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THE WINTERS OF 47 AND 63

FINALLY a now-versus-then Google Streetview image for anyone who knows that stretch of the Chester Road. Can hardly believe how much everything can change in (a mere!) 75 years when yesterday's image is so much clearer in the mind than today's.

Chris

ChesterRoadHill.jpg
 
Winter of '47, still at school, thought it was great.
Winre of '62, married with two kids, just been thrown out on the street, (No protection then).
Council put us in what they called "A half way house", one room in an old large victorian house in Moseley.
Very cold, shared kitchen, one cold tap, parafin heater in our room.
Survived it all, could the young of today cope?
Moved us to a back to back in Feb 63, Upper Webster Street, Aston.
Bought our first house 3 years later.
 
Austin K2 said:
Winter of '47, still at school, thought it was great.
Winre of '62, married with two kids, just been thrown out on the street, (No protection then).
Council put us in what they called "A half way house", one room in an old large victorian house in Moseley.
Very cold, shared kitchen, one cold tap, parafin heater in our room.
Survived it all, could the young of today cope?
Moved us to a back to back in Feb 63, Upper Webster Street, Aston.
Bought our first house 3 years later.
Click to expand...
Yes I think they would cope, probably moan about it but didnt we all
 
I well remember the winter of 1947 but for reasons other than the snow. I lived in Yardley Wood and outside the house was a large grass area (I was 8) and some of the older boys had made an igloo with the snow. You could get four or five inside, but access was strictly controlled by the older boys, and luckily I was one such. One day a young ginger haired lad who I had never seen before and asked if he could go in the igloo. He was asked who he was and learned he had come to live with his grandmother about 5 doors down the road as his mother was ill and his father in the army. He was given permission and from that date onwards we became firm mates. Nothing perhaps amazing about any of that but later learned his mother had died, and he (and a younger brother and sister) lived with his Gran and Granddad. I was called up fro National Service (he failed the medical) and married and moved to Northamptonshire, there was a time separation and he also married and had 5 children. His wife left him and he brought up the children himself. One day whilst visiting Brum early 60's my father mentioned he had run into my old mate and we met up. I was living in Kent (and still am) and he lived a stones throw from where we met as kids. We saw each other many time each year thereafter, turn and turn about visiting each other, and later his new wife. He sadly died in 2010 after a friendship of 63 years he remaining a true Brummie and I an ex pat; a friendship that began with the snows of 1947. I recounted the meet up at his funeral and broke down telling the story.
 
Noodles said:
I well remember the winter of 1947 but for reasons other than the snow. I lived in Yardley Wood and outside the house was a large grass area (I was 8) and some of the older boys had made an igloo with the snow. You could get four or five inside, but access was strictly controlled by the older boys, and luckily I was one such. One day a young ginger haired lad who I had never seen before and asked if he could go in the igloo. He was asked who he was and learned he had come to live with his grandmother about 5 doors down the road as his mother was ill and his father in the army. He was given permission and from that date onwards we became firm mates. Nothing perhaps amazing about any of that but later learned his mother had died, and he (and a younger brother and sister) lived with his Gran and Granddad. I was called up fro National Service (he failed the medical) and married and moved to Northamptonshire, there was a time separation and he also married and had 5 children. His wife left him and he brought up the children himself. One day whilst visiting Brum early 60's my father mentioned he had run into my old mate and we met up. I was living in Kent (and still am) and he lived a stones throw from where we met as kids. We saw each other many time each year thereafter, turn and turn about visiting each other, and later his new wife. He sadly died in 2010 after a friendship of 63 years he remaining a true Brummie and I an ex pat; a friendship that began with the snows of 1947. I recounted the meet up at his funeral and broke down telling the story.
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Wonderful compassionate story!
 
mw0njm. said:
people did not moan about snow on the line or snow on the roads. out side loo freezing pipes etc. we just got on with it
we are tough brummies
locomotive-3218-seen-caught-snow-drift-somerset-21864568.jpg.webp

:grinning:
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Do you know the location for this picture?


Bob
 
I think it started to snow on boxing day 1963 and was still on the ground at easter. It ruined my first car an old 1939 wolsey, one morning it would not start, when I looked under the bonnet the core plugs were 2 inches from the block on the end of icicles.
Most of the building trade was laid off so no work but managed to get some casual days working for the council clearing pavements and standing on the back of a moving council lorry shoveling grit onto the roads.
 
johnny082 said:
I remember both very well. I remember in 1947 when Dad opened the back door there was just a wall of snow up to the top where the snow had drifted and we had to break our way through. As already said, we still had to go to school and because rather poor neither my brother or myself had wellingtons so feet got rather wet. Dad had to buy himself a pair because he had to walk to work from Erdington to the BSA'
In 1963 I was living on the outskirts of Tadcaster in Yorkshire and had to visit many of the villages round there. Some of the drifts were 10 ft. high. Whilst we were all fed up with it we still got on with life.
If we get another one like I wonder just how folk will react today. Probably blame it on the government
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I was 8 years old in 1947 and living in Hansons Bridge Road Erdington. I know that we carried on going to school at Walmley despite the freezing conditions. I think the planes had difficulty in taking off from Castle Bromwich Aerodrome at the time but the memory is a little vague. In 1963 my Mini turned over into a ditch beside a 9 foot wall of snow in the lane by the Cock at Wishaw where we had celebrated with a few drinks. I swear I was sober but Barbara Castle soon put a stop to that. Johnny's reference to his Dad walking from Erdington to BSA (Small Heath) reminds me how conscientious folk were then.
 
hi d.williams41 you are quite right..i was coming up 10 during the winter of 63 and the snow was so deep in the side roads...although not a massive distance to travel we still had to walk to school...when the heating was off we would sit in our coats hats and scarfs to keep warm...the little bottles of milk used to freeze and push the silver foil tops up from the bottles...non the less happy days that i would not change

lyn
 
devonjim said:
Learn all about the Big Freeze '63 in BBC4 programme "Winterwatch'63 The Big Freeze".
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I’ve just watched this. Fascinating. I was twelve at the time, and in my first year at secondary school. I well remember the slippery walk downhill to school, and the complete inadequacy of winter clothing in those times.

otherwise, my memory is a bit hazy really. I don’t think that we had a tv at that time, so we wouldn’t have been quite so aware of the wider chaos going on across the country. Our heating at the time was by a single coal fire, and electricity use was minimal (I can remember only one power point being available), in any case, there weren’t too many devices to plug in anyway!

I don’t have any recollection of missed school due to the weather. I suppose that with little traffic, things were generally safe, and very few children or teachers had to travel far to get in.
 
we made slides in the playground in the ice and had a contest to see who could slide the the furthest.i did it once too often,i ended up up me back banging me head and knocking my self out. i come round in the nurses room. then was sent home, emagine that happening now.
 
mw0njm. said:
we made slides in the playground in the ice and had a contest to see who could slide the the furthest.i did it once too often,i ended up up me back banging me head and knocking my self out. i come round in the nurses room. then was sent home, emagine that happening now.
Click to expand...
What an amazing read, so enjoyed this thread.
Thank you for all your memories.
I remember 1963 but I too wasn't around in 1947.

I was only telling my granddaughter at the weekend, how we used to slide our way to school on the ice ....... Brooke thought it was so cool to do that!
Health and safety would not allow that today.
Kind regards , Sue
 
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