I found this picture of the Elgin Avenue squats and by total pure coincidence, it is of the one I lived in!!!

I was on the top floor, middle house, front left window. I used to try to grow herbs (no, not weed, just herbs like rosemary, thyme etc to cook with) in that window box

I lived in Elgin Avenue in the squats in the early 70s. I have no idea of time and dates then as I was such a huge mess then.

But it must have been before 1975. As in 1975 I went to the Henderson, a theraputic community, https://www.bpc.org.uk/magazine/Henderson for a year, until late 76. And got myself together and I never lived like that again.

I was young then, I am now 66.

But as a homeless then young woman then living on the streets, it saved my life......... pretty much.

Those squats saved a whole lot of us.

And thanks to Piers Corbyn. Jeremy Corbyn's brother who then was a housing activist and was the brain behind it all and organized and ran the Elgin Avenue and many other squats .

I cannot remember which number exactly I lived at exactly but I was on the top floor flat of that house, in the picture.

And I remember the phone box was almost just outside my building, it was just out of the picture to the right.

And if I kept my window open I could hear it ring. And arranged my family and friends to ring it at designated times. No mobile phones then!!

My house/flat mate was Joe. He seemed to think he owned that top floor flat,?

He did not of course as it was a frigging squat, but it seemed, he thought he did??

The top floors were a premium place to be in as then you were well out of the smell from the drains and the rubbish that was pilled 6ft+ high in the back gardens.

As no one took our rubbish then so we had no option and just threw it out of the windows into the back garden. Or threw it on the other rubbish in the street, as I did.

Sorry it is so dire but that was how it then was.

He only let me in to stay in 'his' flat as he wanted to get into my knickers, which he did as I could not care less then as all I wanted is to not be sleeping on on the streets.

But he soon got bored with me, thankfully.................

But the guy actually had notches he scratched on his head board of his bed!!!! in fours i.e III III III III etc, etc and then crossed out - I think I was about number 30? or so.

I was so very relived when he got tired of me

The daft thing is he actually had a very nice and very posh and pretty rich girlfriend at the time? He probably married her......... Hi Joe

She even had a car that she would arrive in and park outside. Pretty unknown for women to have their own car then.

Such a very well dressed, posh and very gentile and a lovely young woman. But how could she not know what a predator he was??

But she had to have seen his notches? How could she not??

She slept in his bed too when visiting him??

Yet she continued to be so nice to me?? She had to have known?? She had to know what an utter predator he was??

So I stole her ring, her gold ring that he gave her. She left it in the kitchen when washing up, so I took it ....................

Then I threw it into a bin,.............it was during a dustbin strike, one of many at that time LOL!! So I knew it would never be found and it never was.

I did not want it for any money, just to get my own back.

They spent so many hours looking for it. With me enjoying and so laughing to myself.

Surprisingly they never suspected me.?? As they knew I would never be interested in selling it for money.~~

But I was so mad and so took it, and then dumped it??

Not me at all I do not do and have never since done this sort of stuff. I am very honest and do not and never did steal, well never from any individual.

I would rather starve and I have starved rather than do that

BUT, this was different! This was frigging revenge!!!

They never got it back or realised I could have taken it?

As they knew well I was honest............... and actually I was, very.

But I wanted to hurt him for what he was doing and had done to me. And they thought me harmless?

It represented for me that he treated her with such real respect and even bought her expensive stuff, the ring was only a small thing he bought for her

But me, he did not respect me, not one frigging iota.

I was just something to wank into.

For a few months he used to fuck me whenever he got the urge, any time of the day or night and I let him as anything was better than going back on the streets.

Had I been more together I would have realized I could have taken it to the squatting community and got another flat to stay in.

And he may have even been chucked out as he never needed to be there?? Joe was working full time. I think in banking or similar would you believe??? And he had, comparatively to the rest of us then, lots of money!!

But he was a chancer. He did anything to save money and have more to put in his bank, including living in a squat when he could have afforded to rent.

He also had a side line buying drugs in bulk as he had the money to do that and then selling the drugs, that he himself did not take. He did smoke weed but nothing else. So he bought that and other much harder drugs. coke ,morphine, Heroin and also LSD in bulk and sold to other poor squatters, in very small packets at extortionate prices.

A very nasty man that was only living here for what he could gain for himself!!

Well at first he used me for sex, but gradually thankfully he soon got tired of that.

As I just turned my head and showed no interest,

Even he got sick of that.

I had done it for money elsewhere, but on my own terms. I learned that at least

We as young and homeless, women were so then so very vulnerable.~

But then it was us,

But now its women from all over the world are now targeted. All vulnerable are now at risk.~

OK not me now......thankfully not now?? And not for many years.

And who would ever want an old boiler like me now LOL?? Thankfully not and I have long turned my life around. And partly thanks to being able to get off the streets and into that squat

People like Piers and Jeremy Corbyn had their hearts right. In the right place.

Not sure about Piers Corbyn now as he seems to be off on one these days. But he sure did then.

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/photography/new-photography-exhibition-shows-the-tough-reality-of-the-now-barely-legal-squatting-movement-a6695946.html