I was very lucky as a teenager, because I had lots and lots of places to visit.

First of all there were the parks.  As small children our favourite place was Brockwell Park in Lambeth.  It had everything, including a paddling pool, where my big sister Lilly and her friends took us.  We would take a big bottle of lemonade and crisps.  There were also birds in cages, and ducks and swans on the lake.

There were also tearooms, tennis courts and a lovely swimming pool open to the sky.  In the pool there was a snack bar, and we used to lay on our towels by the edge of the pool or sit at one of the tables.

In the swimming pool they had a big thing shaped like a jelly with water cascading down, which you could climb on.  Also there were slides and diving boards at the deep end.  I spent a lot of my childhood days at Brockwell Park.

I remember one day I was walking to Brockwell Park to go swimming when a Buzz Bomb came flying overhead.  All of a sudden the buzzing stopped, which meant that it would start to fall.

I was really frightened so I dashed into the nearest front garden and banged on the door – I was terrified!  I felt that the Buzz Bomb was going to land right on top of me.  The door opened on its own without anyone answering, so I shot inside.  I ran down a passage and into a room where an old lady was sitting up in bed.

I could hardly speak with fright, and the old lady was very deaf, so I did a pantomime pointing at the sky trying to tell  her there was a flying bomb overhead, and that it was going to fall nearby.  “That’s all right dear”, she said, and went under her blankets for protection (some protection!!).  I lay down on the floor and waited, but the bomb fell far away.  Looking back, I suppose the old dear had left her door open so that her neighbours could get in to help her.

The Buzz Bombs caused a lot of fear and panic; especially when the engine stopped because you knew then it was going to fall down out of the sky.  During one raid there was a stampede to get down the stairs at Clapham Tube Station.  Someone tripped over and many people were crushed to death trying to get to shelter, it was terrible.

I remember once, after the war was over, I was walking along when a plane went overhead.  It was just an ordinary plane, but without thinking I shot into a shop for shelter.  It was just a case of bad nerves I suppose.  Well, the woman in the shop said “Yes Madam, can I help you?”  I felt such a fool, I bought a pot of jam and tried to pretend that nothing was wrong.

A lot of people were affected by the bombing during and after the war, but in those days it was considered wrong to make a fuss and complain about, even if you felt really bad.

Another place we went to often was Tooting Bec Common, which had good swings, slides and roundabouts.  There was brick a railway bridge with arches, and we used to take tennis rackets and balls and play tennis against the walls.  Tooting Bec Common had a lovely boating lake, and we used to go out in a boat and paddle or row around.

When your time was up they would shout, “Come in number three”, or whatever number you were, then we would walk all the way home.  It was about two miles from our home.

Less often we went to Clapham Common.  We would watch the men and boys sailing their model boats on the boating lake, some had motors in them, which I found very interesting.

There were many Picture Houses (cinemas) in those days.  The Gaumont, The Astoria, The Regal, were the three big picture houses in Streatham.  In Brixton there was another Gaumont and Regal.

Often you had to queue up to get in, and we would be entertained while we waited.  There would be buskers playing and sometimes there was an ‘Escape Artist’, a man tying himself up in chains and then escaping as if by magic.
When you got in, there was entertainment while you waited, usually a man playing the organ.  He would begin below the stage, and then the lights would go down and up would come this chap from below the stage pounding away at the organ; all the latest songs.

There were usually two films, the main feature and the ‘B’ film.  In the interval between the films they would sell ice cream and popcorn and the organ man would rise up and play again.  It wasn’t expensive, and looking back I think that we really got our money’s worth.

At the side of all the big picture houses was a sweet shop called ‘Bendels’.  They sold an assortment of chocolate and sweets.  I don’t know if they are still there in London.

We also had a lovely roller skating rink in Brixton.  It was a big place inside, you could hire skates and roll around to the music (played by a band).  There would be an interval, during which professional skaters would demonstrate their skill.

After the interval everyone got back onto the rink and tried to emulate what the professionals had just done.

Then there was Hyde Park, over west of London way.  I used to go there with my friend Masie Little who was eight years older than me.  We used to go and listen to the speakers at Speaker’s Corner or walk through the park.  Sometimes we would get talking to a couple of lads and have a laugh;  at the end of the day we would get the bus back over the river back to south London.

Sometimes we would go to Oxford Street in the West End for a walk and a look around the shops, although we would never buy anything as those shops were too expensive.

Other places to visit were Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum and London Zoo, where my dad let me ride on an elephant.  I always wanted to go to Crystal Place; my aunt Amy took my older sister Lily once, but Esme and I never got to see it.

At Streatham Vale there was very bit ice-skating rink where I used to go with my boyfriend to watch the ice hockey.  The men on the ice moved so fast chasing the puck; it was a very exciting, fast moving game.

The most exciting place of all was Steatham Locarno dance hall.  It was very plush inside with a large dance floor surrounded on three sides by chairs.  At the far end was a revolving stage where bands would play the latest songs.

Each band played for about an hour, then the stage would rotate and another band would appear.  Upstairs was a balcony overlooking the dance floor that went all around the room.  It had tables and chairs and snack bar which sold soft drinks.

As well as dancing by the public they also had professional dancers and often a singer.  There were ‘spotlight dances’ where the spotlight would pick out a couple dancing at random and they would win a prize.  People generally dressed very smartly, the women in dresses and high heels, and the men in jacket and tie.

Another place where we could go was the ‘Milk Bar’.  There were many in London and they were like a small restaurant except that they only sold milkshakes, soft drinks and cakes.  They also sold ‘Knickerbocker Glories’ which was a big glass of ice cream with strawberries, bananas, grapes and thick, whipped cream on top.

Of course there were the pubs as well but most women didn’t go into them; they were mainly for men.

The first time I went into a pub I was nearly eighteen, with a group of friends.  I felt very daring.  My young man asked me what I would like to drink, and as I didn’t know what to say I asked my girlfriend what she was having.  She said “What about a whisky?”  And as I didn’t know any better I said that I’d have one too.  Well it was horrible! (I had never tasted whiskey before).  When my boyfriend asked me if I had liked it, I said “Oh yes, it was lovely!” because he had paid and I didn’t want to upset him, but I was very disappointed because I had seen people drink in films and they seemed to really enjoy them.  I was under the impression that all alcoholic drinks would be lovely!

We thought we were so very daring!  A young person of eighteen today would think nothing of it, but I was always wary of pubs and was taught that they were awful places to go into.  Of course I sometimes go into them now with my friends and I must say that I do like a glass of ginger wine.

We also used to go to Richmond and Teddington dock.  It was lovely by the river there.  Also Streatham Vale gardens which were high on a hill overlooking a valley;  oh happy days.

By Elsie Turner