JEWISH
EAST END OF LONDON PHOTO GALLERY & COMMENTARY
London's East End Synagogues, cemeteries and more......
My personal journey through the Jewish East End of London
Jewish Walking tours with Phil - explore
your Jewish roots
If you would like me to
give you a guided walking tour of the Jewish East End of London or
perhaps of Jewish Soho in the West End of London, please get in touch:
Phil Read more
about my tours
here
A
letter from Andy Boxer that I liked so much its onits own own page.....Stoke
Newington....the Spanish Civil War.....the Krays etc.
Dear Phil,
I have just come across your wonderful website in the course of
doing some research into the East End of my parents (and my own
childhood). I very much enjoyed making my way through the articles
and memories within your site, and marvel at the hours of labour
that you must devote to its maintenance. Long may it continue.
My connection with the East End is through my father, Sydney (Shlomo)
Boxer, one of four children of an East European emigrant family. I
recall my father telling me of his father's ownership of grocer's
shops specialising in eggs, in Ridley Road and, I believe, Stamford
Hill.
My father attended the Central Foundation School in Cowper Street;
his parents were very friendly with the parents of Jacob Bronowski,
who was a year or two above him at the school. My father often used
to tell me of times when he would do his homework at the the
Bronowskis', under the supervision of Mrs.Bronowski.
I was born at 97 Evering Road, Stoke Newington, where I lived until
the age of 6. This is my only claim to fame as the Kray twins
murdered Jack McVitie in what had been our basement scullery (
albeit around 9 years after we moved away!). Some vivid memories of
my childhood remain: of being walked by my mother on an almost daily
basis to Ridley Road market; of the barrels of pickles and zinc
baths of live eels outside shops on Stamford Hill; having lunch
during school holidays at Shacklewell Lane School (though I actually
attended Bethnal Road School), and, peculiarly, of seeing a live
hippopotamus exhibited at what I think was an Easter fairground in
Lea Bridge Road!
Our closest friends in Stoke Newington were Fred and Sadie Thomas
(nee Schwartz), who remained close until their respective deaths
during the past ten years. They were both involved in the Battle of
Cable Street and Fred subsequently went to Spain to join the
International Brigade. He was a member of the British anti-tank
battalion, whose members included Miles Tomalin, father of the
author, Clare Tomalin. Sadie's younger brother, Max Nash, was killed
during the crossing of the Ebro. When they finally revisited Spain
after the death of Franco - accompanied by a BBC camera team - Sadie
was shown by another Ebro veteran the place where her brother died.
Fred subsequently wrote ' to Tilt at Windmills' - his memories of
the Civil War, which were based, uniquely, on the meticulous diaries
that he kept throughout his participation. These are now housed in
the Imperial War Museum archive together with a series of taped
interviews relating to his experiences. Having returned from Spain,
Fred trained as a teacher and taught firstly, at Northwold Road
School, and subsequently at Upton House Secondary School in Homerton
Row, when he became head of the English department. Among his pupils
were Arnold Wesker and Gerry Gable (editor of Searchlight), who on
one occasion bailed Fred out of police custody following an
anti-Mosley demonstration!
Apologies for these rather rambling memories - I'm in
'stream-of-consciousness' mode.
Best wishes,
Andy Boxer
