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Birmingham in 1960s

I was also a lazy you-know-what at school, but in those days (early 1960's) they just left you in peace at the back of the class! In fairness to me, I think my laziness was partly a rebellion against a strict upbringing - my dad had ideas of his own about me and my future, which I very strongly disagreed with. I left school in 1963 and got a job as a lab technician - never really had to raise a sweat at that, either! I got some qualifications via day-release and at night-school, but I didn't get a 'proper' job until I was about 22, after a miserable couple of years working in non-jobs and for people that I seriously disliked. It eventually dawned on me that the hippie-era was well and truly over, and it was time to pull my finger out, as the Duke Of Edinburgh used to put it. Over the years I saw a lot of the world, and lived abroad for some time, courtesy of my employers, and although I could have taken early retirement at 60 I was still enjoying my work and stayed on until I was 65, maybe to make up for my 'wasted' early years.

I don't think qualifications are the be-all and end-all, much more important in my book is the willingness to apply yourself to whatever job you're being paid to do - preferably a job that you actually like doing. When I moved jobs it wasn't always for the money, it was usually because I knew I couldn't get any further up the ladder.

G
 
A lot of it is confidence which I didn't have a lot of. My parents wanted me to do a paper round in the sixties but I was to timid. I did get a school holiday job in a the canteen at the Daimler for a short while, (I fell in the giant dust bin) and a then some book keeping at night for a well known nylon retailer. The man was a creep though and I wasn't on the books. He tried to pay me in beer. I also tried designing posters for the local pork batch shop. Remember those in the sixties, on a cold night like tonight. They paid me but never used the poster. I was very immature, looking back. Don't you find the pork batches don't taste the same as they did? And they are very expensive.
 
we used to go to the tyburn house pub to watch live groups .west end ballroom. town hall .the odeon .locarno .laura dixons to name a few .sat and sun was ton up on the bikes to stratford weir for a pint and a bag od smiths crisps .those were the days ....so looking forward to seeing other posts on the 60s..
 
Sorry to hog the thread Sandra but memories are a strange thing. Perhaps other members would like to add their thoughts of the sixties.
 
Nico said:
Maybe we should have a thread for the disappearing garages. There used to be a little one on every corner in the 60's.
Nico
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Disappearing garages memories - they often sold different petrol - I remember a garage on the Chester Road by the Parson & Clark pub which sold Cleveland Discol the Alcohol petrol - I believed the adverts, filled the tank and a shot of Redex and off along the Chester Road onto the A5, all the way to the Welsh Coast, engine running smooth and cool just like it said in the adverts, ...
 
When we moved to Streetly in 1980 there were, to the best of my memory, 5 or 6 petrol stations between the Parson & Clerk and Brownhills. Now there are just 2, and usually queues whenever I go for fuel. Why have the petrol companies closed down so many garages? I have a friend who has a caravan in Mid-Wales, and he says it's a 25 mile drive to the nearest garage.

And of course back in The Sixties, nearly all garages were attended service. My first car was a split-screen side-valve Moggie Minor I bought for £45 in 1967, 35 to the gallon on a good day, and cable brakes which were next to useless. But at least I didn't have to get out of it in the rain to have it filled. And you could buy basic spares at most garages in those days - I remember buying and fitting a new set of points at a garage in what's now Telford.

G
 
There use to be loads of garages right up until the 1st big petrol strike. I found a lot more that way. The wiered thing is their sites are still empty. There is a site in Stoneleigh has been empty for years and in Broughton Hacket. Even here there are several big derelict sites like the Antelope. Designated for flats but the money ran out. Garages were everywhwere. I miss their shops too. They that were tiny little one and 2 pump affairs all derelict. Is there something that prevents them being revamped? I iked the the big air pressure gauge like a big grandfather clock and you could see what it read from wherever you were crouched. Mum used to read it for dad. That's enough she would shout. If I try at the garage now the tube won't pull out far enough, I can't read it with r without my glassed, it's always fogged up and my glasses fall off my nose. Then the money runs out. Use a foot foot pum and hope it's accurate.
When will they realize or they do realize that with eveything self service there will be more unemployed. In France where I go the garages have disappeared too and the rest are all turning in to comletely self service. One is massive. We got in a messYou have to key in on a pad your registration and which petrol. I said to the attendant where you apparently had to pay with a barrier in my best French and to the ignorant pig behind us to stop shouting and tell us what to do.
A lot of them have no attendant. You key in your registration, card number and how much petrol you want. You can't risk trying to fill it up then. aaaargh!:untroubled:
 
France is a nightmare - worse than here. I like driving in France along those quiet, straight roads laid down by Napoleon to move his army around, but I got into the habit of stopping at every garage to top up, as it's possible to go for a very long way without seeing a garage. Those fully-automated places are best avoided, even though they're 24-hour (or supposed to be). Same in Germany - shut-down garages all over the place, just like here. Why?

G
 
nickcc101 said:
Wikipedia gives the date for the Dock strike as 15/7/1970 although there were others especially in the late 1800's but doubt if that's the one you mean :)
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Striking seems to have been a religion with the Dockers, especially in London.
In '65, certainly, they would strike at the drop of a hat.
 
Re: Garages........
This is something that I've noticed over the last 25 years. Even busy, well established, modern sites seem to close, be demolished and have houses on them with indecent rapidity these days. How unlike the 60's where to open a small petrol filling station was a retirement dream for many in Brum. The petrol of today, besides being obscenely overpriced thanks to avaricious Gov'ts (87% Tax !), is different to the old brands. It burns poorer and, if left, (as in lawnmowers), degrades and can attack the metals of carburettors. When I started riding, in the late 60's, I'd buy 1/2 a Gallon of 5* (2/6d) and 2 shots of Redex or UCL (2d) to get me to college in Sutton each week. We had 3 Garages in a 3 mile square radius in our small village. Now the nearest is about 6 miles away.
 
We had garages here everywhere. And new car sales rooms. Small ones where they made you a drink and had curtosey cars! A thing of the past.
My mum worked for one. They really wanted your business then. Where I lie now within half an houses walk there used to be 11 garages.
 
In saner days, electricity came from the MEB; gas came from British Gas. Petrol came from as many different petrol companies who could open a garage along a stretch of road. Now, it's the other way round: gas and electricity come from any number of suppliers, while petrol is sold by only one or two, whose retail outlets are few and far between.

In the 1970's I lived in Ohio, USA. I filled my car once a week. I drove along the local 'strip' and noted the relative prices of petrol at the many filling-stations, and filled my car at the cheapest. The next week, it would have probably all changed, and the cheapest station a week ago was now the most expensive. This I believe is called 'Competition', and I believe it is a dirty word in 2012. I would love to know why.

G
 
Down by the banks, of the Ohio. Strum! Strum! going to look at a 2nd hand guitar next week. I remember EMEB when I planned the ad layouts, and British Gas.I think we had Northern Elec and a French one once. And you could go in to the Gas Show rooms and complain to a live person. We got Gulf Oil once too and VFW Fokker. Had some fun with that one. And Aston Martin Tickford. They charge adverts by the supposed circulation of the paper. The page is sold by column eidth and cms deep. In the sixties the newspaper where I worked's page was 7 columns wide and 40cms deep. Now it is 9 columns wide although the width is the same and I think the depth is 37cms deep but the price of a page is not cheaper!
Now it's E.ON.
My cousin has a og burner he says its the best.
 
This is really off-thread, but just before I retired I had to take my company car in for some work regarding a manufacturer's recall. I shan't mention the name of the garage, let's just say it's not far from New Oscott. I phoned the garage to make an appointment, was told to bring it in on Tuesday at 10.00am, and that the work would take 30 minutes at most. I was there on the dot. They took my keys, and I had a stroll over to Tesco's for a browse. I returned to the garage at 11.00am, and my car was where I'd left it. OK, so I went off again for another stroll, this time to a nearby music shop. At 12.00 noon, I was back at the garage, and my car was still where I'd left it. The staff were totally uninterested when I complained, they just shrugged me off and told me to 'come back at about 5.00 pm'. I demanded the return of my my keys, and drove off. Later that day, I contacted by phone the UK offices of the manufacturer of my car, and they couldn't have cared less either. I was actually told not to take too literally the promise of a service depot that the work on my car would be completed by the stated time. My blood boiled. The recall work was never done.

G
 
Nico said:
Down by the banks, of the Ohio. Strum! Strum! going to look at a 2nd hand guitar next week. I remember EMEB when I planned the ad layouts, and British Gas.I think we had Northern Elec and a French one once. And you could go in to the Gas Show rooms and complain to a live person. We got Gulf Oil once too and VFW Fokker. Had some fun with that one. And Aston Martin Tickford. They charge adverts by the supposed circulation of the paper. The page is sold by column eidth and cms deep. In the sixties the newspaper where I worked's page was 7 columns wide and 40cms deep. Now it is 9 columns wide although the width is the same and I think the depth is 37cms deep but the price of a page is not cheaper!
Now it's E.ON.
My cousin has a og burner he says its the best.
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Sorry, but what are you talking about?

G
 
The way we are ripped off now compared to 60's life.
You mentioned Ohio and I thought of the song.
I tend to ramble. and it's late, sorry.
 
My mum got herself a Motorbility car originally for Nan as she was disabled in later life and then for herself and dad. I took it back to the dealer when they both passed away (at the same time). I didn't have a car then but I was their named driver. The garage knew my circumstances as mum had been a customer of theirs for a very long time. All they were interested in was did I have the keys and did I want to buy it cheap. I sat on their wall and cried and I walked home which was about 6 miles.

On a happier note. In the sixties Mum worked for Henleys, she did ad hoc typing and filled in for people.
The car broke down just as we were about to go on holiday, literally. As they couldn't get it fixed in time they leant her one for the week. They then found out we were going away with friends so they leant her a bigger one. That was kind
 
Must add my 2 cents here born 56, Kennedy getting shot remember lying on me tummy watching the goggle box, going to watch the movie its a Mad Mad World, at the movie house on the Bristol road on the left going in to town (cinerama ? help), England wining the world Cup listened in the back seat of the car on the way to Cornwall, its funny my pop never has had much interest in football since getting hit in the face with a ball at Villa Park as a kid, Going to see the movie Grand Prix same movie theater as above, they had that big wide screen and some of the camera shots were from right above the drivers helmet it seemed you were in the car with him, and when ever he turned and leaned over the audience leaned over to the side with him, Apollo moon landing, the Man in the Moon changing its name To the Man on the Moon, Football matches at Villa Park walking back to town with all the fans but stopping at my uncle's shop for a Mars Bar, then right before the 41 bus terminus there was a shop that sold toys and gadgets that was a must to look in the window, go to the bus stand get a copy of the Argus and a hot dog of the cart right there.
 
Thank you I hope it brought back good memories for you. My brain is so full and I survive on nostalgia. I think my present family {mostly all of my original family are gone,} are fed up with me emptying it so thank you for endulging me. The BHF is great for those of us who like to,. Really I was a fat bellied rabbit to be accurate, there is a photo but no one gets to see it except the grandchildren who love rabbits. I have mum's sheet music of Those Were the Days, lovely black and white photo of Mary in a floppy hat, on the front. People had sheet music then. And pianos sometimes. How changed our culture now is. I urge you to watch Lenny Henry's Three Little Birds I so identify with that, and Call The Midwife.
 
samurai said:
Hi All,
Does anybody remember the blind man selling matches in the 60's? He stood outside the post office by what is now W H Smiths, i can remember as a small boy pestering my dad for some money to buy some. He stood with a walking stick up in the air, andf he felt every coin that was given to him to check what its value was. I am going back to mid to late 1960's. Be nice if somebody else remembered him, he wasd quite a character to a small boy.
Thanks for reading my ramblings
Eddie
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Hi mate, I remember a blind chap selling something ( not too sure if matches ) near new street station, think his name was jack or jake , ex forces with some sort of badge on his beret, sorry I don’t remember much more I was about 13 / 14 years old
 
Pete Elliott said:
Hi mate, I remember a blind chap selling something ( not too sure if matches ) near new street station, think his name was jack or jake , ex forces with some sort of badge on his beret, sorry I don’t remember much more I was about 13 / 14 years old
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Blind Jack found dead in gas filled room

Wood? Blind match seller in Birmingham.

Couldn't agree more Lyn. So pleased to be able to help. :)
birminghamhistory.co.uk birminghamhistory.co.uk
 
I Am Nico said:
My Black Country/Brummie family used to talk about coloured matches but I never saw any. Have any of you? Their flame was coloured too
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I do vaguely recall seeing a box coloured matches. I don’t recall if the flame was coloured. it would not be hard to do I suppose, some chemicals do burn different colours. I also have seen white matches with black stalks in my nans cocktail cabinet. I had heard of coloured cocktail cigarettes as well but never smoked one despite being a schoolboy smoker who would smoke anything that was smokable.
 
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