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Re: Birmingham History Carolina, thank you for the photo post. looking at it I think I can ' spot ' my old desk there ( the one with the ' wonky ' leg which one of us had to hold up with our knee ). Only joking lass. Happy memories.

Re: Birmingham History A Schoolboys Story ( 1944 ). Just a little story that on reflection I still have a smile about. The period is 1944 and I am approaching my final year at Peckham Road School, ( Kingstanding ). The school is putting to-gether it's new seasons senior Football Team. One of...

Re: Birmingham History 1950,s - 1960,s. Comical on Reflection. Ballroom dancing had become very popular by way of TV programmes that showed us top level Ballroom Dancing Competitions. Ballroom Dance Schools were getting more popular by the month. All the big Birmingham venues that put on...

Re: Birmingham History 1930,s - 1940,s. Getting this new ' fangled ' electricity worked out. Do you remember seeing that piece of electric wiring that was attached to the bedroom ceiling light , then suspended above the bed and hanging on a bit of string with a little switch dangling just...

Re: Birmingham History SOUNDS of our City that have mostly drifted int History. Its quite remarkable the way things slip away into the past without us hardly noticing it. Just a little collection of some of the typical City sounds we hear no more : (1) The factory ' Work Hooters ' sounding...

Re: Birmingham History A bit of creative inventiveness. Kingstanding. ( 1947 ). I think that I've now pieced together the story of this ' one - off ' event that was improvised by the local lads who made up the " Hill Top Tigers " cycle speedway team. These lads built and raced on a dirt...

Re: Birmingham History What a Lovely Lady. ( Period around 1940 ) Because of damage caused somewhere during a previous night air-raid the water supply in parts of Kingstanding was cut-off for a number of days. A lady living in one house on the north side of Kings Road who found herself not...

Re: Birmingham History Spelling Sweats . ( Don't worry too much ). Peckham Road School Junior ( around 1942 - 1943 ). The English master is delivering an ' English Composition ' lesson to us. Never forget a line of his conversation in which he said to us something like " When you are...

Re: Birmingham History A Second Chance. ( 1950,s ). Going back in time there were some folks, referring to their own education , who would comment " I never had the chance ". They would be remarking in general to their own circumstances during their ' Primary School ' education. Instantcies...

Re: Birmingham History Wow, we've got our own phone. ( 1950's ). Around this period folk could apply to have a telephone installed in their own home. I believe that because of some ' line limitations ' some folk could only be initially offered a ' Party Line ' which meant that they had to '...

Just read your piece Rupert and it brought to mind an occasion when a few of us lads turned up to watch the Model Aircraft perform on the park area around the Powell's pool, Longmoor pool cross roads. It was at the time when propeller model's were driven by wound up elastic ( hand held drills...

These guy's really stood out amongst the others. ( A piece of my National Service ). 1949 - 1950 . At this time the Forces were calling out for ' volunteers ' to under go parachute training under the direction of the Airborne Parachute Regiment. The course was roughly about eight weeks...

Re: Birmingham History " Argus, City Final " A late Saturday night sound around the City. Period : Late 1940's through the 50's. Just had a good night out up the City. Maybe it was a dance at the ' West End ' or maybe a visit to the ' Gaumont ' or the ' Odeon ' cinema . The Bonus to come...

Re: Birmingham History Reading between the lines. BBC news and ' Jairmany callig, Jairmany calling. During the Second World War obtaining accurate war news was not easy for Birmingham folk or the nation in general. On one hand British reporting was censored and contained some elements of...

Re: Birmingham History Over the Garden Wall. ( Long before we all had private telephones ). Many times I used to see my mother reach under the Settee to select a shoe or slipper lying beneath and then go to the adjoining wall to Mrs S's house who lived next door. She would then tap the heel of...

Re: Birmingham History Sit Aboard Skating. ( The 1940 's ) . A pair of skates shared by a couple of the kids. This activity would be seen around some streets in Birmingham. Find a nice hard and smooth gradient ( Kingstanding was a particular good example with its hills and slopes ). A...

Re: Birmingham History The ' Whistlers '. Remember that happy sound. Birmingham lads and men would go about their life and share this talent with us all. You would hear it all around our districts. The ' Whistling ' Milkman, the Breadman and the Coalman as they did their deliveries. The '...

Re: Birmingham History 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...

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...

Re: Birmingham History 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...