Celandine Road

A Memory of South Ockendon.

I was born at 78 Celandine Road in 1949. My mother told me that it was a very cold March day and had been snowing. The midwife had a number of calls to make that morning but as she threw back the eiderdown to make room for my delivery, it fell onto the small electric heater and caught on fire. Luckily I was a quick delivery and Mum was able to help the midwife to put out the fire before sitting her down and making her a cuppa. I was a second child so Mum wasn't in a panic about how to look after me. My family had moved to the prefab from London in 1947 and we stayed there until 1953 when we moved to Belhus Estate.