LIFE in a Children's Home must have been very difficult with no family to share life's ups and downs with. Children would often find themselves in an institution after the family had hit difficult times.
LIFE in a Children's Home must have been very difficult with no family to share life's ups and downs with.
Children would often find themselves in an institution after the family had hit difficult times.
It could be following the death of both parents and with no other family to care for them or a single parent left with little or no income to support the children.
The heartbreak of being left alone as a child is difficult to imagine.
Bryan Cloud, who lives near Bristol, appealed through "Kindred Spirits" recently for memories of the Britannia Road Children's Home in Ipswich, where he grew up when he was orphaned in the early 1940's.
I understand the home was originally the St John's Children's Home and was at the corner of Bloomfield Street and Freehold Road.
In the 1930's when children arrived they were stripped, bathed, examined and given a very short haircut.
Arrivals were greeted by an ex army sergeant with a huge waxed moustache. He ordered the children about with a very strict military manner.
Beatings were normal under the strict discipline. Other forms of punishment meant going to bed early without food or extra tasks.
The day started at 6am with a strip wash in a basin of almost cold water in the outside washhouse.
After breakfast of stodgy porridge, a thick slice of bread and margarine and a mug of tea, the children would carry out daily tasks before going to school.
In the evening floors were scrubbed with six boys kneeling in a line with buckets and brushes.
Saturdays always brought a dose of "opening medicine" before going to the washhouse. There was always a queue outside the doorless row of cold seated toilets!
Rex Gardiner, of Booth Lane, Kesgrave, was at the home in the 1940's, when it sounds as if things had improved from the decade before. He can still vividly remember how "sad and hurt" he was when he first went there, but has fond memories of how kind the staff was to him. Rex said.
"In my ninth year, when the Second World War ended, I was put there because my mother and father split up. Even so I have some fond memories of the place. I was at the Britannia Road Home for a couple of years. I did feel sad and hurt, but I soon bucked up when I met the other kids in the same boat. It was strict but the staff were fair".
"I remember Mr Churchyard who marched us to school in Clifford Road every school day. I recall running for the school at Portman Road during the annual schools sports day. The superintendent, who we called "Super", was a good man and his wife was the matron who was also very nice".
"I also remember Mr Battie who was also good with us. We had sport on Saturdays and I remember running and training on a field in Britannia Road which was where flats are now".
"I had a close friend called Roy Barlow who I shared work chores each morning after breakfast and before school we carried hot buckets of water to the toilets outside and scrubbed the seats and swilled the floors. Times were hard for us young ones but it did us no harm and I soon learned to stand on my own two feet".
"I also remember the staff taking us to Rushmere Heath for walks on Sundays and some of the older boys would "bunk off" (run away) but were usually caught and brought back to the home the same day".
"My father remarried in 1947 so I left the home then and went to Landseer Road School. I also met Roy Barbour there and it was good knowing someone at a new school".
Linda Sexton, of Crofton Road, is a mature degree student at the Suffolk College and is researching the history of the St Johns/ Britannia Road Children's Home. Linda is hoping Star readers might be able to help with her project. She sent me a post-card view of the home taken around 1912 featuring the carpenter's shop.
Linda said "The picture appears to be one of a set of twelve cards, but I have not been able to locate any others. Pictures of the Home are hard to find. Ipswich Records Office has plenty of documents relating to the home, but few photographs. The site has now been re-developed, and at the moment I only have memories of what it looked like. Can any of you help Linda? If you have any more photographs send them to me Dave Kindred, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich IP4 1AN.
Did you grow up at the home? Write to "Kindred Spirits" and tell your story.
NEW HEADING.
Photographers were busy at the end of the Second World War capturing dozens of Street parties celebrating the end of the fighting. There were Victory in Europe (VE) gathering and Victory in Japan (VJ) celebrations. The pictures, treasured memories of great relief, capture life in a unique way as all generations celebrated together.
I featured a party in Westholme Road recently and Maurice Colman, of June Avenue,
Ipswich, has sent me information about the event.
"The street party was held on Saturday, May 19, 1945, and apart from the tea, we enjoyed side-shows and races for the children, which included the usual three legged race and a slow bicycle race".
"With the end of the war in Europe, we had the day, May 8th off from school, which was good! As children growing up during the war, most of us could not remember what peacetime was like".
"We were used to air raid sirens and disturbed nights and although these came less as the allies gained more victories, for many of us the war was quite an exciting time. We in Ipswich did not suffer in quite the terrible way as many large cities and towns".
"Even now, after all these years, if I hear an air raid siren on film or television it still leaves me with a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach. The lights soon appeared once more in the streets and roads, but food was still on ration for several more years, as were clothes and sweets!
I do not remember going hungry, but perhaps that is because my parents had less! This probably applied to my friends as well".
"One young man from Westholme Road, Godfrey Walker, was in the Parachute Regiment and was killed at Arnhem".
"Casting my mind back nearly fifty-eight years I can remember the following who appear on the photograph:
Children: Peter & Jean Newman, Gerald Gable, Peter Clarke, Betty & George Braddick, Beryl Francis, Jean Finch, Beryl Wright, Michael Saunders and my brother Dennis and of course myself. Adults: Mrs Minter, Mr & Mrs Lynn, Mr & Mrs Francis, Mrs De'ath, Mr & Mrs Finch, Mr & Mrs Saunders, Mrs Braddick, Mr & Mrs Skedge, Mr & Mrs Hankinson, Mrs Cross, Mr Moore, Sgt & Mrs Storey and Canon Mitten from All Saints Church, and my parents. Perhaps readers can remember other names".
"The war for us children was in many ways a very happy time. We did not really know, living in Westholme Road, the real horrors of war and our parents did their best to make sure we children did not suffer too many hardships. I am sure I can speak for all the children in the road when I say how much we owe to our parents for helping us to lead a happy childhood".
SEPARATE HEADING
Life in the Stoke area of Ipswich is rich with memories. Of all the subjects I have featured on these pages Stoke seems to bring more letters than any other. I featured life at Wherstead Road, and Luther Road schools recently. Neil Martin of Manchester Road, Ipswich was a pupil at Wherstead Road School. He said. " I started school in 1932 at Wherstead Road. Miss Pulham was my first teacher, I think she always took the first infants intake. Miss Jolly was headmistress. I have always been very grateful to teacher Miss Leathers who was very keen about my ability to read, also I suspect many others, I enjoy reading to this day. It was the only subject I was good at".
"In the summer in Wherstead Road, children could buy ice cream from a wooden push barrow belonging to Peters Ice Cream. Luther Road Parish Hall was much used in those days for parties, scouts, wolf cub and shows etc. My cousin Nancy Winny ran a dancing school, she lived in Phillip Road. Nancy and her troupe put on several shows at Luther Road Hall".
"Like many others I went on to Luther Road Junior mixed. My teacher for the first year was Miss Dunthorne".
I also recall taking my grandfather's accumulators for his radio to Nightingales shop for recharging and buying "meths" from Threadkell's Chemist for our toy steam engines".
Reg Farrow, of Windermere Close, Ipswich was a pupil at Croft Street School. Reg said
I went to Croft Street School during 1933 and 34, the headmistress was Miss Rush and my teacher was Miss Macdonald, when the school closed we were transferred to Wherstead Road School".
"Mrs Brooks was my favourite teacher there. When Wherstead closed we transferred to the new Luther Road School (Hillside), Miss Hack was headmistress along with Miss Thurlow, Miss Leathers and Miss Jackerman who married and became Mrs Stewart, a lovely teacher who incidentally also taught my daughter there".
"Croft Street played a big part in my life as I worked in Croft Street Railway Yard for forty eight years. My father worked for forty-two years in the same yard. He was badly injured in a railway accident on February 1, 1936. He suffered further in the East Coast Flood of 1953".
I am always pleased to publish her memories of life "Over Stoke". Write to "Kindred Spirits" Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich IP4 1AN.
Captions.
Pic 1 (used before)
The VE Day party in Westholme Road, Ipswich, which brought memories from Maurice Colman.
Pic 2 (Big picture, lots of faces)
A classic VE Day street party picture taken in Kelly Road, Ipswich, sent to me by Pam Cousins (nee Carter) of Ipswich. Are you in the picture? Write with your memories of that day to Dave Kindred, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich. IP4 1AN.
Pic 3 (optional pic)
A Peters ice cream handcart, as recalled by Neil Martin
Pic 4 (Must use)
Linda Sexton sent me this picture of the carpenter's shop at the St John's Children's Home in Ipswich. Do you have any more photographs or information about the home?
Pic 5 (Use small)
Dorothy Larter (nee Ling) of Whinchat Close, Ipswich, sent me this photograph of herself and friends at Wherstead Road School. Dorothy is on the right. She said "I lived in Wherstead Road until I got married then I lived next to Hallidays Newsagents, in Vernon Street, there was a little lane in between. I lived there five years before moving to Chantry where I have been for nearly forty-eight years".
"Jean Pascal's memories in "Kindred Spirits" recently brought back many memories. We also took our accumulates to Nightingales for recharging when I was a young girl"
"Like Jean's family Sundays were very quiet for us, no washing etc. We were happy living over Stoke, although times were harder".
"My father worked at Thurmans in Vernon Street. It was a small mill. They also had a shop.
They delivered by horse and cart. I often went along for the ride. Weekends my father took us to feed the horse which was kept in a stable in the grounds".
Pic 6 (Optional)
A group of boys at Wherstead Road School, Ipswich probably in the 1930's. Their clothes are typical of all schoolboys until the 1960's when fashion items appeared. These boys are all in shorts with a sweater or jacket. Can any Star readers name any of the boys featured?
FAQs
How do I write about my childhood memories? ›
The best way to write about your childhood memories is to close your eyes and remember them. Then you have to start writing the events as they occurred without giving them context. Once the essay is written, the stories and events can be arranged as per the requirements of the essay.
What is your best childhood memory answer? ›- Family gatherings.
- School events.
- Sports events.
- Lessons such as music, drama or art.
- Travel experiences.
- Moments with a partner or spouse.
- Moments with friends.
- Humorous situations.
It's well established that repetition is key to memory. But one innovation, called mega-drilling, has proven especially powerful. According to this technique, “you've got to actively recall the memory 30 times,” Cooke says. So when you meet someone new, you might want to repeat her name 30 times.
What is an example of working memory in the classroom? ›Some examples include following verbal direction, hearing an unfamiliar word in a foreign language and attempting to repeat it several seconds later and remembering a list of ingredients when following a recipe.
How do I write about my memories? ›Write down all of the smells, feelings, sights you saw, and people you spent the time with. Write down every detail you can possibly remember. The more real the story seems, the more that you can vicariously re-live your memories through your writing, the better.
What is an example sentence for childhood memories? ›My favourite childhood memories are holidays spent in rooms exactly like this. This is a strong childhood memory. It draws on his own childhood memories.
What are the most common childhood memories? ›- Scratch and sniff stickers.
- First time getting told off by a teacher.
- Staying up late for New Year's parties.
- Sliding on the grass in school uniform.
- Paper rounds.
- Going camping.
- Playing car games on long journeys.
- Singing in the back of the car.
The Memories of Childhood summary deals with two extracts which belong to two different autobiographical episodes. Furthermore, these two episodes deal with the lives of two women whose names are Zitkala Sa and Bama. Both of them had to face hardship and are victims of social discrimination.
What are the 5 memory strategies? ›- Assign meaningfulness to things. ...
- Learn general and specific later. ...
- Recite out loud in your own words until you don't need to refer to your notes.
- Teach someone else. ...
- Use memory devices.
Revise a topic, then revisit it the next day, after three days, and after seven days. This is thought to be the perfect amount of time to help your brain remember information.
What is the 7 times to learn something? ›
Let's say you learned something you want to remember in the long-run. Now, what you should do is read it today (1), tomorrow (2), the day after tomorrow (3), and then on the 7th day from your first reading (7). If you read something today, say, August 10th, you'd re-read it on the 11th, 12th, and the 17th.
What is working memory for kids? ›Working memory involves the manipulation and transformation of verbal and visual information (e.g. remembering instructions and their content to then carry it out, remembering what to say when called upon, keeping your place on the page when reading, reverse sequences of objects/numbers).
What is working memory in children? ›Working memory refers to how we hold on to and work with information stored in short-term memory. Kids use working memory to learn and follow directions. You can build working memory games into your child's daily life.
What are 4 memory strategies? ›Rehearsal is found to be the most frequently used strategy, followed by mental imagery, elaboration, mnemonics, and organization. Previous study also found that rehearsal is the memory strategy taught most often by teachers to their students (Moely et al., 1992).
What is a good sentence for memories? ›He had happy memories of his father. Her earliest memory is of singing at the age of four to wounded soldiers. The data are stored in the computer's memory. She remained devoted to his memory.
What are some examples of memories? ›Episodic: Episodic memories are what most people think of as memory and include information about recent or past events and experiences, such as where you parked your car this morning or the dinner you had with a friend last month.
Why are good childhood memories important? ›Memories & Brain Development
A recent study by the American Psychological Association found that people who have fond memories of childhood, specifically their relationships with their parents, tend to have better health, less depression and fewer chronic illnesses as older adults.
Exceptional memory is the ability to have accurate and detailed recall in a variety of ways, including hyperthymesia, eidetic memory, synesthesia, and emotional memory. Exceptional memory is also prevalent in those with savant syndrome and mnemonists.
Do you remember childhood memories? ›Memories often aren't permanent
You'll certainly have a stronger capacity for memory as an adult, but you still won't remember everything. Memories of early childhood generally begin fading as you approach the teenage years — about the time when you begin to develop your sense of self.
The most vivid memory that I have is about the time I fell from a coconut tree. Though I fell from about three feet, I dislocated my elbow. I can still recall the process of falling and the immense pain and discomfort afterward. I was about five at that time.
What kind of childhood did you enjoy? ›
My childhood was fun as I was free of worries because I had my basic needs met, and in instances where I was met with a challenge, there were family members ready to help and to encourage me to overcome it.
What are the three best things about being a child? ›The best things about being a child include building dens, jumping in puddles, climbing trees - and dressing up. A study of 1,000 children under 11 found getting presents, feeling loved by parents and school holidays are also considered the greatest things.
What is the first memory of childhood? ›Adults can generally recall events from 3–4 years old, with those that have primarily experiential memories beginning around 4.7 years old. Adults who experienced traumatic or abusive early childhoods report a longer period of childhood amnesia, ending around 5–7 years old.
What happens to childhood memories? ›Memories of being a young child may fade over time. A child may be able to recall their early memories much better, but an adult may have more difficulty remembering what happened before a certain age. Children start losing early memories around their preteen years.
What is the theme of my childhood summary? ›The theme of “My Childhood” is that our life is shaped by our experiences and the people around us. Kalam's secure childhood, inspiring parents, supportive friends and honest teachers instilled great values in him that gave him 'wings of fire'.
What are the 4 types of main memory? ›- read only memory (ROM)
- random access memory (RAM)
- flash memory.
- cache memory.
3 'R's: Remember It, Recall It, Retain It. Your bible of exercises to increase your brain power, improve your memory, and train your fluid intelligence.
What are the three basic memory tasks? ›As such, memory plays a crucial role in teaching and learning. There are three main processes that characterize how memory works. These processes are encoding, storage, and retrieval (or recall).
What is the 80 20 revision rule? ›The 80-20 rule states that 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. Sleep, eat, school, homework, volunteer; rinse and repeat.
What are the three R's of revision? ›The 3 R's of Revision: Review, Reread, React/Reshape.
What is 1 2 4 7 revision technique? ›
What is 1247 Technique? Its a memory technique wherein you should revise whatever you have studied thrice after the 1st study. So effectively, you will study 4 times in 1-2-4-7 order.
What is the trick of 7 table? ›The trick for Table of 7. An easy way to help students remember 7 x 8 = 56. The answer to 7 x 8 is the two numbers that come successively the numbers being multiplied (i.e. 5, 6, 7, 8). It will be the end digit of multiple of 7 table.
What is the 20 hour rule? ›The 20-Hour Rule suggests that it takes approximately 20 hours of deliberate and focused practice to become reasonably competent in a new skill. While 20 hours may not make you an expert, it's enough to become proficient and confident in the basics of a new skill.
What are the five things to learn? ›- Emotional Intelligence. The ability to understand emotions. ...
- Meta-Learning. ...
- First-Principles Thinking. ...
- Critical Thinking. ...
- Creative Problem Solving.
There are many reasons kids are forgetful, including stress and lack of sleep. Being hungry can also have a big impact. But sometimes when kids have trouble remembering information, they may be struggling with a skill called working memory.
Do kids with ADHD forget things? ›Forgetfulness is another common symptom of ADHD. This symptom causes significant disruption in children's daily lives.
How good is a 5 year olds memory? ›They were then asked to remember these events when they were older. The researchers found that between the ages of 5 and 7, the children remembered more than 60% of the events, but by the ages of 8 and 9, this had fallen to less than 40%. But these memories aren't always gone for good.
Why is memory important? ›Memory has a fundamental role in life, reflecting the past as the past, and offering the possibility of reusing all past and present experiences, as well as helping to ensure continuity between what was and what was going to be.
Do small children have poor memories? ›Indeed, preschoolers are known for their poor working memory performance, and finding ways to help them performing working memory task can inform us on the mechanisms that support their achievement.
Why is working memory important for children? ›Working memory helps kids hold on to information long enough to use it. Working memory plays an important role in concentration and in following instructions. Weak working memory skills can affect learning in many different subject areas including reading and math.
What is the first step of memory? ›
The first stage of memory is encoding. When we are exposed to information of any kind, we take the information and begin processing it in visual, acoustic, and semantic form. This means that we take information, either as a picture or a sound or that we give the information meaning.
What are 4 examples of the 6 memory techniques? ›- 6 Easy Memory Techniques for Students. Gayatri. ...
- Visualization. Our brain is more friendly with images than text and hence, visual learning is an easy tool for memorizing. ...
- Grouping and organizing notes. ...
- Distributive Practice (Spaced repetition) ...
- Mind mapping. ...
- Mnemonics. ...
- Sleeping.
- From small beginnings come great things.
- Some things never change.
- I just got born, and I was already awesome.
- Play, laugh, grow.
- She's a throwback.
- One one-way ticket back to the '90s, please.
- Why did we grow up?
- Childhood = no problems in life.
The photograph brought back memories of my childhood. The picture brought back a lot of memories. The playwright cherishes the vivid memories of his childhood. The music evokes memories of an earlier time.
What is the introduction of my childhood? ›“My Childhood” is an extract from A.P.J. Abdul Kalam's autobiography 'Wings of Fire'. It describes the childhood days of Kalam in a very simple but vivid manner. Kalam talks about the people, the incidents and the experiences that he had during his childhood which shaped his adult life.
What kind of writing is memories of childhood? ›The two autobiographical excerpts are the summary Memories of Childhood. It describes the different types of social discrimination like racial and caste discrimination prevalent in the society which the two authors Bama and Zitkala Sa, had experienced during their childhood lives.
What do you write on a memory photo? ›- We miss you and love you always.
- Loving you forever.
- Forever in our hearts.
- Nothing can ever take away a love the heart holds dear.
- Those who touch our lives, stay in our hearts forever.
- Greatly loved, deeply missed.
- Your life was a blessing, your memory a treasure.
- Memories are timeless treasures of the heart.
- Happy times come and go, but the memories stay forever.
- A photograph keeps a moment from running away.
- A photograph is the pause button of life.
- Hard to forget such strong memories with the best people.
- Family is strength.
- Life is good!
- We love each other.
- We trust one another.
- All we need is each other.
- We can count on each other.
- We choose family!
- Family is everything.
Memory is the process of taking in information from the world around us, processing it, storing it and later recalling that information, sometimes many years later. Human memory is often likened to that of a computer memory system or a filing cabinet.
What is childhood summary in points? ›
Summary of Childhood
In the Childhood summary, the poet discusses the loss of his childhood. The poet talks about that very moment where this innocence was lost. He talks about the various instances when he could have lost his childhood. Furthermore, a realization comes to the poet that the world is not what it seems.
My Childhood Memories
I had three siblings with whom I used to play a lot. I remember very fondly the games we use to play. Especially, in the evenings, we used to go out in the park with our sports equipment. Each day we played different games, for example, football on one day and cricket on the other.
It covers the whole period from conception to an individual becoming a fully functioning adult. It's a journey from total dependence to full independence. Child development incorporates, physical growth as well as intellectual, language, emotional and social development.
What is memories in creative writing? ›A memoir is a narrative, written from the perspective of the author, about an important part of their life. It's often conflated with autobiography, but there are a few important differences. An autobiography is also written from the author's perspective, but the narrative spans their entire life.
What are the two types of memories write about them? ›Put succinctly, memory is primary memory, while storage is secondary memory. Memory refers to the location of short-term data, while storage refers to the location of data stored on a long-term basis.