Harold Hill: A People's History
Guestbook

David Joseph Draper

I moved to Harold Hill about 1950/51, at age 11, with my mother, stepfather (Albert Draper), two younger brothers by my own father (Albert Edward Worboys,divorced from my mother in 1945/6) a half-sister and baby half-brother (by my stepfather) about 1950/51. We moved into 3 Retford Path. Everything around us was under construction and most of my playground was the building sites or the local patches of woods that had been left after clearing. My first school was Romford Technical College but I did not last long there - I think because I was totally incompatible with it and possibly because my stepfather was mentioned in a local newspaper for stealing and being gaoled.

I then went to Pettit's Lane, Romford and fitted in almost automatically.

From there I went to Harrowfields (on Harold Hill) to complete my final year to age 15 and passed all of my final year exams.

One of the best things about Harrowfields was the enormous forest at it's doorstep in which I spent many hours simply enjoying the peace and tranquillity away from my home, which had become miserable with poverty, due to the fact that my stepfather was in gaol again for stealing.

It was left to me, the eldest, to help my mother support the rest of the family while he, my stepfather, was in gaol.

In 1953/4 he got caught stealing again and looked liked going back to gaol for a much longer period if my mother hadn't had the notion of pleading with the magistrate to be lenient so that we could come to Australia on the ten pound migrant scheme.

I am married now and my wife and I have been together nearly 47 years, we have had five kids and they have given us eight grandchildren.

I am retired, having spent most of my working life in Law Enforcement (I have brilliant insight into the criminal mind)

I remember Harold Hill and it's beautiful surroundings; my final year at "Harrowfields" set me right for my future in Australia.

I often think of what my life may have been if my family in Harold Hill had been the normal kind and we had been able to enjoy the facilities of an extremely well built functional, comfortable home.