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Margaret Flynn (nee Nurse) was born on 07.05.1932 at Handsworth, Birmingham.
During World War II, the house that young Margaret and her family were living in at Farcroft Grove was destroyed in a bombing raid. They survived in the Anderson shelter in the back garden. She continues the story:-
After being 'bombed out', the term used at the time, we were rehoused in a house called a non-parlour type on a fairly new council estate. A lot of the tenants were people recently rehoused due to the bombing or slum clearance.
The house consisted of a living room, kitchen, downstairs bathroom and three bedrooms. It had a large front garden and a very small back one with a brick built air raid shelter so close to the house my mother decided we were safer indoors, so it was never used.
As the house in Handsworth had been in a very quiet cul-de-sac we children found this a far more exciting place as it was almost opposite a public house called the Leopard and there was lots more going on.
After a short period at Tedbury Crescent School I went to St Thomas R.C. School attached to Erdington Abbey with its monks. We visited these brothers to purchase holy pictures to keep in our prayer books. The brothers had apple trees in the grounds and would often tip apples over the wall into the school yard for us pupils, causing a great scrum.
The teachers at the school were very strict and commanded great respect, which they got. The headmaster was a Mr Peter Burns, a fiery Scotsman with red hair.
I remember the school commissioned a painting of Christ The King, and when the artist came to the school to unveil it we sang our school hymn to her, which began:-
Little king so fair and sweet
See us gather round thy feet
We will be thy subjects true
Brave to suffer, brave to do
Be thou patron of our school
May it prosper neath thy rule
That is all I can remember of the school hymn. I hope you have not found this too boring. I could have gone on about going to sing to an enclosed order of nuns, maybe next time if you are interested.
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