This photograph shows my brother Richard Charles Tucker sitting in Class 3 at Water Lane School. He looks about 8 years old in this photo.

My family lived in Stratford and father worked for the Great Eastern Railway at Stratford Works as a carriage examiner. My brother was born in 1922 and my sister Betty in 1924, then I came along ten years after that. We all went to the same school, which at that time was for boys and girls - but no mixed classes.

Richard is sitting on the right in the second row from the top, the second one in, wearing his jacket. He is smiling but take a look at the faces of the other boys, they don't look very happy. Some are not wearing socks and most of them are not wearing jackets.

The two men at the back look quite stern - is one the teacher and one the headmaster? Were you in this class or perhaps a member of your family were?

Sir Alan Sugar's first Apprentice in 2005

Campbell, a committed Christian, was brought up in Stratford by his single mother from Jamaica. He attended St Bonaventure's RC School where he got 3 A-Levels and 11 GCSEs. From 1996-2000 he was at Middlesex University where he got a BSc. in
Psychology.

He then worked on London Underground, where he fought his way into a management position and was one of the youngest people ever to become a manager there.

In 2005 he appeared in the television programme The Apprentice with Sir Alan Sugar, which he went on to win, this earned him a position working for Amstrad,

Having left Sir Alan Sugar's Amstrad, the first winner of The Apprentice, Tim Campbell is full of energy and focus as he spearheads the launch of a male grooming business and a number of charitable business pursuits. He was appointed a Child Ambassador for London by children's minister Beverley Hughes.

Roger who comes from Stratford and is an actor who starred in various television programmes. He is probably most well-known for his role as kitchen hand Everton in Lenny Henry's ‘Chef, and iin Holby City as the character of Harvey Tyson.

Throughout the 90s he appeared in many of the popular long running comedy / soaps on British screens, such as ‘Birds of a Feather' (1990), ‘Family Affairs' (1997), ‘Casualty' (1991 and again in 2001), ‘Heartbeat (2002). He was a semi-regular character D.S. Paul Timpney in ‘The Bill' (2000). He played  D.I. Riddick in Eastenders (2005) and has been in ‘Dr Terrible's House of Horrible'. Roger has also been involved in various stage performances and voice-overs. 

In addition to being a fine actor Roger is a trained professional chef and he is Co-proprietor of Quick Thyme Ltd, with Murle Stewart, which manufactures Caribbean Food.

Former Heavy Weight Champion of the World

Lewis was born in Stratford, London on 2 September 1965 to a single-parent mother. He endured a difficult childhood that included a five-year separation from his mum, to whom he remains very close, while she built a new life for herself in Canada. Mother and son were reunited in Ontario when Lennox was 12.

He had a successful Canadian amateur record that climaxed when he boxed for Team Canada at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. He won the gold medal in the super-heavyweight division after a knocking out Riddick Bowe.  Interestingly enough, Bowe, after winning the heavyweight championship from Evander Holyfield in 1992, refused to fight Lennox again and as a result was stripped of the WBC title. It was then awarded to Lewis.

Lewis returned to England in 1989 and made his professional debut at The Royal Albert Hall on June 27 and proceeded to seize 20 victories - 17 being by straight knockouts.

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.

I am currently researching my family tree and within papers which were left by my nan there is a paper cutting with a photo in respect of the funeral of Bill Smith from the late 70's or early 80's.  No one seems to know how this Bill was related to my nan but by the surname and timing I believe that Bill was my nan's first cousin.  The cutting reads as follows;

"Hundreds of gipsies from all over the country came to Stratford for the huge funeral of Bill Smith, 59, who lived in Clays Lane.  Car loads followed the horses drawn hearse to West Ham cemetery for the service.

If I am right that Bill was my nan's first cousin his gf would have been George Smith (c1864) and his uncle would have been William Edmund Smith (1886) born in Stratford.

A new church was built in West Ham Lane, E.15 in 1869 for the Christian Unitarians.

In 1885 a hall was added and in 1910 other rooms. London Unitarians including the Durning –Lawrence family gave finical aid. From 1912 to 1933 members of the Pioneer Preachers served the church.

It was bombed in 1940 and was not used again until rebuilt in 1946.

Abbey Road Board School was opened in 1881, and was extended in 1885 and 1893. It was a school up to 1938 and at the outbreak of World War two; it was the used as the London Fire Region “J” District Control.

The building it self was hit in 1944.

After the war it was demolished and a Housing estate for West Ham Council was built on the site.

There has been a works depot at Bridge/Abbey Road for West Ham/Newham Council for over 100 years. The first depot opened at Bridge Road/Abbey Road in 1896.

It was first described as West Ham Corporation Stables.

In 1100AD, a bridge was built across the Channelsea River to avoid the dangerous crossing of the River Lea at Old Ford by Queen Matailda, who was the wife of King Henry.

The word Stratford means `Street over the Ford`.