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Thanks to Pat Ladd, of Holt, for his memories of Newtown Infants School in the 1930s, featured in Down Memory Lane on March 21.

On the back row from left, he identifies Dennis Cowling, ??, Brian Neale, whose father was the manager of WHSmith, Pat Ladd, ??, Graham White, ??, Bernard Cox, Brian Harding, ??, Tony Rolf, who died a few years later.

Mr Ladd said: "Apart from Garry Parkins and Gerald Sherman I don't recognise any more of the boys. In the front rank of the girls, I believe Doreen Jones is fourth from left. Behind her is June? Hayward and on her left is Pat Watts.

"What a happy bunch we look, considering how deprived we were. How did we manage? No TV, no DVD, no CDs, GameBoys or iPods. No cars for most of us. No teaching aids - just a blackboard and chalk and learning by rote. Yet I cannot remember any of us who couldn't read, write or do sums when we left for Park Street School.

"There were no grassed areas. We played on asphalt playgrounds. Grazed knees and elbows were normal.

"We swapped fag' cards, shot alleys', played conkers, skipped ran, fell down, fought, got black eyes and bloody noses, we slid on our boots with Blakeys studs hammered into them. No health and safety minions trying to stop us because we might get hurt. No one threatening to sue the school or other parents.

"There is no doubt we had the best of it. Would I do it all again? You bet I would."

10:16am Thursday 3rd April 2008

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