Acton History Group Essay Competition

The prize-winning essay reproduced

Acton History Group hold a competition each year for all school pupils in Acton. This year's subject was 'Transport in Acton' and three local schools selected the three best essays from each school. The essays are displayed in St Mary's Church.

Last year, five schools entered the competition. Since participating schools receive £100 from Acton Charities Educational Foundation for their school, it is hoped that more schools will participate next year.

Particular congratulations go to the following children whose wonderful work was selected as the best in their school:

Berrymede
Zahraa Balhas
Eloise Fraser-Hurley
Nimo Mahamed

Derwentwater
Dylan Browne-Wilkinson
Millie Buckingham
Niddah Sultan

West Acton
Mehdi Kabi
Abigail Smith
Mika Treszczynski

Actonw3.com donated a prize to the winning essay. It was a very hard decision to choose whose essay was best. All the children worked extremely hard to produce some excellent work.

The prize-winning essay is by Millie Buckingham, a pupil at Derwentwater Primary School. We chose her essay because it was a remarkably original piece of research - an interview with 'Charming Charlie of Shakespeare Road'. Millie had made great efforts with her artwork which we really liked, too.

Millie's essay is reproduced below. The names of the runners up are also listed below:

Transport during the war  

Charming Charlie of Shakespeare Road

An Interview  

18 - then

88 - now  

- Charlie worked in Park Royal at a factory, making parts of spit fires.  

- There was only one car visible in Shakespeare Rd owned by Mr Ram at 87. It was an old Ford.  

- In the war Charlie travelled by tram, his single ticket cost 1 penny. He got a return ticket 'workman's ticket' for 2 pennies to the factory.  

- Seats on the tram were wooden and the back parts were reversible.  

- The only other man who had a car in Cumberland Park was called Mr Wallis, he had a Rolls Royce, it was brown but got sold to someone in America.  

- There was a Boys School in Cumberland Park. It was called Lancaster House, a boarding school.  

- There was also a girls school in Grafton Road.  

- The people who lived in my house, 83 Shakespeare Road were people called the Hudsons.      

- Where the garage is now there was a swimming pool, then a billiard hall, then it was a place where soldiers had their meals.  

- Many people took the bus or rode their bikes, or motorbikes.  

- There were three air fields in Park Royal, now this is where the Warner Cinema Village is.  

- The Spitfires made by Charlie and his workmates are famous all over the world as they won the Battle of Britain.  

The End  

By: Millie Buckingham

October 5, 2007