I was born Jane Mansell and now am Jane Crouch. I was born in 1939 and moved to Ismailia Road in 1940. We (my parents and my little family) were actually the last folk to move from Ismailia Road in April 1964. Uncle Terence William Bonnie (he was my mother's brother) moved out about four weeks before us. We then lived there all alone for the remainder of the time. It was terrible!! When we moved I realised I had left my record collection behind but when we went round to see if we could get them the house was already demolished!! That was only five hours after we moved.

 

  

Pictured left to right: Me outside Number 4. My brother Roy (10) with Billy Connell (15) and Jimmy Mahoney (10) outside number 6 and in front of a Shell lorry. My parents in the yard of our house at number 18 with my mum's sister Alice in the doorway. 

Uncle Terry was my mother's brother and married to Joan who came from Bramber Road and they had two children - Susan and Michael. Both Terry and Joan are now dead. At one time my whole family on my mother's side lived in Ismailia Road- my nan, three aunts and an uncle, an aunt's husband and my cousin Robert. There were only four of us in my family -My dad George William Mansell who was a long time Fulham resident having been born nearby in Byam Street, my mum Margaret Josephine Bonnie - born and bred in Fulham but nearer to Fulham Broadway (called Walham Green then), my brother Roy who was born in August 1940 and myself. Roy and I were only 11 months apart in age.  We attended Holy Cross School until 1951. When I went on to The Sacred Heart Convent and Roy went to The London Oratory.

Outside Number 21. Me with (from left) Uncle Arthur, Auntie Nell, her fiancee Jim and my Nan. (Right) Auntie Alice, my mum and auntie Joan Bonnie outside number 18. 

   

My brother Roy and I outside number 5. Left to Right Margaret Pitt from Wandsworth Bridge Road, me holding Stevie Cooper from number 21, Derek Leach of number 16 and John Maher from number 5.

I was born in 1939 and we moved to 18 Ismailia Road in early 1940. It was a terraced house (sounds posh now but back then it was not). There were six rooms in the house and a scullery (later made into a kitchenette). The upstairs was a separate flat really but the scullery up there was not used in the early days. Under the stairs was the coal shed. We had an outside toilet and no bathroom but just a boiler in the scullery which water was heated in for washing clothes etc. A tin bath for bathing which was not often as it was such hard work.

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During the War we had a family of five moved in with us (mother, father and three children) This was because they had been bombed out and then if you had excess accommodation to your requirements it was compulsory to take people in. The family were called Mason and there were two girls and a boy. They lived upstairs and we lived downstairs. We all shared the outside toilet (Oh what wonderful days!!!!)                                 

In the street we had air raid shelters built because of our proximity to the Shell depot. They were built of really thick reinforced concrete with bunk beds round two sides and a pot bellied stove. Several families had to share as there were about 8/10 shelters to 20 houses. We were put to bed in the shelters for a long time rather than be disturbed during the night. My dad was in a reserved occupation (on the railways) so did not go away to War. At the end of the War we had a victory party with food that most of us did not know existed!! Neighbours must have held on to them for years!

Picture of most of the street on Coronation Day in 1953. (Right) Hammersmith and Fulham Archives picture taken shortly before the houses were demolished. 

I met my husband Dennis Crouch in May 1960. He was a friend of my cousin's who bought him to our home for the weekend to celebrate his dad's birthday. My husband came from Bexhill -on -Sea in East Sussex. We married in 1961 and he stayed in the Navy until 1967.

My husband Dennis Crouch with his ship mate Tiny outside number 18 around 1962/63.

(See photos of Jane's marriage to Dennis Crouch at the Church of Our Lady under Schools & Churches)

ISMAILIA ROAD
There were 20 houses in the road numbers 1 - 22 but with nos 10 and 11 missing. They were possibly there once but not in my life time. They would have been in the corner of the L shape. Ismailia Road went in from Townmead Road and came out in Wandsworth Bridge Road. Reckitt and Colemans (the Blubell Factory was in De Morgan Road and backed on to Nos 1 - 9. The main entrance was in De Morgan but they had a back entrance in the corner ( where numbers 10 and 11 should have been) in Ismailia.

Ismalia Residents

2.   Cannot remember.                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
3 . Top floor lived two elderly brothers - cannot remember their names. First floor and basement lived Mr and Mrs Scarle with their daughter Christine and two sons from her previous marriage - Patrick and David Marriott.

4.  Mrs Whisken.  There was a bookmaker (before the days of shops) who used her front room as a refuge when the police were around and I think he paid her rent for the privilige. Pictured Below is Mrs Kate Whisken outside her house at number 4 with her two sons and grand daughter. 

5.  Mr and Mrs Maher and their son John. Mr and Mrs were both deaf and dumb. Laterly after they had moved a single mum lived there and there was a bit of a scandal when a soldier bought her home one night and tried to murder her. I know it was reported in News of the World! 

6.  Mr and Mrs Mahoney and their six children. Pat, Maureen, Jim, Micky, Sheila and John. For a while after the War a Mr and Mrs Donegan lived there too with their two children - a girl called Diana and a son.

7.  Mr and Mrs Grierson and their five children. George, John, Joan, Pat and Robert lived on the first floor.
Ground floor were Mr and Mrs Kiberd with three children. They moved to Fulham Court and the flat was taken over by a married couple with two boys - can`t remember their name.

8.  Ground floor Mrs Plough. First floor Jim Brown and his wife.

9.  Ground floor Mr and Mrs Chasemore. Mr was in a wheel chair and drove an invalid carriage which he kept in a shed built in front. When they moved Mrs Hewitt and her son Ernie moved in. On first floor at number 9 were Mr and Mrs Winters and their daughter Yvonne. When Ismailia was demolished they moved to Sullivan Court.

13.  Mr and Mrs Johnson who were both blind. 

14.  Was a large family house with stables where they kept horses etc. Mr and Mrs Morris lived there with her father (Mr Parker) and six children, Albie, Billy and Lillian(their children) and three boys from Mrs Morris`previous marriage - John, Fred and George Stanton. Mrs Morris had a fruit and veg stall up Wandsworth Bridge Road near the library.

15.  Mr and Mrs Connell and their children Billy, Josie,Terry, Leslie and Brian plus in the early years Percy and George from Mr Connell's previous marriage. Mr Connell was a cobbler and mended shoes in the basement as well as working in a shop in Putney High Street.

16.  Ground floor Mrs Pearl and when she died in the late 50`s early 60`s a young couple with a baby. Mr and Mrs Leach lived in first floor with their son Derek.    

17.   Mr and Mrs Leadbetter and their three children, Doris, Margaret and a son.

18.  My family. Mr and Mrs Mansell and me and my brother Roy.  For a short time (about 5 years) We had Mr and Mrs Mason take over top floor with their children, Pat Pauline Peter and Sheila. They then moved to William Parnell House and then to Fulham Court.

19.  Mr and Mrs Evans with two of her adult children from previous marriage - George and Pearl Oakham. Pearl married Lenny Burgess and they took over top floor and had daughter Little Pearl.

20.   Ground floor Bill and Joyce Oakham (son of no 19) and their three children. Billy, Gloria and Barry. First Floor Mrs and Mrs Maher and their sons Peter and John. NB there were two John Mahers in our street (see No 5).

21.  My family. Ground Floor  Nan - Mrs Jane Bonnie and thrree grown up children, Nellie, Alica and Terry. When nan died Terry took over the flat as Nellie and Alice had married and moved away to West Kensington and Balham respectively . When Mr and Mrs Maher moved from 20 to Sulivan Court Terry moved into their flat and then  a few years later over to No 8 when Jim Brown moved out. Bill Oakham then bought no 20 for just his family.  First Floor- My aunt Mrs K Smith and her husband and my cousin Bob. Soon after nan died they moved to Clapham and Mr and Mrs Cooper moved in with their two girls, Diana and Stevie.

22.   Mr and Mrs Jones and their daughter Daphne.

Next to 22 and extending to the corner of Townmead and Ismailia was a builders yard called French and Sons. The manager was a man called Ernie Dearlove who was a social friend of my family. He lived the other side of Wandsworth Bridge.   We used to borrow the large push cart on Saturdays to fetch coke from the coke yard for quite a number of neighbours.  That was a group of us kids.