Di.Poppitt
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
I've written before about the TH, when I sang in the youth choir, but I think it's worth reflecting on its glory days.
I also wrote about my Grandfather who played his part as a miner by attempting to rescue his friends when they were entombed in Hamstead pit. Well it was at our Town Hall that the medals were presented in 1908. Each one was inscribed with a name and the date, some were gold, my gt Uncle Jim was given one of those, Grandad's is silver. They must have been overawed, those chaps, by all that went on that night. They never left the village, there was no need they had everything there that any man could want didnt they? The Lord Mayor presented them with their medals watched by most of Hamstead and lots of dignatories. Among them the Chief Constable, Chairmen of Handsworth and Perry Barr District Councils, The vicars of both Hamstead and Perry Barr, The editors of the Birmingham Daily Mail and the Evening Despatch, and the Government Inspector of mines. They were given dinner and afterwards there was 'entertainment'. There was a recital on that lovely organ, a brass band and songs from two soprano's.
All this was lost in the mists of time, I doubt my mother ever knew of it, she never spoke of it. I had to unearth it as part of my genealogy research.
The 50's for me were the Golden years of the TH, when I went to listen to the Big Bands. Dave Brubeck was majic, and the brass section of the Stan Kenton band made the hairs stand up at the back of your neck. Humphry Littleton's jazz band was a regular as was Chris Barber. Programmes were torn up, folded into paper aeroplanes and thrown at all the English bands.
Mario Lanza, film star no lesss, was booked to appear and I couldn't get tickets. But it was at the end of his life when he was a sick man, and the concert was cancelled.
It has been sad to see it closed for so long, I hope when it does re-open the City Fathers are worthy of it.
I also wrote about my Grandfather who played his part as a miner by attempting to rescue his friends when they were entombed in Hamstead pit. Well it was at our Town Hall that the medals were presented in 1908. Each one was inscribed with a name and the date, some were gold, my gt Uncle Jim was given one of those, Grandad's is silver. They must have been overawed, those chaps, by all that went on that night. They never left the village, there was no need they had everything there that any man could want didnt they? The Lord Mayor presented them with their medals watched by most of Hamstead and lots of dignatories. Among them the Chief Constable, Chairmen of Handsworth and Perry Barr District Councils, The vicars of both Hamstead and Perry Barr, The editors of the Birmingham Daily Mail and the Evening Despatch, and the Government Inspector of mines. They were given dinner and afterwards there was 'entertainment'. There was a recital on that lovely organ, a brass band and songs from two soprano's.
All this was lost in the mists of time, I doubt my mother ever knew of it, she never spoke of it. I had to unearth it as part of my genealogy research.
The 50's for me were the Golden years of the TH, when I went to listen to the Big Bands. Dave Brubeck was majic, and the brass section of the Stan Kenton band made the hairs stand up at the back of your neck. Humphry Littleton's jazz band was a regular as was Chris Barber. Programmes were torn up, folded into paper aeroplanes and thrown at all the English bands.
Mario Lanza, film star no lesss, was booked to appear and I couldn't get tickets. But it was at the end of his life when he was a sick man, and the concert was cancelled.
It has been sad to see it closed for so long, I hope when it does re-open the City Fathers are worthy of it.