Second House in Cliff Avenue

We didn't last long in the old bungalow in Cliff Avenue, moving a few yards up and over the road in early 1951 to this large, semi-detached house with its deep, cool verandas. In hot weather, Richard and I moved to sleep on the upstairs veranda where we lay in bed watching a gekko catch moths attracted to the wall light, and listening to the squeak of the bats hunting in the darkness.

There were snakes in the garden but a mongoose sometimes came to stay in the concrete water meter box visible on the right of the house - my mother encouraged it by leaving out the occasional chicken's egg.

As with the bungalow, the house was rented by my father's company, the African Mercantile. They must have taken the whole house as the married couple in the other half, the Oxley-Boyles, were colleagues.

The car my father drove, a Morris Oxford, was also the firm's. Most cars in those days were black, a very unsuitable colour in such a hot, sunny climate, but the Morris was dark green.

This picture, taken on the downstairs veranda, must have been very early on in our time in the house as Susie, Richard's dog, is little more than a puppy, while....

....this one is some time later as Richard is in primary school school uniform. While Richard is rather out-of-focus, the tennis court in the big, detached house next door is clearly visible. It was owned by the National Bank of India and had been divided into two flats. The Bains lived in one of the flats, and Hamish Bain became a good friend. Amongst other things, the tennis court made a great racetrack for our bikes.

We were also friends with the two children in the other flat, and the four of us formed a gang whose fortress was on the corrugated iron roof of the servant's toilet at the back of the house - which must have thrilled the staff.

I can't remember the girl's name but the boy, left, was called David. He always struck us as one of the kindest people we had ever met. This picture was taken at the Swimming Club in 1954.