OUR feature on the old Salfords School, which stood on Petridgewood Common in Earlswood, has sparked yet more memories.
Eric Edge, of Arbutus Road, Meadvale, has been in touch with Yesteryear to relate his reminiscences.
He writes: "Your article on Salfords School brought back memories for me. I attended from mid-1938 until August 1940, as we had moved from Brentford, in Middlesex, as my father then worked for MDS Crusader Works, which had premises next to Cross Oak Lane, or part of the old Phillips Radio Works.
"During the war years, a large air raid shelter was built on the common north of the school, for use by the public. I did go down there but it was damp, very dark and gloomy. My father told me he would rather die in his bed at home than go down there.
"I left the school in August 1940 to attend St John's School, as I was 11 years old that September.
"During August or September of that year, the north-east corner of the school, and the toilets, were badly damaged by a blast from a bomb hitting the A23 and the school was closed for some months while repairs were carried out.
"I remember my younger brother thinking he would miss school for a time, but volunteers opened their houses for education to continue.
"If my memory serves me correctly, the headmistress at the time was a Miss or Mrs Atherton, and the teachers I am able to remember were a Miss Licence, who lived in Earlswood, and a Miss Kick or Keek.
"There was also a large oak tree outside the northern boundary that was reported to be over 100 years old. I cannot remember if this survived.
"There was a rumour at the time that a despatch rider was killed in the explosion, but I haven't any evidence of this.
"I would like to read the memories of anyone who attended that school at the time."
It is possible that the bomb damage at Salfords School, which Mr Edge describes was caused by the bomb that fell near the Nag's Head, Horley Road, South Earlswood, on Monday, September 23rd 1940, although censorship of the information at the time made it necessary for newspapers, such as the Surrey Mirror, to report on damage only vaguely and not to reveal too much information as to the location of the damage, should the data be useful to the enemy.
Certainly, we know that two bombs fell near the "Nag's Head", on the A23 at 8pm that day. One failed to explode and was "missing" for three hours, until an explosion occurred in the Disposal Works' allotments. The first bomb fractured the gas and water mains, the former catching fire, which was quickly put out by the Auxiliary Fire Service (AFS) from a nearby post.
The Brighton Road was blocked for a while by a fallen tree.
Mr Edge, who at the time lived with his large family at 92 Horley Road, opposite Hanworth Road, said that he was born in Chiswick and went to a school in Brentford which was run by nuns.
After he moved to St John's School, Redhill Common, his younger brother, Ronald, continued his education at Salfords and went back to the repaired school on the common.
The old school continued to take pupils until the spring of 1961 when it closed for good – the pupils being transferred to the newly-built school in Copsleigh Avenue.
