Maureenk
New Member
hi I was born in New John street West a long time ago.
Up an entry with six houses and an old toilet in the yard to share.
All my relations lived within 10 minutes of each other.
My dad was in the army and my mom worked at an ammunition factory and started at 16 years old.
They met after the war. My dad served in Asia, Africa the Congo etc. he was demobbed at the age of 21 years old.
He lied about his age and signed up early.
He met my mom through his sister who was going out with my moms brother who also got demobbed and yes they all got married.
He arrived at Snow Hill station and after being in Africa he said looking at the bombed houses all grey he said Africa was so beautiful with colour.
They lived with my dad's nan in a tiny tiny small back house. 1 back of 32 New John St. West.
I had a brother one year older than me and we all lived together in a two small bedroom house. My dads nan died in the first year, she was very old.
God Bless her. But they had a roof over them.
The toilet was with a seat and bucket for six houses. One night my dad got a sledge hammer and demolished them so the council had to put new toilets in With pull chains and flush. hurray. But still outside in the yard.
My mom had a near miss one day in the war ,She was coming from work and the sirens went so she had to shelter in Blue Street Park by Newtown or Pritchard St.( don't know if the spelling is right.) all she remembers is a flash of blue light and was knocked out. The warden came in to see if everyone was ok. Life just carried on.
My dad had relatives going back to 18 hundreds in Brum. The back of the fire station were houses and my dad's relative who owned a lodging house was found dead at the bottom of the stairs in unusual circumstances.?
In those days people did not travel far, to go to Bridgenorth was a holiday for us in an old caravan. They also took a large bell tent that was used in the army.
All the men slept in the tent and all the women and children in the caravan. About 12 of us altogether. My dad and uncles fished for eels. (Not for me me thank you. They made jellied eels.
Later in the fifties we went to Cliftonville or Margate. Loved it.
Tell you more later.
Up an entry with six houses and an old toilet in the yard to share.
All my relations lived within 10 minutes of each other.
My dad was in the army and my mom worked at an ammunition factory and started at 16 years old.
They met after the war. My dad served in Asia, Africa the Congo etc. he was demobbed at the age of 21 years old.
He lied about his age and signed up early.
He met my mom through his sister who was going out with my moms brother who also got demobbed and yes they all got married.
He arrived at Snow Hill station and after being in Africa he said looking at the bombed houses all grey he said Africa was so beautiful with colour.
They lived with my dad's nan in a tiny tiny small back house. 1 back of 32 New John St. West.
I had a brother one year older than me and we all lived together in a two small bedroom house. My dads nan died in the first year, she was very old.
God Bless her. But they had a roof over them.
The toilet was with a seat and bucket for six houses. One night my dad got a sledge hammer and demolished them so the council had to put new toilets in With pull chains and flush. hurray. But still outside in the yard.
My mom had a near miss one day in the war ,She was coming from work and the sirens went so she had to shelter in Blue Street Park by Newtown or Pritchard St.( don't know if the spelling is right.) all she remembers is a flash of blue light and was knocked out. The warden came in to see if everyone was ok. Life just carried on.
My dad had relatives going back to 18 hundreds in Brum. The back of the fire station were houses and my dad's relative who owned a lodging house was found dead at the bottom of the stairs in unusual circumstances.?
In those days people did not travel far, to go to Bridgenorth was a holiday for us in an old caravan. They also took a large bell tent that was used in the army.
All the men slept in the tent and all the women and children in the caravan. About 12 of us altogether. My dad and uncles fished for eels. (Not for me me thank you. They made jellied eels.
Later in the fifties we went to Cliftonville or Margate. Loved it.
Tell you more later.
