THIS photograph showing a newspaper seller in Watford high street brought back memories for South Oxhey resident Eddy Steel.

Watford Observer: Rose and Crown

“The one in your picture shows Alec Curzon on his pitch at the Rose and Crown pub, which was later taken over by his son, Russell, with his friend Freddie Herbert and later Mr W Tunnicliffe Snr.

“Other pitches in the High Street were at Watford High Street Station, which was run by Alec’s brother Sam Curzon, during the 1950s and 1960s, then taken over by a Mr Old.

“In King Street, a gentleman known for obvious reasons as ‘one-armed Bill’ had a pitch, then there was a pitch on the corner of Clarendon Road and one a little further up at Gaumont Cinema.

“I am afraid I have no names for these two gentlemen, perhaps a reader can enlighten us.”

MELVILLE COOMBES Coombes, from Pinner, wrote to Nostalgia with his memories of Watford photographer Richard Greville, who recently passed away.

Mr Coombes wrote: “Reading in the Observer about the sad death of Richard Greville, around 1953 I used to regularly walk past his studio in Queens Road and stop and look at his wedding photos in the shop window.

“They were always fantastic in black and white.

“One day I noticed a photo of a child which had won the ‘Kodak Child of the Year’ – the picture being in the centre of all the wedding photos.

“I could not take my eyes off it as it was of a coloured child, this being the first coloured child I had ever seen and I was 21 years old.

“I met Mr Greville in 1956 when he covered my sister Enid’s wedding at Bushey parish church and again when he covered my young sister’s wedding in August 1958 at the same church.

“I asked him if he would come to Marylebone in London the following month to take photos of my own wedding. I thought he would refuse but he said: ‘We will keep it in the family’.

“Richard was a true gent and nothing was too much trouble. All his photos were first class. Best wishes to Mrs Greville.”

Watford Observer: This photograph, taken in 1946, features the girls of class 4B, from Callowland School in Watford

This photograph, taken in 1946, features the girls of class 4B, from Callowland School in Watford. David Hall, from Dover, who sent in the image, has pointed out his mother Eileen Dray in the third row from the front, fifth from the left. Do any readers recognise some of the other faces of 4B? What memories are there of Callowland School?

READER Jan Ford has emailed Nostalgia with her memories of attending Chater School.

Mrs Ford, née Hester, said: “In addition to Joyce Luckhurst’s nostalgic memories of Chater School, here are a few memories of my own.

“I started at Chater Primary in 1944 with Beatrice Fowler and Carol Field. We each had to take a cushion to hang in the cloakroom so we could go there to sit if there was an airraid – thankfully we never had to use them.

“When the war in Europe ended, all pupils of the Primary and Junior Girls’ schools (the boys were always kept separated from us) gathered in the playground of the ‘big girls’ school and marched in a circle waving little hand drawn Union Jacks to the sounds of Rule Britannia and other rallying songs crackling on a wind-up gramophone.

“When nature called, after putting our hand up and asking to be excused, the teacher would give us one sheet of toilet paper.

“We then had to go outside and across the playground to use the toilets. As you can imagine, we didn’t take too long in the winter.

“One of my favourite lessons was nature study because when the weather was fine the whole class would walk crocodile fashion along the streets to Cassiobury Park where we would be expected to find leaves and acorns for the nature table back in the classroom. How many times were we in trouble for climbing over old tree stumps or playing hide and seek instead of the serious business of ‘collecting for the nature table’?

“If we were in trouble we would have to stand in a corner of the classroom with our hands on our heads for what seemed like hours but was probably about ten minutes.

“I remember Miss Jump, Miss Naxton and Miss Mason (headmistress). I had my 11-plus interview at Watford Girls Grammar School and can recall how happy I was to be accepted for the new Bushey Grammar School along with Carol. I now live with my husband in a village north of Milton Keynes and we celebrated our Golden Wedding Anniversary on Saturday, April 4.”

AREFERENCE to Shrodells Hospital prompted reader Brenda Smith to write to Nostalgia.

Mrs Smith, of Wellingborough, Northants, said: “Quite by chance I read the recent article in the Watford Observer about Shrodells Hospital.

“My parents-in-law worked in what was then known as the animal house, where they looked after the toads which were kept in huge water tanks.

“Their work also included looking after the many rabbits and guinea pigs in cages.

“I seem to recall a gentleman by the name of Potter who also worked nearby.”