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Arthur Street, Small Heath

I think of Sparkhill for brickworks not coal. I am just wondering if brickmaking was a reserved occupation
 
I may be wrong but I thought Bevin Boys were only employed in the coal industry. The nearest pit would be a good distance from Sparkhill and difficult to reach by bus.
 
I tried a search on google for Sparkhill Colliery (although spelt as 2 words in post #1) and it came up with Park Hill colliery but that was in County Durham.
Wonder where the space is that is referred to?
 
They were chosen randomly from the men called up. I think it was by the last number of their army number so they came from all walks of life and all areas.
Wonder why Greg thinks it was a colliery in Sparkhill?
 
My Dad belonged to a mining family in the Staffordshire coalfields but did not follow in their footsteps until given the choice of the Army or the mine in 1943, he chose the mine and also the Home guard as a despatch rider.
My husbands father was picked at random , he was a factory worker and given the choice of the Mines or the Army and chose the Army.
Bernard was born in Canterbury so would have been a long way from home.
The nearest colliery was possibly Hamstead.
 
Hi all , thanks for comments , I pulled spark hill up from the records Saturday morning , although this is of course very old records , my mother seemed to think , he may have started in the lathe shop , relating the mining tools , The location is very close to Arthur street , home of my grandmother ,
Bevin Boys were as earlier said selected by their NI number , no choice in the matter , I don’t think there was a option ,
 
There was a Park Hall colliery at Longton, Stoke on Trent.
Incidentally in 1947, when nationalized, there were twenty collieries in Warwickshire. The last one, Daw Mil, closed in 2013. I have not seen a Warwickshire coal mine with a similar name as given.
However, the mist of time, I believe, has clouded what is searched for.
It seems to me that the area where the grandmother lived was in the district where Fardons (vinegar?) was located. It seems that grandad could have worked in the area as well, hence thus bus stop meeting.
Maybe this was before the call up when grandad went to the mines.
 
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An old thread but just seen that my step mom's nan lived in Arthur St in 1939.

Is this the only Arthur St in Birmngham? I noticed someone mentioned an Arthur St, Aston.

And would anyone with knowledge of the street like to hazard a guess where about on the street the picture of the bus being towed in post #35 is?

Thanks.
 
I suggest the road is at the Coventry Road end. The bus in the background iis parked in an opean yard adjacent to the depot and used to park some buses. This photo is taken close to the depot, which in its time had housed trams, trolleybuses and buses. The depot was opened for tramcars in 1906 and was known as Arthur Street at a later date changing to Coventry Road. In 1934 trolley buses were garaged there.
The photo shows one of Bird's (Stratford-upon-Avon) towing vehicles ready, when the driver gets in his cab, to tow the vehicle to their scrapyard near the Flowers Brewery. This would probably be 30th. June or 1st. July, 1951.
The towing vehicle is an AEC Matador, probably ex UK military. Bird's also had other ex military vehicles, such as ex US Army Studebaker type.
 
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Thanks. This is a map from 1950.

Charles Street.jpg

My thoughts were that the bus is the red line and the photographer the blue dot. The second bus appears to be coming off the waste land, the wall behind the bus is the wall of no 10 and the arches just visible above are something to do with the bus depot ???
 
Thanks. This is a map from 1950.

View attachment 149085

My thoughts were that the bus is the red line and the photographer the blue dot. The second bus appears to be coming off the waste land, the wall behind the bus is the wall of no 10 and the arches just visible above are something to do with the bus depot ???
I have altered my post which details where the second bus is. That should help.
 
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Hi Brock

My parents lived in Arthur street from about 1961 to 1972 and i was born there. What are your parents called and what number did they live at? My parents were Ray & Jean Haymes and they lived at 8 back of 36, opposite the Prince Atrhur pub corner of Bordesley Park rd and Arthur street. Apparently i was named after a barmaid who worked at the pub :D
I just rang my mom to ask if she had any pictures but she doesn't.
I don't remember anything about the street, i was born in 67.
Hope to hear from you.

Tina x
 
My name is Shirley and I lived in Arthur Street from about 1957 until 1960. My father purchased the corner shop of Arthur St and Bolton road opposite Wimbushes. The shop was a painters and decorators the number 128. I went to Tilton Road girls senior school. My parents decided to move to Cornwall at the end of the sixties.I would love to hear from anyone who may remember us the name being Fenton. This will come up in my husbands name.
 
strange i am reading a book called Free Boots & Back to Backs it mentions Arthur Street and the area. Very interesting so far
 
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