School Days

My name is John Watson, I grew up in Wellington Ave, Langdon Hills, went to Langdon Hills Primary school from 1952 – 1958 then High Road school until about 1962  when my family moved to Basildon. 

I remember fund raising for the school pool, my brother Bill and his mates in the RAF contributed quite a lot. Does anyone know what happened to the roll of honour book?

My best friend was Ronnie Salt who I haven’t heard of since the early 60’s

Have lots of good memories from those days

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  • My name is Maureen Hayden (née Salt) and knew John and his family very well.  I was the eldest of 4 children, followed by Brenda, Ron and Christine.  I remember, Billy, Rosemary, John and I think there was Linda(?) and Yvonne.  I now live in Nottingham, having moved up here 12 years ago, Brenda lives in Hullbridge and Christine in Norfolk.  Our 2 families were very much involved until your family moved to Basildon, when we lost touch.  I also remember Joan White and her family as our parents were very close.  If you would like any more details, please let me know.

    By Maureen Hayden (née Salt) (15/07/2015)
  • Just found this site and read John’s comments.  We were indeed best friends and spent our time getting into all sorts of scrapes together.  I went on to Fryerns school and John moved to Basildon so we lost touch.  I remember Joan and her family and our dads would go to the Radion cinema sometimes as a special treat.  I have spent most of my later years living in the Maldon area but mum and dad built a house in Emanuel Road when they finally moved out of Wellington Avenue.

    My sisters are all well and we all share happy memories of growing up in Laindon.

    By Ron Salt (28/06/2015)
  • A Sidney and Ivy Salt were resident in “Woodlands”, Wellington Avenue, Langdon Hills in 1949, so presumably, this has a bearing. However, the surname Salt was, from memory, in business in Laindon High Road, hard by J G Cottis’s Laindon branch of his bakery business.  Salt & Son (?) repaired boots and shoes in what was a small lockup workshop. Any connection?

    By John Bathurst (28/06/2015)
  • Hi John – you probably won’t know me but I knew Ronnie Salt, Brenda and Maureen Salt and Christine Salt. All were either younger or older than me. My dad was best mates with Sid Salt and they both belonged to the RAA in St Mary’s church Hall L Hills. My mum was friends with Ivy Salt the mother. They lived in a road just off Berry Lane and I lived in Berry Lane. Sadly don’t know whereabouts of any of them now.

    By Joan Goodfellow nee White (09/08/2013)
  • Not much help to you but I seems to recall a girl with surname of Watson who lived at the back of the Rec – she had a younger brother, is that you? 

    Also I think there was a girl with the surname of Salt, is that correct? We used to try and match surnames at school – there was a Dorothy Pepper there.

    By Andrea (nee Pinnell) (29/08/2012)

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