Re: Canals of Brum
JUST SITTING HERE LOOKING AT THE OLD PHOTO,S OF THE CUT
BRINGING MY CHILD HOOD MEMORIES FLOODING BACK TO ME ,
I MUST HAVE SPENT THOUSANDS OF HOURS ON THAT STRETCH OF THE CANNAL
WITH MY FRIENDS , WHEN I WAS A NIPPER,
WHAT WE DECIDED TO DO ONE DAY WAS TO MAKE AN HOOK WITH A STEEL BAR
AND CONNECT IT TO A LONG PIECE OF ROPE , AND WE WOULD GO DOWN TO THE LEDSAM STREET END
AND THROW THE HOOK OUT TO THE MIDDLE AND DRAGG IT BACK ,
TO SEE IF WE COULD FIND ANY BIKES , AND LORD AND BEHOLD WE FOUND PLENTY OF THEM
SOME WAS JUST FRAMES , OR SOME WITH ONE OR TWO WHEELS ON , OR JUST THE ODD WHEEL
BUT EVENTUALY WE MANAGE TO ALL GET A BIKE OF SOME DISCRIPTION ,
WE COULD FISH THEM OUT REGUALARLY , AND WHAT WE ALSO USED TO DO
WAS TO TAKE THEM AROUND THE BLOCK TO THE OLD LADYWOOD POLICE STATION ,
AND WE ALWAYS THOUGHT IF WE TAKE THEM IN AFTER 6 MONTHS THEY WOULD BE OURS ,, -
NOT LIKELY , WE NEVER HEARD A SAUSAGE FROM THEM ,,
ONE DAY WE FISHED OUT A RALEIGH MOPED RUN ABOUT OUT OF THERE
AND TOOK THAT .
SOME DAYS WE ONLY DRAGGED OUT SCRAP METAL ,
WE USED TO LEAVE IT SCATTERED ALL OVER THE TOW PATH THERE WAS TONS OF IT SOME DAYS ,
BUT WE USED TO TO WORRY AND FRIGHENED BY THE BIG GREY SHIRE HORESES ,
WE WAS ONLY LITTLE WIPPER SNAPPERS WITH LITTLE LEGS
THESE HORESES COULD REALLY MOVE FAST TOWING THOSE BARGES ,
THEY WAS ON TOP OF US BEFORE YOU COULD BLINK
WE WAS SO ENGROSSED BY WHAT WE WAS DOING WE SOMTIME S NEVER HEARD OR SEEING THEM COMING
AND VERY NEARLY GOT TRAMPLED ON BY THESEGREAT BIG HORESES,
WE CAME ON THE CUT BY THE NO, 8 CIRCLE CLOCK IN ENTRANCE , AND WALK
TOWARD GAS STREET FIRST PASSING LEDSAM PASSING OLD CLARKIES SCRAP YARD
WHOM GATES WAS IN LEDSAM ST
, BUT HE HAD A WATER EXIT INTO HIS YARD WE WOULD WALK AND BALANCE DOWN THE BRIDGE ARCH WAY
IF HE HAD A BARGE MOORING AND UNLEASH IT AND LET IT FLOAT DOWN THE CUT TO WARD THE OLD FEEDER TOWARDS SMETHWICK ,OR GAS STREET WHAT EVER WAY THE WINDS WAS BLOWING
IF WE DID NOT GO TOWARDS GAS STREET , WE WOULD GO THE OPPERSITE WAY TO WARDS WINSON GREEN , OR UP TO TIPTON PASSING SMETHWICK , AND THE OLD FEEDER WHERE THE CENTRAL LOCKS WAS
AND IN THE GATE KEEPER HOUSE WAS A GENTLEMAM NAMED RALPH
WHOM LIVED IN THERE AND WE PLAY HIM UP AND HE WOULD CHASE US DOWN THE CUT
AND AS WE PROGRESSED TOWARD THE WEST BROMWICH AND TIPTON AREA ,
WE CAME ACROSS THE STABLES WHERE THEY KEPT THOSE BIG GREY SHIRE HORSES
WE STARTED TO NOSE UP THIS EXIT IT WAS A LITTLE SLOPE , WE DID,NT RELIZE
IT WAS THE STABLES WE SRAW ON THE FLOOR OF THE SLOPE ,
AND WHEN WE GOT TO THE TOP OF THE SLOPE ,
WE WAS CONFRONTED BY A WHOPPING BIG GREY HORES
AND THEN HE CLOCKED US , AND HE BOLTED TOWARDS US AND CHASE US ALONG THE CANNAL ,
WE COULD,NT RUN FAST ENOUGH MY LITTLE HEART WAS POUNDING
BECAUSE I WAS THE TITCH OF THE GANG AND THE OTHERS WAS OLDER THAN ME AND BIGGER
SO THEY COULD RUN FASTER THAN ME , I KEPT LOOKING OVER MY SHOULDER AS I WAS RUNNING
AND I THOUGHT HE WAS GOING TO GET ME , IT WAS A SHOCK TO MY SYSTEM ,
AND ONE DAY WE WAS PASSING THROUGH CLISSOLD STREET HOCKLEY
WHEN WE SEEN THE COAL BARGE TAKING COAL TO CLISSOLD STREET WHARF
WE SHOUTED \TO THE BOAT MAN WHAT THE HORESES NAME MATE
AND HE SAID CHARLIE ,
WHEN YOU WALK ALONG CLISSOLD ST, AND CLISSOLD PASSAGE TO TOWARDS THE WHARF
FROM DUDLEY ROAD ONTO CLISSOLD ST , THE ONLY SEPERATION BETWEEN US AND THEM IS ONE IRON BAR
RAILING WHICH WAS ONLY 3 FEET HIGH , ANY WAY WE ROARD AT THE HORES
AND SHOUTED CHARLIE ,
BY GOLLY WE GOT A SHOCH WHEN WE SEEN THIS GREAT BIG SHIRE HORES SHREIKRD ,
AND WENT UP HIGH ON HIS BACK LEGS AND TURNED TO US AND BOLTED ,
THE BOATMAN DONE HIS NUT , HE WAVED HIS FIST TO US AND SHOUTING ABUSE TO US
WE SCARPERD FAST DOWN COLLEDGE RD ,
BUT MANY ATIME WE WOULD TAKE ARIDE ON A BARGE , NOT THE ONES WITH THE ENGINE
BUT THE OLD COAL CARRIERS THEY WAS OFTEN LEFT HERE AND THERE IN THEM DAYS ,
AND WHEN WE GOT FED UP WE WOULD GO IN THE OLD BOMBED HOUSE, AFTER THE WAR
DOWN LEDSAM STREET IN THE CELLARS LOOKING FOR WAR HELMETS OR WHAT EVER WE COULD FIND
EVEN THE OLD GAS MASKED WE FOUNF PLENTY OFF ,
