Sue Fawcett, recently found this old photo amongst her mother’s possessions. It shows the 1945 VE Day street party in Basildon Drive, Laindon. Sue’s mother (Lilian Bateman) lived at No. 51 during the war. (She had marked herself sitting in the front). Lilian married Henry Harsent. The couple lived in Ashleaves Avenue, Roberts Road and then moved to No. 57 Basildon Drive.
Sue has kindly given her permission for the photo to be published on the website and hopes others will enjoy seeing it.
I recognised the area straight away, the two storey houses on the right and the bungalows on the left, some of which are still there. Like many roads in Laindon, Basildon Drive was originally unmade.
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Does anyone remember who lived at number 12 Basildon Drive? One of the original built bungalows which I have lived in for a number of years..
I lived at 45 Basildon Drive from 1975 to 1995, with my parents Terry and Sandra Rattenbury, both sets of Grandparents lived on the road too, The Johnson’s and Rattenbury’s, Winifred Johnson and Alice Rattenbury. My parents still live on the road in my Nan’s address at 28.
Hello June,
We were in the same class, or at least the same year, at LHR. There cannot be too many of us still around. Hazel Fox still lives in Laindon, as does Josie O’Neill. Josie married a Collins (or is it Collings?) from the hardware family who had a shop in the High Road. Any relation to your husband? Kathleen Clegg moved to Australia. Of the boys, Alan Jacobs (Dickens Drive), Alan Burr (Dry Street), and Don Stockwell (Vowler Road) have all passed on. Ernest Lilley (who lived a couple of doors north of Dr Chowdhary) popped up with a comment on this site some years ago but has not been heard from again. As for others in our class — as Hamlet says “The rest is silence”.
I lived at No 43 Basildon Drive 1946/1952 with my brother Derek and my mother, Dad was in the RAF, I remember we moved from Billericay, just after this party had taken place, I am now 85/86, and have a lot of memories of so many children living there at that time. Happy days. Would love to hear from anyone who lived near there then, and went to High Road School.
I remember the Neville family and the Giles family. There was a Johnny Giles and Tony if I remember correctly.
Wonderful photo! My Nan, Violet Emmeline Carey (now Giles) lived with her family in 2 James Villas (the taller buildings on the right hand side). My Nan still lives in Kathleen Ferrier Crescent and remembers this party well and says that the singing and dancing went on all day. Can’t wait for her to see this photo, when the lockdown has ended!
I lived in one of the central houses for 20 years 1955-75, two of my brothers were there. It was a block of four properties located between Dicken’s Drive and Kathleen Ferrier Crescent. The bungalows opposite are still there, but the houses were knocked down to allow for the Copperfields development.
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