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Growing Up In Brum - Roy Blakey Inspired.

Re: Birmingham History

The snow seemed to stick around for weeks or at least it seemed like it! I remember on a few occasions seeing dead cats and other animals frozen in the snow, perhaps people did not look after animals very well in those days, there would always be a pack of dogs running around and considering there were fewer cars then a regular find of a dead dog at the side of the road. Thinking about it the many moth eaten ringworm infested cats that frequented where I lived were numerous now I come to think of it.
 
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https://www.facebook.com/inspire01/posts/10202255254283716:01960s I think times were quite grim for some, I feel growing up in those days was tough for some families, the slum clearances in the city perhaps contributed to a lot of large families coming into Yardley Wood I was fortunate to have had hard working parents I think we and one other family in our road were the only ones to own a car. Our deputy head at school said he was very reluctant to teach at Yardley Wood Secondary Modern.Nevertheless I feel I had a great childhood and spent many happy times fishing with my brothers and dad in the country and catching the train to Earlswood with my sister.
Blimey, Pauline, sounds a bit grim !

When was that ?

(I lived in Highters Heath).
 
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Those Cat casualties Pauline.
How's about the chances of a few Foxes knocking about and on the hunt around Yardley Wood at that time ?
 
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Brum Gang ? A video worth having a look at with reference to one of the old gangs in Brum. Namely " The Peaky Blinders". ( By Carl Chinn ).
(1) Go to Google.
(2) Input: Carl Chinn Peaky Blinders.
(3). Then select : New Video with Carl Chinn.
 
Re: Birmingham History

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Yes, I can remember being taken down Villa Park for the first time age 7 in Coronation year 1937 by my Dad an avid Villa fan, a local Derby with a gate of 70,000, home and away fans side by side and no trouble. lines of 3X trams down Witton road. We lived in Queens Rd, just 400 yards from Villa Park next door to Atkinsons Brewery. Later on in the 50's when trams were replaced by buses, they would be all lined up in
Vicarage Road. Later still when more cars appeared, the kids would be saying 'mind your car sir ?' while the driver was at the match for a few pence, 6 pence if your were very lucky (and Villa had won !!) The Queens, The Avenue, both in Queens Road and the Holte in Witton Road (hence the Holte End) would be bursting at the seams on match day but no trouble with Blues and Villa fans drinking together, why we now have so much animosity and hate now I do not know, its only a game of football after all. Eric
I haven't got That year programme but I've got 1938 , I see Birmingham City were in the right place bottom holding all the others up. ( I bet this will raise some comments Ha Ha. Ray
 
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Schoolboy Playground Traders.
I have memories of schoolboy Souvenir and Marble traders operating in the school Playground ( Peckham Road School, Kingstanding, around 1941 ).
The ' set up ' would take place during school playground times. Something like 8 to 12 young lads would set up ' Alley's
whereby they would ' lean ' small items against one of the school walls and invite other children to knock them over with underarm pitched Marbles.
Knock an item down and it was yours. Miss and the marble became the property of the guy running the Alley.
On a good day the guy running the Alley would sell his collected marbles back to the ' punters', making his profit.
Souvenir's on offer at this time where mainly Army,Navy or Airforce uniform items such as Service Cap Badges or uniform Sleeve Badges or Stripes.
Good fun but don't get hooked and lose your pocket money.
 
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Great to see this program, my 2 uncles Fred Harris and Cyril Trigg both in the Blues team. In those days they earned there money, 3 mathes played
Dec 24/26/27 Two games away at Midlesborough and Newcastle ,now they moan about 2 in a week.
 
Re: Birmingham History

A Postponed Estate.
The DAVIS estate. ( 1934 - 1947 ).
With WW2 approaching a large part of the planned distict of Kingstanding was already built and up and running except for a large piece of land known locally as the Davis Estate. This piece of land stretched from the Kingstanding Road ( the Circle ) up to Shady Lane and across to Maryvale School / Orphanage . It didn't lie idle as such because it was used for various reasons which I can remember as a young lad.
Around 1937- 1938 the ' Circle ' sweet, tobacco and newsagent shop ' CLARE'S ' ran or sponsored a football team that played on this land. I've got a vague memory that the team might have been called ' The Clare Rovers ' or something like that.
At this same period the local children used this estate as a huge open play area. Catapults, Bows and arrows and Slings could be practised with little danger. Football kick-abouts and cricket space was abundant.
Later around 1941- 1942 although the roads had already been laid on this area, the area's between roads were ploughed
and Wheat and Corn was grown to assist the National food chain and war effort. This was an extra goodie time for the local kids when the Harvesters had cut the crop down and left them with with piles of hay to pile and roll in.
It also proved a nice area for the visiting American Servicemen ( who were stationed 1/2 mile up the road on the Pheasey
Estate). They used it to Walk, Talk and Court with their girlfriends.
Around 1946 - 1947 some of the young local lads formed a ' Cycle Speedway ' team ( Kingstanding Racers) and built a dirt
track to race around on the estate.
I believe it was somewhere around this time that the Council started to build the houses that now make up this estate .

What an interesting story, & what a great memory you have, I can`t even remember what i had for breakfast & i have the same breakfast evey day!
 
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Yes very interesting Roy. Didn't know that estate was built much later. Viv.
 
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STOP ME AND BUY ONE. A great treat for the the kids playing in the streets.
This person could be seen cycling down the road on a TRICYCLE with an ICE BOX mounted over the front two wheels.
The sign written on the side of the box " Stop me and buy one " got the kids rushing back into their houses to see if Mom or Dad could give them a penny to buy a cracking tasting tri-angular shaped ' ice lolly ' from out of this ice box.
Time period : Big guess here, somewhere around 1937 maybe.
 
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They were still about in the late 40s Roy.
Walls or Midland counties, I liked Walls the best.
 
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Someone's smoking a ' PASHA' in here somewhere.
This is not a written piece supporting smoking in any way. As has been said before " Nothing can convince an innocent kid not to take up smoking more effectively than a kiss from a chain smoking aunt".
During the War cigarettes became spasmodically in short supply. During these periods the local newsagent / tobacconist would let each customer have a packet of their favourite brand of ciggy so long as he could also sell them a packet of the
cheap and horribly smelling Turkish type cigarette at the same time. It was something most smokers had to put up with.
It was comical though to see , for example, the reaction of an audience inside a cinema if someone even lit one of them up during a performance. Heads would be swivelling about all over theatre trying to locate to locate the ' culprit '
 
Re: Birmingham History

Ah yes, the good old days when you could barely see the cinema screen for ciggy smoke, & the local pub with sawdust on the floor & free use of a spitoon. And if you needed the loo at the Brookvale pub, you had to run like the wind to get past the gaffers Pekingese. Nostalgia, it`s great is it not?
 
Re: Birmingham History

An unusual Bus ride.
( With Walkies thrown in at no extra cost). Around 1943 we caught a Corporation ' 33' Double Decker bus at Perry Barr on route to Kingstanding. This particular bus was seen to be ' towing' some sort of stoke fire contraption built onto a small trailer. The journey seemed to be much as usual until we turned off the Colledge Road and began to climb the Kingstanding Road hill. At this point some of us blokes were asked to get off the bus in order to lighten the bus load.
So whilst it ' chugged ' it's reduced load up the final part of the hill we lads walked to the summit of the hill and reboarded
it to complete our journey. It was pretty obvious that with a full load the engine power was just not up to achieving that part of the route.
( History Bit ). Apparently in order to save on valuable Petrol at this time the Goverment and the Birmingham Council agreed to a limited number of these Coke Stove gas proving trailers to be tried out. By 1944 the project was abandoned.
Worth a try at the time I guess.
 
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A 1950's Holiday.
Birmingham to Barmouth in his first car.
Smashing. Two weeks paid holiday. Done the car engine ' Top overhaul '. You can't risk a long journey like this without doing that. First year that I've had a car so I hope that I've done it right. I've got a couple of tins of engine oil and a Rad
Weld in the boot just in case. Looked up a Route, should be straight forward.
We started a bit early just to be on the safe side. One of me tyres is wearing a bit thin thin so keeping an eye on that.
Going Ok so far. About two thirds the way there. The kids are getting a bit bored and playing up a bit. I'm trying to concentrate because the traffic in front has started to ' Stop - Go ' more times now. Pulled over abut 30 miles back to have our Flask of Tea, it gave us all a bit of a break.
We've just come to the start of the mountain road and I'm looking to see what's causing this latest ' hold up ' in front of us.
Oh heck. I can see it now, there's a car pulling a caravan stuck part way up the mountain road and it looks like it can't be passed by the traffic behind it. ( and that's us included).
Hang on. This is useful, an AA motor cycle and sidecar has just gone passed us towards the hold up.
It will be worth it when we get there I'm sure, especially for the Missus and Kids. First time the kids will have seen the sea
and the Missus won't be doing any cooking.
Just hope that AA bloke knows his stuff.
 
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