Southall 830-1982

                                                            ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

After I had written my two previous efforts into Southall’s history — Growing up with Southall from 1904 and The Maypole and Southall Green — I have come to realise that so great are the changes which have taken place over the past twenty years that, if this continues over the next decade, very little will be left of Southall that will be recognisable. So, here is a book; it is not meant to be history in any regularised form but just an appraisement of some of the early days and early folk who have figured in making Southall’s history.

                  Dates you will find a-plenty and, as usual, one comes across the problem of duplication, so I make no apologies if, in some cases, you differ. Quietly pencil in your own version!

                  There are so many to thank for help given the Southall Reference Staff for the loan of photographs and documents; Southall Chamber of Commerce, the British Legion, photographs; Miss M. Barnett, Mrs E. Neighbour, Mr W. Fuell and Mr S. Hayes, Featherstone Road School and Band, history; Mr Vale, Scout history ; Mr Shergold for help with photography; and Mrs Hoskins, who has had the unenviable job of typing my script and correcting my very poor grammar. If there are, and I know there must be, others whom I have not mentioned by name will they please accept my thanks, at least they will have helped to record Southall’s past history.

                  The last thirty years have been the hardest to record, and I have tried my best to be non-racial but, if, in any way, I have caused offence to our new Southallians it has been done without malice or forethought.