There was a small medical room at the top of the building. Stripped to our pants and bare footed we sat on benches whilst waiting to see the nurse or doctor. A metal comb was run through our hair to search for nits or flees. I used to hate being called out of class to go to the medical room, especially if I had to have an injection in order to be vaccinated. I did not attend nursery and first went to Langford Road School in September 1955. My parents would have prefered me to have attended Holy Cross Roman Catholic Primary School at Hurlingham but this was was deemed to be too far away, especially as they both worked and Langford was only minutes from our home in Broughton Road. I was a rather thin, nervous, self conscious child who wore round National Health glasses as I had a squint. My very first “girlfriend” was at Langford- a sweet small girl called Susan Onion. I remember leaving a tin of toffees in her desk. On the otherhand I did not like a rather chubby boy called Raymond Rudd who poked fun at my Polish surname whenever he saw me in the street, shouting out “sugar plumb fairy.”
My sister Isabel and I outside Langford School in 1997.
Keith Pyatt who lived on the Bulow Estate on the corner of Langford Road was a pal but we seemed to spend a lot of our time scrapping. Charles Knight was also a school friend and neighbour of mine in Broughton Road. We once cycled from our homes to Southend on Sea- a journey that took us nigh on five hours due to a number of punctures en route. Two of Charles's sisters were tragically killed in a fire in 1961.
Another mate was Ronny Stubbs. Ronny lived in Stephendale Road and was one of five brothers- the others being David, Alan, John and Norman. Alan died at a young age from what was thought to be a drug related illness. Ronny converted to Roman Catholicism when I was an altar server at the Church of Our Lady in Stephendale Road. But although he was a good mate and passed his 11+ to get into Sloane Grammar, I heard he later got into a spot of bother with the Law. His younger brother David, who I contacted on 'Friends Reunited' told me that Ronny had passed away a few years ago.
I can remember a few of the teachers at Langford. Mrs Holland was my infants headmistress- a short bespectacled woman with curly hair who gave us sweets when we read to her. One of my early class teachers at Langford was a Miss Richards or Richardson, a thin and seemingly very old woman who wore glasses with one the lenses blacked out. Miss Patterson, another class teacher, was a round and jolly woman, who when her mouth was closed had a habit of moving her tongue around. In the Junior school
Mr Wright took us to Eeelbrook Common for football practice and spent a great deal of time coaching Harry kempton, who had a good shot.
Mr Ashby specialised in arts and crafts. He had a permanently tanned almost jaundiced complexion. He was rather effeminate, a sort of dandy. My sister Isabel also remembers being taught by him during the mid sixties. One of my other class teachers was nicknamed the “Leopard Lady” because of her heavily freckled complexion. She punished naughty boys by calling them to the front of the class and slapping the back of their legs. A punishment made worse because of her long finger nails. Not sure of her name, may have been Miss Harris.
I also remember The following pupils who were in my year group at Langford:
William Flynn, Richard Beavon, Simon Geraghty, Derek Elkins, Alan kennelly, Stephen Lawrence, Alan Timmins, John Larkin, Richard Stanton, Kevin Carter, Susan Blagrove, Marlene Mach, Maureen Davies, Frances Hill, Janet Fidler, Michael Cheesman, Cathy Flanagan, Joan Hicks and James Mckenzie.
Schools & Churches 
