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Bordesley green

Brummie Nick,

Ernie Boswell was my cousin. He lived at 86, Fourth Avenue He was a POW of the Japanese and was not very well at all after his return and he died comparatively young. He was a smashing chap.

How did you know him?

Old Boy
 
My Sister, & Brother In Law worked with him at Faulkes the furriers, I met him a few times myself, as you say he was a smashing chap.


Nick
 
Hi brummiegaffer. Yes, Im up here now. Been here for 32 years. Was born in a house in Fordrough Lane in ,49. Left brum in ,77. Us brummies certainly get about dont we? How did you go with the search for anything to do with Bordesley? Any good? I hope so. You will find that this forum is full of very friendly, helpful folk, whos sole aim in life seems to be helping other brummies around the world. ITS GREAT. Barry.
 
Hi,
I knew the Goughs from Prince Albert Street, Peter went to school with my brother John and Phillip is the same age as me. The two sisters who lived at the outdoor in Norwood Road were Angela and Paula Garrett. Paula was in my class at Bordesley Green Girls School. Does anyone remember the Beckett family from Victoria Street and the Turners from Whitehall Road?
Plenty of happy memories. We too used to dress our neighbour up as a guy fawkes but we were on the corner of Whitehall Road and Bordesley Green and we did really well with the amount of money we collected lol.
 
Nice to hear from you yes they lived next door to us the goughs , i did see pat recently they have a b and b in coleshill we don t live there now moved to folkestone lovely down here
but we have snow at the moment where do you live
 
Hi d38 thanks for that it was Angela and Paula , I remember the Becketts Peter , Phil and Linda do you remember the Hacketts from Victoria Street . About 20 years ago now someone tpld me Peter had died but I still don,t know that for a fact and I was also told he had married the elder sister from the outdoor Angela , I think . Turner rings a bell but I cam't place the family . I used to live in Grange Road and I went to school with Peter Gough , did your brother go to Alston Road regards Bernie
 
the avenue pub closed down on 4th january and is no longer a pub, still waiting to see what its going to be
 
Hi,
I used to live in Whitehall Road before moving down to Bordesley Green East. My mother was a childhood friend of Mrs Gough but the last I heard Dorothy Gough wasn't very well. My brother went to Alston Road Boys School. Angela Garrett was going out with Peter when I was at school. Linda lives in Redditch and I see her sometimes when I'm out shopping.
 
Hi d38 do you remember the Guyetts from Whitehall Road I used to knock about with Terry he had sisters Jenny , Margret and Jill and brothers Ken and Ray also remember Alan Grimmitt and sister , may have been Peggy
 
Hi Berniew,

I remember the name but I think they must have lived at the Small Heath side of Whitehall Road and we were down the other end. How about the Fishers? Sheila, Betty, John, Paul, Hazel and a few others I can't remember. By the way I looked up Peter Becketts death on Ancestry and sadly you were right, he died in 1992. Do you remember Jimmy Stafford who went to Alston Road boys he died too when he was 23......Ness
 
Hello Ness I think I am a bit older than you but you may remember my brother Terry or my sister Christine they are 3 and 5 years younger than me , to think I used to enjoy being the eldest ,my surname is Wright . We all went to Little Green Lane and my sister went to Bordeseley Green , some of her school friends names were Pamela Jenes , Hanna Whitlock Marion Lee and the younger girl from the sweet shop opposite the Vine can't remember her name ther was alao a neighbour of the Beckets Glenis or similar . Iam faily sure I remember Hazel Fisher a friend of my sister a frail looking girl if its the right one . My brothers mates were Bob and Chris Hackett , Robert Lapworth , John Reilly all from Victoria Street and Pat Walsh . The only people I can remember down your end were Ray Rickets and his half sisters Susan and Marie Corbett who lived in the back houses on BG opposite Carlton Road . The only ones I can clearly remember from Alston Roadare John Annetts ,Roger Turner , Eric " eggy " Ralph and Roy Pugh ,who lived in The Nest in Muntz Street .I seemed to have spent most of my time in Chales Road and Grange Road parks .If you went to LGL school one of our paths must have crossed at some time but my memory is shocking. There is a good site for Small Heath run by Jerry who's a member of this site google Small Heath Circle plenty of photos of the old end Bernie
 
Hi Bernie,
Both my brother John and myself went to LGL, he then went to Alston and I went to Bordesley Green. His name is John Turner and he is nearly 5 years older than me. I remember a Susan Wright from LGL who had a slightly older brother, I think they lived in Green Lane. There was a family who lived in Green Lane in the maisonetts called Smith, Robin and Christopher (twins) were in my class at LGL. Glenda Seed lived by the Becketts and Eric Ward's parents had the newsagents facing the Vine, he was in my class too. I remember some of the names you've mentioned. I spent a lot of time in the parks too, always being chased by the parkie in small heath park for riding our bikes through there. Then there was Iris from Charles Road who was always in that park (she always had a gymslip on and pigtails although she was a lot older than us) I believe she has died too. All the kids in Whitehall Road had bikes from Harry Craigs shop and we used to go out together in mass for hours with jam sandwiches and kaylie pop. Yes our paths have probadly crossed and thanks I will look up Small Heath circle. Ness
 
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Hello Ness I did a paper round at Wards for about 2 years and I can't remember Eric but Martin rings a bell , you are right the girl I remember was named Glenda . I don't remember the other names you mention but did have a brief chat with a Robert Smith from 174 Green lane on small heath proboards there's a link from the small heath circle site sounds about your year in school . I lived in Chales Road by BG until I was about 12 and Iris lived just up the road she was in her 20s when I was about 10 ,I had a few slaps off her , all my own fault . Remember the parkie old Fred he was there for years and a decent bloke . Someone you may remember from Whitehall Road is Barry Ansell they had a coal yard and Barry was on the Villas books for a time had a brother Mark . A few names from Charles Road BG end , Maxine Barnes , Cathy and Debbie Roden , Christine Mander , Christine Hall , Moores 2 sisters can't recall names , Davises loads of them ,Dennis the menace Centurion . The girl from the sweet shop next to Wards wasEdwina and older sister Jill . I bought my bikes from Craigs too Bernie
 
A few pictures i took this morning . You could add your own comments , i wouldn't dream of it LOL.
MAX
 
What happened to us Metal Bashers , i cant believe this one
 
Spent quite a few hours in the snooker hall when I was a kid and many more hours on the tip behind it , thanksfor the pics Max Bernie
 
Any pics or places you know ,around here , i will be more than happy to snap em. Max
 
Can you imagine a forum like this one in fifty years time?? No neither can I. There will not be much to remember at this rate.
 
nice pics there max....no comment on pics 3 and 5..lol...

stitch...i could not agree with you more...

lyn
 
Got to agree with you Jim , progress is what made Birmingham " The City of 1,000 Trades " ,i dont think i would want to turn back the clock , and live in a slum again .OPPS am i being controversial. Max
 
dont think you are max...i think a lot of us know and remember what it was like to live in poorly built houses(i do) ..full of damp....with no inside loos or bathrooms..no central heating...running hot water..nice comfy duvets to keep us warm at night...the list is endless....but i have said it before and i will say it again... i know that not everyone was as lucky as me but the community spirit that i remember as i grew up and the happy childhood i had was second to none even though most folk didnt have a lot there was always a neighbour to turn to... and that is one thing i would not swap for all the tea in china...

lyn
 
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doctor martin what a no nonsence star i lived in the out door in greenway street and the doc was so straight and funny happy days
 
Surprised no one has mentioned the surgery next to the Vic pub. Big old house, I think its a car wash now.

Dr's Jones & Bowen, and I think Benbow. I can remember queueing all the way around the corner with my sister for a Smallpox jab in the early 60s.
 
yes i remember the doctors surgery they had a nurse that used to call you in if she felt you should see the doc urgent
there was a bookies next door and a baptist church opposite
i used to live opposite direct coaches about 1953 ish
 
Dr Bowen, Dr Jones, Dr Martin, Dr James and Dr Benbow were all partners in the same practice. They ran three surgeries. Dr Bowen (the senior partner) and Dr Jones worked - as fatfingers so rightly tells us in Post #146 - in a big Victorian house which used to stand set back from the road alongside the Victoria pub on Bordesley Green; Dr Martin had a surgery on Bordesley Green East; and Dr James and Dr Benbow shared a surgery in another large house in the lower part of Blake Lane (their receptionist was Nurse Miller). All five doctors often stood in for each other and were frequently seen at another surgery. db84124
 
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alana124 said:
yes i remember the doctors surgery they had a nurse that used to call you in if she felt you should see the doc urgent
there was a bookies next door and a baptist church opposite
i used to live opposite direct coaches about 1953 ish
Click to expand...
And kick you out if you hadnt brought your medical card.
 
yes i remember the doctors surgery they had a nurse that used to call you in if she felt you should see the doc urgent
there was a bookies next door and a baptist church opposite
i used to live opposite direct coaches about 1953 ish.

Cant remember a Baptist Church, There was a Methodist Church on the corner though.
 
Hi Postie found any shots of the Broadway yet? In the 60's and 70's Ray Downes (Coop Baker to the Gentry) used to organise the odd Show in the back smoke room for the Bowling Club lads. We had some of the funniest (and rudest) comics appearing (changing in the gents - there was no proper stage or changing rooms), including our very own Bar character Billy Sunshine (can't remember his real name but he was an old Pro); Les Lyons (very naughty lad from Coventry I think); Bob Hatch ("draped across the Bar like a bog gob of lard"; and last but not least Billy Breen, aka Larry Grayson. He appeared several times before he shot to fame on TV. Still dropped by at Xmas one year (in his Rolls) for the kids Party Ray also ran. The kids were from Father Hudson's Homes in Coleshill. The money to do it was raised by the weekly Tote. This was a staggering £100 plus pounds a week for a two number tote. 1 and 17 never won dammit! Quite a good prize in those days. He and a guy named Bob Merrick had a huge cadre of tote agents bombing round the pubs and clubs and workplaces. They must have raised thousands for Charities and local projects. Any one remember these concerts?https://forum.birminghamhistory.co.uk/images/attach/jpg.gif
 
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