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Birmingham Daily Mail Boots And Shoes

J

J Edwards

Eddy Edwards
Does anybody remember a charity that used to give out boots for children of poor families just after the war? I remember going to Steelhouse Lane and collecting a pair of boots and a pair of socks we used to call them 'Daily Mail' boots, but I don't know if this was the Birmingham Mail.

J Edwards
 
I remember being given a pair of shoes because my dad had to retire early due to his health,and we were very poor,i went to a place in Saltley, but i have been told that it was the same charity
that gave shoes out in Steelhouse Lane,the people who fitted you for the shoes were training to work for clarks i've been told, oh i love shoes but not like the ones i got from there:)
 
Birmingham Mail Charity Scheme. Len. £11,000 gift from Birmingham Mail reader to help the needy.

By Steve Dyson on Feb 27, 09 08:38 AM

A cheque for £11,000 has just dropped on my desk from a dedicated reader who remembered the Birmingham Mail in her will.
She wanted us to distribute the money to needy causes across the city.
It's related to one of the more pleasurable jobs as editor of this historic paper... the honorary chairmanship of the Birmingham Mail Charity Trust.
The Trust - originally the Birmingham Mail Christmas Tree Fund - was first established at the end of the 19th century to provide toys for deprived children.
In the early to mid 20th century, the charity changed it's attention to the shoeless youngsters of the city, giving out tens of thousands of boots.
In more recent years, the Trust continues to help deserving community groups who have nowhere else to go for funds. Everything from new playground equipment for inner city suburbs to motorised wheelchairs for shopping centres caring for elderly access.
They are usually small grants, anything from £100 to £2,000, providing instant relief or funds to do good to small, voluntary groups in the Mail's circulation area.
All funds for the Trust come from readers and businesses who know that it is a sure way of giving something back to the community.
The £11,000 windfall for the Trust came from the will of a lady who obviously had some link with or benefit from the Trust in her earlier years (we're getting in touch with her estate to find out if we can publish a story about her generosity).
It's a much-needed sum as, with the oncome of the National Lottery and dozens of charities employing powerful teams of fund-raisers, donations have declined in recent years.
For that reason, the Trust has now modernised its structure, employing a part-time fund-raiser to raise its profile and using the good offices of the Birmingham Foundation to look after back-office administration and banking.
The good news is that this new direction has already doubled donations in its first year, leading to grants of £20,000 in the last six month.
The £11,000 cheque is very much an extra to this revenue, and it will be quickly distributed to needy causes by Trustees who carefully assess applications every two months.
If any reader or business would like more details about the charity and how to donate, they can contact the Trust's fund-raising manager Gordon Creese on 0121 234 5639 or at [email protected]
 
I thought it was Birmingham Mail boots, I can remember one lad at school having these & I envied him because he could make the hobs spark when he scraped his heels on the playground. I didn't know then that it was because his parents couldn't afford shoes; before this he always wore wellingtons come rain or shine.
 
We were not well off but our parents always made sure we had shoes,and also our Sunday best clothes

Mossy
 
I come from a family of 8 children .my parents worked hard to feed and clothe us .but my dad became very ill with pleurisy and was off work for months ..we got public assistance and daily mail boots..for the boys grey knee length socks for us girls with a blue band round the top ...we didnt care .all we knew was they kept us warm....
 
i remember the daily mail boots; i think i had to go to an office just off saltley viaduct towards the gas house pub, i am going back 50 years or so, i may be a little hazy about the location.
 
Hi pmc dermot yes your right thats where i got shoes from, lovely brown with a strap across,in Saltley,i still love shoes like most
women, but thankfully i can choose now, no have what your given,still it was good for people like me from a large family whose dad
was forced to retire through ill health,
 
Re: birmingham mail houses

On subject Birmingham Mail.Who else besides me had boots socks and jumpers free from the mail pre war.Boots well studed fine for sliding in.
twyning.
 
Re: birmingham mail houses

twyning said:
On subject Birmingham Mail.Who else besides me had boots socks and jumpers free from the mail pre war.Boots well studed fine for sliding in.
twyning.
Click to expand...

Hi Twyning,
Here is a photo of my brother-in-law wearing his 'mail boots'.
index.php

from my post here https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?threads/my-family-snaps.16090/page-7#post-416542
 
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I don't think I ever wore anything on my feet until at least the mid 50's but these charity boots and socks that you got to go with them. Through the years I collected them from both Crawford Street and Allison St and I'm sure there was another place but I can't remember it now. I do remember that the last time i collected any it was from Allison St and for the first time we could have shoes if we wanted, but I had the boots as usual. I'm sure this is the reason why I prefer boots even today not hobnails I hasten to add.
 

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My dad told me that in the 20's he and his brothers got "charity boots" from the Salvation Army, he said they were called "South African Field boots" not dissimilar to Hob nails, but came up higher to the calf with long laces.
paul
 
In the deep mists of the past I seem to remember my father showing up with 'Mail' boots around Christmas time. We were not allowed to wear them until my father had 'customized' them with about 2 lbs of studs and half moons on the heels. One of the favorite Christmas pastimes of my three brothers and myself was to run down the hill on Wilton St. and then skiding to a stop seeing who could throw the most sparks. I also seem to remeber grey sweaters also making appearances around the same time. We found out very rapidly that wearing them to play soccer was useless since other kids refused to play with us when we had our boots on. On the positive side I guess we really built strong little legs humping those 'clodhoppers' around all day.
 
Did anyone else have to wear Daily Mail shoes. ?? These shoes were issued to poor families who couldnt afford to buy new ones. Coming from a large family ,my mum and dad scrimped and scraped for every penny. My brother had what looked like hob nailed boots, we used to laugh and call him all sorts of names. My shoes were thick soled with a buckled strap across. We also had two pairs of Grey socks to go with the shoes. I hated wearing them because most of the girls in my class wore white socks.I was the lucky one, imagine my poor sister in Those shoes and having to wear national health glasses as well. I'm surprised that not many people i talk to can remember the Daily Mail shoes, i would be interested to find out if any of you do..
 
Hi if you do a search you will find a whole thread dedicated to this subject. I will look it out later.

Sent from my HTC Desire X using Tapatalk 2
 
I put a photo on of my brother-in-law wearing his in a portrait studio in post#10
 
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Elizabeth Redmond said:
I remember being given a pair of shoes because my dad had to retire early due to his health,and we were very poor,i went to a place in Saltley, but i have been told that it was the same charity
that gave shoes out in Steelhouse Lane,the people who fitted you for the shoes were training to work for clarks i've been told, oh i love shoes but not like the ones i got from there:)
Click to expand...
they were always too big
 
I had Daily Mail boots...you would have to go to the Bull Ring area, just below Moor St.
Dave A
 
Hi There yes we had a vistor from the mail people it seemed they chosen the poor familys there was eight of us ladsand we had to go to the rear entrance of Digbeth police station and we seen dozens and dozens of push bike awaiting for collection when we got in there it was a huge room and there was lots of families around the room with there kids being kitted out we all got those leather boots with a tip on also we got some clothing vest and pants and yes we got those famous grey socks with the scotch pattern tops on and of course i know we was not the only ones whom was there because you would see the other kids whom had them on the other kids whom was not poor would make gestures about Oh , we know where you got them from , but you just ignored them or give them a kick with your boots on at the time we was attending upper thomas street school during the early fifties and i recall upper portland street from mattys tv shop Which was the corner of lichfield road and the start of upper portland street they was ripping up the old cobbled bricks out of the road and putting tarmac down the smell of tarmac was good but they never took the blue bricks of the pavents and of course it was a bad winter we was glad of those boots to get us up that hill becuse there was deep snow on the ground then they moved around onto vicarage road mr matty was a little guy with grey hair and a true gentleman us kids from the terrace was awaiting for father christmas that year and he was coming up the lichfield road with uncle holly on a sledge h was running late but mr matty called all of us kids into the back of the shop sat us on the flloor and i will tell you when he coming and gave us all a orange to eatand then he called us out it was a wicked night Astonian ;;;;
 
great memories Alan, I was telling my boys over Christmas , how when we were young, we really had nothing, Happy New year mate. Paul
 
Yes i would dearly like to know whom ever they was they was a god send to our family of eight of us
And with the clothing we got lets just sat a big thank you for the good honest working people of that era whom made the contributions and a extra special thank you for our good old birmingham mail and they still great work for us brummies
 
Vivienne14 said:
‘Mail’ boots and socks for Birmingham children in late 1939. Viv.View attachment 131094
Click to expand...
Oh! those metal studs: they could play havoc with parquet, linoleum and some soft floor coverings. :worried:
Actually I did have a pair of those type of boots (not donated but bought) which were for winter wear only, particularly very wet or snowy weather. They were not to be worm indoors I was informed. They could skid very easily on some stone, tiled or tarrazzo floors.
 
i had a pair of hobnail boots,they was not bmail. were dads. bit big butstill ,i has to keep up with thw fashion. like my mates:grinning:
 
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Astonian said:
Yes i would dearly like to know whom ever they was they was a god send to our family of eight of us
And with the clothing we got lets just sat a big thank you for the good honest working people of that era whom made the contributions and a extra special thank you for our good old birmingham mail and they still great work for us brummies
Click to expand...
Reading this thread - I don't know of children in Warwickshire got boots or was it just cities? But as I was an only child I guess I most likely would not have qualified anyway. Mother was no longer around and father a soldier. so not much chance of brothers and sisters.
Of curiosity what footwear did girls get. I doubt they wanted hob nail boots! :eek:
 
We, in the technical 21st C, with the iNTERNET AND MOBILES, sometimes forget, that within living memory, children were bought up with nothing, but love, and handouts. This was not the unemployed, or skivers family's, but the "Working Poor", my dear old dad had 2 jobs, and my mom worked part time, but it was still a struggle with only 3 kids, how some others with larger families survived I cannot imagine. For all that, I only have very happy memories of my childhood, and wonderful Christmas's, though I think my dearest nan and provident cheques, had a hand in those ..
 
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