One fine day in 1938 a small boy was placed in his push chair, a wood and canvas affair with six inch wire spoked and  hard rubber tyred wheels. He was pushed down a long road with iron railings along its length and it was probably the incidence of the railings, perhaps with light flashing through them or maybe their repetitive shadows which caused the incident to be remembered. He carried with him his favourite toy: a brightly painted wooden "monkey on a stick" By pulling on a cord, or perhaps a lever, he was able to make the monkey climb the stick. David, for that was his name,liked opereating that toy for he was in control and could decide when the monkey would climb and when descend. At the time all other decisions were made for him and thus were outside of his control.

Trams, as well as a form of transport were also a point of civic pride for a lot of Local Councils, and West Ham Corporation was no exception.

The tram would also be used to celebrate major events, and before the open top bus ride which we see now days when the local football team has a major success, an open top tram would be used.

When ever the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Intuition) is mentioned, most peoples memories go back to the seaside and the sight of a large orange Lifeboat racing down a slipway, her brave crew off to face the perils of the sea, the danger captured in Phil Coulter famous song “Home from the Sea”, but not many would think of Canning Town and the River Thames!

The last part of the series on West Ham Speedway is on the 1971 season, the last ever full season raced at Custom House Stadium.

I`m seeking to contact my infant school music teachers from Hartley School, Hartley Avenue, East Ham E6, London.  A female music teacher and a male pianoist teaching between 1970-1971 any names? contact me.  

This is a story written by my Late Great Uncle Horace (Ted) Barber of the beginning of his life as a tugboat man on the River Thames. Eventually he came to own a fleet of tugs.

" I was born on 4th January 1892.

When I was thirteen and in the Ex 7th Class I went to school in Stratford one Saturday to pass what was known as the Labour Examination. If you passed you were entitled to go to work at the age of thirteen instead of fourteen. Having passed, I made up my mind I would go on the water the day I was fourteen. On that day I strolled down to the Victoria Dock.

There were two barges moored in between two Dolphins, which supported the gangway. Also it was by tugs crew to relieve. In fact it was used by everyone to get in and out of their craft awaiting to go go up the river or in the docks. This was private property and belonged to William Cory and sons Ltd.

With Speedway celebrating it's 80th year, and West Ham 80th Anniversary of the opening of both the sport and the stadium at the end of July, I though it would be nice to go back 40 years and see what the Hammers were doing in the 40th year of Speedway racing.

When the 1968 season opened, the team had returned to celebrate 40 years of Speedway in Great Britain.

The programme cover from the last east London match of the 1968 season which is refered to in the item `40 years of Speedway`. Althought not truly Newham, Hackney stadium is not in Hackney, it is in E.15, Stratford, and the captain of Lea Bridge for the night was West Ham and Scotland's captain, Ken McKinlay.

When you have reached the top, the only way is down, but the Hammers did not quite see it that way.

In 1966 we reached the quarter final of the KO cup, losing to Halifax, who ended up as the 1966 Triple Crown Champions, winning the British League, the K/O Cup and the Northern Cup. It is still quite rare for a team to win the triple, and even more rare for a triple crown to be won two seasons in a row by two different teams, must be something to do with the Red, White and Blue race jackets!