andy.strowman1@gmail.com

There was some overt anti-Semitic bullying from the other boys, not from my year but from the year above us. It reached a peak one day and I couldn’t take any more so I took a Stanley knife to school and threatened to use it when surrounded by the usual suspects, I was never bothered again. It horrifies me to this day that I did such a thing, I know I would never have used it but I was pushed to my limits.

We used to go to Rutland Street school daily for our Kosher lunches but had to run the gauntlet of anti-Jewish taunts and threats from the boys of Dempsey Street school. I still have one dear friend from those days at Raines, another Jewish boy who lived in Mile End, we’re still close and meet regularly and holiday in Israel together.

Thank you for your wonderful contribution in the form of your poetry and documentation of your early life.

There is, as people can guess, so much more, and that the events at school and at home, laid the template for lack of confidence, further serious abuse and inability to hold down a job, massive distrust and fear of authority, and almost seraphim idealism of the perfect friend. Finally, groups are largely an anathema to me.

I thank anyone reading this and if anyone wants to write to me they can at andy.strowman1@gmail.com.

Mr Bark was my form teacher and the one I talked about. A very special man.
Mr Lines the PE teacher saved my life.
Andy

I was born in 1947 and attended Davenant Foundation Grammar School from 1958. My family name at that time was Goldstein. I lived in Stamford Hill and travelled to school on the 653 bus.

For all I know we may have been classmates.

I too remember the brutal teachers some of whom delighted in terrorising the pupils. I remember Physon, Philpot , Shimmy Rosen and others.( I may have misspelt their names). I recall being whipped with bunsen burner tubing, having the lid of my desk slammed down on my head and having black board erasers thrown at me. However i did receive a solid education .

The only caring teacher I can recall was Bark the geography teacher who was an ex fighter pilot. He showed compassion and interest.

This behaviour would not be tolerated today…the good old days??

with all good wishes

Raymond

The Gentle Author wrote about my late father on his blog entitled The Lost Whitechapel Boy..you may wish to read it.

It is as if I am a ghost reading my own story.
Stephen you suffered too. I am sorry for that.
There is so much more to say and I thank G-d I survived. At least eight times in my life I have been close to death.

Stephen I was at Davenant 1964 till 1969.

I would encourage anyone to paint, or write, or tell someone what it is that they are holding onto for long.

What happened in Whitechapel I never found anywhere else.
If I wrote it all would anyone believe me?

However, we had good times too, and sharing fun, and singing in the public baths at Mile End. Now a place to help people with HIV.

Having a tiny tray of monkey nuts on a Friday night while we watched “Take your pick” and “Bootsie and Snudge on the television.”

The Gentle Author has taken my life and many others and given us back the dignity the authorities took away from us.

G-d bless him.