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Stratford Road Sparkhill Fire Mon Jan 4th 1960

S

Sparkhill Lad

master brummie
Morning all

About 18 months ago I posted here and asked if anyone knew of the terrible fire which claimed a life in 1960.
At that time as I was still at school all I could think as it was "about late 1959 / 60".
I came home from school to find my dad Fred Fellows giving an interview to tv cameras, footage which seems no one has kept or can find, despite my letter / email writing.
After many hours looking my brother Brian said he had found a copy which was in some very old cuttings he had kept.
I have now pieced it together and have pleasure in sharing it with you all.
The shop as you will see is 412 Stratford Road Sparkhill on the same side & just up from the Mermaid Pub & we lived right opposite at 427 ( now an Estate Agents shop ) and all the frontage has gone.
Perhaps one of our picture tech guys here can paste these 2 pieces together and make it one again so that we can all enjoy it.
This is the only way my scanner could cope with such a large paper.
Good to see my late father made it on the front page for his attempts to help others as he did through life.

Derek
PS had to re size large piece to place here sorry.
 
hi dek
just been reading your thread on the fire [ like wise here ] i found your story intresting
i would have been proud if t had been my father trying to rescue some-one
i see that you lived across the rd from the mermaid in around that years
do you ever recall a big fire on the stratford rd faceing the old mermaid around the mid fifties
it was a very large bedding shop sold beddings of all sorts you had to go up steps to get in the shop
and it went right back i have been trying trace this one for a couple of years
i thought if you lived close bye you may recall this one
what i am after is pics and roughly a date , does not matter if you cannot recall this incidence
have a good day best wishes ASTONIAN ;;
 
Astonian said:
hi dek
just been reading your thread on the fire [ like wise here ] i found your story intresting
i would have been proud if t had been my father trying to rescue some-one
i see that you lived across the rd from the mermaid in around that years
do you ever recall a big fire on the stratford rd faceing the old mermaid around the mid fifties
it was a very large bedding shop sold beddings of all sorts you had to go up steps to get in the shop
and it went right back i have been trying trace this one for a couple of years
i thought if you lived close bye you may recall this one
what i am after is pics and roughly a date , does not matter if you cannot recall this incidence
have a good day best wishes ASTONIAN ;;
Click to expand...

Hi Astonian

Sorry cannot help with the other fire in Stratford Road had not quite got there from Acocks Green at that time.
I can recall though the Co-op Drapery being just about where you are thinking of, could it be that one ?
It was just near to or next to the Picadilly Picture House.
Hope this helps.

Derek
 
This has just reminded me in about 1964/5, me and my friends were outside near where we lived in Ballsall Heath, we seen smoke in the distance thick black smoke, we walked in the direction then we seen the flames,It was Moor St Station,we got as close as we were allowed which was near Park Rd i think it was, does anybody remember this?
 
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