A 60s Arleston Boyhood: July 2011

I have been promising myself I would begin this blog for years. I don't know why I feel it is the right time now. Maybe its because my sister has been tracing our family tree. Maybe its because I don't want my own daughters and grand-daughter to have to piece unknown bits and pieces together later. There was one sure thing about being a working class kid in the 1960s and that was you were told little or nothing about the grown-ups world. Skeletons were left securely in the cupboard, occasionally popping out when a neighbour was annoyed enough or nasty enough to remind you of your place. As you will see in later posts it was never a good idea to do that as more often than not it ended up with those people being put firmly in their place.

I am not an historian but have a great interest in local history and the changes that have taken place since and during my childhood. Arleston has changed along with the rest of Wellington, Ketley, Hadley and Oakengates. Notice I did not mention Telford. Well yes I know I have now. It is of some regret that Telford ever came into existence. We not only lost our heritage, landscape, but also the wonderfully colourful dialects that changed from Wellington to Ketley, from Ketley to Dawley and from Dawley to Oakengates. I look around and see a mini black country with each little area being drawn ever closer to another until all local character and beauty is absorbed and turned into something less meaningful and lifeless.

This description will not sit well with many , if not most people. But my childhood was full of space, landscape views, wonderful distressed and abandoned buildings. Room to move , things to see and isolated places to go. And before anyone reading this thinks 'here we go again, another blinkered vision of a childhood past' I can assure you it will not all be like that. Wait till you hear about how I felt and still feel about school. I have read many, many accounts of being at school in this area in the 1960s. Lets just say my view is far removed from most of them.

Clearly anyones' childhood is significant. It just happens my own covers (more or less) exactly one decade. The 1960s. It started with the death of my mother (Actually a few days before the 28th December 1959), It sees practially all my school years ( I had started at Barn Farm Infants in 1959) and finishes with my leaving school and working as an apprentice fitter at the Granville Colliery in July 1969.

It is not my intention to cause offence to anyone, or disrupt their memories but this is my truth, my version of events as I saw them, sometimes bitter sometimes sweet. Often darn right boring, but my childhood all the same.

Anyone who lived through this same period and in the same area are more than welcome to pass comments.

For the record the picture at the top is taken behind my house in the old orchards. There is my brother (Kevin), myself, Frank Riddle and and the boy with the light hair is Chris Newman. I think Cavin O'Neil took the picture. I will return to it at some stage

This was taken in the early 1960s. Paul was in hospital more often than not. He suffered with rumatoid arthritis. I remember visiting him in hospital in Malvern Wells. The odd thing is the thing I remember most about that is the strawberry flavoured milk that I had. It was 6p from one of those street milk dispensers that were everywhere in those days. They were light blue with red buttons. Maybe you recall the one outside the chip shop on Watling Street between the Bucks Head and The Swan although that one never had strawberry milk.

Paul was around 20 months older them me and Kevin about two years younger. This picture shows us eating ice-lollies which must have been brought from a van ( we certainly did not have a fridge let alone a freezer then). If my memory serves me correctlythe ice-cream van was light blue too and owen by a Mr. Jefferies. He used a large knife to cut the ice-cream to size which was then either placed between two wafers like a sandwich or plopped into a oblong cone ( if there can be such a thing). Being the early 1960s that awful whipped ice-cream was not yet available. (Although to be honest I never thought that when it did arrive).

This picture was taken at the Wrekin College some in the late 1950s. I know this because my real mother died in childbirth in December 1959. In those days there was not the great outpourings of grieve that seem obligatory these days. I am sure that the adults and my older siplings must have suffered immediate and great sorrow but it was never expressed in front of us younger kids. In fact I dont remember anything about the loss of my mum other than closed curtains (a lilac colour). I did not attend the funeral and my mother was rarley discussed. I dont think it was because of shame in that she was unmarried. I just think that the adults thought it best not to bring the subject up in front of us. I recall little of my mothers character. I know she had the darkest Auburn hair.

Peggy took on the roll of mother to us all. My sister Denise tells me they had us all sit on a bed soon after my mums demise and told us she was our mum now and that was it.

Mind you Peggy was fearfully protective of us ( more of which at another time). She used to tell us of a quite stright laced tweed wearing social worker coming to check on us soon after she had taken us all on. The snotty middle class women looked around the house and asked were on earth we all slept. Oh we keep them in a chest of drawers. Where do you think? It might not sound much now but remember in those days such people along with teachers and doctors were held in high regard and were certainly 'better' than the likes of us Arlestonites

Did my mothers death effect me. Well yes but the effects did not manifest themselves till much later in my life.

This Picture shows my Aunty Joan at Tong Lodge where she was housekeeper for Geoffery Sankey ( The Son in Sankeys and Son of Hadley). She had worked at Sidolis Cafe in Wellington before being employed in the works canteen at Sankeys. I dont know when she started work as housekeepr to the owner but know I loved to be able to visit Tonge lodge, it was huge, full of large ghostley rooms ,beautiful furniture and a large central tower. I particularly remember a Napoleon soldiers hat I dearly would have loved to have had for my own. I also remember it being the first place I saw a colour TV. It was huge compaired to our old black and white at home. The screen took on a purple colour when turned off as opposed to the grey of a B and W. The screen was also convex so it allowed viewing if one was slightly to the side. I guess this was sometime in 1966 or 67 as the BBC only began broadcasting colour in March 66.

Joan was the sister of my real mother (Mary) and like Audrey and Peggy she never married. Although we never said such things in those days I loved her to bits.

I have no knowledge of the reason for the lederhosen. I would have thourght with the Teddy Boy hairstyle he would have been wearing drainpipes and a 3/4 length coat.

Nigel has recently retired after working for years at Glynwed and transfering to the Arga factory.

I always looked up to him as a boy. He was a great footballer at local levels ( and its not just me says that it is him as well). No seriously those who knew him back then always say so. He played with Arleston Amateurs and the Summerhouse. Although a centre half I did see him score two goals for the Summerhouse at Ketley Rec when he was converted to centre forward for one game. Unfortunately ( an understatement) he had a terrible accident in a steelmill and burned his calf muscle which prevented him playing again. Well I say that, he did in later years manfully play in goals for a number of Sunday league teams that I also played for.

He may or not remember this but I can recall seeing him crying at the news of the Munich air crash. I was only 4 and I think we were both in the kitchen at the time. Oh yea I can also remember him cleaning his big old brown footie boots with the nail-in studs.

Audrey was the eldest of the Family. I always remembered the year she was born in because the old Wellington baths had a date stone in its wall above the entrace. It was 1910 btw.

Audrey worked as a cleaner for Dickie Parkes who owned the Bacchas Pub in Wellington. She was always up and gone by the time we got up to go to school. I dont think I can remember her ever having a day off sick and doubt if she were ever late for work, bearing in mind she would have probably walked every morning rain or shine. I mention this because when she retired her boss and his family did not giver her a leaving gift, or even a card of thanks. She worked there for years and years and that lack of common decency as always irritated me. It not that they paid her more than a pittance.

Mind you she and I could fall out at the drop of a hat.

This picture is taken at the front of the house. The guy lighting a ciggy was Maurveen's boyfriend at the time. I think is name was Pete and he was or had been in the army (conscription still around then).

Maurveen lived at our house but was a cousin and her parents daughter being Peggy's sister Phyllis and Ted Williams (More related info later). I dont know why she was living with us as we had a pretty crowded house as you can see from those already mentioned above. There is still Matt and Jack Lewis and my eldest sister Irene to get too yet.

What do I remember about Maurveen. I know she worked at Blackhams ( a car repair and sprayshop at Springhill, Wellington) and also at the NAFFI at Cosford camp.

Irene was the eldest of my Marys' children. She was quite a lot older then me and to be honest I have little recollection about her at home. I know she had and had had a fraught life. I know she had a baby which was adopted. She had kept her pregnancy quiet and I recall, vividly, being woken as all hell broke lose beyond my bedroom door one night as she had gone into labour. As with all such things at this time nothing was recounted to us kids at all. It was as if it never happened.

I don't remember her coming on holidays or even speaking to her much. She was not one to give birthday cards etc. So all in all I cannot hand on heart speak of a relationship at that stage of my life. Nowadays when I see her walking around Wellington its all I can do to avoid the life being squeezed from me as she hugs me into submission.

Matt and Jack Lewis were brothers. They lodged with us and were to all intents and purposes 'uncles'. It is rumoured (again no one ever confirmed this) that they had and one stage or another 'courted' Peggy and Audry. I think Matt with Peggey and Jack and Audrey. If this were true it happened before I was born andby which time Jack and Matthew were lodgers sharing the smallest of four bedrooms in the house.

Matt worked down the Granville Colliery throughout my childhood and beyond.

He had a number of distinct characteristics. He always had a cigarette in his mouth. It would be kept there from the time it was lit never leaving his lips with ash building till it bent slightly before falling to the floor. Often it would not fall off at all and the fill length of the cigarette would be turned to ash right to the filter tip. As soon as the cigarette was finished another was placed into his mouth and lit. He was not so much a chain smoker as a continual line smoker. I wondered how on earth he managed his addiction down the pit. I found out soon enough when I began work there myself. He use 'twist'. Thats chewing tobacoo to you. (I will return to this at a later date.)

Another trait was that he always wore a hat when outside. Even now if I think of him he always has a hat and a fag.

Finally he was a very quiet man. Audrey nagged him terribly sometimes. I think he took a 'lot of no notice' as we used to say. Again it was working at the pit that gave me a completely different insight into his demeanor. If anyone gave him grieve he swore like, well like a collier! I first him him cursing someone over a tannoy he operated below ground. I tell you it is odd hearing a voice you hardley ever heard raised to much more than a whisper blaring out f**$%* and the like for all to hear and getting the same in reply.

Jack worked on the Wellington Urdan District Council mostly as a road sweeper. He was often at work before 4 in the morning and remember this was before the age of pedestrian road sweeping machines. All his work was done with a broom a shovel and a prupose built wheeled bin/wheelbarrow.

Unlike Matt he did not smoke, but boy could he drink. He was always getting it in the neck from Peggy for falling asleep drunk in an armchiar although often he would just go to bed , out of the way. As a proper Dawley 'Mon' it was hard to understand him sober after a drink it was nigh on impossible.

Matt and Jack came from an impoverished family in Dawley and I think there was some relationship between our familes long before they had left their childhoods. Peggy Joan etc would often speak of the Lewis familys' poverty. They were so poor that before the War shops in Dawley openly put the families name s stating they would were debtors and that their custom was not welcome. It was so bad that as well as having to get poor relief our family sent them food too. Eventually Matt and Jack came to live in Harvey Crescent.

Thursday, 7 July 2011

Those living in my area of Arleston in 1964/65

Here are lists of residence of Harvey Crescent, Arleston Avenue, Arleston Lane, Arleston Brook, Windsor Road and Windsor Flats in the mid 1960s. They are taken from the Wellington and District Directory (1964/65) which was given to me by a fellow Arleston 'jockey' Roger 'titty' Jones. This book was available to be purchased every year from the district council for a fee. This particular year it would have cost you 15 shillings (75p). It contains the owner or tenant of every household and business in Wellington, Ketley, Oakengates, Hadley Donnington, Lawley and Trench and smaller areas within these these areas.

I have seen one in the Library from the early 1950s and it is surprising how little change there is to the names and the address's recorded.

Living next door to us was Harry and Margaret Everson,who had moved in around that time I think, the previous occupants had been a chap called Podmore who had lived there with his wife and daughter Ingrid. Hiss wife was a German whom I believe he had meet during/ after the war. I cannot remember her name I am afraid. Next to them was Mrs Brown who had moved in to replace a family called Benting. At Number 10 the Harris family had replaced the the Taylor's ( They moved to Regent Street). Across the road Walter (watty) Maddox had taken over from the Evens family. I will make reference to all these families at some stage I am sure.

Few changes occurred on Windsor road in the early part of the 1960s. The Rounds had moved from number 1 to number 6 (strange but number 1 does not appear in this record. I know its still there I saw it the other day. Any road up ( another saying from my childhood) to carry on, The Broadhursts had moved into number 9 when the Barnes family had left and that's all I can remember from that time. At the bottom of Windsor Road the council had built some flats (Now knocked down and replaced).

Arleston Brook is an almost forgotten place-name although the houses are still there. Alfred Evens was a Farmer, who we kids did our best to avoid (esp when trespassing on his fields). Arleston Brook was about halfway up the Arleston Lane in a hollow with quite steep uphill roads either side of it. There was a pig-farm and a few cottages plus farmer Evens' house and that was about it. The pig farm is now a pub. The road leading toward Lawley from the hollow is the only existing part of the old lane left. It runs only as far as the top of the bank before newer roads and hedgerows have replaced it.


The old pig-farm in Arleston Brook.


Looking down last parts of 'old' Arleston Lane. The pig-farm is at the bottom of the slope


Support walls along the lane. Not of natural stone but old slag from a long forgotten ironworks (perhaps).

Arleston Avenue was built in the 1950s . The one thing I do remember was that the Smithermans ( who were in someway related to my brother Nigel's wife Joan) had a bloody big white Alsatian dog which had no compunction when it came to attacking you. We used to dare each other to ride bikes past the house if we knew the stupid owners had failed to ensure it was locked in the back garden. As we tended to make sure we were riding downhill it was usually easy to get away. (as long as you kept your head down and peddled like hell). However I do remember one occasion when my brother Kevin (maybe 10 years old) got bitten on his backside. We all thought it comical then ( Kevin did not for some reason) but strangely enough I cannot recall that particular dare game being pursued so much after that.

Highway view was a place we just past by on the way to Sandpit or Ketley Dingle. I don't recall any of the families there having kids around age There was a small grass mound at the bottom across the path from Number 10 and opposite the garages that we used to use as a ramp to fly over on our bikes. I often wondered how it got there. it was about 3 foot high and barely 3 foot wide and was still there well into my adulthood. Behind it (where we landed ) was grassed , more or less next too it was a wider path made of stones and brick-ends leading up from Bennets Bank. On the other side of this track was a piece of waste ground which always remember had loads and loads of poppies on in in the summer months.

Sunday, 3 July 2011

Sunday Tea-time

One of the few meals the majority of the family were together for. Usually ready around 5 o'clock with all the food set on the dining table ( how posh ) in the living room.

Tea consisted of bread and butter (well stork margarine). Cheddar cheese, Fray Bentos corn beef or slices from the butcher ( probably the same stuff but from a bigger tin). Ham or Spam (YUK) or pressed Ox tongue (Double YUK). And people wonder why I am now a vegetarian . Lettuce, tomatoes, Cucumber (with the skin cut off for some reason). Sliced boiled eggs. You could make great sandwiches ( we called them pieces) all topped off with Heinz salad cream.

Left Corn Beef , top right Spam, lower right Ox tongue

I dare you , go buy some of this stuff and try it. You will become a veggie in no time

A home baked cake or cakes sliced to the size you wanted. Usually Coconut ( my favorite) , heavy and never too dry. Current / Raisin not bad but at that age who liked currents? And a dreadful thing called caraway seed cake. Who the hell thought of that? It tasted of aniseed not what you want in a cake (or anywhere for that matter). The seed got stuck in your teeth too.

Tinned fruit of some kind maybe two varieties from Pears, Mandarin Orange, Fruit Cocktail (Always poked the spoon around to find one of the three or four cherries in the mix), Apricots, Peaches, Pineapple Chunks or on very very rare occasions tinned Strawberries. All topped off with Coronation evaporated milk ( Rich , sickly and curdles when mixed with the juice but such a treat). I loved it to pour it over a piece of coconut cake (or as we would have called it coca-nut care-k). Some times there might be blancmange. Which was great if it were mixed and left to set properly but made me wrench if it was lumpy to runny. If you don't know what it is look it up yourself. Always biscuits of some sort purchased from a stall in Wellington market which sold biscuits of all kinds from large wooden boxes which could be purchased as a single type or mixed. Can't remember went it stopped trading

I never saw that many Cherries in one tin of this stuff.

Wonderfully sickly especially when drunk straight from the tin.Or drank added to the left over fruit juice in the bowl after tea. Ain't kids disgusting. I was

This might not have been the variety we used (probably Birds) But I never saw one turn out like the one shown here . it was mostly left in the dish it was mixed in and scooped out.

Matt Lewis always had a slice of cake between two pieces of bread and butter I always wondered if this was because of his impoverished childhood. Well that was later on when I was a little boy I thought it look horrible LOL.

I do remember Irene's Mother-in Law coming over for tea and stating that that Peggy should not have gone to so much trouble just for her. Peggy held her tongue although she was visibly annoyed. I had no such qualms "We always eat like this, don't you?". It was her turn to have to hold her tongue.
In the summer months this was eaten a-pace so I could get out to play again before it was too late.

That's it for now I am late for tea and I have to make it myself these days. Trust me no meat only Quorn

Saturday, 2 July 2011

The first time I saw the Beatles (1962)

In fact it was October the 17th 1962. They appeared on a local news magazine style programme called 'People, Places and Things'. In truth it was not local to Arleston or the Wellington area as it was a Granada Television production (Manchester based). It just happened that our TV aerial was pointed in the direction of their transmitter. Most other people got ATV from Birmingham. A great benefit of having Granada (for me anyway) was that once independent TV were allowed to show football highlights I got to see United every few weeks or so (more on the great MUFC later). Back to the Beatles. The song they sang (live) was Love Me Do.

Here is a version from youtube

Friday, 1 July 2011

Journeys to New Brighton

The other day my job took me to The Wirral and not far short of New Brighton. it is this trip that is the 'inspiration' for this post. New Brighton was the venue for many 1960s day trips. It was one of the few times the the majority of the family actually had time to spend together (Christmas being the only other time).

Prior to the day out we kids were usually taken down to Wellington and kitted out with new sandals and maybe other clothing too. Sometimes the sandals were brown or tan leather with a strap and metal buckles sometimes they were plastic costing around one shilling and sixpence ( 71/2p). A few years ago the same thing were called Jelly bean sandals and cost up to £20.

On the day sandwiches were packed and put into large cloth carrier bags, all of us issued with a a couple of bob (2 shillings) and at about 9ish we all traipsed down The Windsor Road bank to wait by the Bucks Head traffic lights to wait for the convoy of Coopers buses to arrive sometime between 9:15 and 9:30. They arrived in numbers of between three and five buses. I always hoped that a driver called Jock picked us up. He was the fastest driver of the lot and looking back took remarkable risks when overtaking his colleagues', other buses, cars and lorries.

A typical Coopers bus of the time

Coopers coaches were based in Oakengates and were distinctive orange colour. Some had a two seat bench seat next to the driver and I always wanted to sit there. With Jock driving it was quite scary ( no seat-belts). Anyone that knows the road from Wellington to Whitchurch via Hodnet ( no bypass in those days) will know exactly what I mean. Tight corners to scream around ( not literally) and longish straights to over take.

I always looked out for the old World War two airfield at Press Heath (Some called Tilstock airfield) knowing we were coming up to a stop for tea at the Prees Heath cafe on the Lorry/ bus/car park and hear the Raven pub. This happened even though we had only been on the road about 45 minutes. The approach to Prees Heath was marked by the old airfield buildings (abandoned and left to fall in their own time). Larger hangers still used (now as then) and the old concrete runways still in place on either side of the road. And just a few hundred yards from the stopping point the old control tower tower. Like most boys of my age I was fascinated with war time stuff. I imagined the Bombers taking off and landing and day dreamed about being a pilot, a gunner, a navigator. for your info This airfield was a bomber training site during the war and closed in 1946. Mind you the trip sometimes took longer because Denise was always, always travel sick. She got terrible headaches and cried that the field were going around and around. I could not help thinking that i\ must sit as far away from her as possible. After all who wanted sick on their new shoes (lol)


A Nissen Hut still standing today

The Control tower 1962

These lorries are parked on Prees Heath car-park during a recent rally and are just like those seen there during our stop offs

I used to walk around the car park looking at the Lorries mentally noting their hometown always freely advertised on the door panels. Intrigued by strange place names such as Yeovil, Cirencester, Ilford, Strathclyde and unpronounceable Welsh towns and villages.

I also , without fail and never learning my lesson spend the two Bob (2 shillings ( now 10 pence)) during this 20 minute stop. There was a small wooden kiosk on the car park waiting for gullible little boys like me. As small as it was it sold newspapers , sweets, and array of cheap, made in japan plastic toys. And these were my downfall. Plastic paratroopers with a string attached plastic bag-like parachute, simple put together car kits (similar to the toys my granddaughter gets from Kinder eggs) Cheap binoculars (all parts plastic) balsa wood aeroplanes. I could go on and on I purchased them all at one time or another and not one of them ever lasted till we arrived at New Brighton some two hours later. broken, parts last or torn ( parachute).

Found pics of all those toys mentioned.

As always bemoaned the fact I had no money left and was teased by my siblings and told it was my own fault that i would have no money to spend once we arrived at the 'seaside'. I would be really fed up and mardy (miserable) for the quite a while after. My spirits always lifted when we crossed a number of bridges ( I now know this was called the four bridges route0 through Birkenhead dock yards and over Wallasy Pool . Cargo ships towered above us, their names and home ports much more intriguing than the lorries I wondered around earlier. These boats were literally from all over the world. It was awesome.

Not long after leaving the docks we entered New Brighton, but that is for another time.

A 60s Arleston Boyhood

Brothers 3

Mary ( our mother) and Peggy (who became our mother)

Aunty Joan ( my favorite)

My Sisters Denise and Jean

Big brother Nigel

Audrey

Maurveen with Denise and Jean

Pre 60s picture of Irene

Matt and Jack Lewis