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S.F.Wheeler. Shoe Repair shop

Mrs Bear 51

master brummie
Greetings,
My first time here, so please forgive me if I have asked this question in the wrong thread.

My father S F Wheeler had a shoe repair shop on Bordesley Green. The shop is no longer there and was demolished to make way for what is now Pikewater Road.

I'm trying to put a book together for my sisters as I am the only one who knows the family history and I wondered if anyone had a picture of this area that might include his shop.

He purchased it in about 1959 and sold it to a man called Parmar in the mid 1970's (I think).

I've attached his letterhead so people can be sure of the number of the premises.

Thank you. 1962.002.jpg
 
This map might help show position of your fathers shop (see where red arrow pointing)
Map from 1966/67, Kelly's shows in 1955 Claude E Stephens, Boot repr. at 168 Bordesley green.
168 bordesley green.JPG
 
mike looking at robs map which shows garfield place to the right of 168 and looking at your photo you can clearly see garfield place so i would say that is definately a photo mrs bears dads shop looking at the cars it also looks that it was taken within the years that mr wheeler ran the shop...great find mike

lyn
 
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Thank you all for your fabulous replies.

He was indeed an Amateur Radio enthusiast and frequently ran a 'network' for those people wishing to get a QSL card from an operator in a 'rare' country.

The comment from RobT correlates with a now very old letter that I have, dated 1958 where my father paid £60 for the purchase of the shoe shop from Claude E Stephens - to include machinery and fixtures!

As Dave89 pointed out, we lived just up the road at 390 Green Lane, but when we were of the age to go to primary school, my father didn't really like the options available to us school-wise so sold Green Lane to move to Scribers Lane, where he lived until he died in 2009.

Thank you all so much for your help!

Mrs Bear
 
Mrs. Bear,
I knew Scribers Lane as a youngster, but of course by 1958 ( I left the Solihull area in 1954) was a resident in Devon but serving in the RAF so our paths never crossed.
I suspect my shoes were repaired on Stratford Road but further south in Shirley.
Regarding 'rare' countries (also islands/lighthouses etc), reminds me of my early days in ham radio. I was a low power station at the time but could plainly hear this station, in Tasmania, that others were in contact with. On the basis if you can hear him, he may well hear you, so I called him. However, it seems the rest of the world was calling him so he did not hear me.
A UK station heard me and mentioned that a low powered station (QRP in radioese) was calling - it was open sesame! That is to date the farthest station that I have worked. Any further, I guess and you are on your way back. :D
I am sure many hams, especially those new to the hobby, were grateful to your father for his net and help.
 
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Mrs. Bear,
It seems that your father became a radio ham around the same time that I did. His first call sign was G6 which was around the beginning of the 1980's. I knew Scribers Lane as a youngster, but of course by 1958 ( I left the Solihull area in 1954) was a resident in Devon but serving in the RAF so our paths never crossed.
I suspect my shoes were repaired on Stratford Road but further south in Shirley.
Regarding 'rare' countries (also islands/lighthouses etc), reminds me of my early days in ham radio. I was a low power station at the time but could plainly hear this station, in Tasmania, that others were in contact with. On the basis if you can hear him, he may well hear you, so I called him. However, it seems the rest of the world was calling him so he did not hear me.
A UK station heard me and mentioned that a low powered station (QRP in radioese) was calling - it was open sesame! That is to date the farthest station that I have worked. Any further, I guess and you are on your way back. :D
I am sure many hams, especially those new to the hobby, were grateful to your father for his net and help.

Thanks Radiorails - Was going to ask if your 1980's was a typo as I have a letter that confirmed his licence in Jan 1965.
Anyway, after he sold the shoe shop he worked nights as a HGV driver with the Post Office, the early arrival home on some mornings allowed him to run the net for countries that were asleep when the UK was awake. He loved it, built himself a little shack at the top of the garden and built a 40 ft quad ariel in the back garden that he could lower or raise according to the time of day - the neighbours either loved the ariel or hated it.

Different times these days - talking to someone on the other side of the world is common-place.
Thanks for sharing your memories.
 

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Thanks Radiorails - Was going to ask if your 1980's was a typo as I have a letter that confirmed his licence in Jan 1965.
Anyway, after he sold the shoe shop he worked nights as a HGV driver with the Post Office, the early arrival home on some mornings allowed him to run the net for countries that were asleep when the UK was awake. He loved it, built himself a little shack at the top of the garden and built a 40 ft quad ariel in the back garden that he could lower or raise according to the time of day - the neighbours either loved the ariel or hated it.

Different times these days - talking to someone on the other side of the world is common-place.
Thanks for sharing your memories.
Mrs. Bear,
I stand corrected, sorry about my mistake. I looked up two call signs today and the one I quoted was for another ham.

Indeed your Dad's call sign would be much older than 1980 and being a G3, would be, as you point out 1965.
I have a friend, whose late husband, a Major in the British Army, was a Ham with a G2 call - even older. She was 100 in February. She was a telegraphist in Sicily during WW2 - that is where they initially met.
So when he was sending messages on his morse key she understood what was being transmitted. Not unique, but very few wives/girl fiends understand morse code. She told me that it was not that interesting and preferred tv. ;)
 
I remember the shoe shop... a friend's family had a shop nearby... a pet shop, I think.
Annie

I also recall that there was a fishing tackle shop close by that was also demolished at the same time my father's old shop was - I am sure my father said that the owner of the tackle shop had been asked to name the new road that was to be built (why him I have no idea) and because he was a fisherman, he decided on Pikewater.
 
Just realised I had these images.... though why he purchased the premises in 1958 and waited until 1962 to get started is a mystery to me.
 

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I also recall that there was a fishing tackle shop close by that was also demolished at the same time my father's old shop was - I am sure my father said that the owner of the tackle shop had been asked to name the new road that was to be built (why him I have no idea) and because he was a fisherman, he decided on Pikewater.
At the other side of Garfield Place in 1955, at No. 178 was a Fishing Tackle Dealer, Mrs Annie Morris and three doors further along at No. 184 was a Pet Stores run by Mrs Edna Hewson.
 
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