Eric Gibson
master brummie
I remember The Candy Stores from when I was a young boy during the war, they used to sell off ration sweets that were not very sweet.

Just been for a walk along Kingstanding Road. The nursery must be getting a new sign and they've exposed the sign underneath.
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Hi Andy my friend dave pair and his wife live in Atlantic rd , I fitted his central heating in there house many years ago , the did there sons .dave was into moter racing as a marchal as I recall.I don't think I can place them Richarddye, I'm guessing before my time here. Keep safe and well
Thank you and all the other people who have responded to my threads I am new to this tec no stuff ant even got a mobile,. I now live in warren farm rd opposite Christ the king school .bought the house 18 years ago. Seen lots of changes many in the village on hawthorne rd . The driver from b o c who delivers ice at work (the blood service) played as I young boy withe the children of the lady we bought the house from ,.her name was hannan . We have a garden railway in the back garden and when building it kept digging up marbles , I still have them and still keep finding themThanks for the map. Yes regarding the gap between the houses I believe the builders found it too steep to build on at the time so picked the easy ones, that site was built on in late 60s or early 70s when they used concrete raft instead of footings, they just leveled it out to a gentle slope then cast a slab, then built on that.
looking at your map our house was the first to the left of the gap, Al.
Dave built classic cars in his garage some years back.Hi Andy my friend dave pair and his wife live in Atlantic rd , I fitted his central heating in there house many years ago , the did there sons .dave was into moter racing as a marchal as I recall.
Hi Brummie Teen ForeverHi G G Jean. I am not very good surnames, as I quite young, but if you have any Christian names of adults and/or children, I may recall, or if you know approximately where on Bendall Road they lived? I lived opposite Sudbury Grove. There was a lady and her daughter on one corner (the name Michelle springs to mind, but can't remember if that was the lady or her daughter) then there was Ted, his wife and daughter on the other corner. There was the black Christian family. Their granddaughter Ebony used to visit during the holidays, she was my good friend. There were the Butterleys, the family next to them, Mrs Alexander, us, the old man next door who was Harold, but he passed away and I can't remember who moved in, Nell, the the Gibsons. I remember a family right around Bendall Road, about No. 108, the mum was Cora, she had children Andrea and I think Michael. I remember the Mills family, but not too many other. I remember some families from Sudbury Grove, and the other Grove up the hill.
I used to go out with a young lady who lived in Sudbury Grove mid sixties, her Father had racing pigeons. Her Uncle had an ice cream van so we used to get free ice cream when he came around.Hi Brummie Teen Forever
Ted Morgan, his wife (I’m afraid I can’t recall her name) and their daughter Marion lived at No. 2 Sudbury Grove.
From research, Edward Morgan married Marion M Park in Birmingham in the 3rd quarter of 1937. They had a son, Edward (jnr) in the same quarter of 1937.Ted Morgan, his wife (I’m afraid I can’t recall her name) and their daughter Marion lived at No. 2 Sudbury Grove.
What a beautiful picture.This photo of mum and I waiting for the Midland Red bus to go to Sutton shows Geo Baines behind us. This would have been taken in about 1959. Nice to see the trees have survived. Viv.
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I never understood why we had to dress up to go to Nannas house or aunt so and so or uncle whoever. Because when we got there I could not play and had to listen to the adults boring boringThe background to the photo is :
It would have been a Sunday. Mum worked 6 days a week so the only time we could have done the journey we were taking. We always visited my Nan in Sutton on a Sunday - Geo Baines seems to be closed. This visit was ‘required’ and not something either of us looked forward to. I look especially unenthusiastic, but definitely not as lacking in excitement as my mum ! Mum and Nan didn’t really get along, but we did our duty. Strangely it must have been my Dad who took the photo - he rarely came with us even though it was his mum we were visiting. He must have come to see us off onto the bus.
This was the only time I’d have travelled by Midland Red bus. There’s still a bus stop near where we’re standing and assume the buses to Sutton still stop there.
We were in our Sunday best. Can’t say I liked the hat I’m wearing, but all part of the presentation for my Nan. The hat I remember very well, being very scratchy, and made with a straw-like material that was bonded in some way making it quite rough. The dress I adored, it was a mid-pink colour with polka dots and an appliquéd white pocket. Polka dots were all the rage at the time. I also loved mum’s handbag, unusual shape and containing her Max Factor powder compact - the smell of that face powder always reminds me of her.
The one thing I found quite touching about seeing this photo again and comparing it on Streetview is the trees are still there where we were standing and they’re flourishing. How life goes on.
Viv.
Good point Richard.I never understood why we had to dress up to go to Nannas house or aunt so and so or uncle whoever. Because when we got there I could not play and had to listen to the adults boring boring. When I got older I used to go see them on my bike, it was always a nice visit!
Your dress brought back so many memories, When I was about 8 or 9 in 1959 I also had 2 polka dot summer dresses for best. One was blue and, you've guessed it, the other was pink. I loved them, but as I could only wear them for best, I grew out of them before I got much wear out of them. As for the hats, Why? Mine was like an inverted dessert dish!The background to the photo is :
It would have been a Sunday. Mum worked 6 days a week so the only time we could have done the journey we were taking. We always visited my Nan in Sutton on a Sunday - Geo Baines seems to be closed. This visit was ‘required’ and not something either of us looked forward to. I look especially unenthusiastic, but definitely not as lacking in excitement as my mum ! Mum and Nan didn’t really get along, but we did our duty. Strangely it must have been my Dad who took the photo - he rarely came with us even though it was his mum we were visiting. He must have come to see us off onto the bus.
This was the only time I’d have travelled by Midland Red bus. There’s still a bus stop near where we’re standing and assume the buses to Sutton still stop there.
We were in our Sunday best. Can’t say I liked the hat I’m wearing, but all part of the presentation for my Nan. The hat I remember very well, being very scratchy, and made with a straw-like material that was bonded in some way making it quite rough. The dress I adored, it was a mid-pink colour with polka dots and an appliquéd white pocket. Polka dots were all the rage at the time. I also loved mum’s handbag, unusual shape and containing her Max Factor powder compact - the smell of that face powder always reminds me of her.
The one thing I found quite touching about seeing this photo again and comparing it on Streetview is the trees are still there where we were standing and they’re flourishing. How life goes on.
Viv.
Mort, you hit the sweet spot! Thats where we were from Aston & Handsworth.....Good point Richard.
While there is never a subjective, single, or right answer to these stories from the past, it may have been partly to do with hiding poverty and making the family look affluent.
My mom would do it with us when we were visiting her mother-in-law. She was fine with her own mom, but it always seems that she would try to make a good impression. Of course, with my mom’s mother-in-law, it was a futile exercise, she always came across as a bulldog chewing a wasp.
A lot of us would also have seen this in and around Aston and Handsworth with the Windrush generation. Lots of Afro-Caribbean men would buy big flashy cars and have gold teeth. It was their way of telling he world they were doing ok.
I was always loved the Afro-Caribbean bus drivers and conductors. They looked so smart and genteel. Lovely smiling men with amazing white teeth. As a small boy from a misfunctioning family, these men to me were real role models.
Strangely enough I think that might be Albert Parry (brother of George whom I mentioned on previous post) with his wife Alice and sons Kenneth and David.A family in Cranbourne Road I believed was called Parry in the 60’s .
Unusual name, but the family was there in the 50’s and 60’s so I guess not who your looking for.
I’m 74, and I’m not sure which son I remember by name.Strangely enough I think that might be Albert Parry (brother of George whom I mentioned on previous post) with his wife Alice and sons Kenneth and David.
David was born in '47 too so it's possible that he would be the one you remember - the other Kenneth was 12 years older.I’m 74, and I’m not sure which son I remember by name.
However, but looking back at your posts I know almost exactly where they lived in Cranbourne road. They lived about 4 doors up from the local bookie.
Years ago I think it was David who sent me a message via friends united.David was born in '47 too so it's possible that he would be the one you remember - the other Kenneth was 12 years older.