Hi Folks, for the 10 years I lived in Heaton St, from 1949, the street, from the rear entrance to Icknield St School towards The Flat, was very much road of two halves. The school side were more upper market properties owned by private landlords (and I guess there must have been some owner-occupiers) and my side was the council owned properties. The private houses seemed, in may cases, to have a more transient population and I developed a friendship with a lad about my age (8 or 9) who lived in one of those houses, his family seemed quite well-off (he was always smartly dressed and seemed to want for nothing in the toy stakes), I never knew which school he went to (it may have been a private school, dose anyone know where the nearest private school was in 1957?).
Anyway, I, like most of my contemporaries, was heavily engaged in building Airfix plastic kits, I remember the first one was a German Stuka (I just liked the look of it), they cost 2/- from Woolworth's which for me then was about 2 weeks pocket money. I'd built a few of these planes by now and they were proudly displayed on my mantlepiece. I thought my friend over the road might like one to display on his dressing table so I procured a Spitfire with 2 weeks pocket money and after I had assembled it I proudly took it to his house, he was alone (probably illegal at aged 8) and knocked on the door.
He answered, I explained what I had done and he was delighted. He asked me in and I followed him upstairs, those houses had a nice long landing and I watched him carry my precious Spitfire, complete with a stand, to a chest of drawers at the end of the landing where he carefully placed it down. I wasn't sure what was coming next
but I didn't have to wait long - he disappeared into his bedroom and emerged a few seconds later with an air-rifle, he walked back to where I was standing, turned around,
took aim and shot the Spitfire to bits!
I was absolutely speechless!
What happened to our friendship after that? Can't really remember but one thing is for sure
I never made him any more model planes!
Regards.
Peg.
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