love, Filled with sweet devotion......Benj

We share with deep devotion........mi duck.........

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I am an interloper - I wasn’t at Berridge! However, I first saw my future wife, from a distance, on the night Kennedy was shot. Friday 22nd November 1963. I met her properly in summer 1964 when House of the Rising Sun was number one. She was 13, and call me a cradle snatcher but it really was love at first sight. I was absolutely infatuated. I used to walk the long way home just to pass her house and catch a glimpse of her. Bitter, sweet memories! We began to “go out” in the summer of 1965 when the Help! album was release (You don’t realise how much I need you ....) We were married in 1968, she was 17 and I was 20. Still married. Still love her deeply.

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I'm beginning to wonder if I should have gone to Berridge, it would seem I missed out on quite a bit. However, as I'm older, I would never have met the Ayatollahess, that whippersnapper Jill Sparrow. Oh dear, I've led a sheltered life.. :shout:

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Jill has found this Berridge class photo. It has with it a chart giving the date as 5th June 1973 and naming the teacher, Miss Hazel Dodds with the pupils names too. Credit to the original poster of the image, Sharon Singleton who I hope doesn’t object to my reproducing it here. Top left could be Mark Purdy who we used to babysit for.

265-E0-D20-8-D9-A-41-EE-BB46-3191-D1-F9-
6-F066-FF2-E988-412-B-A4-DB-A5-CBEB9-B34

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Did I see this photo on Facebook yesterday?  Whenever I see a Berridge photo I think of you Jill

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23 minutes ago, MargieH said:

Did I see this photo on Facebook yesterday?  Whenever I see a Berridge photo I think of you Jill

I’m really impressed with the ex pupils of Berridge, I see so many posts and photos relating to the school on Facebook, makes me wish I’d gone there.  
I never see anything about the schools I attended, except on their dedicated sites, and even then there’s not a lot of interest really.

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The chairs the children are sitting on were brand new in 1968 when the school acquired a library. Very 60s looking they were. They were gone 2 years ago when we visited. 60s tat. Probably fell apart around 1978!

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3 hours ago, philmayfield said:

There's no history or photographs of my old primary, Arno Vale. It was built pre war and is still in existence. I must confess I never went back to visit.

There weren’t any whole class photos in our time there Phil.  I remember there being 3 chairs next to each other on the playground and the photos were taken of 3 children at. a time.  We just got our own photo to buy though.  I’ll find some of my primary school photos to  to put on NS somewhere - but not on this thread cos this is supposed got be just Berridge!

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I was a student teacher at Berridge Road Juniors in 1968. Gerald Chandler was my mentor - great guy - where is he now? I remember taking kids to the Berridge baths - not there now. It was all a good baptism in teaching for me. If I recall, there was only 1 black lad in the school: Everton Johnson - fabulous name!

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Jill Sparrow is in phone contact with Gerald Chandler so I’m sure she will respond. Do you remember Trevor Williams, one of the teachers who I have very recently been in touch with.

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Welcome DavidJohn.  As Letsavagoo says, I am in contact with Gerald Chandler and he is alive and well. Still very active at 77 this year.

 

68/69 was my last year at Berridge. I, too, remember Everton but had forgotten his surname. He certainly wasn't the only black lad in the school though.  I recall he wore quite large, round, wire-rimmed spectacles.

 

I assume you were at Clifton Teacher Training College which is where all the Berridge students came from.

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@DavidJohn

 

I have been in touch with Gerald Chandler who remembers you very well.  I will send you a PM regarding re-establishing contact as he would love to speak to you again.

 

Everton Johnson, I'm reliably informed worked as a roofer after leaving school.

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