WHEN WE WERE YOUNG Remembered by Iris Ester de Dulin
Iris Ester de Dulin.
When we were young, my sister
Ivy and I joined the St Margaret's of Lee Girl Guides. St
Margaret's is a beautiful church that we all attended quite
often on Church parades. When we were at a certain age Captain
had us all confirmed , we then attended communion early mornings.
Sometimes on a Thursday before Easter, we went to see Lantern
Slides which was held at the Church and which we thoroughly
enjoyed. There were about 12 Patrol Leaders, we the young
things always referred to them as "The Big Ones".
Captain certainly had her favourites, what Ivy and I didn't
like was the way that she used to tease one of the group
quite often in front of the whole company, which was wrong.
Apart from this, we all thought the world of her, and would
have done anything for her. When we walked along the road
we would all try to hold her arm, not when we were in uniform
of course. Thinking back how very stupid we all were and
must have looked. We met every Tuesday evening at St Margaret's
Hall in Old Road . We all worked hard to get our badges for
we were taught to do knots, first aid, collecting wild flowers,
exercises and dancing.
Each Christmas, for one evening only,
we did a concert for the church funds. Ivy was always given
a good part. The Big Ones worked for Captain as she had
a needlework business, all our clothes for the concerts were
handmade and I might add were lovely. Our pianist was so
clever, our concerts wouldn't have been the same without
her.
One Saturday we all went to a rally in Hyde Park . Queen
Mary was going to be there. I remember Ivy and I being
so very excited for we had never been to London before, a
great experience, and to see the Queen was really something.
We were told to have our uniforms clean and smart, and we
were to take packed lunches. We left quite early and after
reaching Charing Cross Station, we had to march to Hyde Park
. When we arrived every Company of Guides and Brownies were
there from all over the country. Hundreds and hundreds of
girls. We were all enjoying demonstrations by the different
Companies. The Queen looked very nice. Not long after we
had finished our lunches, the sky came over all black and
in no time at all we were all in the midst of a terrible
thunderstorm. It rained so hard that we were all soaked through
in no time. We were told not to get under the trees, instead
some of the lucky ones (6 of us in total) took shelter
under a policeman's cape! After the storm had subsided
Captain ordered all of us back to the station. We were
all soaking wet and very cold. Before we parted, we had
strict instructions from Captain to have a hot bath and
get to bed. When mother saw our underclothes, she had quite
a shock for instead of white vest and pants we now had
navy blue. The dye had come out of our uniforms. I remember
Ivy and I had a few giggles about it when we were in bed.
After a long period of being Girl Guides Captain somehow
or other fell out with the vicar of St Margaret’s.
None of us knew the reason for the upset. After this she
decided for us all to join the "Camp Fire Girls" which
was, and still is, an American organization. Our uniforms
were cream blouses, brown skirts and a long brown tie,
which we tied in a tatapachan knot. The uniform represented
the outdoor life. We started again to work hard for our
badges. Captain (we still called her as such) then had
a campfire ceremony. We all sat round in a circle. After
a lot of talk, we were handed our badges, which were sewn
on ceremonial gowns. These were long, to our feet, with
a fringe. We had beaded headbands that we made ourselves
on cigar boxes. The headband was the symbol we had to live
up to, I made my headband in beads with a symbol of a spider
in a web. This was to represent perseverance. Our call
was Wo -He-Lo meaning Work, Health and Love. The three
things in life to make one happy.
Captain lived in very
nice houses. In the time we knew her, she moved three times.
After out meetings we all walked home with her. Ivy and
I were always on tender hooks because out Mother always
wanted us home early and thinking back she really didn't like Captain
very much. In some ways, she was eccentric, I didn't think of her
as being sick at the time but looking back and thinking about the
things that she used to do makes it obvious that she was that way
inclined. After we had left St Margaret’s, Captain took a
room down the Mews where Ivy and I were born. Everywhere was so
dark, no electricity just candles. We were all so frightened going
there, and going up the rickety staircase, plus it was not very
clean where we all had to sit (no chairs). Luckily, we did not
meet here for too long. Captain took a hall at Lochaber Road . |
We lived in Mews flats because our Dad was a horse
carriage driver. He loved the horses and always looked after them
so well. I can see him now brushing them down. After we left the
Lee Green, Mews flat, we lived in a flat in Belmont Park . It was
a large flat over a hall, which the Boys Brigade used for their
meetings. (There were also 4 or 5 stalls where the horses were
kept). We loved hearing the band from the Brigade. Ivy and I used
to go down in the hall, the Brigade Master made such a fuss of
us, and I remember him lifting me up onto his shoulders. Every year Captain would put on a show to raise funds, Ivy always
had important parts. The concerts were lovely. Some of the Big
Ones worked for Captain -she had a needlework business for hand
made garments -so our dresses and costumes were always very classy.  The young ones in the campfire girls were called Blue Birds and
Peggy was a Blue Bird. One year we all spent a holiday at Herne
Bay . We all stayed in a church hut called Dalmeme, it wasn't too
comfortable for us all and I remember we had one bowl of water
which we all washed in. Can you imagine how awful it was? All of
us using different soaps, I think we could have put a toothbrush
in and it would have stood up on its own. The bell was rung for
us all to get up, soon after it was rung again for everyone to
get out on the lawn to have inspection. Well of course most of
us were only half dressed. I remember Peggy appearing one morning
in her knickers and top. Captain wasn't at all pleased. She must
have been in an awkward mood that morning for walking around the
big ones she came to one member and neatly cut off the end of her
tie. Not a word was mentioned by anyone, she had her favourites
which showed very much when we were all together. We never knew
what she would be up to next. However, we did enjoy our holiday
at Herne Bay .
We then started to go to the Isle-of-Wight, Totland Bay for a
week every year. On the Saturday evening Captain would put on a
concert for the church funds. When we arrived, we all had to go
to a farm to fill up our palliase’s with straw. We then had
to walk back to the church hall, two of us carrying palliase’s
on our heads. We had to sleep on these uncomfortable things but
we soon got used to them. I remember the lovely doughnuts, which
Captain bought at a local bakery. On the last night of our holiday,
we all had pillow fights, straw allover the floor, which of course
we all had to clear up. When Ivy went to Rhone School , she had
such a lot of homework that she had to leave the Campfire girls. After Ivy left I stayed on and always went to the Isle-of-Wight
each year for a week's holiday. The last show we did was a ballet
called "The Rose of Love". As I couldn't go untill the
Friday Captain asked me to go to Covent Garden to buy some flowers
for the vicar's wife and 5 long stemmed red roses. I got up early,
went to Covent Garden which I remember was hard to find. I went
home, had breakfast, and then set off to London to catch the train
and the boat over to Freshwater. Our dresses were beautiful, three
quarter length net over satin, very full skirts with circles of
roses on the satin, very low round neckline with rose buds and
a circle of buds in our hair. I believe I gave my toe shoes to
Avis.
Another holiday with Captain was to Guernsey . One day we were
walking down a narrow lane, Hilda and I were walking ahead, when
a bull came running towards us. Its chain was dragging behind him.
He must have escaped from the field. We ran back to Captain who
shouted "All in the hedge. All in the hedge!" So we all
hid. Later we saw a couple walking down the lane so we warned them
about the bull but they said they would be all right and carried
on walking. We don't know what happened to them. Our
mother was so wonderful. She looked after us all so well. Gave
us good food and kept us so clean and well behaved. I must mention
that she went through some very hard times when our dad was out
of work. Ivy and I, every Friday evening after school, went all
the way to Lee Green to a fish shop to buy giblets for her to make
a stew. If they didn't have any there we would go to Blackheath
village to a fish shop there to try to get her some -we were always
so very happy if we took something home for her. Another time we
went along to Skinners, which was at the end of Dacre Street ,
to get some shopping. On our way back the Silvertown explosion
happened. It was a terrible explosion; we just ran into someone's
house, we were so scared. Our mother was bathing the young ones.
She was so scared and frightened to know that we were out however
we did get back safely.
I do remember the day when dear Ivy had her little finger crushed
in a heavy door at the vicarage. We were all dressed up to go to
a party when Ivy had that dreadful accident. She was taken to hospital.
I remember going to the party but not enjoying it very much. Another
thing I remember about Ivy was when she attended the Rhone School
. On her way home one day, she -naughty girl- vaulted over some
pillars at the end of St Margaret's passage and fell flat on her
face and hurt herself very badly. By the time I got home she was
lying on the settee, I simply didn't recognise her for her face
was black and blue. She really did suffer. Ivy and I went through Lovers Lane one Sunday afternoon after
attending Church (Sunday school) at St. Margaret's. When we reached
the train bridge, we climbed through the fence and went down to
the stationary trains, which were by an orchard. After picking
some apples we took them into the first class compartment and ate
them. Goodness knows what would have happened if the train had
started to travel. We hurried home for Ivy's friend Lily was coming
to tea.
Another Sunday when we were at Sunday school,
held in Old Road . I was by then a schoolteacher. We were all
singing when down the aisle came Harry, dressed in a sailor outfit.
He carried a stick, swinging it backwards
and forwards he settled down and joined in with the rest of us.
Our two brothers, Arthur and Harry, were choirboys at St. Margaret's.
Reverend Gillingham was attending the church. He was so popular
that they had to put on two services in the evening. One at six
and one at seven. This very special evening Harry sung a solo "Oh
for the wings of a dove" the church was packed full, they
even had loud speakers outside. I shall always remember that evening
his voice was simply beautiful. If only we could have had a tape
of those two pieces. Another day after the service Harry, with the other choirboys,
climbed the steeple. Our dad who, was on his way to night work,
happened to see his son up the steeple, called him down. He was
so cross with Harry.
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