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.
Jean is the older of the two and was born in December 1948. Denise was born in October 1950 . This Picture was taken at New Brighton (more of which at a later date). I dont think either will thank me for this pic showing more or less matching outfits. just remember it was long time ago and unlike today, kids had little, if any say, on clothing purchases. If the item the right price and it fit then it was a done deal.
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.
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
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