I was born in spitafields in 1933 at 19 wilkes street. my parents at first only had one room on the second floor (5 shillings a week rent) but then when my brother was born they got the other room that is on the same floor. Rent now 7 shillings and 6 pence. plus 4 children . my faather was jewish but my mother catholic and we were brought up as jews but when we were evacuated in 1939 we dropped it all we moved out of spitafields in 1941. I went to jewish infants school starting at 3 yrs old . my 2 older sisters went to jewish free school. . The move away was to East Ham an area that was very smart then but did not have the character that Spitalfields had . My father never mentally left it and continued to work there till he died and always went there at weekends for a drink . My mother used to say the money he spent there he could have bought a brewery.

Fay Bonner, Romford,