From: Kath Corbitt
by email
I was interested in the letter about the scrapyard in Fenham Road. As a child during the thirties I took rags, newspapers and empty jam jars that I collected from various households in the area to Dick’s scrapyard in Elcot Avenue where the proprietors were Harry Fuller and his wife. They always gave a good price for whatever I took along, but didn’t accept any jam jars other than round ones.
The yard had an indescribable odour of old rotting rags mixed with the smell of sticky jam jars which were never washed out before I was given them. There were wasps and bluebottles in abundance. Heaven knows what germs were lurking there, but they never made me ill. Neither did frequent immersion of my hands in canal water. Natural immunity I suppose!
Among the reading material I received I often found a Happy Mag, or perhaps it was a Holiday Mag, I can’t remember which, and these always featured a “William” story by Richmal Crompton. These were mine; the ragshop didn’t get them as I was a “William” fan. I still have eight of the books in hardback which I bought thirty years ago. They were originally printed in the twenties and reprinted in the forties.
I’m so glad that I discovered the Peckham Society, a bit late in life but better late than never. I now look forward to each edition which brings back many memories of my former home. Congratulations to you all on an excellent job.
