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Stanley Matthews at Aston hippodrome

gingerjon

gingerjon

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN R.I.P.
what are your thoughts on this when we don't have the information asked for

Hello,
Having previously posted on the main Birmingham History Forum website a request for info regarding the appearance of the footballer Stanley Matthews at the Aston Hippodrome, at your suggestion and that of others I then posted the same query to you at this site but, I have to say that I am disappointed with your sites total lack of response to my query. Are you not interested in subjects posted by people who do not originate from the Birmingham area? If that is the case then rest assured that I will not contact you again.
You may correct me if my assumption is wrong!
Terry Regan
Blackpool
The reply to above
Regarding lack of response, your presumptions are out of order about lack of response and non Birmingham people; we deal with thousands of requests for information from all over the world where ever they originate from. To give information we have to know of the request information that as been asked for and if we have not got that information how can we give it to you.
We gave you all the information regarding the Aston Hippodrome that we have and then we had to see if any one knew of the appearance of Stanley Matthews at above location and that as not been forthcoming, so I say again if we don’t receive any think about this subject what do you expect us to do.
I lived behind the Aston Hippodrome for many tears and to be honest never heard of Stanley Matthews appearing there I also asked some of my relations whom said the same.
Regarding you not using the website forum I can only say that is entirely up to yourself and we are sorry that we never came your to your expectations we try to please, but some times we fail through no fault of the forum it’s just a lack of past history that as not been recorded, we that run the forum depend on people passing local and a greater history of the areas so we can record it
John Houghton
 
John I am but a recent member of the Forum but have already been amazed at the willingness of people here to freely give of not only their time but the knowledge including that acquired through the purchase by them of various trade directories or parish records.

My own approach to requests is to first see if I can add any knowledge or to simply confirm (if I can) any advice already given.

If I have no knowledge then I see no point in making a response merely to click up my post count.

I would also confirm the readiness of the members to give information regardless of the location of the person asking even when the target of the request is outside the boundaries of Birmingham or its immediate areas.
 
John, it's good of you to post Tedge comments, we are used to receiving pats on the back and well done comments, but this goes to show you cannot please everyone all of the time.
His request for information was posted on the 15th, at most 8 days ago , so he's not given anyone much time, some requests on the site go unanswered for months , until the right person comes along, it's just a case of being patient
I'm sure Tedge has tried other avenues in his search for information and has drawn a blank in those areas, so why expect BHN to come up with the answer overnight.
I'm sorry but I cannot find any sympathy for him, and his comments need to be treated with the contempt they deserve

Colin
 
I always try to look at any posts where there are no ready answers by other members just in case I can think of a way to help.

I must admit as I was off air for a couple of days I did not see the post in question but maybe one way to help in this situation where there is no member knowldege available would be to give the Birmingham City Archives contact information.

They hold a wealth of different types of documents and photographs and if Sir Stanley Matthews did indeed visit the Aston Hippodrome surely it would have been recorded in the Birmingham Newspapers which are also located at the City Archives.

A search of Googgle did not reveal the information wanted about Sir Stanley Matthews, so my next question to Terry Regan would have been where did he obtain the information that Sir Stanley Matthews did in fact appear at the Hippodrome and what year?

Louisa
 
in fairness he as replied to my reply and I thank him for this
John H

Hello to you too,

Well it seems that I have well and truly ruffled you feathers mate, apologies for that, that was not really my intention. I have to state however that on making my initial posting on the Birminham History Forum I was immediately informed by a helpful guy named @ Alf that I was "off thread" and needed to post my query on YOUR Aston website rather than the main Birmingham site; amongst several other replies invoked by my query was one from you in which you gave the direct e mail link to your site. I did respond at once to this contacting your Aston site via the internet link given, but nothing was posted on there, nor was there any response from that site, nor until now have I had any contact from yourself.

I do of course appreciate that there is a tremendous amount of work involved in running these websites such as yours and of course the much larger Birmingham site. Also I do not neccesarily expect that you will be able to come up with the answer to any query I may pose, but its reasonable to expect in this modern age that e mails are fairly quickly responded to; after all you quickly responded to my last e mail in which I voiced my disappointment at a previous lack of response.

As a historian, writer and researcher I make a point of answering all queries promptly, even if I cannot come up with definitive answers; perhaps being such a person my expectations are too high?

I will not trouble you again but can assure you that Stanley Mattews DID appear at the Hippodrome . I have the documentary evidence to back my claim.

Yours Sincerely,

Terry Regan
Blackpool
 
Thanks for posting that John. Although I am sorry he is unhappy by our "lack of response" but as has been said if we don't have the information staight away it can take weeks for a reply. Oh well you can't please all the people. By the way I am wrighting this in my lunch break from work. I hope he realises some of us work and have a life outside the internet. Keep smiling folkes:)
 
I beg to differ

Where is he on the Members list.

I spend a lot of time as I would with Football John as you know, I spent hours looking for someone in your family. I also spoke to Terry Regan about his request for Information about Stanley Matthews and the Hippodrome if fact I spent about 3 hours altogether looking for the smallest thing visiting entertainment pages etc, to show that we do try to help all people who visit the Forum to our cost sometimes.

Where are his posts, I can't find him on the members list, I may have missed it in my haste to get this down.

I'm a bit upset to say the least myself and for the Members
 
Hi John,
Like most people on this site I will go out of my way to help ANYONE with a valid inquiry. Sometimes it takes a lot of time and effort and isn't always as detailed as we would wish.
However if I come across a thread which I know I can't be of any help with, then whats the point of using valuable webspace explaining that this isn't my area of knowledge.
Terry Reagan is obviously so full of his own importance that he believes we should all drop everything we are doing and concentrate on his posting alone.
If someone on this site had been able to answer him with the information he requires, trust me, they would have willingly replied.
This site helps more people with genuine inquiries than any other Birmingham site.
Still it just goes to show, YOU CAN'T PLEASE ALL THE PEOPLE ALL OF THE TIME
But we TRY.
 
I think this is a giant misunderstanding all round and a pity that so many good natured members who willingly help each other are upset.

Maybe Tony did not understand that this website and forum is run on the voluntary contributions of the time and funding of its members, who collectively have a great store of knowledge about all sorts of subjects including Birmingham and an unselfish willingness to share with others.

If Tony, did not become a member to have the priveledge of posting to the forum for help then he cannot collectively blame us if he didnt get the help he expected.

The people that did kindly try to help him did their very best with the information Tony had given to them. If as a historian, writer and researcher he had some solid documentary evidence of Sir Stanley Matthews visit to the Aston Hippodrome then he should have said so and either quoted his source or given us a thumbnail picture of the evidence.

I think that the information he requires must be very obscure because if a Google search and all the research resources including the Birmingham City Archives and the Birmingham Mail Archives, Tony has to hand as a Historian and a writer did not reveal any further details, then this gem of information is something he wants to write about and publish for himself.

Incidentally if Tony is not a member and I cant find him on the members list under his own name (what is his user name?) then how does he get notification of what the postings on this thread say?

Alf, John and Postie your input and knowledge on this forum and website are invaluable and your efforts are very much appreciated so dont take things to heart, you know your own worth, so do we.

Louisa
 
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Hi Tony
I hope you are still receiving messages from this forum. I have reviewed your post with the user name info given by Colin B and you did give us more information than I thought you originally did.

I think you should understand that we are a friendly voluntary forum and I am sorry that there has obviously been a loss of good will but I hope that with this post we can settle our differences amicably.

As we were unable to help you with your request about the Aston Hippodrome and Sir Stanley Matthews you may be able to get some help from the following website which also has a forum in which you can post queries about Hippodromes and someone may have an answer for you.

https://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/Birmingham.htm

Also try the Birmingham Archives and Heritage situated in the Birmingham City Library on e-mail [email protected]

As you say this was a concert at Aston Hippodrome with Georgie Wood appearing with Stanley Matthews and it was during or at the end of WW2 it may have been a benifit concert for the return of the troops from war or their dependants and as such may have been reported in the Birmingham Mail or Birmingham Dispatch as it was then. The Birmingham Archives will have old copies of the newspapers, ask them what copies they hold for the years you are looking for.

If you cant trace a link through researching information on Stanley Matthews then like difficult family history projects you could try to approach it sideways through the other people appearing on the hippodrome bill, just in case someone researching the other stage act career puts a reference to the appearance of Stanley Matthews on their website or there is something in the Birmingham library.

It may help the Birmingham City Archives library if you could send them a scan of the flyer and by looking at this they may have more of a clue what the concert was for and where to look for the information you want.

You could also try the archives of the football team he played for they may be able to give you some more information.

I hope this posting is of some help to you.

Good Luck with the search
Kindest Regards
Louisa
 
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Mr Regan should realise that there is a great difference between not being interested and not being able to help.
Perhaps if he had given more details about the date and other artists it would get more of a response.

My family is from the Potteries,my mom lived near Stans family and he was my Dads hero.

I would be interested in knowing what year the show at the Hippodrome was on.My Dad joined Birmingham city police in the late 40s and I never heard this story from him and I'm pretty sure that if the Wizard of the Dribble came here on stage my Dad would have 'been full of it'.
He watched him play at Villa park.

The tennis thing is interesting as Stan was fond of tennis and his son Stanley was Wimbledon junior champion.
 
His Son very successful now in U.S.A Alberta.

He and Betty had two children, Jean and Stanley junior. The latter became three times British junior tennis champion, also won the Wimbledon junior invitation title. He never quite fulfilled his early promise, and eventually turned to coaching in the US.
 
Just found a review in the Guardian for April 2003 of a book by Alan Plater called Viva Variety in which he recalls seeing Stanley Matthews and Wee Georgie Wood at the Tivoli in the 1950s.
They were ball juggling and playing head tennis.
He says he still cringes at the memory

This confirms that he did appear on stage with Georgie Wood so it is highly likely that he may have come to Birmingham.

Funny what you find when you 'muck about' on your puter.
 
History can be passed thanks to every one seeing common sense below Tedges reply and is offer to the site
Terry
Neophyte Brummie

Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Blackpool
Posts: 2


icon1.gif
Stan Matthews debate!
Hello John,

I hope that this message finds both you and yout wife in an improved state of health.

Having have been looking at the responses to my earlier e mails to the main site and to the Aston site itself I am aghast. May I say that I had absolutely no idea that my comments would be taken out of context as they appear to have been.

Having never actually previously joined such a forum as yours, I really had no idea what to expect, other than perhaps to see my query posted on the site. How could I, or anyone else for that matter expect you to immediately come up with any anwer at all? Well obviously I couldnt!That was not my compaint; my complaint, completely wrong as it turns out, was that my requested posting on the Aston site appeared to be being ignored, and not its actual contents; I did give as much information as I had at the time but was hoping for more which is why I posted the query; perhaps I imagined that a story such as this would be common knowledge in the Birmingham/Aston area and therefore I would have lots of replies. Well I now know that it isnt common knowledge after all. However I can tell you that by now I have added to the story via several other sources, one of which sources is a lady entertainer called Winifred Scott who actually appeared at the Hippodrome along with Wee Georgie Wood and Stanley Matthews AND his Brother Ronnie Matthews!

As a token of reconciliation to both you and to your long standing members I promise that when I have all the details required in order to construct a meaningful story then I will let you have that story, including a copy of the actual programme itself; you may then of course publish it on the website should you be inclined to do so of course.

Having already spoken with Louisa on this subject I would be gratified if you would be good enough to pass my message on.

Best Wishes,
Tedge (Terry Regan)
 
Hi Terrry

I am so glad that a solution to the misundestanding has been settled amicably on all sides. FRIENDS:)

Everyone one of us has various talents which we all collectively contibute to make this forum as good a source of local Birmingham Knowledge as we can, but as you have found out there are some subjects that we do not have much in-depth knowledge about and you must admit that you have also now found out that you have a rare bit of local infomation that not too many people are aware of.

The more members this forum has the bigger and better the bank of collective knowledge about Birmingham will be and we are all very glad that you have decided to stay on board and have made such a generous jesture as to write an article for the main website with your little known about 'Gem' of information about Stanley Matthews and the Aston Hippodrome.

This should make a very interesting story and I cant wait to read it especially as some of my ancestors, Frank and Amos Moss played for Aston Villa and so I now have a vauge football interest. Its amazing what other interests you can develop while researching your family tree.

Best Wishes
Louisa
 
Louisa said:
This should make a very interesting story and I cant wait to read it especially as some of my ancestors, Frank and Amos Moss played for Aston Villa and so I now have a vauge football interest. Its amazing what other interests you can develop while researching your family tree.
Click to expand...

Louisa, I was very interested to spot this ... In addition to being a Villa historian, I am also related to the Moss brothers - my second cousins. Frank and Amos' maternal grandmother was one of my grandfather's sisters.

Therefore, it would appear that you have LERWILL ancestry!

If you would like, I can send you details of my LERWILL 'tree'. Please e-mail to [email protected]
 
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