I went to Brunswick Park Primary School in Camberwell, London, where I was very happy both at home and school - even though our home was very modest indeed. We had no bathroom, just a metal tub dragged out into the middle of the kitchen once a week and filled from the tap.

CAMBERWELL was a great place for a kid. My Mum often took me on a short bus ride up to Tower Bridge, the Tower, the South Bank and so on. Her parents lived in Charlton and so we often went there and to Greenwich Park, a stunningly-beautiful and historic part of London with its Royal Observatory, National Maritime Museum, Cutty Sark and tunnel under the Thames - AND not far from Woolwich and its fascinating ferry where you could go below deck and see the engines-room through an observation window. There was a super swimming-pool and it was not far either from Ruskin Park. From an early age I went all over the place on roller-skates and later on a scooter my Dad and I made ourselves from bits of wood and ball-bearings. Most importntly, there was a public librarynot far away from which I could borrow books even aged only 8 or so.

BRUNSWICK PARK wa a super school. I can only remember two teachers: Mr Ward and Mr Dukes. The former was an elderly chap who made us learn our times table up to 12 by heart and gave us a spalling test EVERY DAY.