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Willes Road, Winson Green

bewdley

bewdley

master brummie
I was born in Winson Green, but left when I was 3 so have no memories of my own time there to recount, but this is a story related to me by my 86 year old mother Thelma nee Eccles who lived at 75 Willes Road, Winson Green with her parents and siblings from the mid 1930s until she left in 1953 following her marriage to my dad.

Their next door neighbours Arthur and Nellie Sidaway lived at no 77. Arthur worked at the Birmingham Mint and in the Summer of 1947 he and his children went to Upton-on Severn, Worcestershire on the summer works outing. Whilst there his friend took the children on the river in a small rowing boat along with his own child, whilst rowing his friend didn’t see a river boat behind him and their rowing boat was hit and tragically Dennis Sidaway aged 14 and Margaret Sidaway aged 13 died. Mum isn’t sure whether the man rowing the boat and his own child perished or not. Mum says that Dennis and Margaret’s parents were devastated by their loss. She told me that afterwards Arthur caught his arm in a machine at the mint and lost his arm up to the shoulder.

Mum was very pleased to leave Willes Road as she said her family had suffered nothing but bad luck and sadness whilst living there, she lost her father Alfred, brother Alfred, sister Louie (whose new husband John (Jack) Nock joined the Royal Engineers after losing his Louie and was blown up whilst diffusing a bomb in El Alamein) and mother Ada to TB and said that the horse pulling the funeral hearse used to wait at their house when he was in the road because he was used to stopping there. She said that Mrs Marks, a neighbour, was the lady who they always called upon to lay people out.

One day shortly after her mum’s funeral mum was walking up the street on her way home from work when Mrs Marks called her and told her that her older sister Lil, (Lil married in 1933 and left the family home and wouldn’t visit due to the TB, she said she was worried for her son’s health, probably rightly so, but it didn’t stop her from visiting on her own after the funeral!) had been in the house whilst mum and her brother were at work and had left with what Mrs Marks described as “breakables” she said Lil was carrying a tablecloth and its contents very carefully and when mum went in the house all of their mother’s china had been taken off the shelves and out of cupboards, mum said to me “that’s Lil, she always was a swine and mean don’t you trust her if you should see her” this made me smile as Lil was born in 1911 and I’ve never met her so I’m not likely to bump into her now.

Just shows that even then there was a neighbourhood watch, mum said Mrs Marks saw everything that went on in Willes Road and always reported what she saw.

Mum also told me that there were several photos of her mum’s brothers, unfortunately killed in the Great War, dressed in military uniform in the house, but mum doesn’t know what happened to them - perhaps Lil helped herself to them as well.

I know this isn't a pretty story, but it's a bit of social history.

Ted Rudge has put this story on his site Winson Green to Brookfields and he has also added photos of my mum and dad in their younger days, (one day I will teach myself how to add photographs to this site, tis on my to do before I die list, sad person that I am).

bewdley

As far as I am aware all those mentioned in the above story, apart from my mum and myself of course, are now deceased.
 
It seems that there was always a neighbour who helped with the "laying-out" or with childbirth, and sick children.
I enjoy this social history, and I miss the tales that Nan used to tell, thank you for this story.
rosie.
 
I can comfirm Lil died in either 1999 or 2000 funny enough at the funeral the vicar/priest remarked she had some strange ways and didn't get on with most of her family (or words to that effect, it was a long time ago and i'm relaying this 2nd hand).
 
bewdley said:
I was born in Winson Green, but left when I was 3 so have no memories of my own time there to recount, but this is a story related to me by my 86 year old mother Thelma nee Eccles who lived at 75 Willes Road, Winson Green with her parents and siblings from the mid 1930s until she left in 1953 following her marriage to my dad.

Their next door neighbours Arthur and Nellie Sidaway lived at no 77. Arthur worked at the Birmingham Mint and in the Summer of 1947 he and his children went to Upton-on Severn, Worcestershire on the summer works outing. Whilst there his friend took the children on the river in a small rowing boat along with his own child, whilst rowing his friend didn’t see a river boat behind him and their rowing boat was hit and tragically Dennis Sidaway aged 14 and Margaret Sidaway aged 13 died. Mum isn’t sure whether the man rowing the boat and his own child perished or not. Mum says that Dennis and Margaret’s parents were devastated by their loss. She told me that afterwards Arthur caught his arm in a machine at the mint and lost his arm up to the shoulder.

Mum was very pleased to leave Willes Road as she said her family had suffered nothing but bad luck and sadness whilst living there, she lost her father Alfred, brother Alfred, sister Louie (whose new husband John (Jack) Nock joined the Royal Engineers after losing his Louie and was blown up whilst diffusing a bomb in El Alamein) and mother Ada to TB and said that the horse pulling the funeral hearse used to wait at their house when he was in the road because he was used to stopping there. She said that Mrs Marks, a neighbour, was the lady who they always called upon to lay people out.

One day shortly after her mum’s funeral mum was walking up the street on her way home from work when Mrs Marks called her and told her that her older sister Lil, (Lil married in 1933 and left the family home and wouldn’t visit due to the TB, she said she was worried for her son’s health, probably rightly so, but it didn’t stop her from visiting on her own after the funeral!) had been in the house whilst mum and her brother were at work and had left with what Mrs Marks described as “breakables” she said Lil was carrying a tablecloth and its contents very carefully and when mum went in the house all of their mother’s china had been taken off the shelves and out of cupboards, mum said to me “that’s Lil, she always was a swine and mean don’t you trust her if you should see her” this made me smile as Lil was born in 1911 and I’ve never met her so I’m not likely to bump into her now.

Just shows that even then there was a neighbourhood watch, mum said Mrs Marks saw everything that went on in Willes Road and always reported what she saw.

Mum also told me that there were several photos of her mum’s brothers, unfortunately killed in the Great War, dressed in military uniform in the house, but mum doesn’t know what happened to them - perhaps Lil helped herself to them as well.

I know this isn't a pretty story, but it's a bit of social history.

Ted Rudge has put this story on his site Winson Green to Brookfields and he has also added photos of my mum and dad in their younger days, (one day I will teach myself how to add photographs to this site, tis on my to do before I die list, sad person that I am).

bewdley

As far as I am aware all those mentioned in the above story, apart from my mum and myself of course, are now deceased.
Click to expand...
 
I lived in willes rd...they were my aunt and uncle..his name was Vernon..he lost finger not arm...my mom said aunt nells screams was heard on soho rd..my family never spoke in depth about the accident..it was tragic..aunt nell said god only lent her den and marg....
 
Hi Dav Banfie

I can't imagine what your aunt and uncle went through; I only know mum always remembered their children.


She told me they shared the Anderson shelter, which your uncle, her brothers and herself dug out and she remembered watching the children sleeping whilst the bombs were dropping around them and for them to go through the war and then die so tragically whilst out enjoying themselves just seemed so wrong to her.


I often visit Upton as some of hubby's relatives live close by and always think of these two youngsters when sitting by the Severn.


Apologies about getting his name and injury wrong, as I said they are mum's memories, but on checking the Electoral rolls his name was “Arthur Vernon” so she probably only knew him as Arthur at that time.


I was born in August 1949 strange to think we could have known each other if we hadn’t moved away.


I’ll tell mum when I see her later today that I’ve heard from you and see if she remembers the Sidaways having relatives in the same street, but she has dementia now so probably won’t. My mum’s brother, his wife and two boys stayed at the same address for many years, though mum never kept in touch with them.
 
we lived 111 willes road..my gran lived few doors away...I remember my dad knocking down our brick/concrete shelter and putting rubble in cellar..i often wonder if rubble still there..we left when I was 8yr..i went to foundry road school...when lizzy was crowned at the street party my dad dressed me as coal miner...he rubbed coal dust on my face..my parents would not sell their house to coloureds because of family still living in road..it was sold for a mere £400...we moved to just outside Coventry...Coventry was still bomb site at time...me and mum visited brum every sat, to see gran and aunties/uncles...my gran would not like soho rd now...she always said we letting far too many immigrants in..and that was in 1960..my eldest sis who is deceased now being much older than me,,only stayed very short time living in Coventry..she went back to brum..she was 17yrs..she lived rest of life there..she not like Coventry...but for me in 60,s Coventry was booming,,everywhere was new..good wages...oh..and aunt nell always did her washing outside on sunday..rain or shine..both her and vern worked..went out often..and holiday...uncle vern never spoke a word to me and my bro for some reason..,,,,be interesting to know what happened to the guy rowing the boat at accident.....
 
I've often wondered about the others in that boat too. The next time I go into Worcester library (if I remember) I'll take a look at the local papers from that time, as I'm sure a tragedy such as that wouldn't go unreported.

I was born in Dudley Road Hospital too; because of mum's family history of TB they wouldn't let her have a home birth, but at least I was a NHS baby and they didn't have to pay.

I have no memories of Willes Road at all, shame really, but there you go. My first memory is of the Coronation, it was held in a marquee on the fields at the back of our house; happy days.

Mum couldn't remember anything about Willes Road when I asked. Strange really as she always says she "wants to go home" and when asked where home is she says "Willes Road of course". She'd have an awful shock if we took her there now though.

If I find anything else out, I'll update here.
 
Hi Dav, I found this on Find My Past; it is a newspaper report of the accident and makes for really sad reading - the Birmingham Gazette 9 July 1947. Let me know if you have any problems reading it.
 

Attachments

Other reports in the press cutting are interesting. I wonder if the industrial workers rehabilitation centre was set up and if so where? or was it just another talking shop of which the history of the country is lettered.
Another sad case was the young woman ejected from the convent. She had lived, it seems, in more sexually enlightened places than Weston-super-Mare. Well, maybe WSM was equally enlightened, but certain subjects tended to be kept 'under wraps' and only spoken of in whispers at that time.
The Four Square Club, in Erdington, seems to have had a visit from the police with a subsequent court visit for owners and some patrons. :eek:
Finally little has changed over the last seventy years: rain stopping play at Edgbaston though it was tennis in this instance.
 
bewdley said:
I was born in Winson Green, but left when I was 3 so have no memories of my own time there to recount, but this is a story related to me by my 86 year old mother Thelma nee Eccles who lived at 75 Willes Road, Winson Green with her parents and siblings from the mid 1930s until she left in 1953 following her marriage to my dad.

Their next door neighbours Arthur and Nellie Sidaway lived at no 77. Arthur worked at the Birmingham Mint and in the Summer of 1947 he and his children went to Upton-on Severn, Worcestershire on the summer works outing. Whilst there his friend took the children on the river in a small rowing boat along with his own child, whilst rowing his friend didn’t see a river boat behind him and their rowing boat was hit and tragically Dennis Sidaway aged 14 and Margaret Sidaway aged 13 died. Mum isn’t sure whether the man rowing the boat and his own child perished or not. Mum says that Dennis and Margaret’s parents were devastated by their loss. She told me that afterwards Arthur caught his arm in a machine at the mint and lost his arm up to the shoulder.

Mum was very pleased to leave Willes Road as she said her family had suffered nothing but bad luck and sadness whilst living there, she lost her father Alfred, brother Alfred, sister Louie (whose new husband John (Jack) Nock joined the Royal Engineers after losing his Louie and was blown up whilst diffusing a bomb in El Alamein) and mother Ada to TB and said that the horse pulling the funeral hearse used to wait at their house when he was in the road because he was used to stopping there. She said that Mrs Marks, a neighbour, was the lady who they always called upon to lay people out.

One day shortly after her mum’s funeral mum was walking up the street on her way home from work when Mrs Marks called her and told her that her older sister Lil, (Lil married in 1933 and left the family home and wouldn’t visit due to the TB, she said she was worried for her son’s health, probably rightly so, but it didn’t stop her from visiting on her own after the funeral!) had been in the house whilst mum and her brother were at work and had left with what Mrs Marks described as “breakables” she said Lil was carrying a tablecloth and its contents very carefully and when mum went in the house all of their mother’s china had been taken off the shelves and out of cupboards, mum said to me “that’s Lil, she always was a swine and mean don’t you trust her if you should see her” this made me smile as Lil was born in 1911 and I’ve never met her so I’m not likely to bump into her now.

Just shows that even then there was a neighbourhood watch, mum said Mrs Marks saw everything that went on in Willes Road and always reported what she saw.

Mum also told me that there were several photos of her mum’s brothers, unfortunately killed in the Great War, dressed in military uniform in the house, but mum doesn’t know what happened to them - perhaps Lil helped herself to them as well.

I know this isn't a pretty story, but it's a bit of social history.

Ted Rudge has put this story on his site Winson Green to Brookfields and he has also added photos of my mum and dad in their younger days, (one day I will teach myself how to add photographs to this site, tis on my to do before I die list, sad person that I am).

bewdley

As far as I am aware all those mentioned in the above story, apart from my mum and myself of course, are now deceased.
Click to expand...
I lived there at number 79 from 1980-91 (from the age of 5).

I remember Arthur and Nellie vividly; they were such a lovely couple. They would bring us sticks of rock from their holiday every year. Nellie died around 1985/6, but I can’t remember the cause of death. Arthur was devastated but continued to live there alone. It was around 1988/89 that Arthur suffered a very serious fall from the top of the staircase one evening; he split his head open and was taken to hospital. He never recovered well enough and sadly passed away a short time after. Number 77 remained empty for a few years and was then sold at an auction (I think). Arthur had both arms; it was only some of the fingers on his right hand that were lost in the accident at the Mint.

I remember the elderly couple who lived at number 75 too, but I can’t remember their names; they moved to a retirement home (near Bacchus Road, I think). They used to spend a lot of time at a local allotment.

I have great memories of my time at Willes Road. We had a huge embankment behind us that lead to an old coal storage depot. As kids, we spend many summers making dens and birdwatching down that embankment. I’m rarely around Winson Green these days, but if I am, I always drive through Willes Road to get my dose of nostalgia.
 
Thanks for your reply Cosmicintrovert. The old couple at 75 were probably mum's brother Leslie and his wife Edna. I didn't know them as mum didn't keep in touch when we moved away. No phones etc then and mum wasn't one for letter writing and definitely no extra money for bus journeys. Intresting though that they spent a lot of time at their allotment, mum was a marvellous gardener and was still growing veg up to her moving into a care home when she was 89. Mum often spoke about the embankment behind their house, she said the planes used to follow the railway lines during the war and they would be waiting for the next bomb to land hoping it wouldn't be on them.
 
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