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Growing Up In Brum - Roy Blakey Inspired.

You are absolutely right Lyn.
You have in your post pointed out a couple of descriptions tat I failed to mention.
I do remember how most of the so called " back to back " residents made their utmost efforts to keep their dwelling very much " spic and span " and yes. I recall that " cosy " feeling that they achieved as well.
I also remember that part that you mention whereby many of the older residents of the back to backs did not want to leave the home that they had lived in and brought up their families over the many years.
Good people Lyn.
 
Roy Blakey said:
You are absolutely right Lyn.
You have in your post pointed out a couple of descriptions tat I failed to mention.
I do remember how most of the so called " back to back " residents made their utmost efforts to keep their dwelling very much " spic and span " and yes. I recall that " cosy " feeling that they achieved as well.
I also remember that part that you mention whereby many of the older residents of the back to backs did not want to leave the home that they had lived in and brought up their families over the many years.
Good people Lyn.
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i agree with you roy..very good people who if you had nowt would happily give you half of their nowt:Dsalt of the earth back in the day

lyn
 
Stitcher said:
View attachment 120109
Our evenings were spent similar to this.
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All very posed, of course, but some of it rings true. The boy's short trousers (no doubt with a button fly), his short back and sides haircut and his 'unisex' sandals. Also, both adults are smoking and Mum's dress looks very fifties. The Bakelite TV is spot on, but where is the indoor aerial that Dad had to constantly re-position to get any sort of picture? And what is behind those locked cupboard doors? Is it the gas meter and electricity meter, which were always inside a property in those days so that they were handy for putting the money in. That also meant that the meter readers had to trample through the house. I know we used to watch some really bad programmes in those days but this family seems to be transfixed by some sort of puppet programme. I'm hovering between Supercar and Fireball XL5, although I think both of those were '60s vintage. Dad looks a bit like Frank Ifield and would be more productive tidying up those trailing cables (very few power points in the house in those days - and all round pin) or practising his yodelling.
 
Smudger said:
Not many people know this, it`s a young Maggie Thatcher & she`s using the back of that child's` head as an ash tray. I wonder what that cable is running down from the bookshelf?
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I'm not sure if you're joking about Maggie Thatcher Smudger ;-D but it does look like her!
 
A Sparks said:
I'm not sure if you're joking about Maggie Thatcher Smudger ;-D but it does look like her!
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Yes it is Maggie, & that chap is a young Gordon brown. They got divorced shortly after this & went their separate ways, Maggie went right & Gordon went left. If only they had stayed together politics today would have been so different. :-}

Who was that on the phone darling, wife asks hubby. Oh just some idiot who thinks we live by the sea, he wanted to know if the coast was clear.
 
Smudger said:
Not many people know this, it`s a young Maggie Thatcher & she`s using the back of that child's` head as an ash tray. I wonder what that cable is running down from the bookshelf?
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Don't think it's cable Smudge, it's a cobweb. Maggie spends all day watching the telly instead of doing the dusting.
 
Smudger said:
Yes it is Maggie, & that chap is a young Gordon brown. They got divorced shortly after this & went their separate ways, Maggie went right & Gordon went left. If only they had stayed together politics today would have been so different. :-}

Who was that on the phone darling, wife asks hubby. Oh just some idiot who thinks we live by the sea, he wanted to know if the coast was clear.
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Hi Smudger,

Delighted to read that you are still alive, kicking, and having fun. I think what she was really whispering was "Tonight dear, I am going to give you super sex", and his reply was "That's nice dear, but I think I will have the soup" (Better get back on track, before the Moderators step in).

Eddie
 
Taking note of the recent thunder and lightening storms that have swept across our area.
Caused me to wonder how the dog and cat pets of many had coped.
The storms seemed to have demonstrated an inordinate amount of continuous thunder claps and lightening flashes.
I think that we all know that some pets can become very disturbed during these storm periods.
Takes my thoughts back to another set of problems, for our pets then, that came about during WW2.
Around 1940-1941, the German bombing air raids became regular occurrences in and around Brum.
You can imagine, these air raids very often involved high noise levels, coming from various factions,the exploding bombs, the exploding anti air craft shells and the anti air craft guns themselves as they discharged the shells at ground level.
Throw in the clatter on roofs from the shell shrapnel and it all added up to a fair oldcacophony of sound disturbance.
This could sometimes happen over a period of hours through the night and sometimes it might happen over a period of consecutive nights.
At this time the family had a wonderful pet dog, a Welsh collie that we called “ Wally “and poor old Wally had to ( as many other families pets had to do also ) try and understand what all this noisy commotion was all about.
Following the sound of the `” Air raid sirens “ the family grabbed the prepared essentials and made their way to the “ Anderson “
Air raid shelter, situated towards the bottom of the back garden, with” Wally “ in tow.
The “ party “ always consisted of three adaults, three children and “ Wally “.
Trying to recall,I believe that Wally did have his initial problems during the first number of air raids and the accompanying noises that went with them, but I do know that eventually he came to sccept them reasonably well.
I still think to this day that the main factors for this came from the over riding sense that he drew from knowing that he was with the people that loved him and in which he could trust.
He went on to live to a ripe age and was able to bark his war stories long after the war finished.
For some of the present day dog and cat owners, who find their loving pets disturbed during storms or fireworks nights, maybe a snuggle and an extra cuddle or two at the opening period of these noisy periods could make a difference.
 
I think that sounds like the kind of childhood most of us enjoyed back in the 50s and early 60s I know i did, happy happy days. Still got some scars to prove it.
 
If yow was born in brum, in the 30,s or 40,s, that is what 99% of yow kids, 40's 50's era, did, no matter what area yow come from. I still have these magical memories, relayed them to my boys, and now my grandchildren who are born a world away to the hardship and impoverishment, we knew, but will perhaps not experience the friendship, beauty, and wonderment we did. Paul Stacey
 
I was lucky enough to grow up (in the 50's) adjacent to a park. One of the many things we did was to spend hours looking for 4 leaf clovers. I thought this was just something girls did but this week my brother came to stay and was talking to one of his old school friends about another friend they shared - I was very surprised to hear him say 'Do you remember that Brian had more 4 leaf clovers in his garden than anywhere else!'.
 
paul stacey said:
If yow was born in brum, in the 30,s or 40,s, that is what 99% of yow kids, 40's 50's era, did, no matter what area yow come from. I still have these magical memories, relayed them to my boys, and now my grandchildren who are born a world away to the hardship and impoverishment, we knew, but will perhaps not experience the friendship, beauty, and wonderment we did. Paul Stacey
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well said paul...totally agree with you

lyn
 
Maria Magenta said:
I lived in Witton Street, opposite Garrison Lane Park, until I was 16. I didn't appreciate how lucky we were to have that green space just over the road. From photos I see that the park is now a bit posher!

maria
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Did you know the Earp or the Bakewell family Maria , they lived at 56 on witton st
 
Maria Magenta said:
I lived in Witton Street, opposite Garrison Lane Park, until I was 16. I didn't appreciate how lucky we were to have that green space just over the road. From photos I see that the park is now a bit posher!

maria
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Maria,

I lived in Gordon St until i was 13 and have fond memories of the fairs that came to the park!
I read that it was known as Itchycoo Park but I never knew it as that in the late 60s.

Lynn.
 
lmr3103 said:
Maria,

I lived in Gordon St until i was 13 and have fond memories of the fairs that came to the park!
I read that it was known as Itchycoo Park but I never knew it as that in the late 60s.

Lynn.
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I remember the fairs, Lynn. I used to have picnics in the park with my sister sometimes.
I had a friend in one of the maisonettes in Gordon Street.

Maria
 
Maria Magenta said:
I remember the fairs, Lynn. I used to have picnics in the park with my sister sometimes.
I had a friend in one of the maisonettes in Gordon Street.

Maria
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We were at no 42. The maisonettes always seemed very old to me but I think at one time there were terraced houses there that were bombed during the war. There was still a row of terraces at the Garrison Lane end of the street.
lynn.
 
lmr3103 said:
We were at no 42. The maisonettes always seemed very old to me but I think at one time there were terraced houses there that were bombed during the war. There was still a row of terraces at the Garrison Lane end of the street.
lynn.
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My mother lived in Gordon Street before the war, and their house was bombed - must have been one of the houses you mention. I didn't realise the maisonettes replaced them.

Maria
 
Austin K2 said:
Hopscotch, a game played many times.
I now live in Lincolnshire, and on occasions spend a day in the MUSEUM OF LINCOLNSHIRE LIFE, in the City OF Lincoln.
In one of the large display areas they have, someone has chalked a hopscotch game on the floor.
If you stand back and watch, you would be surprised at how many folk, mainly the more elderly, show a look of glee on their face, and then proceed to play the game.
I usually have a chat with them, and their memories just flood out.
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That actually reminds me of something my husband and I did the other Saturday.

We were walking our dog round Victoria Park in Smethwick, My husband's playground as a child and teenager and I spent time hanging round there when I went out with a lad whose house backed onto the park.

anyway the council have painted a hopscotch square on one of the paths and we looked at it, at each other, and both tried to play hopscotch again. It was good fun and made these two fifty somethings smile.
 
farmerdave said:
One of my nearest recreation grounds was at the corner of Reddings Lane and Formans Road. Not sure whether that comes under Sparkhill or Tyseley. There was certainly a see-saw and also swings. The roundabout was a bit simpler than in your sketch. It was like a big flat wheel just off the ground with 6 or more handles joining up at the centre pivot. You had to hold onto a handle and then run as fast as you could before jumping on the roundabout. There were always some boys that could run faster and then it could be difficult to get on and off the roundabout. Dave.
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It was my nearest playground too. I used to live at the bottom end of Reddings Lane nearest the Warwick Rd. I was a bit of a wimp though with the roundabout ....
 
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