Recent content by PatHayward

No Robin I didn’t know him but I know my Mother and other workers held both brothers in high esteem - Charles more so as he was more ‘hands on’.

Charles Hill got married late in life and I still have his wedding photograph - I think the wedding was at Hall Green Church the photo showed a very elegant couple!

Mom never had to buy firewood as we used damaged coffin handles for that purpose and I always recall her saying that the men in the factory often had a sleep in coffins at lunchtime especially the ones for Catholics as they were lined with purple material and were more comfortable.

My mother and two aunts worked at Charles Hill for over twenty years. MY mom worked in the despatch department as forwoman and my aunts worked in other departments. Mom retired in 1973 and Charles and Teddy Hill gave her a lovely leaving party - a gold watch and Charles also organised a...

I was born at 332 Percy Road in July 1936!

Forgot to say this was around late forties to early fifties.

A few of us 5th formers used to sneak out of school on Wednesday lunchtimes to get a bus into the city centre then running to the Casino for the one hour jiving session for which we paid three pence and was given a magazine too. It was always crowded and the live music was amazing.

Graham Warren was a great favourite with us girls and I remember standing in pouring rain outside St Martins Church for many hours to see him get married to Pam who lived in Greenwood Avenue, Acocks Green - that was sometime in the fifties.

My apologies - M.E.M was on the corner of Spring Road and Reddings Lane and it was the Midland Gear Case that was on the corner of Spring Road and Allcroft Road- we lived next door at number 26,

When I came back from evacuation at Burford I went to York Road School until I passed for King Edwards grammar school for girls at Handsworth. My Mom used to work at Charles Hill in Cateswell Road

We lived there till around 1970 and two of my children went to Langley School and we frequently walked across the fields to school - the junior school was very well organised by Mr Montgomery - the headmaster .The fields at the rear of our house provided a wonderful playground for all the...

We lived at number 22!

Swanswell Road was part of a large estate built by David Charles Limited and ran between Gospel Lane and Kineton Green Road in Olton. We bought a detatched house there around 1965. The estate finished near to to The Gospel pub.

Just below Allcroft Road there was a little general store which was run by Mr & Mrs Cox - they sold most everyday products and next door was a fish and chip shop and behind these shops was an ‘unofficial bookie working from a garden shed - often a queue outside at lunchtime. There was then a...