So sorry to hear this said news. I did a short time Private hire driving ( Kim cabs and Z cars) back in 67 and listened to all these songs on my new echo radio, even now I rate them as my most memorable songs.
-
Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.
We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team
Growing Up In Brum - Roy Blakey Inspired.
- Thread starter Roy Blakey
- Start date
oldMohawk
gone but not forgotten
When I was a very young lad growing up in Brum I was taught how to knit !!
I remember first knitting 'plain' then moving on to 'pearl' - can't remember exactly what they were.
I suppose I could try and find some knitting needles and wool and secretly have a go after all these years ....
I remember first knitting 'plain' then moving on to 'pearl' - can't remember exactly what they were.
I suppose I could try and find some knitting needles and wool and secretly have a go after all these years ....
maypolebaz
master brummie
When I was very young growing up in Brum I was taught how to knit !!
I remember first knitting 'plain' then moving on to 'pearl' - can't remember exactly what they were.
I suppose I could try and find some knitting needles and wool and secretly have a go after all these years ....
When I first started at Highters Heath juniors we had to knit too.
I still remember the chant "In, over, through, off" as we struggled with the needles.
We were knitting inkwell wipers !
Roy Blakey
master brummie
That " Boys with the knitting " thing.
Sketch :
Sketch :
brenda barr
master brummie
l know most of us off a certain age.....remember knitting for the soldiers at school....we were taught to knit squares and we understood they were suppose to be sewn together to make blankets for the soldiers....never did see a completed one...all we did was knit squares just used a knit stitch no purl...graduated to that later...l still knit today mostly babies hats for the new born at the hospitals....Brenda
Roy Blakey
master brummie
TALENTED LADIES.
Harking back, those ladies ( Our Moms, Grannies and Aunties ) who sat there hand knitting away, creating all sorts of useful articles of clothing, I wonder if they realised just how skilifull they really were.
Hand knitting was mainly a necessary accomplishment being passed on from Mothers to Daughters as a normal growing up procedure and more or less taken for granted.
I recall, it always seemed magical to me, how some of these ladies could happily ' click ' away producing row after row of some creation whilst chatting away or watching television without the slightest hesitation in their knitting.
For me, they were very much into the top order of skilfulness and creativeness,
Thanks Mom, thanks Nan, thanks Auntie.
Harking back, those ladies ( Our Moms, Grannies and Aunties ) who sat there hand knitting away, creating all sorts of useful articles of clothing, I wonder if they realised just how skilifull they really were.
Hand knitting was mainly a necessary accomplishment being passed on from Mothers to Daughters as a normal growing up procedure and more or less taken for granted.
I recall, it always seemed magical to me, how some of these ladies could happily ' click ' away producing row after row of some creation whilst chatting away or watching television without the slightest hesitation in their knitting.
For me, they were very much into the top order of skilfulness and creativeness,
Thanks Mom, thanks Nan, thanks Auntie.
sospiri
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
Roy,
My mom didn't knit all that much, but always had the old Singer sewing machine out, making clothes for myself & my younger brother, on one occasion she turned a large purple velvet dress into short trousers for us and somewhere I have a pic to prove it. She always cut our hair and never went to the hairdresser herself either, using Twink and similar home perms. I think she even trimmed Dad's hair as well, not that he had a lot!
Maurice
My mom didn't knit all that much, but always had the old Singer sewing machine out, making clothes for myself & my younger brother, on one occasion she turned a large purple velvet dress into short trousers for us and somewhere I have a pic to prove it. She always cut our hair and never went to the hairdresser herself either, using Twink and similar home perms. I think she even trimmed Dad's hair as well, not that he had a lot!
Maurice
Maria Magenta
master brummie
My dad, who grew up in Hitchin, could knit and make clothes. I don't know where he learned either skill.
His cousin was a great knitter, and made lots of clothes for various younger relatives. I've still got the shawl/cot blanket she made when my son was born. I used to knit a lot, but stopped for some reason some time ago.
maria
His cousin was a great knitter, and made lots of clothes for various younger relatives. I've still got the shawl/cot blanket she made when my son was born. I used to knit a lot, but stopped for some reason some time ago.
maria
A Sparks
master brummie
My mother and grandmother were both good at knitting and sewing.
My Nan was particularly good, she could do tailoring as well - all self taught. She used to go and look at clothes in posh shops and could copy things without a pattern.
One of my uncles was quite a dab hand at embroidery, he learnt how to do it while convalescing while in the Army in the second world war.
My Nan was particularly good, she could do tailoring as well - all self taught. She used to go and look at clothes in posh shops and could copy things without a pattern.
One of my uncles was quite a dab hand at embroidery, he learnt how to do it while convalescing while in the Army in the second world war.
Maria Magenta
master brummie
A great-uncle did embroidery while in the same situation in the First World War. I saw one of the things he did once briefly, but unfortunately it has vanished.
maria
Roy Blakey
master brummie
NOT A TIME FOR WASTE.
Had a few bits of left overs from last Sunday's lunch so did an old fashioned " Bubble and Squeak " on Monday. Done this a few times over the years and it never fails to remind me of the meals that the Moms used to put to-gether when we were kids. Fantastic what they could do with the limited availability of food during those times.
Staple diet of the time included such things as :
Rabbit Stew ( On the go sometimes day after day ). Delicious though.
Potato, dried Eggs, Spam and dried Milk ( Basic ingredients for some really varied and nice meals ).
Bubble and Squeak ( Very little food was wasted and even then if there were any scraps left over the street corner ' Pig Bins ' would be used).
Brains on Toast ( Doesn't sound too inviting but it really was a tasty meal ).
Toast and ' Dip in the Fat ' ( A regular take to school snack ).
Boiled Cabbage Water ' drink' ( With a bit of Pepper, a really tasty cold weather drink ).
Bread Puddings of various concoctions ( For ' Afters ' ).
To get you to eat all of a piece of bread the Moms had that saying " Eat your crust as well because it will give you lovely curly hair ".
Those Moms, those days. Brilliant.
Had a few bits of left overs from last Sunday's lunch so did an old fashioned " Bubble and Squeak " on Monday. Done this a few times over the years and it never fails to remind me of the meals that the Moms used to put to-gether when we were kids. Fantastic what they could do with the limited availability of food during those times.
Staple diet of the time included such things as :
Rabbit Stew ( On the go sometimes day after day ). Delicious though.
Potato, dried Eggs, Spam and dried Milk ( Basic ingredients for some really varied and nice meals ).
Bubble and Squeak ( Very little food was wasted and even then if there were any scraps left over the street corner ' Pig Bins ' would be used).
Brains on Toast ( Doesn't sound too inviting but it really was a tasty meal ).
Toast and ' Dip in the Fat ' ( A regular take to school snack ).
Boiled Cabbage Water ' drink' ( With a bit of Pepper, a really tasty cold weather drink ).
Bread Puddings of various concoctions ( For ' Afters ' ).
To get you to eat all of a piece of bread the Moms had that saying " Eat your crust as well because it will give you lovely curly hair ".
Those Moms, those days. Brilliant.
Roy Blakey
master brummie
The " FREE KITCHEN ".
I recall one of the older Men, at the factory we worked in at the time, telling the story of how when he was a young boy his Mom used to send him and his sisters out on Saturday mornings to a nearby Church Mission Hall which held a " Free Kitchen " and there they were able to get themselves a free " Dip in the Fat " breakfast.
Photo : Painting of the same scenario but probably nearer the late 1900's.
I recall one of the older Men, at the factory we worked in at the time, telling the story of how when he was a young boy his Mom used to send him and his sisters out on Saturday mornings to a nearby Church Mission Hall which held a " Free Kitchen " and there they were able to get themselves a free " Dip in the Fat " breakfast.
Photo : Painting of the same scenario but probably nearer the late 1900's.
Roy Blakey
master brummie
TAUGHT US A LESSON.
( 1940's )
Our group of kids were not particularly avid ' Scrumpers ' but I guess at the same time we didn't let the odd opportunity slip by.
On this particular day we had set off on another one of our adventures into and through Sutton Park. After our usual explorations we eventually arrived at the Sutton Town Gate, at the other side of the park. We decided to have a walk out of the park and have a look round some of the Sutton Coldfield street area's. We eventually found ourselves in this particular road ( my guess to-day would be that it was Anchorage Road ). Anyway we were just at the point of thinking of turning back for home when one of the group spotted this aparent damaged and unoccupied large house. What caught our attention was the large back garden ( which we could clearly see ) loaded with apple trees laden with ripe fruit.
Quiet road, nobody using the damaged house, have a walk passed the side of the house, have a little look at the
' Orchard '.
Heaven. We are all quickly picking and loading some of these lovely apples down the front of our shirts and making our own excuses that nobody was going to use them anyway.
THEN IT ALL WENT WRONG.
We hear a mans voice. " Hey, Stop that, come over here ". There's this man stood in the front drive of the house and he is definatey shouting at us.
OH, HECK.
The tall and short of it was that we were rounded up by this man and then he shepherded all of us down to the Sutton Coldfield Police Station.
Jeez, did they put the wind up us in that Police Station. Tears,Nail biting and dropped heads from all our crowd.
Eventually they ' let us go ' and told us to get straight back home and that there might be a ' follow up ' later.
I will never forget that walk back home. Still hadn't got our heads back up yet, hardly a word was spoken between us except to visualise the possibilities of what might happen to us from now on. The fears ran from the thoughts of having to go to ' Borstal ', having to go to court, having the Dads and Moms going potty when the Police eventually would be knocking on our front doors.
How did the story finish.
We kids waited for days in absolute fear that the ' Follow up ' was going to happen anytime.
IT DIDN'T.
We did eventually realise that the Police Station episode had been partly ' staged ' to help keep us on the ' straight and narrow ' so to speak.
Yeah, the Growing up bit needed a shove here and there.
Scrumping ? Not anymore. Learnt our lesson.
( 1940's )
Our group of kids were not particularly avid ' Scrumpers ' but I guess at the same time we didn't let the odd opportunity slip by.
On this particular day we had set off on another one of our adventures into and through Sutton Park. After our usual explorations we eventually arrived at the Sutton Town Gate, at the other side of the park. We decided to have a walk out of the park and have a look round some of the Sutton Coldfield street area's. We eventually found ourselves in this particular road ( my guess to-day would be that it was Anchorage Road ). Anyway we were just at the point of thinking of turning back for home when one of the group spotted this aparent damaged and unoccupied large house. What caught our attention was the large back garden ( which we could clearly see ) loaded with apple trees laden with ripe fruit.
Quiet road, nobody using the damaged house, have a walk passed the side of the house, have a little look at the
' Orchard '.
Heaven. We are all quickly picking and loading some of these lovely apples down the front of our shirts and making our own excuses that nobody was going to use them anyway.
THEN IT ALL WENT WRONG.
We hear a mans voice. " Hey, Stop that, come over here ". There's this man stood in the front drive of the house and he is definatey shouting at us.
OH, HECK.
The tall and short of it was that we were rounded up by this man and then he shepherded all of us down to the Sutton Coldfield Police Station.
Jeez, did they put the wind up us in that Police Station. Tears,Nail biting and dropped heads from all our crowd.
Eventually they ' let us go ' and told us to get straight back home and that there might be a ' follow up ' later.
I will never forget that walk back home. Still hadn't got our heads back up yet, hardly a word was spoken between us except to visualise the possibilities of what might happen to us from now on. The fears ran from the thoughts of having to go to ' Borstal ', having to go to court, having the Dads and Moms going potty when the Police eventually would be knocking on our front doors.
How did the story finish.
We kids waited for days in absolute fear that the ' Follow up ' was going to happen anytime.
IT DIDN'T.
We did eventually realise that the Police Station episode had been partly ' staged ' to help keep us on the ' straight and narrow ' so to speak.
Yeah, the Growing up bit needed a shove here and there.
Scrumping ? Not anymore. Learnt our lesson.
paul stacey
master brummie
I must say it was a normal childhood adventure for us kids, apples, pears goozgogs, even blackcurrants, often chased never caught. Great fun for us.Paul
sospiri
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
I only had one serious case of urban scrumping and still have the scar to prove it. Sure we went out to Shirley and Monkspath on the Midland Red and helped ourselves to fruit whenever we found it, but for some reason we didn't see it as scrumping and we were never caught.
On this particular day however, we were scrumping apples from some old guy's garden up an entry about 30 yards from our house in Knowle Road. I think he was regarded as a bit of a hermit as we never saw him out in the road at all. So half a dozen of us scrambled up his fence and began to help ourselves to the apples on the overhanging branches. Two minutes later - Oi - the old guy was coming out of the rear door of his house. We had but a few seconds to run down the entry and make our escape into the street.
At this point I must explain that the entry was very muddy and that some old wartime corrugated iron had been used to hold back the soil of his garden from the entry. The iron had some rather jagged rusty corners sticking up about a foot above the ground.
We scrambled down and once we hit the ground, began to run, but we had to pass the guy's gate into the entry, and thus, once he got it open, would be confronted by him. Of course, Joe Muggins was the last to scramble down and we could hear him cursing the darned kids as he tried to get the gate open. At that point I slipped in the mud and tore a great gash down my left hand little pinky and ended up on the floor in the mud streaming blood, everyone else having scooted for dear life. The old guy stopped cursing, picked me up as I was now filthy and crying, and wrapped a handerkerchief round my bleeding finger and took me home.
I actually felt he thought it was his fault, but he'd no doubt done similar in his young day. No mention was made to my mother about the apples, just that I'd fallen over and caught my finger on the corrugated iron, so I got off fairly lightly. Had I been taken to the hospital for stitches, I probably wouldn't have had the scar, but it still extends down the top segment of my finger to this day.
Maurice
On this particular day however, we were scrumping apples from some old guy's garden up an entry about 30 yards from our house in Knowle Road. I think he was regarded as a bit of a hermit as we never saw him out in the road at all. So half a dozen of us scrambled up his fence and began to help ourselves to the apples on the overhanging branches. Two minutes later - Oi - the old guy was coming out of the rear door of his house. We had but a few seconds to run down the entry and make our escape into the street.
At this point I must explain that the entry was very muddy and that some old wartime corrugated iron had been used to hold back the soil of his garden from the entry. The iron had some rather jagged rusty corners sticking up about a foot above the ground.
We scrambled down and once we hit the ground, began to run, but we had to pass the guy's gate into the entry, and thus, once he got it open, would be confronted by him. Of course, Joe Muggins was the last to scramble down and we could hear him cursing the darned kids as he tried to get the gate open. At that point I slipped in the mud and tore a great gash down my left hand little pinky and ended up on the floor in the mud streaming blood, everyone else having scooted for dear life. The old guy stopped cursing, picked me up as I was now filthy and crying, and wrapped a handerkerchief round my bleeding finger and took me home.
I actually felt he thought it was his fault, but he'd no doubt done similar in his young day. No mention was made to my mother about the apples, just that I'd fallen over and caught my finger on the corrugated iron, so I got off fairly lightly. Had I been taken to the hospital for stitches, I probably wouldn't have had the scar, but it still extends down the top segment of my finger to this day.
Maurice
norfolk brummie
gone but not forgotten
Lovely story Maurice.
At the school where I was boarded, out at Blackwell, we would go scrumping at night, taking our pillowcases to fill with apples, or pears, from the fields surrounding the school. This would have been 1943/44, so the fruit was very welcome.!
Never got caught, but one night we were chased by a dog. Ran so fast, I have no idea if it was a big dog or a small one. Hearing the barking was enough for me.
Eddie
At the school where I was boarded, out at Blackwell, we would go scrumping at night, taking our pillowcases to fill with apples, or pears, from the fields surrounding the school. This would have been 1943/44, so the fruit was very welcome.!
Never got caught, but one night we were chased by a dog. Ran so fast, I have no idea if it was a big dog or a small one. Hearing the barking was enough for me.
Eddie
Roy Blakey
master brummie
STREAMLINING.
I have tried, here and there, to figure this episode out. Looking at the best I can find on the ' internet ' regarding the introduction of the 11+ school examination all I can find is that this was officially brought into operation in 1944.
Yet I recall attending an examination at Handsworth Grammar School in 1942 with the target of trying to pass this schools exam and thence to join this Grammar School.
i remember that having had a go at the ' exam ' and coming away from the Grammar school I was a fair bit disappointed at the fact that I had hardly even understood many of the basic questions set out in the exam. I recall having the thought at the time that apart from writing my name and the date on the top of each exam sheet I had offered very little else.
My thoughts are that the school I was attending at time put forward a few a few pupils to ' try their luck '. My ponder is, I wonder if this was part of some ' Pilot Scheme ' for the eventual ' Official ' 11 Plus, or was it that there had always been this sort of opportunist entry going on
I still wonder to this day why on earth I was up there that day at the Handsworth Grammar basically just chewing on the end of those pencils and having very little else to offer. It had all been obviously ' out of my league ' so to speak.
Looked like I was going to be best suited to " rolled up sleeves " and a ' hands on ' job when I eventually was to leave school.
I have tried, here and there, to figure this episode out. Looking at the best I can find on the ' internet ' regarding the introduction of the 11+ school examination all I can find is that this was officially brought into operation in 1944.
Yet I recall attending an examination at Handsworth Grammar School in 1942 with the target of trying to pass this schools exam and thence to join this Grammar School.
i remember that having had a go at the ' exam ' and coming away from the Grammar school I was a fair bit disappointed at the fact that I had hardly even understood many of the basic questions set out in the exam. I recall having the thought at the time that apart from writing my name and the date on the top of each exam sheet I had offered very little else.
My thoughts are that the school I was attending at time put forward a few a few pupils to ' try their luck '. My ponder is, I wonder if this was part of some ' Pilot Scheme ' for the eventual ' Official ' 11 Plus, or was it that there had always been this sort of opportunist entry going on
I still wonder to this day why on earth I was up there that day at the Handsworth Grammar basically just chewing on the end of those pencils and having very little else to offer. It had all been obviously ' out of my league ' so to speak.
Looked like I was going to be best suited to " rolled up sleeves " and a ' hands on ' job when I eventually was to leave school.
Smudger
master brummie
Roy, nowt wrong with a rolled up sleeves & hands on job. My first job was a wages clerk which i hated & after 18 months jacked it in to work in a rubber factory ( Roberts? & really enjoyed working with people you could talk to & do a bit of cussing when the mood arose. I worked with a black lady who used to call me "pinky"
norfolk brummie
gone but not forgotten
It may be because of' my age, but I think that is the problem with modern youth. There appears to be fewer of them that are prepared to 'roll up their sleeves, and become 'hands on'.
In my first job, aged just 15, I loved it, working in a music store. For at least the first year, my job was to sweep out the shop each morning, including the pavement outside the shop, dust all the instruments, and make the tea. The rest of the day was working in the cellar, lapping drum heads onto drums. For £1.5/- per week (£1.25p in modern money). Even by todays modern music shop standards, I very much doubt that a young man, or woman, would do that for very long, and on low pay.
For me, it paid off. The hours did not bother me. I was learning more about my trade every day. After attending ten schools in ten years, I was not very well educated, but I am glad to say that I had a better thing going for me...intelligence.
I was never clever enough for grammar school, or university, but those first three years working taught me a lot about people, and the reality of life. Today, so many young people want to go to university, and of course, there is nothing wrong with that, but I suspect that many of them would have been better off, 'rolling up their sleeves', and becoming 'hands on', because by the time that they leave university, at around 21/22, they may feel well educated, but they still have to learn how tough it is out there, and I believe that many university degrees offered, are pretty useless for future employment. Just my opinion.
Eddie
In my first job, aged just 15, I loved it, working in a music store. For at least the first year, my job was to sweep out the shop each morning, including the pavement outside the shop, dust all the instruments, and make the tea. The rest of the day was working in the cellar, lapping drum heads onto drums. For £1.5/- per week (£1.25p in modern money). Even by todays modern music shop standards, I very much doubt that a young man, or woman, would do that for very long, and on low pay.
For me, it paid off. The hours did not bother me. I was learning more about my trade every day. After attending ten schools in ten years, I was not very well educated, but I am glad to say that I had a better thing going for me...intelligence.
I was never clever enough for grammar school, or university, but those first three years working taught me a lot about people, and the reality of life. Today, so many young people want to go to university, and of course, there is nothing wrong with that, but I suspect that many of them would have been better off, 'rolling up their sleeves', and becoming 'hands on', because by the time that they leave university, at around 21/22, they may feel well educated, but they still have to learn how tough it is out there, and I believe that many university degrees offered, are pretty useless for future employment. Just my opinion.
Eddie
norfolk brummie
gone but not forgotten
If it had been as easy as that I would have rejoiced.
WW2, being bombed out, and ill health was mainly to blame. My father was away, and my mother was taken into hospital a couple of times during that period. Consequently my sister and I were either handed over to relations, or moved around 'Brum', including 6 weeks in Erdington Cottage Homes. Admitted two or three of the schools were only around three or four weeks. Our aunt's and uncle's did their best, but in those days, they had their own problems. One thing is for sure. In spite of moving from school to school, we always attended.
Schools in Birmingham included Acocks Green Infants School; Golden Hillock Road Junior School; a school in Kidderminster; A school out at Blackwell; Christ Church School, and Stratford Road School, in Sparkbrook; Uffculme School in Kings Heath; the orphanage; Highgate School; back to Golden Hillock Road School Seniors.
Sadly, my sister died earlier this year, but we used to have many laughs about those difficult times.
We were sent to Erdington Cottage Homes when my mother was taken into hospital with Scarlet Fever. When we arrived at the Homes, we were both put into isolation for a week. We hated it, and tried to run away. I tied all the bed sheets together, then tied them to a radiator, and climbed out of the window to the ground. My younger sister was too frightened to follow me, so I had to climb all the way back up again! After that we were split up. Myself to a boys home, and my sister to a girls home.
The only time I saw my sister was at the Sunday School service, when we waved to each other, for which my sister was given a resounding smack around the face for her action.
Smudger: I felt that I had travelled the world at 15!!
Eddie
WW2, being bombed out, and ill health was mainly to blame. My father was away, and my mother was taken into hospital a couple of times during that period. Consequently my sister and I were either handed over to relations, or moved around 'Brum', including 6 weeks in Erdington Cottage Homes. Admitted two or three of the schools were only around three or four weeks. Our aunt's and uncle's did their best, but in those days, they had their own problems. One thing is for sure. In spite of moving from school to school, we always attended.
Schools in Birmingham included Acocks Green Infants School; Golden Hillock Road Junior School; a school in Kidderminster; A school out at Blackwell; Christ Church School, and Stratford Road School, in Sparkbrook; Uffculme School in Kings Heath; the orphanage; Highgate School; back to Golden Hillock Road School Seniors.
Sadly, my sister died earlier this year, but we used to have many laughs about those difficult times.
We were sent to Erdington Cottage Homes when my mother was taken into hospital with Scarlet Fever. When we arrived at the Homes, we were both put into isolation for a week. We hated it, and tried to run away. I tied all the bed sheets together, then tied them to a radiator, and climbed out of the window to the ground. My younger sister was too frightened to follow me, so I had to climb all the way back up again! After that we were split up. Myself to a boys home, and my sister to a girls home.
The only time I saw my sister was at the Sunday School service, when we waved to each other, for which my sister was given a resounding smack around the face for her action.
Smudger: I felt that I had travelled the world at 15!!
Eddie
sospiri
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
Eddie,
You certainly had a difficult time during WW2 and the immediate years afterwards. Being slightly younger than you, and Dad being 22 years older than my Mom, he escaped any real active involvement in WW2 due to age, though still did fire-watching The downside of that was that he died whilst I was still at Moseley Grammar School and only 13. That meant that Mom was out doing three jobs just to pay the mortgage and feed us - mortgages weren't insured in those days - so I was unable to stay on to take A Levels or go to Uni, not that I really wanted to. So it was pen-pushing jobs at BCT, interrupted by National Service in the RAF, and then more pen-pushing at Joe Lucas (GKS). But we both fitted in musical gigs and I think that was our road to freedom.
But I agree entirely with your last paragraph in post #861 and I didn't get back into education until I was 43 - I think I really understood the value of it by then. When I think of the nights I sat up until 4:00am arranging and copying out band parts and then took the all night buses across Brum and was back at work for 8:45am only to do the same again that night, I really wonder how I survived! But I enjoyed it so much and it taught me so much too. I can't see most of the kids of today doing similar.
Maurice
You certainly had a difficult time during WW2 and the immediate years afterwards. Being slightly younger than you, and Dad being 22 years older than my Mom, he escaped any real active involvement in WW2 due to age, though still did fire-watching The downside of that was that he died whilst I was still at Moseley Grammar School and only 13. That meant that Mom was out doing three jobs just to pay the mortgage and feed us - mortgages weren't insured in those days - so I was unable to stay on to take A Levels or go to Uni, not that I really wanted to. So it was pen-pushing jobs at BCT, interrupted by National Service in the RAF, and then more pen-pushing at Joe Lucas (GKS). But we both fitted in musical gigs and I think that was our road to freedom.
But I agree entirely with your last paragraph in post #861 and I didn't get back into education until I was 43 - I think I really understood the value of it by then. When I think of the nights I sat up until 4:00am arranging and copying out band parts and then took the all night buses across Brum and was back at work for 8:45am only to do the same again that night, I really wonder how I survived! But I enjoyed it so much and it taught me so much too. I can't see most of the kids of today doing similar.
Maurice
norfolk brummie
gone but not forgotten
Its very strange Maurice, but although it was a tough time, my sister and I never complained. There were plenty of others far worse off than us. I had a friend killed, a couple of my pals lost their Dad, but being so young we were also unable to really understand the full impact of war and its terrible toll on people. I could remember better times before the war, when we lived, as a normal family, in our house, the routine commencement of school, and life in general, but when war was declared, as youngsters we knew that we were fighting the Germans, but always thought that we would win, and life would return to normal at the end of it.
Looking back, I now realise what a wonderful mother we had, indeed that many of us had, but it was not until later, when I was mature, and maybe a little worldly wise, that I realised just how much she loved us, and in spite of setbacks she always tried her best to give us the best. I feel really proud of her. I very much doubt if I could match her, and quite frankly, I have no wish to.
I think it is going through tough times like that which makes us what we are today. Now the younger generations are more complacent, life is good, and it is not going to change, and neither are they.
Eddie
Looking back, I now realise what a wonderful mother we had, indeed that many of us had, but it was not until later, when I was mature, and maybe a little worldly wise, that I realised just how much she loved us, and in spite of setbacks she always tried her best to give us the best. I feel really proud of her. I very much doubt if I could match her, and quite frankly, I have no wish to.
I think it is going through tough times like that which makes us what we are today. Now the younger generations are more complacent, life is good, and it is not going to change, and neither are they.
Eddie
farmerdave
master brummie
One of the most famous political cartoons of WW2 shows this "roll-up your sleeves and get on with the job" approach. It was by David Low in May 1940 and has Churchill, his cabinet, and many others following his example. The caption was "all behind you Winston". Dave
Roy Blakey
master brummie
UNTIL TOMORROW THEN !
( the parting shot ).
I recall, as kids, we would use variations of sayings as we parted company for the day. There was one that was in popular use ( 1940 ish ) which came from the weekly radio show " ITMA ". This one would be expressed as " TTFN ", which was supposed to mean " TOT- TA- FOR - NOW ". Another one which we thought was a bit upbeat was " SEE YOU LATER ALLIGATOR ". On the posh side there was the " TOODLE - OO " one. " BYE FOR NOW " and " CHEERIO " we're well used.
Thinking back on our crew I suspect that we probably mainly used the old stock saying of " OKAY THEN , I'M OFF, SEE YOU TOMORROW ".
The trigger for these ' farewells " would invariably come from the ' Moms ' as they one by one came to the front doors and called their kids back to base for the night.
I think that we all tried for that extra ten minutes though.
( the parting shot ).
I recall, as kids, we would use variations of sayings as we parted company for the day. There was one that was in popular use ( 1940 ish ) which came from the weekly radio show " ITMA ". This one would be expressed as " TTFN ", which was supposed to mean " TOT- TA- FOR - NOW ". Another one which we thought was a bit upbeat was " SEE YOU LATER ALLIGATOR ". On the posh side there was the " TOODLE - OO " one. " BYE FOR NOW " and " CHEERIO " we're well used.
Thinking back on our crew I suspect that we probably mainly used the old stock saying of " OKAY THEN , I'M OFF, SEE YOU TOMORROW ".
The trigger for these ' farewells " would invariably come from the ' Moms ' as they one by one came to the front doors and called their kids back to base for the night.
I think that we all tried for that extra ten minutes though.
devonjim
master brummie
I remember one "mom" in our road, she lived at No.34 and she was heard the whole length of the road. "JohNNIE, JeaNNIE the "NNIE" being pitched higher and louder than the prefix.
oldMohawk
gone but not forgotten
We had a mom like that in our road. When we were playing on sandhills almost a quarter of a mile away, and if the wind was in the right direction, we could hear her.
paul stacey
master brummie
Yes moms calling us all in for tea, or for bed, where ever we were within human calling distance, we would come even if it was our mates mom calling. Paul