Image #2
This photogrpgh contains contains the figure of John of Sienna at Mother's left shoulder and above, the spirit of Julia who lost in life at age 4 years. Len is 7 years old, just before the bombing blitz of London, my Sister was aged 4 years. I was dressed in a sailor?s suit, partly because my Mother’s Father was a boson in the Merchant Navy, and was killed in 1914-1918 war when my mother was only 3 years old, his name was Charles Robert Wade. His name is not found under British Military personnel, for he was Merchant seaman, sailing under the New Zealand flag (a long sad story)...
It was a bright warm sunny March 1st the day I was born, at a small maternity hospital on Commercial St. at the rear of the Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel Rd. London E1. This hospital was the centre of the film The Elephant Man (Joseph Merrick)
My many memories go back: - I remember being weighed on a baby’s scale, in baby?s and antenatal clinic, held in Knapp Road School on Bow Common. At the age of 3-4 years with my friend Derek Gardner we would hold onto the tail boards of the carts drawn by the Shire horses. When, one day hanging on a cart I heard a voice say go home (the voice of my teacher), so I let go, with some stumbling, followed by Derek, who asked why are you going home, when I told him I have to go, he replied I’m staying it’s fun, Derek was killed shortly after.
Ada Tomkins, was a great Aunt, the wife of Freddie Tompkins my Granny Wades brother who was killed in Ireland during the uprising. Ada, would have one of her daughters come to our house, at # 1 Hawgood St. to ask my Mother if I could go to her Mother’s house on Box Street, to talk to her dead husband Freddie. After I had finished giving off to her, she would give me a penny, I often wondered why Ada wanted me, for my Granny Spicer who used give sittings, lived on Gale St. in the same block. As I got older I knew, The Voice many, many years later introduced its self as John, later as John of Sienna.