Unfortunately we have lost the name of this contributer so if you can identify them please let us know. Update: Alan Hazell thinks it may be a continuation of the earlier memory submitted by John Carter dated January the 18th. 2011
We children went to the Mannington Recreation Ground a lot, and when the grass was cut we made a round castle out of the hay, and sat inside with our bottle Tizer and crisps, Great fun.
When we got older on a Sunday afternoons all of us lads played Football, the team was made up something like sixteen a side, Mad, But it was all good fun. We also played Cricket, all the youngsters against the older ones, my brother is a good Fast bowler, when the ball came at me I would shut my eyes and hope for the best “Coward”
I think most people went to the Palladium picture house on a Sunday Evening, and after the films, it was well known to walk to Nine Elms and back for a pint. We saw tall daisy flowers growing by the Railway lines, cowslips, and lots of other wild flowers. On other warm nights we would walk to the Sally Pusey, or the Running Horse,
The Mechanics in Rodbourne Road had three or four snooker tables upstairs and reading rooms downstairs, it is a very large building, often we would be waiting outside for the Caretaker Sandy to get off the Bus at Summers Street to let us in. We shouted come on Sandy,
The Coles family, Denis, (nicked name Battler) and his brother Ray lived next door to the Mechanics.
When I was young my sister Olive used to sit me on the table and comb my hair, But she wanted to curl it, NO way I said, but the offer of money soon changed my mind.
I had to go into the Isolation Hospital Cricklade Rd, with Scarlet Fever most of my class was there they kept me in longer because, it left me with earache. The nurses I can remember were Nurse Rose, Nurse Rice and Nurse Nightingale.
I would go to School early the mornings with Ivor Gough when the weather was Frosty and Icy to make slides in the Playground, Mad again, yes.
One night I was at the Palladium with a Friend watching a film and about 5 o’clock
It was so good that we looked at each other and said lets see it again,
My Mum might get worried I said, and after about an hour we could see the Usherette With her torch shining in all the rows until it was on my face, Mum got hold of my arm “come on home now you rascal”, It was well worth the spank I got.
Next to Browns field at the bottom by the river Ray there was a small boating lake and swimming pool it may have belong to Whitts I can’t be sure.
At school we would play Bump Te Wagtail, one of us would stand against the Wall the next bent over with his head in your stomach and five or six more in line behind him, doing the same, now the other side, six also, stood about twelve foot back, the first one would run and jump over as many as he could and get on the front boy and the next boy followed until all was on, hoping you did not collapse because if you did they would have another go, you imagine a boy like Lionel Higgins ready to jump on you, He was heavy and strong.
In my last year at school, one day the farmers asked the school heads for volunteers for potato picking, I think every body put their hands up. The Lorries came for us and we set off for the fields, they said we would receive 2/6d each for the day, we had fun, and came home with my pockets bursting with potatoes, well worth it.
During the war we had a blast wall put up outside the back window and we also had a large iron table, it was cover for us in case the house came down because of the Bombs, They took the railings away from all the houses for the War effort, all the railings at Farringdon Road Park went to, also they put air raid shelters in there as well.
One night or day there was a lot of noise going on outside, most people were
looking up, Mum and Dad as well, there were thousands of German planes going over to bomb Coventry they said. Then another day this German fighter plane some time during dinnertime came over, he was so low you could see the Pilot
He was machine gunning over Rodbourne Rd hitting the school wall and part of the Railway Works, luckily we where at home then.
Before we left school we had a monthly dance it was called CRAZY NIGHT. I could not dance a lot then. After that we would go to the Rec Centre upstairs
It was not far from the Majestic dance hall, good old days.
Roller Skating was held there as well, when it was Race night on a Saturday it would be packed
My sister and a lot of her friends, at some time worked in the Shirt Factory, Rose Street.
Some people might remember Browns milk diary, also in Rose Street, He had a horse and trap and he would gallop it down the streets you would think it was a Roman Chariot. But things soon changed Electric Floats took over, so about a year on my Sister Olive and Brother Ivor got a job there and yes later on I was there, as well.(Family take over)
I will try and list the names of the boys I played with.
Lionel Higgins
Alec Taylor
Leonard Alexander
Ronnie May
Ken Buckland
Tony Avery
John Burrows
Roy Smith (nickname Boxer)
Harry Mapson
Richard Green
Johnnie May
Eric Drury
Ken Roberts
Dennis Turner
Derek Whitcombe
Fred Lovell, his father also worked for Brown’s Dairy
Ivor Strange
Ken Archer
Malcolm Bishop
Dave Cuss
Graham Jennings
Eric Walkley
Dennis Cole, nickname Battler
Jim Whitefoot
George Dobson
Derek Titcome
Cyril Ackurse
By the way when we played cricket with the older boys I can remember a few names
Wack Penny, Johnny White, Ivor Carter, Brother Dave Webb, Alec Taylor, Alan Gunter Don Townsend, Bert Townsend, Victor Spackman
Memories, Gordy January 23 2011, the unknown contribitor, is me John Carter.
Thanks John for clearing up the mystery.
The boating lake and swimming bath at the bottom of Morris Street (now Kenwick) belonged to my grandfather Frank Wicks. Frank and his wife Ivy lived at 19 Jennings Street.
Hello Mike, I always thought that it was Pete Wicks who lived in the bungalow tucked away from the boating lake and river Ray.
And reading through the list of names again brought back a load of memories, although I was a few years younger than that list of names I still remember a lot of them. That was what Rodbourne was like in those days, everyone knew everyone else