-
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
mw0njm.
A Brummie Dude
i first saw this. pics of this lawman in blackpool. put in jail,dont sound like fun.. thanks for reply. lol
mw0njm.
A Brummie Dude
..........The main beach at Rhyl is a vast expanse of sand stretching for around 2 miles from the Clwyd Estuary to Splash Point. Rhyl beach becomes even more enormous as the tide goes out, sometimes requiring a walk of nearly half a mile to dip your toes in the sea.
Maria Magenta
master brummie
We went to Rhyl at least once, but I don't remember it, being only a little dot at the time. We must have gone by train. We stayed with a Mrs Jenkins (I've been told this) and you bought food for meals and gave it to her to cook.
Maria Magenta
master brummie
We also went to Llandudno and again I don't remember! (I was about two).My husband says that he went on the tram that goes up the Great Orme.
Great Orme Tramway
The Great Orme Tramway is Britain’s only cable-hauled public road tramway and has been delighting visitors from near and far since it opened on July 31st 1902.
www.greatormetramway.co.uk
mw0njm.
A Brummie Dude
that is nice. we went to the rally there last year. it was shoulder to shoulder.so we left and had a drive around insteadWe also went to Llandudno and again I don't remember! (I was about two).My husband says that he went on the tram that goes up the Great Orme.
Great Orme Tramway
The Great Orme Tramway is Britain’s only cable-hauled public road tramway and has been delighting visitors from near and far since it opened on July 31st 1902.
sospiri
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
Rhyl, Prestatyn, Weston-super-Mare, Burnham-on-Sea & Weymouth. all once. My parents never liked going to the same place twice. Much later my late wife and I went many times to Tenby because some friends owned a cafe a few yards from the beach. When the kids were young it was nearly always Barmouth or a converted mill near Bala. But despite living in the Bournemouth area for 40 years, I was never a beach person, so later holidays were spent in Snowdonia, Anglesey or Yorkshire Dales.
Maurice
Maurice
mw0njm.
A Brummie Dude
i go down to barmouth in the summer. it ok.for a day outRhyl, Prestatyn, Weston-super-Mare, Burnham-on-Sea & Weymouth. all once. My parents never liked going to the same place twice. Much later my late wife and I went many times to Tenby because some friends owned a cafe a few yards from the beach. When the kids were young it was nearly always Barmouth or a converted mill near Bala. But despite living in the Bournemouth area for 40 years, I was never a beach person, so later holidays were spent in Snowdonia, Anglesey or Yorkshire Dales.
Maurice
mw0njm.
A Brummie Dude
my dad was like that,he worked in a foundry, he felt the cold every were he went he had a big coat on.
sospiri
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
Pete,
I've been to Barmouth a few times since then - town of a dozen chapels crudely converted to poundshops - and it's sad to see the lovely wood panelling torn out and discarded. But only ever used it as a base for seeing the surrounding district, which is pretty and interesting.
Maurice
I've been to Barmouth a few times since then - town of a dozen chapels crudely converted to poundshops - and it's sad to see the lovely wood panelling torn out and discarded. But only ever used it as a base for seeing the surrounding district, which is pretty and interesting.
Maurice
suemalings
master brummie
My dad was born in Rhyl, along with his sisters and his family had lived there since about 1860. His grandfather used to have a shooting gallery on the beach which used real ammunition! Dad worked at the Marine Lake fairground in the 1930's, sadly that isn't there anylonger, just a big piece of waste ground which will probably be used for housing. We always had holidays at Rhyl and stayed with our aunties. Coming from industrial Birmingham, it was wonderful. We used to get the Midland Red Coach from Digbeth at 8am and arrive at Wellington Road, Rhyl at 1pm. I have very fond memories of the place even though (on recent visits) I have seen so many changes.
mw0njm.
A Brummie Dude
nice story
NoddKD
master brummie
On the 29 October this year,2019,it will be 50 years since I first saw the sea. I was on a train from London to Deal in Kent to join the Royal Marines. I was travelling in the company of another Brummie,Dave Cashmore,we were both sixteen years old. I glanced out of the window somewhere around Folkestone and set my eyes on the oggin(naval term for the sea)for the first time. It appeared to be huge. Later in my career whilst serving on the commando carrier Albion I became aware of just how huge it really was. On a helicopter flight from the ship we were so far away that the ship was out of sight but the sea just went on and on.
I haven't been far from the sea since. Today I live in Newton Abbot about 5 miles from the beach at Torquay,can't imagine living anywhere else.
NoddK-D
I haven't been far from the sea since. Today I live in Newton Abbot about 5 miles from the beach at Torquay,can't imagine living anywhere else.
NoddK-D
NoddKD
master brummie
And by that age could Nodd swim?
Maurice
I could. In fact I held a swimming free pass from the age of 11. Anyone else remember them?
NoddKD
master brummie
It must have seemed quite strange - joining the Marines if you had never seen the sea!
A very long story as to why I chose the Royal Marines.
Short version is that as a lad the furthest I had ever been from Birmingham was the distance you could travel in a day and return home by bike. So Warwick,Stratford and Kenilworth was the extent of my travels.So decided to join HM Forces and see the world. I couldn't make my mind up to join the Army as an apprentice,the RAF as an aerial photographer or the Royal Marines. In the end I decided to send the coupon from the first advert to appear in the daily paper. I shall always be grateful that the Royal Marines won and I spent 23 years enjoying myself as one of Her Majesty's Jollies.
Last edited:
Hi NoddKD,
Yes mate, I remember the free swimming passes you could get whilst at school, as far as I recall it involved swimming so many widths, then so many lengths. After that you could go on to life saving techniques, which I'm proud to say I did and I passed all the required standards / levels and achieved my Gold Award that I still have to this day.
Lozellian.
Hello again NoddKD,
I forgot to send a response to "when did you first see the sea", apparently I was 3 years of age and it was at Eastbourne ha ha.
Lozellian.
Radiorails
master brummie
I believe I posted this earlier in the thread but it would have been Rhyl prior to WW2, which, of course, I have no recollection. My seaside would have been the River Cole, the River Avon at Stratford and the Stratford Canal. 1948 would have been at Weymouth when I next saw the seaside. Worcester gave me the Severn and did other places in the County. Cycling was great in those days before the mass ownership of cars; far little traffic, once of the major routes and of course no gulping in CO2 fumes. I once did 105 miles in one day cycling to Tenbury Wells and back. Left at 9 am arrived back home at 11pm. Great day, except for a puncture in Kidderminster and the odd fright when a policeman in the Selly Oak area shouted 'where were my lights?' I did not have the dynamo in use as it retarded my speed, which at that time of night was pretty fast in order to get home. I guess on that evening I could have given Old Brit a run for his money. 
Being only fourteen I was well tuned to cycling.
Being only fourteen I was well tuned to cycling.
NoddKD
master brummie
Hi Lozell Ian
I recall that as we got older we were required to do more lengths to qualify for the free pass. I think I got up to 14 lengths before I left school. Worth it for the free swimming,especially on long summer holidays.
Life saving was not part of my schools programme. If you could swim you were left to it,the teacher concentrated on non swimmers.
Well done on passing life saving to gold standard,quite an achievement. Did it ever come in useful?
NoddKD
NoddKD
master brummie
PS sorry my predictive text got your name wrong!
Hi NoddKD,
I couldn't agree more, especially when the summer hols came around, the life saving thing was promoted by teaching staff but, it was done out of school hours; I just thought it may come in useful. I appreciate your comment fortunately I've never been called upon to put this into practice & rescue anyone from a situation, which required those skills but, having said that it came in useful when learning to scuba dive. I thought sodden clothing was heavy but, those lead weight belts are something else ha ha.
Lozellian.
And good luck to them all!
Well remember crowds like that, at New Street and Snow Hill. Far too may people to be able to get on, or so it seemed. One year I insisted on taking with me not only cricket bat and ball, but also six stumps as well. All precariously perched on top of a holdall between the handles, with changes of train at Newton Abbott and South Brent. My mother (Dad was abroad at the time) was a kind and patient soul......
Chris
Well remember crowds like that, at New Street and Snow Hill. Far too may people to be able to get on, or so it seemed. One year I insisted on taking with me not only cricket bat and ball, but also six stumps as well. All precariously perched on top of a holdall between the handles, with changes of train at Newton Abbott and South Brent. My mother (Dad was abroad at the time) was a kind and patient soul......
Chris