Happy Memories of Downham

[Snowdrop]

Just thought of more neighbours they lived in Shroffold Rd, on the corner opposite Dadgonet Gardens, they were the Andersons Mum and Dad, and Pauline and Kevin, think Kevin joined the navy ....

[Dickie eagle]

Ah! RMS Snowdrop no doubt, my eldest daughter was in the WRAC  ( it used to be the ATS ! and I have a couple of cap badges to prove it ) She went from Frimley straight to Northern Ireland, or Ulster to give it its proper name, her second posting was to Cyprus a couple of months before the Turks invaded I think she was with the 9th. Signals. but she enjoyed every minute of it. There is a Portrait of her in the  Gallery. How about a portrait of Snowdrop too?        dickie......................

[Dickie eagle]

SUE ! nice name but we can stick to Snowdrop provide you don't blame me for being in the club plum , where were you posted?       Did you marry a Pongo too ?  dickie..................

[Snowdrop]

Ah! RMS Snowdrop no doubt, my eldest daughter was in the WRAC  ( it used to be the ATS ! and I have a couple of cap badges to prove it ) She went from Frimley straight to Northern Ireland, or Ulster to give it its proper name, her second posting was to Cyprus a couple of months before the Turks invaded I think she was with the 9th. Signals. but she enjoyed every minute of it. There is a Portrait of her in the  Gallery. How about a portrait of Snowdrop too?        dickie......................

Hello Dickie, yes I enjoyed every minute too!!! I have some photos myself, not very good with the computer will ask my sons to show me what to do!!! thats progress for you 

[Snowdrop]

SUE ! nice name but we can stick to Snowdrop provide you don't blame me for being in the club plum , where were you posted?       Did you marry a Pongo too ?  dickie..................

Hello again Dickie.. did my basic training at Guildford, then trade training at Deepcut, then got posted to Bicester nr Oxford then I volunteered for N.I. where upon I met my husband who was in the Paras!!!......the rest they say is history.. will try and post some photos!!..... Snowdrop keep safe and take care

[Brenda]

Snowdrop, in case you haven't found it, there is a nice photo of Dagonet Gardens on the Phoenix Housing Association website. 

Can anyone identify which bit of Downham Way is in the adjoining photograph?
Looks like my memory is beginning to fail me.  Dementia here I come.

[Snowdrop]

Snowdrop, in case you haven't found it, there is a nice photo of Dagonet Gardens on the Phoenix Housing Association website. 

Can anyone identify which bit of Downham Way is in the adjoining photograph?
Looks like my memory is beginning to fail me.  Dementia here I come.

Hiya Brenda thanks for that, no I didnt know that, I will take a look, probably my memory is not what it was as well.
hey ho!!! no worries

keep safe and take xxxx Snowdrop

[Snowdrop]

Hiya Brenda, found the website, well I think I did I found i picture of Dagonet Gardens, just the flats that were painted white??? is that the one you meant!!. if you hadn't have pointed that out I would never have recognised it!!! they weren't that colour when I was little, they were just good old fashioned red brick!!!

keep safe and take care .....

[Dickie eagle]

Hello I am a new member, 1st Post and certainly not the last!!!, I was born in Dagonet Gardens and I went to Ballamore School then Pendragon and then on to Mallory School, spent a very very happy childhood in Downham. Then I moved away to join HM Forces and now I live in Norfolk. I still have 2 brothers in the area, 1 lives in Peckham and 1 in Abbey Wood. Still have a childhood aunt, who lives in Moorside Road, lived next door to us in Dagonet Gardens and I grew up with them all. Don't really know what to write about on the 1st post..... I am just so grateful to have found a link with the past.
Hi Sue, what part of Norfolk' one of my last appointments was the RAF air base at Thetford I have a friend at Brinston, did you have any problem with the "earthquake" last month ?. Still trying to lift your Pictures off to make them clearer, wish Keith were still around as he was brilliant with mine.       dickie................X

[JSmith]

Hello I am a new member, 1st Post and certainly not the last!!!, I was born in Dagonet Gardens and I went to Ballamore School then Pendragon and then on to Mallory School, spent a very very happy childhood in Downham. Then I moved away to join HM Forces and now I live in Norfolk. I still have 2 brothers in the area, 1 lives in Peckham and 1 in Abbey Wood. Still have a childhood aunt, who lives in Moorside Road, lived next door to us in Dagonet Gardens and I grew up with them all. Don't really know what to write about on the 1st post..... I am just so grateful to have found a link with the past.
Hi Sue, what part of Norfolk' one of my last appointments was the RAF air base at Thetford I have a friend at Brinston, did you have any problem with the "earthquake" last month ?. Still trying to lift your Pictures off to make them clearer, wish Keith were still around as he was brilliant with mine.       dickie................X

Hey Dickie have not heard from you for ages, but thats my fault, not keeping up to date with the forum. Hope every things going good. Really enjoy reading your replys. Your Pal Smiffy

[adcross]

Hello Snowdrop and Christine. I haven't been on the website for ages and was surprised to read that you lived in Dagonet Gardens. I lived at 306 Shroffold Road which was near Dagonet. If you turned right from Dagonet into Shroffold I lived in the third house on the right. I lived there from 1946 to 1960 when I got married and soon migrated to New Zealand and then onto the Sunshine Coast of Queensland in 1999 and love it here. We often used to play in the long grass outside the flats as youngsters. The only person that I remember from the flats was Alfie Taylor who used to bully me until I finally gave him a thump and he was very friendly after that. One of you mentioned the Anderson's in Shroffold that must have been where the Carters lived in my time I remember they had a nice daughter Marina but she was too big for me, I mean age wise. Others that lived in Shroffold near us at that time were two lots of White's, Minsters, Gosbee, Lloyd Simmonds, Hearns and if you turned left from Dagonet there were the Fox twins, Heeney's another Fox family and the Smiths. Do you remeber any of them ?.
Have to sign off for now so welcome to Downham on line it's great to catch up with people from the same area. One thing that really surprised me was that when I lived in New Zealand I knew four people that lived in my area that all came from Downham, what a small world.
Cheers Tony Cross

[dee43dee]

Hi am new to the site, my grandad and dad  ran the newsagents in the 60's/70's and my uncle sid had the fish shop next door, i remember the barrel of eels in the corner of the shop.
My dad some years later had the newsagent on marvels lane just down from the hospital.
I can remember all the mallory kids coming in for their sweets.
It was sad to see the pictures of the swimming baths, used to go there quite a bit.

[Dickie eagle]

was that chmists Morrell & Dixons ?       and as for Sixpennies worth of Chips. Cor ! I would have wanted a Suitcase to hold them . My treat was a A "Tuppeny and a 'Pennorth " .The Skate (or Rock) wqas 2d. the  Chips were 1d wrapped in newspaper    dickie...............X

[Pauline]

was that chmists Morrell & Dixons ?       and as for Sixpennies worth of Chips. Cor ! I would have wanted a Suitcase to hold them . My treat was a A "Tuppeny and a 'Pennorth " .The Skate (or Rock) wqas 2d. the  Chips were 1d wrapped in newspaper    dickie...............X

Yes and fish and chips were the only 'fast food' shops around.

Oh what I'd give for a piece of skate - what do you say Brenda?

[Brenda]

Yes and fish and chips were the only 'fast food' shops around.

Oh what I'd give for a piece of skate - what do you say Brenda?

I wouldn't knock it back, Pauline!  Wouldn't knock back a decent faggot either.