A 60s Arleston Boyhood: July 2016

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.

Wednesday, 13 July 2016

Education, Education, Education

Well its been a while but here I am again. Today I will be blgging about my education. In this first installment I will commenting on my first school Barn Farm Infants. Unfortunately the school no longer exists. It and its grounds have been turned into part of the housing estate that the school was once part of.

However I was fortunate enough to get a few pics from a good friend of mine and an Arleston girl herself Barbara Round. So without more a do here is one of the pics she sent me

The strange thing is is just how small it looks. (yes I know its only a picture but you know what I mean).
I remember how huge everything appeared whe ni arrived as a 5 year old. The Hall to the left was massive. It was here we had means had assembly and did dance and music. One teacher inparticular sticks out on my mind when I see that part of the building. Her name was Mrs Gough and she terrorised both myself and many other pupils. She was quite a large woman, older than most of the other teachers had a booming voice. She always seemed hard to please. looking back she seemed an odd choice ot be involved in music, movement and dance

If you look closely you might be able to make out a tower behind the smaller (classrooms) building. Again as a small boy it seemed absolutely massive. In those days it was probably the tallest building I had ever seen. Inside you could look up through the holes in the floors where metal wall ladderes went up and up, never seeming to end. I was never ever tempted to attempt an assult on the summit of that tower using those ladders. In the room at the bottom of the tower all the gym/play equipment was kept. people of my age will certainly remember coconut mats, which could cause quite a rash if you skimmed across them. Wooden stilts, cane hoola-hoops bats, ball and an aray of other playthings/ All packed or stacked away neatly (or else).

My First School Picture

There were two playgrounds one behind the hall (The larger building to the left od picture) and the other at the front of the long building. The former for the use of youngest pupils. At the lower end of the older pupils playground was a tubular metal frame, similar to a goalpost. Sometimes this had a rope climbing net slug over it and was a magnet to us to climb and jump from. It made pirates of us all.

As for actual lessons its hard to recall any detail, except for doing our times tables but route in the hall at least once a week. I recall being so proud about reaching the 12 times table . Mind you I expect I felt that way about doing them all.

I don't have fond memories of much of my education at any level. I never felt engaged or enthused. I know that being under the charge of adults I did not know was mostly terrifying especially at the infant stage. I often wonder if this was because I started school so soon after my mothers death. I will never know I suppose but something effected my ability to learn and hold on to knowledge throughput my school days. It was only in later life when doing my ND and then degree that I learned how to learn. Oh yes I always had to carry the stigma of being illegitimate something that became more manifest in my next teir of education at Princess Street. 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

Wednesday, 13 July 2016

Education, Education, Education