• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

Harborne

Yes, one or two's, I have heard of that. When folks had less money to burn some cigarette manufacturers made packs of five, There was more choice, it seems with packets of ten and now - considering the very high price that cigarettes appear to cost only packs of twenty I believe are available. For younger Members and non smokers I mention that some manufacturers made packs of twenty five and tins of fifty and one hundred. The curiosity was Kensitas who did a twenty pack, which in fact was twenty four and marketed as four for your friends.
Remember Woodbines in their paper packets of five and friendly shopkeepers who kept Woodies, Park Drive and Star loose and sold youngsters one or two or three at a time 2p each.
Bob
 
Was that because you were in a hurry to get to the depot and sign off? :D
No, i was a mechanic and i think i was , up to Harborne depot for some reason or other. I was in a Leyland Olympic ,BCT only had 5 of them, 4 at Selly Oak, they where fun to drive.
I pulled in just past the No 11 bus stop and the traffic cop walked past me as i stepped out of the front doors.
'Wheres the driver.'? he asked
'I am.' ses me
His eyes lit up.
'Your too young.' he said happily.
Well i was'nt i was 21, but apparently looked younger.
I got a ticking off
Happy days.
 
Olympic was a very appropriate name for them I think. They were very stylish.There are photos of them in the Elmdon thread and probably in one of the bus threads.
 
No, i was a mechanic and i think i was , up to Harborne depot for some reason or other. I was in a Leyland Olympic ,BCT only had 5 of them, 4 at Selly Oak, they where fun to drive.
I pulled in just past the No 11 bus stop and the traffic cop walked past me as i stepped out of the front doors.
'Wheres the driver.'? he asked
'I am.' ses me
His eyes lit up.
'Your too young.' he said happily.
Well i was'nt i was 21, but apparently looked younger.
I got a ticking off
Happy days.

Hello pyewacket947 was the bus you are talking about a Leyland Tiger ?
 
Olympic was a very appropriate name for them I think. They were very stylish.There are photos of them in the Elmdon thread and probably in one of the bus threads.

Yes JOJ 261. 2261, was stationed in town and operated the Elmdon airport service from the Hall of Memory. It was the only Olympic fitted with a clock inside so that passengers could see by how much they where going to miss their flight by.!
 
Hello pyewacket947 was the bus you are talking about a Leyland Tiger ?
Hi Stitcher, sorry for the delay. No it was one of only 4 Olympics stabled at Selly Oak. they where a chassis less Leyland/MCW design with the engine mounted on its side amidships.
Incidently i never heard the Leyland PS Tigers referred to as 'Tigers' in the 12 years i spent at Selly Oak . The Olympics where often referred to as 'Jeeps'. Its a real shame one of them never made it into preservation.
 
Hi Stitcher, sorry for the delay. No it was one of only 4 Olympics stabled at Selly Oak. they where a chassis less Leyland/MCW design with the engine mounted on its side amidships.
Incidently i never heard the Leyland PS Tigers referred to as 'Tigers' in the 12 years i spent at Selly Oak . The Olympics where often referred to as 'Jeeps'. Its a real shame one of them never made it into preservation.

Hello again, the reason I asked is because I was a one man driver at Selly Oak and sometimes worked on the 27 route which was a single decker route because of the low bridge at Cadbury's. I was never a bus enthusiast and would not know the difference between the various models.
 
Hello again, the reason I asked is because I was a one man driver at Selly Oak and sometimes worked on the 27 route which was a single decker route because of the low bridge at Cadbury's. I was never a bus enthusiast and would not know the difference between the various models.

Hi. Well i can't say i was a bus enthusiast then,but more of a transport enthusiast in general, though trucks where, and still are my main interest.
I suppose buses where really trucks adapted to carry people instead of goods.
I spent the whole of my working life, 50 yrs, in transport.
I was at Selly Oak from Aug 57 to Nov 68, then i went truck driving.
 
Hello again pyewacket947, I was driving for a living the day after I passed my test. I started on a J4 pick-up and moved up as I aged, I finished with all the big stuff when my arthritis got too bad. That was when I went on the buses at Digbeth, when the red finished I went to Moseley Road and when that shut I went to Selly Oak. The arthritis continued to get worse so I passed the Hackney test and bought myself a cab so I was able work my own hours entirely.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I lived right opposite the police station when i lived in Harborne,nearly next door to the undertakers,and i worked at the little COOP round the corner,Woolworths,Chad Valley,and a place where they made optics all 5 mins from my house
I lived right opposite the police station when i lived in Harborne,nearly next door to the undertakers,and i worked at the little COOP round the corner,Woolworths,Chad Valley,and a place where they made optics all 5 mins from my house
Branch 17?
 
I think this shop used to sell cigarettes in ones or twos , as well as a variety of exotic brands.
Extra long fags called 'Joysticks' and coloured Sobrani Cocktail cigs
Terrific picture. This was another legendary Harborne shop, Morgans. That shop must have been a gold mine.
 
I dought our paths crossed as i was only 5 when you left though my Eldest brother Brian Pollard would be of a similar age onlong with the Cockcrofts of serpentine road and Peter Green who lived up the terrace next to Woolworths on the High street you may remember those names or Joey Taylor who lived by Grove Park.
I think I was at Harborne Junior with Pete Green's sister Sheila?
 
I used to take my fathers radio accumulator to Dingleys the cycle shop for recgarging until Durrants the radio shop provided the same service. There was a cycle shop adjacent on the right of the Vine pub. Clearly seen in the Vine photo.
Mr Dingley was the best wheel builder in the city. I think he lived on Moorpool. I Lived at 70 and 74 High Street (Millers and Byrds). Very sad when that row of houses were demolished in 1968.
 
Down Albert Walk [ THE STUMPS there was a toy shop called Sids he also did Mens haircutting there was also a pet shop a ladies hairdresser. Albert walk was opposite the kings arms the stumps to start albert walk is shown in the picture above. That picture also shows a road opposite which is Serpentine road which is where the Harborne picture house and the Bus station were.If you walked up harborne park road [towards selly oak ] about 100 yds you will come to Summerview terrace with about 8 houses in I was born in house number two 65 years ago
Have only just come across this message, so sorry for the delay.

I'm interested in where you were born and lived. This is because for many years I have been searching for a picture and information of the house that stood on the right of what used to be Clent House. I believe Clent House was demolished in the early 50's it stood on the corner of Harborne Park Road and St Peters Road opposite Vivian Road. The property I am interested in before it was also demolished is 55 Harborne Park Road, which would have been on the opposite side of the road to where you were born in Summerview terrace. The occupants of this property from circa mid 50's to 1967 were Albert and Florence Freer, not sure if husband and wife or brother and sister, both I believe were elderly and Dennis Wright who I believe worked at the school for the blind in Quinton, he would have been younger. My interest is because Dennis Wright is my birth father and I have very little information of him.

Any info you may have relating to the above property and the occupants would be fantastic.
 
Why would a child go to Harborne Industrial School? Would their parents just send them there or would there be family or criminal reasons?

The child was only 9 and he had siblings (older and younger) living with their father?
 
Why would a child go to Harborne Industrial School? Would their parents just send them there or would there be family or criminal reasons?

The child was only 9 and he had siblings (older and younger) living with their father?
Usually it was for poor children
 
  • Appreciate
Reactions: MWS
Back
Top