Brought up in Dagenham, Ted Tierney, who was born before the Second World War, has many fond memories of the town where they lived at 2 Lloyd Road for a time, and one neighbouring family was the Calverts.

Cinemas ? We never knew such a word but even so heard occasionally of the 'mongoose and the snake' show.

On the matter of entertainment, I too have a duty towards you also dear Editor. For in spite of the good grounding imparted by the good teaching Sisters my cultural development took on an aspect of 'arrested development' you might say, or self imposed.

For on the eve of our first ever treat to see a concert in town whatever the expense to my father.....alas, this was thwarted by a well aimed stone through a window. Mea culpa.

Church bells amid the peace and calm, grand but not that all appreciated by us young uns. Like the young of today we were more appreciative of say red fire engines, right? But we in those days had it made, what with fire engines.... with bells on.

The Ladies of the day too had a something that is lacking in today's households. It was something called -- darning wool -- which I suppose led us early into the profanities of ,'Where's my darned trousers.'

Mouse traps? No need, all we had were part emptied jam jars half buried in the garden (with occupants). The cats 'liking jam on it.'

No need of magnetic compass for us lads. For the roads from our house East and West, were roads to be avoided if possible because the former led to the dreaded Hospital while the latter was the way to School. North and South though were OK one was to the Tube station and the other to the Fords dump.

Yes we were highly orientated as kids. Plastics? You must be joking! Wood wood wood everywhere with not a tree in sight. Many clocks were made of wood, sometimes with the dial imprints set on paper. No speaking clocks, unless tick tock counts.

Ted Tierney, Co. Antrim, 2001