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Michael Hutchinson's Brentford Childhood Memories

Michael wrote in 2025.

I lived at 51 Greet Road with my mother and grandfather, Alf Plummer, from 1941 until 1962, when my parents moved north with my dad's job.

My earliest memories are of nights spent in the garden Anderson shelter during bombings and the house draped with blackout curtains. The back of our house was damaged when a bomb demolished two bungalows and two houses behind us in Burford Road, providing local children with a playground until the late 40's.

My friends until the early 50's were Tony Blake, Don Neighbour, Teddy Collins, Eric Christmas, Alfie Winkworth, Roger Gardner, Vic Humphries (George Road), and Brian Carter (Burford Road).

My father, Ray, was in the RAF and I didn't meet him until early 1946. My other grandfather, James Henry Hutchinson, lived at 83 Ealing Road next door to Jafferate's shop. I remember queuing with my mother for fish scraps at White's on the corner of Braemar Road, at Mitchel's the grocer further along towards Albany Road, and Daubney's the green grocer in Albany Road, whose son Maurice I later went to school with. Following the War I went to Ealing Road School and then to Chiswick Grammar in 1953.

When Gunnersbury Park was reopened in 1947, it allowed us local boys to enjoy playing in the boundless acres of slightly overgrown woods and fields, an ultimate adventure playground, providing an endless round of climbing trees, conkering, 'frogging' round the lake, and avoiding 'Runner Bob', the park keeper, on his bike.

In the school holidays, we would leave home at 9.00 in the morning and not return until tea time with "make sure you're home before your father" being our only instruction. Sometimes we would follow the tow-path along the Grand Union Canal to the Hanwell viaduct and back, usually in the company of a horse drawn barge.

Equally happy memories were spent down by the Thames at 'The Hollows' and Brentford Ait; minding visitors cars parked for Brentford FC for 3d; going into the match at half time to forage for discarded Turf cards; and queuing for a bag of coke at the gas works with an old push chair. I really enjoyed my time in the 6th Brentford cubs, wearing a Baden Powell hat and sheath knife in the scouts, playing for Ealing Road school football team (Captain), and being selected to play for the ABC (Acton Brentford and Chiswick schools) team, alongside Peter Gelson, later of Brentford FC fame.

My recollection of Brentford is of a village atmosphere with a shop or pub (there were 38 of them) on every corner, and being in awe of the local Bobby – Happy days.

Links

Photo of Greet Road around 1951 from Helen Shepherd (nee Ashby)

1950's photos of Daubney's shop, Albany Road and part of Market Terrace, Albany Road, from Samuel Day

The site has several photos of children at Ealing Road School, for example three taken around 1949-1951 provided by Carole Ann Bartholomew (nee SHARP)

Michael mentions his friend Eric Christmas; the Christmas family has been researched by Bob Sheridan

Charles Woodley was a 6th Brentford Scout from 1958, as related in his memories

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Published March 2025