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Weather : past adverse weather in Birmingham

I lived in Bartley green then, I remember walking to my mates House "Mark Polanski" he lived in cow gate lane I think, the snow drifts were huge, and we walked on the ice on the canal which ran to Halesowen, I remember sword fighting with huge 10' long icicles, and skating on the lake at weoley castle , on the park at the bottom of greory ave, though we only had a single coal fire and mom put the gas oven on with the door open in the kitchen cannot remember any hardship really. bus's were very spasmotic though.
paul
 
I don't really remember it, but mom and dad talk about it, I was just over 2 and my brother a baby.
As dad was a carpenter, the building sites weren't workable, so we had no money coming in - dad went and worked on some cooling towers for a while to get some cash, but it was a very tight time for them, as for a lot of outdoor workers at the time.
Sue
 
I remember being atuck in a train behind a diesel engine for about 4 hours, where the cold had made the diesel too thick to be injected into the engine, or at least that was what we were told
 
Remember it well. A few things come to mind ....... No central heating. Little parafin lamps near the pipes in the bathroom to stop them from freezing. Never lingering in the bathroom because it was probably colder in there than outside! No buses because they couldn't make it up the hill. A very long walk to school only to be told to go home once you arrived (no mobile phones or sophisticated messaging in those days). Huddling around one coal fire for warmth. Frozen milk on the doorstep. No road or pavement gritting - we'd throw old ashes from the fire on paths. A lot of waiting around for most things and a lot of shivering. Chillblains and getting scorched by sitting too close to the fire. No lightweight, warm, comfortable coats (just heavy, cumbersome wool ones). Cold feet in cold wellies or wet socks and shoes with salt marks all over them. No snuggly duvets, only prickly blankets and maybe an eiderdown. Fingers sticking to windows with icy 'ferns' on the inside. Thankfully a lot has changed. Viv
 
remember all of that viv...do you recall how the drinking milks silver bottle tops used to be pushed up by the frozen milk and i well remember opening our front door only to be met with a wall of snow...forecast is for minus 18 this week so wrap up..

lyn
 
mikejee said:
I remember being atuck in a train behind a diesel engine for about 4 hours, where the cold had made the diesel too thick to be injected into the engine, or at least that was what we were told
Click to expand...
We had many breakdowns during this time when I worked for a commercial vehicle garage, vehicles were still running around months later with the fuel filters bypassed. The cause was due to diesel fuel (gas oil in the case of diesel trains) waxing in the fuel filters, oil companies introduced winter grade diesel with a lower cold plugging point in later years. Nowadays winter grade diesel fuel is introduced from mid November dependent on where you're located.
 
I was 10 at the time and remember being allowed to wear trousers to school. Wellies were always so cold. The milk freezing as I was milk monitor we had to bring it into the class room to thaw. I remember frost and ice inside the windows especially in the bedroom. Dad always had a spade, old sacks and some sand in the boot of his car. We got stuck once but got going using the sacks. The canals and lakes freezing. We had a Aga in the kitchen all the wet clothes hanging in front of it. I loved to sit by it in the cold. It wasn't much fun waring a coat in school and trying to write with gloves on...
 
its snowing again here in kingstanding..side roads still bad...my sister who lives in west heath had to go out on thursday morning to cotteridge and the buses over that way were taken off at 11 in the morning as it up hill and down dale there so she had a 2 hour walk to get back home..

lyn
 
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I remember the fun we had taking our make shift sledges ( old bread trays, planks of wood anything you could lay your hands on) over to Lozells School which was on our corner and because the senior school playground was sloped it made an excellent spot for us kids from the street to play on. The Mounds of frozen snow lined the streets where people had tried to clear the snow from their doors. It seemed to be there for months.The icicles that hung off the roofs were lethel if ever they fell. We would wear socks on hands to try and keep warm and i have known my mom cut sleeves off jumpers for your head and to put on your legs as the wellies would make your legs that sore where they rubbed you.Mom and Dad would also throw ashes outside .
 
Hi Topsyturvey
You are bringing back some memories to me.
We used milk crates on there side, and we would pad the top with old sacking or
any old clothing.It would have to be a pasteurized milk crate as stera had little bars
to prevent bottles jumping out the crates when a milk float went over a bump. My
mom had a pair of black ankle boots with a zip up the side. I would sneak out with them
on and go sledging. But when my mom came to put them on to go out, they would be ringing wet,
so she would not be to pleased. Also mom would get the knitting pins out and knit us all balaclavas.
It is strange that these days they will close schools if the heating broke, we were told to put your coat on,
but when you look at children on there way to school these days, most are not wearing coats no matter
what the weather is like. Thanks for the memories Topsey.

Stars
 
Stars a lot of the reason for no coats today is nowhere to put them during the day, not safe to leave in cloakrooms like we used to do, they get nicked,and its no fun carrying a wet coat round school, if they put it in their bag they are in trouble if the books get wet, and also, so many schools are so strict on what the kids are allowed to wear - ours say plain black or navy only, no logos - try getting one for a teenager that doesn't look like a grandad coat or that they will wear without being bullied.
Sue
 
I remember 1963 well - all the things that have already been said - but I did have a bucket of frozen nappies!! Sistersue is right about the kids at school today - they do have to carry their coats with them so my grandson refuses to wear his - goes in just his blazer as do many others that I've seen, their bags are heavy enough it's a wonder they don't all have problems with their shoulders - he is hoping to be snowed in tomorrow!! some hopes he's got - although it has been snowing all morning in London the main roads are clear.
Sheri
 
bit better than here then Sheri, main roads are very slushy and slippy and pavements are lethal, as the first snow froze before this lot started.
A thumbs up from mom for those clip on snow grips available, we got her some last year, which she didn't really have chance to use, but she tested them yesterday and today and says on the snow they are brilliant, she didn't slip once. She did say they are quite hard to put on your shoes/boots but worth the time to do it, so not just a gimmicky item!
Sue
 
I watched the TV programme last night on the 1962/63 big freeze and was surprised how bad it was, I remember it of course but my memory of a really bad winter is 1947 and so 62/63 didn't seem too bad to me. We had a coal cellar and didn't go short of coal, but decided to have a gas fire fitted during that winter in the living room, and a coal fire in the front room, we also bought a portal paraffin heater which we had on the upstairs landing.

I remember about 4 doors up the road from us, a lot of snow came off the roof and the old lady who lived there had a broken arm and was badly bruised, I can't remember too much disruption as I used to walk to work, and as far as I remember was always able to take my 4 year old son to nursery school.
 
I started my first job in January 1963, as a lab technician at Birmingham University. This meant getting a No 5 or 7 bus in Witton Road, a walk across town to Navigation St, then a 62 or 63 to Edgbaston Park Road. I'd arrive at work half frozen to death, but the labs were always well-heated, and we'd spend the first hour or two just thawing out. Funny thing is, I can't remember the buses not running during that bitter winter.

G
 
I remember 1963 quite well. We were married on a bright crisp November morning - the day after Kennedy was assassinated! Fortunately there wasn't a TV at the Hope and Anchor where we held the reception.
 
I was at school in 63 one lunch time I fell sliding on the ice, I have a scar just above my right eye to remind me of how I landed.
I was patched up in the secretary's office taken home in the headmasters car. My mom took me straight up to Doctors at the Swan who stitched it there and then.
 
I was 8 when the big freeze set in, it didn't make much difference to us "out in the sticks". When we went back to the village school we had to wear our overcoats, woollen balaclavas and gloves, scarves and wellies all day. We had a coke stove that was kept stoked up by one of the 11 year olds, and another bought in the milk, with its sticks of white ice protruding. Trouble was, when it thawed, the milk had separated, YUK! We did lots of 'inside' activities, the Radio had "Singing Together" and "Music, Movement & Mime", and the two teachers we had for all 24 of us aged 4 - 11, thought out other running around games. We were allowed out, but soon got Hot-Aches & Chilblains, so came in!
We heard that some schools in nearby Sutton & Erdington had closed, and we felt very hard done by, having to do Sums and English, whilst those Pupils were playing in Sutton park on their sledges.
 
I remember when the snow started to fall on Boxing Day. I was inside New St station waving my aunt, uncle and cousin off back to Derby. They had stayed with us over Christmas.
 
Having left Brum in January 1961, I wasn't there for that big freeze, but my trio was playing at Ossemsley Manor (then a night club) in the New Forest. Raymond (Mr Teasy Weasy) had put money into the venture, but it was operated by one of his former mangeresses who at that time was basically skint. Because of the cold, its isolation, and the lack of a decent heating system, there were very few customers. We were actually playing with our overcoats on! Sitting in with us on guitar, and still a 16 year old school boy then, was Andy Summers (later of The Police and now living in California). Driving back through the ice and snow in the Forest in the early hours of the morning, half drunk, was quite entertaining though.

Meanwhile, getting back to Brum, I remember well the 1947 freeze. I was only ten years old then and living in Sparkhill. Snow in the back yard was about three feet deep and up to the window sills. Happy Days! :cupcake:

Maurice
 
I was living in Tipton at the time, my dad had a lovely warm job working as a furnaceman, we had to walk to school as we did every day, we started out earlier and when we got to school were allowed to keep our coats on in class as there was no heating, we weren'r sent home, good jobg really as we were exhausted from walking to school!!
My cousin, walking into the blizzard walked into a lampost and knocked herself out, luckily there was someone walking behind and rescued her.
 
hi glynis ;
yes i can recall those days when i was a kid in short trousers it was only when my grand mother found out that mom
could not afford the long trousers for us kids [ boys ;eight boys] her mother was a wealthy lady bussiness whom ran alot of shops ;
we never used to see her often ; but in those days it was really bad ; more so than todays weather conditions we have ;
but that one year she visited us she told my mother to get us all dressed up all the lads ; she took us all to marks and spencers in the city ;
for the whole day we never ever went to town when we was kids it was great to have long trousers on ; we thought we looked great ;
on the subject of your dad working in the foundrys ; in the winter it works both ways ;
Bazz and my self both worked at tubes for years at the same time in the foudry forge with loads of furnaces all blasting away ;
i worked in a gang and i used to be number one over head crane driver which towered over the men and the red hot metal and red hot furnances
Bzz had to walk around them iand beleive me it was hot ; but as i have said it works both ways
when you are out and about on hot summer days we are stuck in red hot heat from the weather conditions coming through the out side doors and the sky light of the foundry and six huge red hot furnance with red hot moulton pouring over the place ; so really we or at least me hated the summe months
because of the heat you feel ; i also worked in the foundrys of IMI Witton ; days and nights ;
so you see it works both ways for people we was very happy to get to work quickly in the winter as we soon got warm but the summer we or at least myself
dreaded clocking in especialy all day and the night shifts when i would be doing nights at IMI i would see my mated standing drinking a pint or two out side the pubs and they would shout and wave and laugh at me because its a nice summer evening and i have to go and clock on in those furnaces ;
have your self a nice day and wrapp up warm ; and remember if you do not have to go out stay in ;
best wishes astonian;;
 
I remember the big freeze of '62/63 very well because we were in what the council called a HALFWAY HOUSE.
Those who went through this system had it hard. A halfway house is where the council put families before them gaining a better house.
It was so cold that when you did the washing up, when you finished the crockery was frozen to the draining board.
After some months there we were given a house in Upper Webster Street, Aston in a back courtyard,three floors, one room downstairs with two bedrooms above. Not a palace, but better than the H/H.
 
Hi

I remember it vividly, we lived in Hingeston street, I was 11 and my brother was ten, the coalman could'nt come because of the state of the roads and we did not have any coal. Our Dad was ill with a stomach problem, so my brother and I went up to Clissold Street where the coal wharf was next to the canal. I cant remember the exact weight of the barrow with the coal in, but can you imagine the trouble our kid and I had(ten stone dripping wet between us) trying to control this heavy weight coming back down a hill covered in ice. Any way we finally got it back with out getting killed or killing somebody. When we talk on the phone or meet up we still mention it.
 
hi captain ;
i broke my arm on those big cars fetching coal arond the corner from that wharf the old lady in clissols street aked me to go on sat morning to fetch a barrow of coal
like you i was not much older and out of the wharf i came along and at the corner of newspring street i strugglled to get up the kerb
one big pull of heavvying it jumped the kerb and ctushed me agaist the wall and broke my collar bone i screamed with pain they took me to dudley rd hospital
and they fetch my mother whom done her nut wheres this perishing old lady she said you will not be fetching any more coal for my young man she can fetch her own
and she said did she pay you my mom said yes how much i said five bob ; 2 half crowns she had that of me but i never fetched coal again from there ; astonian;;
 
It's funny how this site brings back all sports of memories. Me and a friend of mine Bunny Ryan arrived at my parents house around 11-00pm on boxing day night. At this time there was not a flake of snow on the ground. When Bunny prepared to leave around 1-30am there was around 6 inches of snow. Me and my dad walked home with Bunny to make sure he got home ok. We walked from Trippleton Avenue to the the top of Adams Hill and back. It took us nearly an hour and half to do the round trip and by the time we got back the snow was up to the top of our wellies. I had to go to work the next morning and it had continued snowing all night. I worked at the Co-op in Spies Lane Quinton and always went to work on my bike. I can't remember how may times I fell off my bike but I do remember sitting in the middle of the road laughing my head off having fallen off for the umteenth time. My most abiding memoryof the journey in Carters Lane. In 1962 before the motorway was built the lane used to bend round the corner , past the old farm houses and onto the methodist church. I had to stop my bike to clear some snow and I looked up to see three black "funnels" coming along the lane towards me. A turned out to be a single decker midland red bus. The snow was that high it was up to the hedges both sides of the road. When I finally got back on my bike and rode round the corner it was like riding through a tunnel without the roof on. Happy day's. Oh and after all that I think we only had a handful of customers all day.
 
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