Ronald Leedham

Ronald Leedham was born in 1929 in India. His family moved back to England in 1931after Ronald contracted Polio. Ronald spent some years in Hospital as a young child after contracting Diptheria. When he was six he returned home to Catford for a short while to live with his father, eventually ending up living in ‘homes for crippled children’ run by the Shaftesbury Society, until he was sixteen.

Greyness

Here Ronald describes a trip to London during the war.

The Glow over London

Here Ronald describes sheltering in the church hall during an air raid.

Boys and girls together

Here Ron talks about two ways in which his school life could have been better.

Shelter

Here Ron talks about the whole school sheltering in a small cellar.

Buzz Bombs and Doodlebugs

Here Ron describes the effects of relentless bombings on school life.

Explosives

Here Ron describes discovering unexploded bombs.

Dogfight

Ron describes arriving at his second wartime school.

Sheltering in the Church

Ron describes being led through the woods to shelter.

War starts

Here Ron remembers the school’s preparation for air attacks.

Incendiaries in the park

Here Ron describes finding bombs in the park.

Beatings

Here Ron describes one abusive teacher.

Difficult subject

Here Ron talks about sex education at school.

Awful Sundays

Here Ron remembers the indignity of being marched to church.

No talking

Here Ron talks about bedtime at 7 pm for teenagers.

Oliver Twist and donk

Here Ron describes asking for more jam.

Geography

Here Ron describes learning geography during the daily wartime news discussions.

Visiting every six weeks

Here Ron describes Sunday afternoon visiting for parents.

‘Mummy coming’

Here Ron describes traumatic visiting times in hospital as a young child.

Mum

Here Ron talks about being told of his mum’s death.

I Knew Nothing About Life

Here Ronald describes the lasting impact of school on life afterwards.

Shut Away and Tipped Out

Here Ronald shares his feelings that animals are treated better than disabled children.

Shame

Here Ron describes his sense of self-identity as a young person.

A Miserable Time

Here Ron talks about the advice he was given when he left school.

Certificates

Here Ronald talks about having no certification for exams from his school days.

Home

Here Ronald talks about his time in hospital as a young child.

Visits

Here Ronald talks about visits from his dad and being given the news of his mother’s death.

Lead Soldiers

Here Ronald talks about his memories of leaving home and being institutionalised.

Parlour Songs

Here Ronald recalls some of the Parlour songs he was taught at school.

Cricket at Sevenoaks

Here Ronald talks about playing cricket.

The Walk to Church on Sunday

Here Ronald describes the shame he felt every Sunday when he walked to church with school.