Memories

The Wheelers from Montague Street

Any memories or stories of the Wheelers from Montague Street or maybe Photos.

Comment from Beryl Warburton wos maisey

Hi gordon, you should remember me i came to your house last week with some family photos. what it is i’m asking is i was reading one of your rodbourne memories and spotted a one from val callum was compton, was wondering if you could pass her email address on to me as i was a great friend of hers when we both lived in montagu st. many years ago and it would b great to catch up with her again. thank you

the grot is closing again

not good news heard the grot is closing again

Memories from Meg Broderstad

I lived on Grove Street where my father Petter Broderstad ran a small grocery shop during the war and for some years afterwards. My father, who was brought up on a small farm/croft in the far north of Norway Harstad, moved to England before the war where he met and married my mother who had been a head cook at a pub in Wood Street, Old Town. My father was a much respected person in the community and tried as best he could to help those in need during the war. I remember him cooking huge hams for the shop and buying the best veg he could get from Evesham. I have very happy memories of my childhood in Rodbourne and was very proud also of my Norwegian heritage. I remember in particular correcting one of my teachers at Jennings Street School as to who was the first person to reach the South Pole pointing out that it was Roald Amundsen the Norwegian and not Scott the Englishman. I also remember enjoying the snow with friends on my norwegian sledge. My mother was the most wonderful cook and housekeeper worked tirelessly for our family of 5 girls and 1 boy.

My father was very interested in the history of Swindon and Wiltshire and would have been really pleased with the development of this website giving a flavour of life in Rodbourne.

Horses in Rodbourne

Iwas wondering how many can remember the horses in Rodbourne, the ones I remember is the 2 that was kept in snowys field,Mr Ernie Hunt who delieverd the bread,with his Horse he was a very clever horse I think he knew his way better than Ernie, Mr Nobles who deliverd wood, his yard was at the bottom of Rodbourne Road,Before Gough Bros took over, The dodsons had 2 horses a cart horse called Taffy,and a Pony called Violet,Stan Brooks had a horse to pull his coal around,That is the only ones I can remember…This would have been in the 40s…..Ron

Memories from Ron Jennings

I was born at 2 Charles St one of 8 children,started school at Even Swindon Infant School,then to the Juniors,The Head Master was mr Masiey,I went to his house once a week to clean his push Bike I Used to take the Goal post on our boggie push cart to the Rec by the Gas Tanks, Then onto Jennings St School Head master was Jamie Davies and his deputy was Mrs Grifiths,on Saturdays I would go to Mr Smith,s house in Westlecot Rd The Science Teacher to do his gardening,I can still remember his car parked in Jennings St with a dial on the radiator, I had to vist Mr Philips for the cane on more than one occasion He called it is friend for little children,he was our history teacher. I can still remember the caretaker and the boiler house,I moved back to live in Jennings St After marring the wife,I ran my Building buisness in a yard behind the Morris St Community Hall,Now living at Vicarage rd, I feel I was born and bred a true Rodbouneite and proud of it,,,Ron Jennings

Looking for a family from derby named Newman

I am looking for a family from derby named Newman,

Memories from Pauline Hambrook

My maiden name was Pauline Offer, and I grew up in Drew Street. Reading all the memories posted on your site made me think back to my early days in Rodbourne, so here goes with a few of my own.

I was born in 1940, wartime, and. as Drew Street then faced out on to allotments, the smallholding, and across the rec to fields we had a pretty unimpeded view. In the daytime we could see the barrage balloons against the sky, and at night searchlights raked across the darkness. We all had blackout curtains, and I think there was no street lighting so as to give no help to the German pilots. There was a water tank up outside “the shirty” (Cellular Clothing Co),in case of fire caused by bombing I suppose. Oh, and the grass in the rec was allowed to grow long so that it could be cut for hay, so haymaking was quite a highlight for us kids – with hay-fights etc to be enjoyed.

Some people had Anderson shelters, but we had a big metal table in the dining room, and were supposed to take refuge under it when the sirens sounded. However, after one morning when my Mum found squashed cockroaches, she decided she was more frightened of the roaches than the Luftwaffe, and we stayed in our beds thereafter.

Rationing was very much in evidence. At the butchers, Pullens, I think sometimes the choice was between something like one sausage or a slice of corned beef per person. And when sweets came in at Notleys or the other sweetshop in Rodbourne Road (Heaths?) the word went round like wildfire and we quickly formed a queue clutching our coupons and pennies! We were fortunate, as we had an allotment on the other side of Drew Street (very handy) and grew our own vegetables. We also kept chickens, so there were eggs when the pullets were laying – and when they stopped they were destined for the pot. We always had cockerels fattening for Christmas – one for us and one for each of my aunts and their families. Any waste food went into the pig bins, one in every street, and was used to help fatten up the nation’s porkers. I had an uncle in the merchant navy, who sometimes brought back treats like boxes of sugared almonds, Turkish Delight, and once a big bunch of bananas ( which we wartime babies had never seen) and my Mum divided them out among the local children. There were plenty of power cuts, but as we had coal fires there was sufficient light, and we toasted bread on a toasting fork. The biggest inconvenience was when our radio (one of the brown boxes from Radio Rental) suddenly went silent during a favorite programme like ITMA

My Dad had been laid off by the GWR in the late 1930s and had to travel to Gloucester to find work at Shorts. As he was employed on aircraft manufacture, a reserved occupation, he was fortunate not to be called up for the army but joined the Home Guard instead. My Grandma and Granddad who lived in Ferndale Road weren’t so lucky – a random bomb was dropped there, reducing many houses to rubble and killing some of their neighbours. Their house had some damage but they did survive.

My final war memory is of a VE Day party where the end of Hughes Street joined Drew Street, with a huge Bonfire and much singing and dancing. I think I must have been taken home to bed, as have no other recollection of that night.

Memory from Shirley Coxhead

Times growing up in Rodbourne were wonderful we didn’t have computers etc them days we had to make our own games up. We were never bored though playing at Locoboard in Charles St and Mannington Rec was all part of this everyone got on together. I remember these teachers at Jennings St they were a good bunch Dorothy Sprittles used to have music shop in Faringdon Rd and she taught music to many on different instruments. My freinds were Shirley Johnson, Sandra Fisher, Brenda Hunt, Angela Newton, Elaine Williams, I also know Les Holt, John Hinton, Kenny Wallace (he was a bit of a god to some girls) Les Goddard, Mick Hickey, Rod Wheatley and many more to many to mention. I lived at 31 Rodbourne Rd next to Pullen’s shop; my family was Hitchmans of Rodbourne Rd and Bruce St. I had an aunt in Charles St. I know Maurice Jones when he came over to England a few years ago I went to his reunion at the Steam Train pub in Cheney Manor Rd. Ah for the good old days! If anyone remembers me please get in touch my email is shirleyrose808@hotmail .com as I now live in Bristol. It would be be nice to hear from anyone. I was in touch with Dave Webb from Redcliffe St who went to Darwin, Australia but I think he may have passed on now R.I.P if you have mate.

Continuation of the earlier memory submitted by John Carter

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