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They Were Caught In Our Old Street Pics...

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The bloke peering over the fence - I reckon he's lost his key and looking for a way over that fence withour ripping his rompers - I mean trousers :)
 
oldMohawk said:
Ref post #1 'the only man on the forum pushing a pram' , this man might be thinking about it but he is 'hands off' the pram in this nice pic of court 38 Woodcock st nr Gosta green..1930s. It's a very nice pram...
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Above pic linked to this post https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=38737&p=430581#post430581
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No wonder he is eyeing up the pram. I think it is The Pedigree Mk 3, the give away are the rear driving wheels with the extra 2.5 radial super grip rims. This model did not require the child to be removed to allow 6 bottles of Ansell's Nut Brown Ale to be placed in the secret compartment. On the other hand he may be wondering if his wife is ever going to stop showing his child the pretty flowers and come home to fix his tea as he is obviously dressed for the billiard finals!
 
I had a navy blue pram like the one pictured above, but it broke. It was second hand when I had it, but it took a lot of heavy use, One baby in the pram one on the pram seat which clipped on top, the shopping tray which I had two boxes in for the shopping and handle clips for shopping bag straps. and when my other child was tired, a bit of juggling and I fitted him in holding the baby - how I managed to push it I will never know. When that collapsed and I had baby No.4 I had another second hand pram the same, but bottle green in colour and yes I gave it the same adaptions and could fit the four of them in and the shopping - now wonder I am worn out now......
 
oldMohawk said:
This pic always amuses me. Happy removal men moving Nellie Weir. That tall wardrobe making a perilous descent from the bed room.
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It's in this post https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=11058&p=420597#post420597
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My Mom was not a believer in letting idle hands exist so she always arranged that I had a full time job during those long school summer holidays One such job was to be a furniture delivery man's offsider, for GUS (Great Universal Stores)
The poor bloke must have wondered what he was stuck with, a 6 foot, thirteen year old, 7 stone weakling.
One delivery was a large double wardrobe to a house in Small Heath. On arrival we were informed that it was to go into the 3rd floor bedroom. The Man looked at the double narrow twisting staircase and thought the best plan of action was for us to take it up ladders as in this photo. I still cant to this day believe that we tried it. We got the wardrobe up the ladders to level with the bottom of the bedroom window, he then went down the ladder whilst I somehow held the wardrobe. He went down the ladder and up to the window inside and whilst I shoved he, with the aid of a rope, would pull the w/robe through the window.
Of course it was way too big to go through so we brought it back down to pavement level.

He then told the lady of the house that the only other way to do the job was to split the w/robe by removing the wooden strapping that goes across the top of the item, down the back and underneath and it could be reassembled when we had taken the two halves up the stairs.

The lady said she didn't feel happy about this but that she had two grown daughters who would sort it out when they came in from work, if not she would phone the supplier and make some other arrangements.

I think this was about the Thursday of my last week at this job and I never heard any more of this saga.
I often wonder what happened when the daughters got in from work and feel sorry for the poor driver who must never have worked so hard in his life, mind he should have known what was to come when I waved him back into a gatepost on my first day.
 
I still occasionally look for the source of the 'mystery man' pic, I suppose he is in an old newspaper or book somewhere. Anyone know ? .... :courage:
Mystery Man
 
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I have locked this as despite asking for it to return to topic it has run off in a totally different direction. In my opinion this particular direction is deserving of a dedicated thread.

Sent from my LG-D802 using Tapatalk
 
I have now removed the posts that were taking this thread in a totally different direction to the one intended.

My apologies to Stephen 0002002 for the delay but family concerns got in the way - the round trip to the QE is not an easy one.



BernardR
 
#1267
Thats a smashing pic - the long raincoat and berret. The trendy bloke look of the day, I guess (dare I say Frank Spencer-esc). Several men wore berrets up our road around that era. In the pram; I thought pipes but there appears to be a bike fork in there - I'm guessing ?

#1266 running man
Stitcher was the first postee - its since become a cult, its not yet on page 1 of google tho - but we're trying.
Some might say - very trying :) - I'm currently still favouring the Roy Orbison conspiracy and the A3 must be a clue :)
 
I wondered if it was a pushchair frame in that pram as it seems to have two handles?
My Dad wore a beret and mac too!
rosie.
 
Looking through the forum pics, this 1905 pic of a Court and originally posted on the forum here interests me. The children are maybe chopping firewood to carry round and sell from their baskets. Someone has left a white jug by the water pump, and what was the upper floor of that building at the far end used for - even in 1905 it does not look habitable.
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I remember as a child my father wearing his beret with his Royal Engineers badge on, Where it went I know not, but I have bought a couple of RE badges of the site that is 'E'verso good. But I don't feel they are right. He wore his army coat as well. When we were cold as kids he would put it on our bed, Oh how heavy it was, we could hardly breathe I don't know how they managed to wear them. Odd the things we remember.
 
I think the kids are making "kindling" for the home fires, this was the only form of heating and cooking in the house, and would have used a lot, not a nice job so handed to the kids, nightmare for the modern (Elf and safety jobsworth's).
 
It only seems to be on the ground floor, so, if they were fastened inside, maybe it was protection against a break in
 
This thread has only been re-opened for a short while since having been locked for off topic posts and now I have removed 5 threads which are off topic. The posts made may well be valid but not in this thread.

I quote the reason for the thread, as started by Old Mohawk and still valid: A light hearted look at some of our old street pics. I enjoy looking at the buildings but often see a pic with people in it and find myself trying to imagine what they were doing, and what they were thinking ....

Please try to post in the appropriate part of the forum folk it makes life easier for everyone not least new visitors to the forum. Oh and the poor guys and gals that try to keep things in order.



Bernard
 
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A pic that could be said to not be relevant in this thread because no one is caught in the pic unless that is someone fallen down in the doorway. It is interesting because it appears to be the same Court in Cheapside as shown in #1273 but taken from the position of the photographer in the previous pic. The white jug seen in the previous pic is by the water pump so probably taken on the same day.

 
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There's man in the left-hand doorway, can't tell what he's looking at though. Is that a little dog too?
rosie.
 
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Well, the sun is shining in this Cheapside Court (name chalked on the wall) as these ladies stand outside their dwellings. The two ladies in hats, probably going out for the day.

 
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Rosie he is contemplating whether to fetch a packet of woodbines or go for a pint at the at the old rainbow pub
In digbeth or he his gagging for fresh air bearing in mind just how large those little house was
Any think like our little house we lived in at 5/92 Lichfield rd. With one bed room and a tiniest of a box room for one bed
And 1 bedroom with eight kids all sleeping in the one bed four at the top and four at the bottom and the old man and lady in the same room

With cockroaches as big as bats and red plater bugs coming out of the walls the little tiny stair. Case to go and down
First thing in the morning it was like looking at a huge steel shells that was the cock roaches as soon as the stair light went on they disperse as fast as lighting
And it was only when our mom and dad went to see her father and his father and brother whom was in a postion that we got the move to good old .lady wood
With back and front and a cracking big bath room other wise we would have been there for generations and the slum clearance
Best wishes astonian,,,,,,
 
A chance to look at this nice old photo of Holly Rd Handsworth possibly c1910. Of the three children on the right, two of them look very stylishly dressed, and the girl seems to be wearing a sash.
Handsworth_Holly_Rd.jpg
 
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What a lovely photo of Holly Road in years gone by. I walked down that road many times in the 1950's on my way to Handsworth Park, and the houses looked just the same, although I think a lot of the greenery had gone unfortunately.

Judy
 
I also walked down there a lot Judy, on my way home from Grove Lane baths - and I agree, the houses look much the same now, lovely solid houses and quite "upmarket" (as was Handsworth as a whole). I think a lot of them have been divided into flats now.
 
As this street photo was taken, two women walked along the pavement one with a toddler and the other carrying a baby in a long white robe. My imagination suggests they are going to a christening but I could be wrong because I can't see a Dad and it might not be a baby. Nice small trees have been planted but they grow to be large trees.
Perry_Barr_Earlsbury_Gardens.jpg
 
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