In The Beginning Part.2.
My Grand Mother was the first to comment on this, my first edition of the Family Tree. She felt that her husband, Frederick Orme, should be placed next to her on the top line, my answer, I didn't know I had a Grandfather, I had never met him. It appears that Frederick Orme had been ill for many years with some type of coma. He had been in hospital for several years ans had died on 24th February 1937. My Grandmother said that I was only four years old when he died, and the reason I had not met him was because hospitals did not encourage children as visitors.
She then asked why the 'Tree' appeared to show that she and Granddad only had one child, my Mother, Violet, when in fact she had six children, Louise 9th July 1897,
Elonza Pickering. 17th August 1901, Violet, 30th April 1904, Rosalind Gertrude, 21st June 1908, Alice Kate, 21st December 1910 and Albert, 13th April 1913.
She made the point that these were my Aunts and Uncles and that they had all married, so their husbands or wives were also my Aunts and Uncles. Without exception each marriage had resulted in children, and these children were my Cousins.
As Grandmother said i'd made a start but there was a long way to go. Her parting comment at this meeting was, was I aware that she was one of eleven children of Richard Richardson and Matilda Homer who married on 17th May 1856, and she would like to see her Mom & Dad, and her brothers and sisters included in the Family Tree.
She then asked why the 'Tree' appeared to show that she and Granddad only had one child, my Mother, Violet, when in fact she had six children, Louise 9th July 1897,
Elonza Pickering. 17th August 1901, Violet, 30th April 1904, Rosalind Gertrude, 21st June 1908, Alice Kate, 21st December 1910 and Albert, 13th April 1913.
She made the point that these were my Aunts and Uncles and that they had all married, so their husbands or wives were also my Aunts and Uncles. Without exception each marriage had resulted in children, and these children were my Cousins.
As Grandmother said i'd made a start but there was a long way to go. Her parting comment at this meeting was, was I aware that she was one of eleven children of Richard Richardson and Matilda Homer who married on 17th May 1856, and she would like to see her Mom & Dad, and her brothers and sisters included in the Family Tree.
The other half
My wife Beryl now has her own blog go here to read it.
Wednesday, 25 August 2010
In the beginning
Most of us in our lifetimes have tried our hand at producing a Family Tree. In the beginning we could control which ancestors we allowed to become part of the tree, but at each stage of progress the control was lost in favour of fact. Let me explain.
For my first attempt at the family tree I used my Grandmother, Rosa Elizabeth Orme, as the first branch of the tree, she was the Mother of my Mother, Violet Chapman.
Violet had married Francis William Chapman, hence the change of name, and they had two children, Gordon Francis Chapman and Roy John Chapman.
We now had three branches of a family tree, and all three branches lived at the same address, that is control and application. At this stage I should put my work away and got on with something else, but I didn't, I wanted praise from my family for the work I had done!
For my first attempt at the family tree I used my Grandmother, Rosa Elizabeth Orme, as the first branch of the tree, she was the Mother of my Mother, Violet Chapman.
Violet had married Francis William Chapman, hence the change of name, and they had two children, Gordon Francis Chapman and Roy John Chapman.
We now had three branches of a family tree, and all three branches lived at the same address, that is control and application. At this stage I should put my work away and got on with something else, but I didn't, I wanted praise from my family for the work I had done!
Tuesday, 24 August 2010
Trying Again.
I have always maintained that 'A Blog' is best used as a diary, properly maintained it allows us to go back in our own time to bring to mind events in our youth or childhood, which, at the time seemed important, or perhaps trivial and unimportant, but now, years on ,we would like to recall.
It is my intention to spend time converting the 'Family Tree' into a blog, to discover how they happen to be a part of the tree, to find out where they lived, where they worked and details of conditions that existed at the time.
A lot of research will be required to determine 'who's who' and 'whats what' and this will grow over time as new names are brought into the tree. At present there are 249 names on the tree, and they date from 1775 to 2009. There is no doubt that if research is done to bring the families of those that married into the tree, the numbers will increase to well over 300.
It is my intention to spend time converting the 'Family Tree' into a blog, to discover how they happen to be a part of the tree, to find out where they lived, where they worked and details of conditions that existed at the time.
A lot of research will be required to determine 'who's who' and 'whats what' and this will grow over time as new names are brought into the tree. At present there are 249 names on the tree, and they date from 1775 to 2009. There is no doubt that if research is done to bring the families of those that married into the tree, the numbers will increase to well over 300.
Sunday, 22 August 2010
testing
I promise I will try to add to this blog.
Friday, 1 May 2009
The Variety Show
I enjoy reading more than watching something appearing on a screen, or listening to sounds being broadcast by the latest electronic devices, well most of the time I do, but there are exceptions to the rules.
Comedy.
The sketches performed by 'The Two Ronnie's' or 'Morecambe and Wise' on TV, were exceptional, and when, from time to time, and up to thirty years later, a repeat is broadcast everyone wants to know why these comedians don't appear more often on programmes? Although it is believed that Les Dawson is busy establishing his College of Piano Virtuoso, he too should be encouraged to return regularly to TV.
Music and Song
In music, more live performances by Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan singing to music of Glenn Miller, Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. On the classical side more shows featuring the 'Three Tenors' and regular 'Promenade Concerts' with the best of world class performers in music, dancing, composing and playing great music.
Musical Plays
In addition we have the 'Musicals', plays set to music. The majority of these Musical stage shows have been made into films and those films regularly appear at your local cinema, go and see it, or go and see it again, the experience is still magic. Your local amateur theatre will stage these shows from time to time, give them your support and have a good night out. In addition you can buy or hire film, tapes, records, CD's etc and wallow in excitement or nostalgia at your leisure, but do it!
The Written Word.
With the written word, there are millions of would be authors producing millions of books, you go into a bookshop the shelves are full of books, written by people you have never heard of, on subjects you don't understand and at prices that are unbelievable. There are books written by celebrities, complete with their photograph on the cover, priced at £15 to £20, three month later the bookshop have a sale and the prices drops to £3 or £4, or two for the price of one.
Forthcoming Attractions.
It is my intention to deal with the written word, books and magazines in particular, as a separate subject, almost every subject is covered, fact and fiction. The size of the book can range from a few pages to several volumes and translations from one language to another is commonplace.
Comedy.
The sketches performed by 'The Two Ronnie's' or 'Morecambe and Wise' on TV, were exceptional, and when, from time to time, and up to thirty years later, a repeat is broadcast everyone wants to know why these comedians don't appear more often on programmes? Although it is believed that Les Dawson is busy establishing his College of Piano Virtuoso, he too should be encouraged to return regularly to TV.
Music and Song
In music, more live performances by Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan singing to music of Glenn Miller, Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. On the classical side more shows featuring the 'Three Tenors' and regular 'Promenade Concerts' with the best of world class performers in music, dancing, composing and playing great music.
Musical Plays
In addition we have the 'Musicals', plays set to music. The majority of these Musical stage shows have been made into films and those films regularly appear at your local cinema, go and see it, or go and see it again, the experience is still magic. Your local amateur theatre will stage these shows from time to time, give them your support and have a good night out. In addition you can buy or hire film, tapes, records, CD's etc and wallow in excitement or nostalgia at your leisure, but do it!
The Written Word.
With the written word, there are millions of would be authors producing millions of books, you go into a bookshop the shelves are full of books, written by people you have never heard of, on subjects you don't understand and at prices that are unbelievable. There are books written by celebrities, complete with their photograph on the cover, priced at £15 to £20, three month later the bookshop have a sale and the prices drops to £3 or £4, or two for the price of one.
Forthcoming Attractions.
It is my intention to deal with the written word, books and magazines in particular, as a separate subject, almost every subject is covered, fact and fiction. The size of the book can range from a few pages to several volumes and translations from one language to another is commonplace.
Monday, 27 April 2009
Onomatopoeia.
I said to a friend that I had never come across this word and I didn't have a clue what it meant. He replied that he remembered it well, this was one of many words of Greek origin that were discussed on one Friday afternoon as part of the preparation for our 'O' level examination. He was not quite sure what it meant, but there were no questions on the subject in the examination, so does it matter?
I've looked it up in the dictionary, Onomatopoeia, Formation of names or words from sounds that resemble those associated with the object or action to be named, or that seem suggestive of its qualities, such words as cuckoo, or meow for sound of a cat, moo for a cow, oink for a pig, cock-a-doodle-do for a rooster, clippety-clop for a horse trotting or the buzz of a bee. It all sounds very reasonable, you spell the word the way you hear the sound.
Can we be sure that the sound and the spelling are compatible? If I am in France, Germany, Italy, Malta, Cyprus, Gibraltar, Kuwait, Egypt etc, I hear a cat and it goes meow, I hear a dog, it goes woof-woof or yap-yap but what do the natives of those countries hear and how do they spell it. Your opinion and knowledge will be welcome.
I would like to record a special 'Thank You' to Violaine for responding so quickly to my appeal for contributions to Onomatopoeia, and to Paul for providing an interesting visual aid, but more information is required. There could also be a visual link to our subject, I recall that while living in Egypt during 1952/53 the sign advertising Coca Cola looked something like Yueseyusa when written in Arabic. I don't know what Coca Cola sounds like in Arabic, but when I see the advert I still think of Yueseyusa.
I said to a friend that I had never come across this word and I didn't have a clue what it meant. He replied that he remembered it well, this was one of many words of Greek origin that were discussed on one Friday afternoon as part of the preparation for our 'O' level examination. He was not quite sure what it meant, but there were no questions on the subject in the examination, so does it matter?
I've looked it up in the dictionary, Onomatopoeia, Formation of names or words from sounds that resemble those associated with the object or action to be named, or that seem suggestive of its qualities, such words as cuckoo, or meow for sound of a cat, moo for a cow, oink for a pig, cock-a-doodle-do for a rooster, clippety-clop for a horse trotting or the buzz of a bee. It all sounds very reasonable, you spell the word the way you hear the sound.
Can we be sure that the sound and the spelling are compatible? If I am in France, Germany, Italy, Malta, Cyprus, Gibraltar, Kuwait, Egypt etc, I hear a cat and it goes meow, I hear a dog, it goes woof-woof or yap-yap but what do the natives of those countries hear and how do they spell it. Your opinion and knowledge will be welcome.
I would like to record a special 'Thank You' to Violaine for responding so quickly to my appeal for contributions to Onomatopoeia, and to Paul for providing an interesting visual aid, but more information is required. There could also be a visual link to our subject, I recall that while living in Egypt during 1952/53 the sign advertising Coca Cola looked something like Yueseyusa when written in Arabic. I don't know what Coca Cola sounds like in Arabic, but when I see the advert I still think of Yueseyusa.
P
Friday, 24 April 2009
DIY
DIY.
That means, in this case, Do It Yourself, and that term must be getting close to an acronym, but I can't be sure. The 248.000 contributions to the definition of the acronym have suggested that one should consider the effect of 'Pseudo-Acronyms', 'Recursive Acronyms', 'Simple Redefining Acronyms', 'Backronyms', 'Contrived Acronyms'and of course, 'Macronyms'. All will be discussed at an international conference dtba, venue soe, when the data has been finalised. (dtba = date to be announced) (soe=somewhere on earth).
DIY 1.5
Before I move on to what will now be called DIY 2, my research revealed a couple of interesting (?) points. In 1928 an entrepreneur by the name of Oscar Deutsh, opened the first of his unique theatres, The Cinema at Brierley Hill in the West Midlands. It was a great success and received condiderable publicity, the publicity described him as the man that supplies entertainment to the people. In 1930, Mr Deutsch's company designed the first of a new type of theatre that was built in Birchfield Road, Perry Barr, Birmingham. The Chairman of the company, Oscar Deutsch 'opened' the building by unveiling its name, The Odeon Cinema. He told the Press that the name of the cinema had been selected because it indicated corporate policy, Oscar Deutsch Entertains Our Nation.
DIY 1.5 (and a bit)
It has been said that early in married life, the Marriage Vows need to be put to the test in a positive and meaningful way and the work of a Swedish inventor is often used for this purpose.When we get married we want a house we can be proud of. The bigger and more impressive the house, the bigger and more impressive the mortgage, this means a less impressive bank balance and a shortage of money to furnish it. The Swedish inventor appears with the answer to your problems, flatpack furniture. He suggests the couple go out and buy a selection of packs, take it home in the boot of the car, assemble it as a joint effort and live with it and all their problems will be solved. The Swede, the originator of IKEA which is another acronym, read the following quote:
'IKEA was founded in 1943. The name is made up of the initials of the founder, Ingvar Kamprad, and the first letters of the farm 'Elmtaryd', and the village 'Agunnaryd' in rural southern Sweden where he grew up. Ingvar Kamprad was just 17 years of age when he registered the IKEA name.
DIY.2.Even though there appears to be no case for 'a blog', computer buffs feel naked without one. It means inventing a a 'Pseudo-Acronym' or 'Contrived-Acronym' and my first attempt 'Biographical Logistics Originator Gordon, went against my modest upbringing, so my final suggestion is Biographic Logistical Online Guff. The reason I selected this combination, Biograph, people and the lives of people. Logistics, a flow of information. Online, the diary concept. Guff, has many meanings but over inflated information, seems the most popular. So I put it to you, What is a blog?
Tuesday, 21 April 2009
A Blog?
Sometime ago I was asked to produce a 'Blog' my immediate reaction was to ask, 'What is a blog'? There seemed to be some difficulty in defining the term Blog but it was suggested that I see it as a review of a well maintained diary and bring to the attention of the reader those parts of the diary, that I thought might be of interest or was informative.
Others BlogsI read the Blogs of other people and it seemed that the analogy with the diary was a way forward. A lot of words have been produced and I have not only gone back to actual diaries written during the past 77 years, but I have researched and quoted books on history and geography. I have illustrated and confirmed the relevant statements in my Blog with items and examples from the Family Tree. It has now been suggested that my Blog, spends too much time looking back, rather than looking forward.
The Acronym.What is 'A Blog'? The first port of call is the dictionary, we have 'blob' 'bloc' 'block' and 'bloke' close together, but no 'blog'. Next step, Google, they confirn no word, no acronym. They do however have their own blog which is 'Better Listing On Google'. There are thousands of attempts to define 'Blog' and in the end I gave up the search. The two definitions I liked best are: 'The blog, where I share my thoughts with you', and 'The blog, where I think out loud'. The only problem is that you may be considered to be showing your advanced age, when you appear to be talking to yourself.
Others BlogsI read the Blogs of other people and it seemed that the analogy with the diary was a way forward. A lot of words have been produced and I have not only gone back to actual diaries written during the past 77 years, but I have researched and quoted books on history and geography. I have illustrated and confirmed the relevant statements in my Blog with items and examples from the Family Tree. It has now been suggested that my Blog, spends too much time looking back, rather than looking forward.
The Acronym.What is 'A Blog'? The first port of call is the dictionary, we have 'blob' 'bloc' 'block' and 'bloke' close together, but no 'blog'. Next step, Google, they confirn no word, no acronym. They do however have their own blog which is 'Better Listing On Google'. There are thousands of attempts to define 'Blog' and in the end I gave up the search. The two definitions I liked best are: 'The blog, where I share my thoughts with you', and 'The blog, where I think out loud'. The only problem is that you may be considered to be showing your advanced age, when you appear to be talking to yourself.
Wednesday, 15 April 2009
Chapman Branch of the Family Tree,
I raised the question earlier, did the joining together of the Trent & Mersy and the probability of changing from sailing boats to horse drawn barges have an effect on the Chapman Branch of the Family. I am going to say yes, but a lot more research will be required to confirm this.
We have information that George Chapman, Boatman, married Mary Alvey at Lowdham in 1636. We understand that their grandson John Chapman, Boatman, married Agnes Upton on the 29th July 1732, at Lowdham. Next there is evidence that their grandson, James Chapman, Boatman. married a spinster named Ann on the 19th May 1799.
James & Ann Chapman, on the 9th August 1801 had a son named John at Lowdham. In 1824 the son, John Chapman, Boatman married a spinster Mary Ann at Lowdham. In 1827 John & Mary Ann had a daughter, christened Mary Ann Chapman. The mother died at or soon after the birth of the child, at Lowdham.
We lost John Chapman and his daughter until 1833, we then discovered that he had moved to Birmingham during this period but was still working as a Boatman. It was found that on the 22nd July 1833 he married Mary Ann Owen Jefferies in Birmingham. They had three children, in 1836, a daughter, Mary Ann. 24th July 1841, a son, John and in 1845 a second son, George.
The Agent or Middleman.
The Agent or Middleman.
It has been said that purpose of the boatman and his boat was to transport goods, delivered at Hull, to the potential user in Nottingham. This would not be an easy task, the question of money would have to be addressed and this was part of the role of the agent. At this point we will not consider how the goods came to be on the ship that arrived at Hull, someone somewhere had ordered the goods from a supplier and the goods had arrived.
The ship would require a berth at the quay, this would be provided by the dock authorities, at a cost. The Captain of the ship would require payment for the journey before allowing the cargo to be removed. The Customs people would want to inspect the cargo and determine if duty was payable and how much was to be paid, who paid the money. Stevedores are employed at the docks to load and unload ships, together with cranes, ropes and other gear, for completing their job who would arrange for this and pay the fees required. Leaving the goods on the quay side could be a security risk or could lead to damage by the weather, so warehousing would be required, who organises and pays for this facility.
So Far So Good (What Next)
The Goods need to make the final journey from Hull to Nottingham and we are back with the boats and the boatmen. Contracts need to be drawn up, specifying the size of loads, where the goods are to be collected from and where they are to be delivered. and who will pay them. At the end of the journey, stevedores, or material handling staff may need to be employed to unload the boats. Who organises all these facilities, and in the first instance pays the money to bring the supplier of the goods and the recipient of the goods together in a successful business deal, you've guessed it 'The Agent'
It is possible that the agent, while dealing with the boatmen, would have made arrangements for other organisations to use the boats for transporting their products from Nottingham to Hull and beyond. The ideal, a full load in both directions.
It has been said that purpose of the boatman and his boat was to transport goods, delivered at Hull, to the potential user in Nottingham. This would not be an easy task, the question of money would have to be addressed and this was part of the role of the agent. At this point we will not consider how the goods came to be on the ship that arrived at Hull, someone somewhere had ordered the goods from a supplier and the goods had arrived.
The ship would require a berth at the quay, this would be provided by the dock authorities, at a cost. The Captain of the ship would require payment for the journey before allowing the cargo to be removed. The Customs people would want to inspect the cargo and determine if duty was payable and how much was to be paid, who paid the money. Stevedores are employed at the docks to load and unload ships, together with cranes, ropes and other gear, for completing their job who would arrange for this and pay the fees required. Leaving the goods on the quay side could be a security risk or could lead to damage by the weather, so warehousing would be required, who organises and pays for this facility.
So Far So Good (What Next)
The Goods need to make the final journey from Hull to Nottingham and we are back with the boats and the boatmen. Contracts need to be drawn up, specifying the size of loads, where the goods are to be collected from and where they are to be delivered. and who will pay them. At the end of the journey, stevedores, or material handling staff may need to be employed to unload the boats. Who organises all these facilities, and in the first instance pays the money to bring the supplier of the goods and the recipient of the goods together in a successful business deal, you've guessed it 'The Agent'
It is possible that the agent, while dealing with the boatmen, would have made arrangements for other organisations to use the boats for transporting their products from Nottingham to Hull and beyond. The ideal, a full load in both directions.
A Change of Life.
A Change of Life.
A lot of research is required to ascertain the facts, but I believe that a horse drawn barge could probably handle a heavier load than a sailing ship, and because it probably required only a 'one man' crew it was an economical way to transport goods and services. In addition the problems of adverse winds and extremes weather conditions would have little effect on the service provided. It is possible that the individuals or organisations that owned the boats or ships that operated on these rivers, would, over a period of time, have traded them in for horse drawn barges or narrow boats. Again more research is required.
There is some evidence that the sailing ship was based at or near the mouth of the Trent and a return journey was required to get back home. It is possible that on the return journey the boat could be carrying goods for export or goods to be sold to traders for resale at local markets. It is possible that the return journey, against the North East winds and the tidal flow, would be the more difficult than the outward journey.
A lot of research is required to ascertain the facts, but I believe that a horse drawn barge could probably handle a heavier load than a sailing ship, and because it probably required only a 'one man' crew it was an economical way to transport goods and services. In addition the problems of adverse winds and extremes weather conditions would have little effect on the service provided. It is possible that the individuals or organisations that owned the boats or ships that operated on these rivers, would, over a period of time, have traded them in for horse drawn barges or narrow boats. Again more research is required.
There is some evidence that the sailing ship was based at or near the mouth of the Trent and a return journey was required to get back home. It is possible that on the return journey the boat could be carrying goods for export or goods to be sold to traders for resale at local markets. It is possible that the return journey, against the North East winds and the tidal flow, would be the more difficult than the outward journey.
The Grand Trunk Canal
The Grand Trunk Canal
From the data available Canals were the business to be in between 1650 and to and beyond1800. The purpose, transportation of goods and services. Some of the earliest canals were built by colliery companies trying to get their coal to the user at the cheapest possible rate. The success of the coal industry in transporting their product was seen by the leaders of industry, as the Industrial Revolution gained pace, as the only way forward.
I may have more to say on the subject of canals at a later date, but at the moment I am concentrating on the way canals may have had an effect on the Chapman part of the Family Tree.
For some time discussions had been taking place on the possibility of linking the River Trent and the Mersey River together to form a route from East to West across the country, and linking two major ports Hull and Liverpool. It was also seen that if this development could be connected to the Birmingham canal system and the Grand Union Canal, then London, Liverpool, Hull and Bristol would all be connected to each other, via an early spaghetti junction based on Birmingham.
Work on the Grand Trunk Canal began in 1767 and the project was completed in 1777. During this period major work at a number of points must have been taken to bring two tidal rivers under some control. Narrows had to be widened, shallows dredged and where the terrain was falling and the water running fast, a series of mini-canals, complete with locks, were required to by-pass the trouble spots
All this work must have created major problems for the boatmen trying to earn their living sailing up and down the rivers, contending with tides and winds and now hundreds of 'navvies' were employed to carry out all the work necessary to transform two major rivers into a canal. The final act that made the role of the boatman doubtful for the future was probably the building of the tow-path. The law required that the canal builders provide and maintain a substantial 'right of way' alongside the full length of the canal, preferably on both sides of the canal.
If for any reason, and this usually meant geographic reasons, the right of way could not be maintained on both banks, the canal company had to seek special permission to provide a substantial bridge for the users of the canal to switch to the other towpath. The term substantial meant it was strong enough to allow people, animals or machinery using the towpath to cross to the other side in a safe and reasonable way. The regulation also required that boats using the waterway could sail under the bridge in a safe and reasonable manner.
From the data available Canals were the business to be in between 1650 and to and beyond1800. The purpose, transportation of goods and services. Some of the earliest canals were built by colliery companies trying to get their coal to the user at the cheapest possible rate. The success of the coal industry in transporting their product was seen by the leaders of industry, as the Industrial Revolution gained pace, as the only way forward.
I may have more to say on the subject of canals at a later date, but at the moment I am concentrating on the way canals may have had an effect on the Chapman part of the Family Tree.
For some time discussions had been taking place on the possibility of linking the River Trent and the Mersey River together to form a route from East to West across the country, and linking two major ports Hull and Liverpool. It was also seen that if this development could be connected to the Birmingham canal system and the Grand Union Canal, then London, Liverpool, Hull and Bristol would all be connected to each other, via an early spaghetti junction based on Birmingham.
Work on the Grand Trunk Canal began in 1767 and the project was completed in 1777. During this period major work at a number of points must have been taken to bring two tidal rivers under some control. Narrows had to be widened, shallows dredged and where the terrain was falling and the water running fast, a series of mini-canals, complete with locks, were required to by-pass the trouble spots
All this work must have created major problems for the boatmen trying to earn their living sailing up and down the rivers, contending with tides and winds and now hundreds of 'navvies' were employed to carry out all the work necessary to transform two major rivers into a canal. The final act that made the role of the boatman doubtful for the future was probably the building of the tow-path. The law required that the canal builders provide and maintain a substantial 'right of way' alongside the full length of the canal, preferably on both sides of the canal.
If for any reason, and this usually meant geographic reasons, the right of way could not be maintained on both banks, the canal company had to seek special permission to provide a substantial bridge for the users of the canal to switch to the other towpath. The term substantial meant it was strong enough to allow people, animals or machinery using the towpath to cross to the other side in a safe and reasonable way. The regulation also required that boats using the waterway could sail under the bridge in a safe and reasonable manner.
The Chapmans coming into the Family Tree.
The Chapmans coming into the Family Tree.When a new name is introduced into a family tree it means lots of research is required to add even a few bones to the existing skeleton, and this was one of the reasons I had put the 'Chapman's' in the 'Still to be tackled' Group, but my brother decided he would have a go.
It would appear that there are links to the marriage of George Chapman to Mary Alvey at the Parish Church, Lowdham, Nottinghamshire in 1636. It is possible that their Grandson, John Chapman married Agnes Upton on the 29th July 1723, a close relative, Mary Chapman married Robert Reason in 1787, both these weddings were in Lowdham. Some research has been done, but a lot more is required and will probably require time to be spent in and around Lowdham.
We have established a contact with the Lowdham Local History Society and they believe that the major occupation of the Chapman family, and it seems that there were some 40 Chapman families living in the area, was 'Boatmen' and their business was to transport imported goods from Hull down the River Trent in sailing boats, to Nottingham or even on to the Birmingham Canal system which was being built at this time.
Friday, 27 March 2009
Richardson/Orme Family Tree. Part.1
We have been able to establish that the family to which I belong, the Richardson/Orme family began our particular line when Richard Richardson married Matilda Homer on the 17th May 1856. The Richardsons had eleven children the first, Henry Joseph born 25th April 1859 and the 11th, Albert Arthur 16th April 1882. 9 of the children were boys and the other two, girls. Two of the children, one boy and one girl, died as children.
Catherine Matilda, the second born to the family on 29th March 1861 died on 11th April 18623. and George Frederick, the seventh born to the family on 21st October 1872 died on 20th April 1878. I hope more information will be forthcoming, because over the years our knowledge has been sparse.
The second girl born into the family of Richard and Matilda was Rosa Elizabeth, born 18th May 1877 and died on 11th December 1951. She married Frederick Orme on the 19th December 1896. They had six children, one of whom, Violet was born 30th April 1904, she married Francis William Chapman on 22nd December 1928 and these two were my Father and Mother. They had two children, me, Gordon Francis born 16th April 1932 and my brother Roy John, born 26th September 1939.
Catherine Matilda, the second born to the family on 29th March 1861 died on 11th April 18623. and George Frederick, the seventh born to the family on 21st October 1872 died on 20th April 1878. I hope more information will be forthcoming, because over the years our knowledge has been sparse.
The second girl born into the family of Richard and Matilda was Rosa Elizabeth, born 18th May 1877 and died on 11th December 1951. She married Frederick Orme on the 19th December 1896. They had six children, one of whom, Violet was born 30th April 1904, she married Francis William Chapman on 22nd December 1928 and these two were my Father and Mother. They had two children, me, Gordon Francis born 16th April 1932 and my brother Roy John, born 26th September 1939.
Saturday, 21 March 2009
Compost for the Family Tree.
Compost for the Family Tree.For many years I have been working on a number of variations of the Family Tree. The basic 'Tree' is the skeleton, a hard frame to support the names and dates of family members. If each person is numbered in chronological order as they are placed on the 'Tree' seniority is established. Additional skeletons can be grafted on to the main structure to deal with outsiders marrying into the family.
You have the bones of the family, but there is no meat on the skeleton. If you want to maintain an interest in the Family Tree you have to put flesh on the bones. Select one of your early relatives, where was that person born, where did he/she go to school. Did they go on to university, What subject did the study, what job or occupation did they take up, what position did they rise to. Where they in the army, navy, air force, what was their rank. Were they involved in sport at a competitive level, any sport, athletics, boxing, cricket etc., Did they have hobbies, mountain climbing. potholing, stamp collecting, photography etc., etc.
Where did they live, town or country, what kind of house, country mansion to back to back. Did the house have a bathroom or toilet, indoors or outdoors. What was their normal means of transport, walking, bicycle, horse, tram, bus, car or pogo stick. Did they go on holidays, camping, caravan, bed & breakfast. hotel. How long did their holidays last, one week, two weeks or longer. Where they employed with an organisation that gave holidays with pay. and so on.
The next but by no means the final point, what were the world conditions when they were born, went to school, when they were teenagers, when they got married, and when they retired. I may add to this, but I just wanted to show that a bones only family tree has little meaning. If I look at our family tree, I can see that I am number 2 at the moment, but there are about 250 other family members below me, waiting to take my place.
Transplanting Data.
Sometime ago, a cousin of mine, who has helped with the necessary research into his branch of the family, said his daughter was of the opinion that the time and effort spent on research was pointless and a waste of time, She may be right, but at least I'm learning a lot more about history than I knew before.. I decided to put her comments to the test.
The daughter, Elizabeth, was born on 15th September 1970. So where there any significant events between 1750, where our family tree begins, and the day of her birth, I repeat 15th September 1970?
On the 14th September 1752, one day out I agreee, Britain belatedly adopts the Gregorian Calender introduced by Pope GregoryX111 in 1582. The British Parliament at the instigation of Lord Chesterfield adopts the Gregorian Calender. The changeover results in a loss adjustment of 11 days. September 3rd to 13th inclusive. There was widespread protest from people who innocently believed that their lives had been shortened.
9. September 18th. The British captured Quebec from the French, this virtually ensured British supremacy in Canada.
1777. September 11th. Battle of Brandywine Creek; British troops under General Howe, defeat George Washington, but fail to follow up this major success.
1758. September 29th. Horatio Nelson was born at Burnham Thorpe Rectory, Norfolk.
1781. September 5th Battle of Chesapeake Bay, between French and British Fleets.
1795. April 13th. This is nothing to do with our September research, but is a cameo of how things happened in those far off days and was triggered off by the mention of the French and British Fleets.
This advert was published in 'Aris's Birmingham Gazette' on that date, 13th April 1795.
Birmingham Volunteers for the Navy.
'Wanted some Men, to serve as Volunteers in His Majesty's Navy, during the present War, and no longer. Such able bodied Men, from the age of Sixteen to Forty-five, as are disposed to engage in this Honorable Service, shall receive Fifteen Guineas Bounty, Five Shillings to drink his Majesty's Health, with a True Blue Jacket, trousers, and a hat decorated with an Anchor and Colours of the Naval Order of Great Britain.'
Apply to Mr Owens, the Golden Eagle, in Hill Street, where a proper person will attend.
1825. September 27th. The steam locomotive 'Active' pulls the first train 27 miles along the Stockton-Darlington railway line, starting from Shildon: this is the first railway to carry goods and passengers.
1830. September 15th. The politician William Huskinson is knocked down and killed by Stephenson's 'Rocket' at Parkside. The accident happened when he was attending the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway , the first in the world to be built for scheduled passenger traffic as well as freight. It marks the beginning of the railway age.
No more immediate research was required, she was able to state that she was born on the 140th Anniversary of the first fatal accident, on a scheduled railway service in the world. What happened on your birthday?
One more September date, that we have all come across in history. September 7th. 1838. The ship 'The Forfarshire' was wrecked near the Farne Islands off the Northumberland coast; Grace Darling, a lighthouse keepers daughter, rescued the crew in a rowing boat.
I have to report that in 1842 , four years after her heroic rescue,Grace Darling died, at this stage I have no knowledge of the cause of death, or the place that it happened.
The following information seems to have been provided by; Harpoon.net
Grace Darling (November 14, 1815 - October 20, 1842) is one of England's best-loved heroines, on the strength of an isolated incident which occurred in 1838. Grace was born in 1815 at Bamburgh in Northumberland, and spent her youth in various lighthouses of which her father was keeper.
On the night of September 7, 1838, Grace, looking from an upstairs window of her family's current lighthouse on Farne Islands, spotted the ship, Forfarshire, which had run aground on the Hawkers Rocks only a few hundred yards away. Knowing that the weather was too rough for the lifeboat to put to sea from the shore, Grace and her father took a rowing boat across to the other island and rescued the survivors, bringing them safely back to the lighthouse.
Even in her lifetime, Grace's achievement was celebrated, and she received a financial reward in addition to the plaudits of the nation.
She died, unmarried, in 1842, her memorial may be seen in the parish church at Bamburgh, close to a museum dedicated to her achievements and the seafaring life of the region.
Her deed was committed to verse by Tennyson and a lifeboat with her name was presented to Holy Island.
You have the bones of the family, but there is no meat on the skeleton. If you want to maintain an interest in the Family Tree you have to put flesh on the bones. Select one of your early relatives, where was that person born, where did he/she go to school. Did they go on to university, What subject did the study, what job or occupation did they take up, what position did they rise to. Where they in the army, navy, air force, what was their rank. Were they involved in sport at a competitive level, any sport, athletics, boxing, cricket etc., Did they have hobbies, mountain climbing. potholing, stamp collecting, photography etc., etc.
Where did they live, town or country, what kind of house, country mansion to back to back. Did the house have a bathroom or toilet, indoors or outdoors. What was their normal means of transport, walking, bicycle, horse, tram, bus, car or pogo stick. Did they go on holidays, camping, caravan, bed & breakfast. hotel. How long did their holidays last, one week, two weeks or longer. Where they employed with an organisation that gave holidays with pay. and so on.
The next but by no means the final point, what were the world conditions when they were born, went to school, when they were teenagers, when they got married, and when they retired. I may add to this, but I just wanted to show that a bones only family tree has little meaning. If I look at our family tree, I can see that I am number 2 at the moment, but there are about 250 other family members below me, waiting to take my place.
Transplanting Data.
Sometime ago, a cousin of mine, who has helped with the necessary research into his branch of the family, said his daughter was of the opinion that the time and effort spent on research was pointless and a waste of time, She may be right, but at least I'm learning a lot more about history than I knew before.. I decided to put her comments to the test.
The daughter, Elizabeth, was born on 15th September 1970. So where there any significant events between 1750, where our family tree begins, and the day of her birth, I repeat 15th September 1970?
On the 14th September 1752, one day out I agreee, Britain belatedly adopts the Gregorian Calender introduced by Pope GregoryX111 in 1582. The British Parliament at the instigation of Lord Chesterfield adopts the Gregorian Calender. The changeover results in a loss adjustment of 11 days. September 3rd to 13th inclusive. There was widespread protest from people who innocently believed that their lives had been shortened.
9. September 18th. The British captured Quebec from the French, this virtually ensured British supremacy in Canada.1777. September 11th. Battle of Brandywine Creek; British troops under General Howe, defeat George Washington, but fail to follow up this major success.
1758. September 29th. Horatio Nelson was born at Burnham Thorpe Rectory, Norfolk.
1781. September 5th Battle of Chesapeake Bay, between French and British Fleets.
1795. April 13th. This is nothing to do with our September research, but is a cameo of how things happened in those far off days and was triggered off by the mention of the French and British Fleets.
This advert was published in 'Aris's Birmingham Gazette' on that date, 13th April 1795.
Birmingham Volunteers for the Navy.
'Wanted some Men, to serve as Volunteers in His Majesty's Navy, during the present War, and no longer. Such able bodied Men, from the age of Sixteen to Forty-five, as are disposed to engage in this Honorable Service, shall receive Fifteen Guineas Bounty, Five Shillings to drink his Majesty's Health, with a True Blue Jacket, trousers, and a hat decorated with an Anchor and Colours of the Naval Order of Great Britain.'
Apply to Mr Owens, the Golden Eagle, in Hill Street, where a proper person will attend.
1825. September 27th. The steam locomotive 'Active' pulls the first train 27 miles along the Stockton-Darlington railway line, starting from Shildon: this is the first railway to carry goods and passengers.
1830. September 15th. The politician William Huskinson is knocked down and killed by Stephenson's 'Rocket' at Parkside. The accident happened when he was attending the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway , the first in the world to be built for scheduled passenger traffic as well as freight. It marks the beginning of the railway age.
No more immediate research was required, she was able to state that she was born on the 140th Anniversary of the first fatal accident, on a scheduled railway service in the world. What happened on your birthday?
One more September date, that we have all come across in history. September 7th. 1838. The ship 'The Forfarshire' was wrecked near the Farne Islands off the Northumberland coast; Grace Darling, a lighthouse keepers daughter, rescued the crew in a rowing boat.
I have to report that in 1842 , four years after her heroic rescue,Grace Darling died, at this stage I have no knowledge of the cause of death, or the place that it happened.The following information seems to have been provided by; Harpoon.net
Grace Darling (November 14, 1815 - October 20, 1842) is one of England's best-loved heroines, on the strength of an isolated incident which occurred in 1838. Grace was born in 1815 at Bamburgh in Northumberland, and spent her youth in various lighthouses of which her father was keeper.
On the night of September 7, 1838, Grace, looking from an upstairs window of her family's current lighthouse on Farne Islands, spotted the ship, Forfarshire, which had run aground on the Hawkers Rocks only a few hundred yards away. Knowing that the weather was too rough for the lifeboat to put to sea from the shore, Grace and her father took a rowing boat across to the other island and rescued the survivors, bringing them safely back to the lighthouse.
Even in her lifetime, Grace's achievement was celebrated, and she received a financial reward in addition to the plaudits of the nation.
She died, unmarried, in 1842, her memorial may be seen in the parish church at Bamburgh, close to a museum dedicated to her achievements and the seafaring life of the region.
Her deed was committed to verse by Tennyson and a lifeboat with her name was presented to Holy Island.
Wednesday, 18 March 2009
Just a Thought.I went into Birmingham today, Wednesday 18th March 2009, by bus. I arrived about 11am, it was a nice day, the sun was shining, the temperature about 13c, there was a slight breeze and the sky was blue. I got off the bus near Aston University, and realised that although I knew where I wanted to go, there have been so many changes to the city centre that I wasn't sure how to get there. I wasn't lost exactly, I just felt I was entering into a strange and largely unknown area.
The reason for going into Birmingham was twofold, first I wanted to buy a new pipe, I am one of those people that enjoy smoking, and have been smoking a pipe for over 50 years. I am now approaching my 77th Birthday and don't feel it has done me much harm. I am involved in competitive race walking, I compete in races up to 20k every two or three weeks and on average I manage to do about 50 miles per week of training.
If I was a cigarette smoker, no problems, almost every shop sells cigarettes, if it was tobacco for my pipe, that's a bit more difficult to find, but I know where to go, but a pipe; no one stocks them and no one knows where they sell them. However, after a lot of research and many telephone calls, I have established that there is a tobacconists in the Great Western Arcade, Birmingham that not only stocks all types of pipes but has them on display. So thats where I am heading!
The route from Aston University to Gt Western Arcade was not too bad, the pedestrian underpass that used to go to Corporation St, has been filled in and a series of Pelican crossings each with its own traffic lights and audible signals gets you across this busy junction. Corporation St was still there but there have been many changes, businesses have come and gone and in some cases the frontages of the buildings have changed, some quite considerably, but in most cases the upper stories remain as they were built when Joseph Chamberlain and the City Council had the road built about 150 years ago.
Walking up Corporation St. I passed the Victoria Law Courts, which has been cleaned and the sandstone exterior was sparkling in the sunlight, and on to The Lower Priory. The majority of the Priory has been pedestrianised, like many other parts of the city, but Cannon House, where I had an office for over 10 years, has had a facelift, and all the windows have been enlarged and you are looking at a sea of glass. Across the road is the Minories, this was the public highway that split Lewis's in two at ground floor level, this has glass at both ends and is a shopping Mall. The black rubber blocks that formed the road surface of the Minories still remain in place. Out through the glass doors cross over Bull St and there was Gt Western Arcade, first road on the right. After some consideration, and knowing that a decent pipe will last for at least twenty years, I selected two pipes at a cost of £20 each and will not have to worry about replacement until I am well over 100, and by then they may have invented an alternative.
Photographic History.The second objective of my journey into Birmingham was to try and find photographs, or better still picture post cards showing Birmingham and the surrounding districts, as they developed and changed over the years. Shops selling this kind of thing are more difficult to find than tobacconists! It seemed to me that a market stall might be the best place to start my search.
It has always been that if you want something rare and unusual, if it's something you can't get anywhere else, or if it's cheap and nasty and common without taste, then the place to go is the Rag Market. Cutting a long story short, I found the Rag Market, that too had changed, a smart new front had been put on the building, but when I went inside the way it had changed surprised me. Instead of hundreds of people milling around between stalls piled high with things of every description, there were just a few people strolling down almost empty aisles and few of the stalls had anything on them and this at midday, the peak selling period.
I spoke to an 'Official', well that's what was printed on his coat, and asked what was going on. He explained that at six week intervals, on a Wednesday, an Antiques Market was held in the Rag Market building. It began at 7.30am and closed at 1.30pm. When I spoke to him most of the stall holders had finished for the day, and the empty stalls indicated the numbers that had already left. He said that one stall holder had driven down from Edinburgh, set up his stall at 7.30am and by 9.30am had sold all his antiques and after remarking that he had had a good day set off back to Edinburgh. It seemed to me that I had picked the wrong day to acquire cheap postcards at the Rag Market.
I decided to call it a day, give up my search for picture postcards and return home. The starting point for the bus home was Carrs Lane, adjacent to Marks & Spencer's, a bus was just about to depart so my timing was perfect. It was an eventful day, but I did get my pipe, I will look locally for the picture postcards.
The reason for going into Birmingham was twofold, first I wanted to buy a new pipe, I am one of those people that enjoy smoking, and have been smoking a pipe for over 50 years. I am now approaching my 77th Birthday and don't feel it has done me much harm. I am involved in competitive race walking, I compete in races up to 20k every two or three weeks and on average I manage to do about 50 miles per week of training.
If I was a cigarette smoker, no problems, almost every shop sells cigarettes, if it was tobacco for my pipe, that's a bit more difficult to find, but I know where to go, but a pipe; no one stocks them and no one knows where they sell them. However, after a lot of research and many telephone calls, I have established that there is a tobacconists in the Great Western Arcade, Birmingham that not only stocks all types of pipes but has them on display. So thats where I am heading!
The route from Aston University to Gt Western Arcade was not too bad, the pedestrian underpass that used to go to Corporation St, has been filled in and a series of Pelican crossings each with its own traffic lights and audible signals gets you across this busy junction. Corporation St was still there but there have been many changes, businesses have come and gone and in some cases the frontages of the buildings have changed, some quite considerably, but in most cases the upper stories remain as they were built when Joseph Chamberlain and the City Council had the road built about 150 years ago.
Walking up Corporation St. I passed the Victoria Law Courts, which has been cleaned and the sandstone exterior was sparkling in the sunlight, and on to The Lower Priory. The majority of the Priory has been pedestrianised, like many other parts of the city, but Cannon House, where I had an office for over 10 years, has had a facelift, and all the windows have been enlarged and you are looking at a sea of glass. Across the road is the Minories, this was the public highway that split Lewis's in two at ground floor level, this has glass at both ends and is a shopping Mall. The black rubber blocks that formed the road surface of the Minories still remain in place. Out through the glass doors cross over Bull St and there was Gt Western Arcade, first road on the right. After some consideration, and knowing that a decent pipe will last for at least twenty years, I selected two pipes at a cost of £20 each and will not have to worry about replacement until I am well over 100, and by then they may have invented an alternative.
Photographic History.The second objective of my journey into Birmingham was to try and find photographs, or better still picture post cards showing Birmingham and the surrounding districts, as they developed and changed over the years. Shops selling this kind of thing are more difficult to find than tobacconists! It seemed to me that a market stall might be the best place to start my search.
It has always been that if you want something rare and unusual, if it's something you can't get anywhere else, or if it's cheap and nasty and common without taste, then the place to go is the Rag Market. Cutting a long story short, I found the Rag Market, that too had changed, a smart new front had been put on the building, but when I went inside the way it had changed surprised me. Instead of hundreds of people milling around between stalls piled high with things of every description, there were just a few people strolling down almost empty aisles and few of the stalls had anything on them and this at midday, the peak selling period.
I spoke to an 'Official', well that's what was printed on his coat, and asked what was going on. He explained that at six week intervals, on a Wednesday, an Antiques Market was held in the Rag Market building. It began at 7.30am and closed at 1.30pm. When I spoke to him most of the stall holders had finished for the day, and the empty stalls indicated the numbers that had already left. He said that one stall holder had driven down from Edinburgh, set up his stall at 7.30am and by 9.30am had sold all his antiques and after remarking that he had had a good day set off back to Edinburgh. It seemed to me that I had picked the wrong day to acquire cheap postcards at the Rag Market.
I decided to call it a day, give up my search for picture postcards and return home. The starting point for the bus home was Carrs Lane, adjacent to Marks & Spencer's, a bus was just about to depart so my timing was perfect. It was an eventful day, but I did get my pipe, I will look locally for the picture postcards.
Monday, 16 March 2009
999 0r something.
When you look back over time it is often difficult to be precise as to when things happened, for many they take the view that whatever it is, it has always been there, it has always been available.
It was not until I wrote the piece on my school being visited by the fire brigade that I wondered what action was required to summon the emergency services in my early school days from 1932 onwards.
The first answer is usually the telephone. At this time the average number of cars per street was less than one and telephones less widely distributed. There were public telephone boxes but these too were few and far between. The fastest way to raise an alarm was to run to the nearest police station, or directly to the fire station, whichever was nearest.
An early modification to the public telephone boxes was an emergency button, this could be pressed and would be answered by the telephone operator without coins being put in the box.
The systems for emergency calls varied widely from town to town.
In 1882 an organisation 'The Exchange Telegraph Company' introduced alarm call points in London, a lever was pulled in a dedicated street post to alert the local fire service. The idea was extended by other telegraph companies and in other towns.
In the 1930s Police call points were introduced, and blue police boxes started to appear, these call points used telephone systems, rather than telegraph technology
The trigger to the change however began in 1935, five women died in a fire at a doctors surgery in Wimpole Street, London. The fire brigade arrived and started to fight the fire, A neighbour next door to the surgery, had rung the exchange to report the fire, but the exchange was too busy to accept the call, because there was no system of priority.
Arising out of this fire the Belgrave Committee was set up to study the problem of operators identifying emergency telephone calls.
In their report the committee said that there should be one number for all emergency services throughout the country. Because three digits were required for calls in London, they believed that an easy to remember three digit number should be used, and this was accepted. They also recommended that 999 calls could be made from public telephones without putting coins in the box.
On 30th June 1937, the 999 service was introduced into 91 automatic telephone exchanges in London. It was expected that similar service would be introduced to the rest of the country without delay. In 1938 the system was introduced into Glasgow. In 1939 War was declared and the 999 system was put on hold.
The 2nd World War (1939-1945) delayed expansion of the 999 service but the programme continued afterwards with Birmingham, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle introducing the 999 service in 1946. By March 1948 all the larger towns served by automatic exchanges had the 999 service and by 1976 all telephone exchanges in Britain are automated allowing the 999 service to be truly nationwide.
As a final point to this section 2007 was the 70th Anniversary, (Platinum) of the 999 service, and as part of the celebrations, which I didn't hear about, the BT Tower in London had new, blue and white, flashing lights fitted to the top of the tower, to simulate that of a flashing light on an ambulance or fire engine.
It was not until I wrote the piece on my school being visited by the fire brigade that I wondered what action was required to summon the emergency services in my early school days from 1932 onwards.
The first answer is usually the telephone. At this time the average number of cars per street was less than one and telephones less widely distributed. There were public telephone boxes but these too were few and far between. The fastest way to raise an alarm was to run to the nearest police station, or directly to the fire station, whichever was nearest.
An early modification to the public telephone boxes was an emergency button, this could be pressed and would be answered by the telephone operator without coins being put in the box.
The systems for emergency calls varied widely from town to town.
In 1882 an organisation 'The Exchange Telegraph Company' introduced alarm call points in London, a lever was pulled in a dedicated street post to alert the local fire service. The idea was extended by other telegraph companies and in other towns.
In the 1930s Police call points were introduced, and blue police boxes started to appear, these call points used telephone systems, rather than telegraph technology
The trigger to the change however began in 1935, five women died in a fire at a doctors surgery in Wimpole Street, London. The fire brigade arrived and started to fight the fire, A neighbour next door to the surgery, had rung the exchange to report the fire, but the exchange was too busy to accept the call, because there was no system of priority.
Arising out of this fire the Belgrave Committee was set up to study the problem of operators identifying emergency telephone calls.
In their report the committee said that there should be one number for all emergency services throughout the country. Because three digits were required for calls in London, they believed that an easy to remember three digit number should be used, and this was accepted. They also recommended that 999 calls could be made from public telephones without putting coins in the box.
On 30th June 1937, the 999 service was introduced into 91 automatic telephone exchanges in London. It was expected that similar service would be introduced to the rest of the country without delay. In 1938 the system was introduced into Glasgow. In 1939 War was declared and the 999 system was put on hold.
The 2nd World War (1939-1945) delayed expansion of the 999 service but the programme continued afterwards with Birmingham, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle introducing the 999 service in 1946. By March 1948 all the larger towns served by automatic exchanges had the 999 service and by 1976 all telephone exchanges in Britain are automated allowing the 999 service to be truly nationwide.
As a final point to this section 2007 was the 70th Anniversary, (Platinum) of the 999 service, and as part of the celebrations, which I didn't hear about, the BT Tower in London had new, blue and white, flashing lights fitted to the top of the tower, to simulate that of a flashing light on an ambulance or fire engine.
Thursday, 12 March 2009
Firemen come to School
At about 10am the Fire Brigade arrived outside our school. They arrived in the biggest fire engine most of us had ever seen, it was huge, bright red in colour, everything was polished and shining. On top of the engine were the ladders and on the back end of the ladders was a pair of giant wheels. The wood of the ladders and these wheels were more polished than the sideboard in our front room.
The fire engine was far too big to get through the opening into the playground, so it was parked close to the pavement, in Wheeler Street, with just enough room for the number 69 Tram to get past. The firemen, wearing their brass helmets, their black belts, with an axe hanging from it, and black boots which came above their knees, were standing close to the engine.
The School Bell was rung and we had to assemble in the school hall. The Headmaster introduced the Birmingham Chief Fireman, and said that he would be talking to us shortly. The Headmaster said that the Chief Fireman wanted everyone to see and understand how a fire engine worked. Each class would go out to the fire engine and one of the firemen would show them over the fire engine, explain how things worked and answer any questions that we might have. The Headmaster finished by saying that we were to remain on the pavement unless our fireman wanted to show us something on the other side of the engine.
The fire engine was far too big to get through the opening into the playground, so it was parked close to the pavement, in Wheeler Street, with just enough room for the number 69 Tram to get past. The firemen, wearing their brass helmets, their black belts, with an axe hanging from it, and black boots which came above their knees, were standing close to the engine.
The School Bell was rung and we had to assemble in the school hall. The Headmaster introduced the Birmingham Chief Fireman, and said that he would be talking to us shortly. The Headmaster said that the Chief Fireman wanted everyone to see and understand how a fire engine worked. Each class would go out to the fire engine and one of the firemen would show them over the fire engine, explain how things worked and answer any questions that we might have. The Headmaster finished by saying that we were to remain on the pavement unless our fireman wanted to show us something on the other side of the engine.
Tuesday, 10 March 2009
Outdoor Swimming Pool.
Upon our return to school after the Summer Holidays, of 1939, which I think was four weeks in those days we were surprised to see that in the broad path, between the infants and junior schools playgrounds a large tank had been built. It was about 20ft long, 6ft wide and 4ft deep. The tank was filled to the brim with water. All kinds of stories were being circulated but the most believable, it was an outdoor swimming pool for the junior school.
At the usual School Assembly, the prayers were said and the hymns were sung and the Headmaster, after welcoming everyone back,to school,said that he understood that much interest had been shown in the water tank which had been erected on the school premises, and he could state,without hesitation, that it was not a swimming pool, it was not a pool for sailing model boats on, and the local boating club would not be using it to train canoeists in the evenings. Its purpose was to store water for the sole purpose of fighting fires.
The Headmaster went on to explain that in many parts of Europe a war was taking place, and as a result of the war many towns and buildings had been set on fire. Because many of these fires had been bigger and more frequent than the usual fires, the fire fighters had experienced shortages of water that they needed to extinguish the fire, or at least to bring it under control.
The Headmaster said that although it was not expected that England would be involved in the war, a survey had been conducted to determine the volume of water available to the fire-fighters in Birmingham. The first and usual supply of water was from the towns domestic water supply. Connected to the mains were pipes to carry the water to outlets in to which water hydrants could be fitted, most roads and streets had many of the hydrants below street level, and access was through an iron plate set in the pavement. The survey had revealed that if any of the pumping stations were damaged, or under repair the fire-fighters would have to find alternative means of supply. The water tank in the school playground was part of that alternative supply.
The Headmaster finished his presentation by saying that a team of fire-fighters would be attending the school later to talk about fire and fire prevention, and to demonstrate the use of fire fighting equipment and to show how this tank of water would be used in an emergency.
At the usual School Assembly, the prayers were said and the hymns were sung and the Headmaster, after welcoming everyone back,to school,said that he understood that much interest had been shown in the water tank which had been erected on the school premises, and he could state,without hesitation, that it was not a swimming pool, it was not a pool for sailing model boats on, and the local boating club would not be using it to train canoeists in the evenings. Its purpose was to store water for the sole purpose of fighting fires.
The Headmaster went on to explain that in many parts of Europe a war was taking place, and as a result of the war many towns and buildings had been set on fire. Because many of these fires had been bigger and more frequent than the usual fires, the fire fighters had experienced shortages of water that they needed to extinguish the fire, or at least to bring it under control.
The Headmaster said that although it was not expected that England would be involved in the war, a survey had been conducted to determine the volume of water available to the fire-fighters in Birmingham. The first and usual supply of water was from the towns domestic water supply. Connected to the mains were pipes to carry the water to outlets in to which water hydrants could be fitted, most roads and streets had many of the hydrants below street level, and access was through an iron plate set in the pavement. The survey had revealed that if any of the pumping stations were damaged, or under repair the fire-fighters would have to find alternative means of supply. The water tank in the school playground was part of that alternative supply.
The Headmaster finished his presentation by saying that a team of fire-fighters would be attending the school later to talk about fire and fire prevention, and to demonstrate the use of fire fighting equipment and to show how this tank of water would be used in an emergency.
Labels: Outdoor Swimming Baths.
Tuesday, 3 March 2009
Education Takes Time,
It is difficult to look back at how your time was spent while you were being educated. Soon other things would be happening, which in a sense, put education into low key. More of that later. It seemed to me that education was made up of a series of minor mile stones which lifted you, and you rushed off home to inform the family what you had achieved, this was followed by huge mill stones, firmly tied around your neck and these dragged you down and relegated you back almost to your starting point.
It is difficult for anyone to appreciate that success and failure are an integral part of the learning process. For the majority, a failure, if properly analysed by your teacher, and coupled to an explanation or demonstration, can be a stepping stone future success. Sadly however, for some, the millstone of each failure is but on the top of all the other millstones the pupil has acquired, and in the eyes of that pupil, the wall is too great to climb so give up drop out, education is not for him.
For the majority the education period was about nine years, divided into three years in each of the following, infants, juniors and seniors. At the end of this period at the age of 14 years, the majority of us had achieved a reasonable level of Elementary Education. There was however a final sting in the tail of the educators, just prior to leaving education we had one more examination to tackle, your prospective employer would want to see the results of the said examination, and this together with your Certificate of Education, which was a summary of your life at school, from this information you may be offered a job in one of five streams, at one end you could become a Laborer and at the top end of group five you could be among those that in time the Potential Managing Director would be selected.
It is difficult to look back at how your time was spent while you were being educated. Soon other things would be happening, which in a sense, put education into low key. More of that later. It seemed to me that education was made up of a series of minor mile stones which lifted you, and you rushed off home to inform the family what you had achieved, this was followed by huge mill stones, firmly tied around your neck and these dragged you down and relegated you back almost to your starting point.
It is difficult for anyone to appreciate that success and failure are an integral part of the learning process. For the majority, a failure, if properly analysed by your teacher, and coupled to an explanation or demonstration, can be a stepping stone future success. Sadly however, for some, the millstone of each failure is but on the top of all the other millstones the pupil has acquired, and in the eyes of that pupil, the wall is too great to climb so give up drop out, education is not for him.
For the majority the education period was about nine years, divided into three years in each of the following, infants, juniors and seniors. At the end of this period at the age of 14 years, the majority of us had achieved a reasonable level of Elementary Education. There was however a final sting in the tail of the educators, just prior to leaving education we had one more examination to tackle, your prospective employer would want to see the results of the said examination, and this together with your Certificate of Education, which was a summary of your life at school, from this information you may be offered a job in one of five streams, at one end you could become a Laborer and at the top end of group five you could be among those that in time the Potential Managing Director would be selected.
Monday 4th April 1937
First day at school.
It was the first Monday after Easter in 1937 that I started school, twelve days before I reached my 5th Birthday. It had been suggested that I wait until Whitsun and I would be legally qualified to go to school, but from what I had heard from my friends, school was a great place to be, so at 9am on the 4th April, my Grandmother took me to our local school, St.Matthias's Infant and Junior School.
St Matthias's School was a Church of England School, rather than a 'State' School. I do not intend to go into the differences between C of E and State at this stage but funding and discipline were major factors.. The School was next to St.Matthias's Church, The Parish Church, and was situated on the corner of Wheeler Street and Farm Street, Hockley.
As we waited, in the School playground for the Assembly Bell to ring, my Grandmother checked that I still had my satchel, that it contained a tin box and inside the tin box were two pencils, a rubber, for rubbing out mistakes, and a pencil sharpener, in case I broke the lead on the pencil, she also checked that I had put my sandwich in the bag and that I could still remember how to write my name.
The assembly bell was rung by by one of the older children, I later discovered he was known as 'The Head Boy' the children lined up in the playground, in their class order and marched into the school. New pupils, like myself, waited until one of the Teachers came and took our names. We then remained with that Teacher for the first part of the morning. We too were marched into the school hall and remained with our teacher at the back of the assembly.
The children were lined up in front of a stage that covered the end of the school hall. The teachers made their way onto the stage by steps on each side, on the stage, watching the assembly happen, was the Headmaster, Mr.Powell. I knew his named because he had interviewed me when I applied for a place at the School a few weeks previously. Mr. Powell then welcomed the pupils back and wished the 'newcomers' every success in their period at the School.
He then read out a prayer and lead the pupils in singing a hymn, this was followed by news of a number of things that would be happening during the forthcoming term and the part pupils would be expected to contribute. The teachers were then instructed to resume their positions at the head of each class, and move them off to their classrooms.
The 'newcomers' were, for the first week, in a class of their own. The job of our teacher was to introduce us into school life, he conducted a series of tests, designed to find our level of knowledge in reading, writing and arithmetic. We also covered history, geography and general knowledge. During the week the heads of the various departments visited our classroom to briefly talk about their departments. On the last day of our first week, we had another examination, and our position in this examination determined which of the regular classes we would be placed.
The school building, which was next to the church, was mainly a two storied building, with playgrounds at each side. One playground for the infants and the other for juniors, the two playgrounds were linked together by a wide pathway which was contained within a brick wall and iron railings and was parallel to Wheeler Street. On the other side of the school building were a number of single storied building for specialist activities.
I have never given any consideration to the size of the school, in the number of classrooms and the number of pupils in those classrooms, but in retrospect I would guess that there were about 20 classrooms, and about 500 pupils. Some research is required.
First day at school.
It was the first Monday after Easter in 1937 that I started school, twelve days before I reached my 5th Birthday. It had been suggested that I wait until Whitsun and I would be legally qualified to go to school, but from what I had heard from my friends, school was a great place to be, so at 9am on the 4th April, my Grandmother took me to our local school, St.Matthias's Infant and Junior School.
St Matthias's School was a Church of England School, rather than a 'State' School. I do not intend to go into the differences between C of E and State at this stage but funding and discipline were major factors.. The School was next to St.Matthias's Church, The Parish Church, and was situated on the corner of Wheeler Street and Farm Street, Hockley.
As we waited, in the School playground for the Assembly Bell to ring, my Grandmother checked that I still had my satchel, that it contained a tin box and inside the tin box were two pencils, a rubber, for rubbing out mistakes, and a pencil sharpener, in case I broke the lead on the pencil, she also checked that I had put my sandwich in the bag and that I could still remember how to write my name.
The assembly bell was rung by by one of the older children, I later discovered he was known as 'The Head Boy' the children lined up in the playground, in their class order and marched into the school. New pupils, like myself, waited until one of the Teachers came and took our names. We then remained with that Teacher for the first part of the morning. We too were marched into the school hall and remained with our teacher at the back of the assembly.
The children were lined up in front of a stage that covered the end of the school hall. The teachers made their way onto the stage by steps on each side, on the stage, watching the assembly happen, was the Headmaster, Mr.Powell. I knew his named because he had interviewed me when I applied for a place at the School a few weeks previously. Mr. Powell then welcomed the pupils back and wished the 'newcomers' every success in their period at the School.
He then read out a prayer and lead the pupils in singing a hymn, this was followed by news of a number of things that would be happening during the forthcoming term and the part pupils would be expected to contribute. The teachers were then instructed to resume their positions at the head of each class, and move them off to their classrooms.
The 'newcomers' were, for the first week, in a class of their own. The job of our teacher was to introduce us into school life, he conducted a series of tests, designed to find our level of knowledge in reading, writing and arithmetic. We also covered history, geography and general knowledge. During the week the heads of the various departments visited our classroom to briefly talk about their departments. On the last day of our first week, we had another examination, and our position in this examination determined which of the regular classes we would be placed.
The school building, which was next to the church, was mainly a two storied building, with playgrounds at each side. One playground for the infants and the other for juniors, the two playgrounds were linked together by a wide pathway which was contained within a brick wall and iron railings and was parallel to Wheeler Street. On the other side of the school building were a number of single storied building for specialist activities.
I have never given any consideration to the size of the school, in the number of classrooms and the number of pupils in those classrooms, but in retrospect I would guess that there were about 20 classrooms, and about 500 pupils. Some research is required.
Sunday, 22 February 2009
First Bicycle
Christmas 1936 I had my first two wheeler bicycle
I mentioned the fact that a number of unrelated events, collectively, can create a problem, and the morning of Christmas Day 1936 saw the problem occur. Father Christmas had brought me the present I had been waiting for, my first two wheeler bike.
I was late getting up that Christmas morning, probably as late as 5am. Opening the presents that Father Christmas had put into my Christmas stocking that was hanging from the foot of my bed, it took some time and it was about 5.30 when I went downstairs to tackle the presents that Father Christmas had stacked under the highly decorated Christmas Tree. The Christmas Tree was in the front room and there, in pride of place in front of the tree, was the present I wanted most, a two wheeler bicycle!
The bicycle was bright red in colour, and the handlebars, the pedals and the cranks were chrome plated and sparkled. It was fitted with white mudguards and hanging from the back of the black saddle was a matching black saddle bag, and in the saddle bag was a spanner. I tested the spanner, one end fitted the nuts on the front wheel, and the other end of the spanner fitted the rear wheel nuts. I did not take the wheels out. One other piece of equipment was a pump, I did not discover until much later that this was an 'up market' bicycle, with pneumatic tyres.
Inclement Weather.
It was raining when I looked out of the window, but my Mother said that by the time I had had my bath and had eaten all my breakfast, the rain would have stopped, it didn't. I was then told the rain would cause the bicycle to go rusty, the rain would spoil my new clothes, the rain would cause me to be sick and be unable to ride my bicycle.
I then tried all the tricks of a young child, I moaned, groaned, screamed, shouted, cried, whimpered and sulked. It continued to rain and my Mother continued to refuse to let me take the bicycle outside. I was banished to the front room so that at least I could look at my bicycle. My other presents must have been put into the front room too, but I don't remember any of them.
I mentioned earlier that on Christmas Day very few Public Houses were allowed to open for business, however that did not deter the men of the family from finding the nearest, open, Public House, and going for a celebration drink as a 'Family'. Many of them assembled at our house, to have a drink with Grandma, and to admire my brand new, sparkling bicycle, before they moved on to the 'Open' Public house. The only male adult that didn't go out for a drink with the rest on that day was Uncle Albert.
The Lull Before the Storm
Now that the house was quiet again and my Mother and Grandmother were in the kitchen preparing the Christmas Dinner, to be served promptly at 2pm (closing time for pubs) as the men had been told before they departed. I went back into the front room, I turned the bicycle over so that it balanced on its handlebars and saddle. By holding on to a pedal I was able to turn the crank. If I turned it in one direction the chain caused the wheel to rotate, if I stopped pedalling the wheel continued to rotate, and as I was told later this was because my bicycle was fitted with a 'freewheel'.
Mechanical Awareness
As I knelt on the carpet, turning the pedals, watching the light reflected from the spokes, hearing the free-wheel purring away when I stopped pedalling, listening to the chain dropping into the right indentation in the chain wheel, my first experience of the magic of mechanical engineering was taking place. I think mechanical engineering was in my blood, most of the men in the family worked in factories, they spent their lives using , building and maintaining mechanical devices, skills that were passed on through the family.
There is no doubt that even at four years and eight months of age, these 'born in' skills were at work as I watched everything moving in front of me. If I had known what it meant I would probably muttered, 'poetry in motion'. Then I realised that I was witnessing a mechanical error, an error that could become a mechanical disaster, there was no oil on the chain wheel, it was running dry. Even as a child I knew of the importance of oiling mechanical parts. The wheels on my pushchair were oiled when they squeaked, the wheels on the platform of my wheeled horse were oiled, and the wheels and cogs on my Grandmothers mangle, which lived in the brew house, were oiled at regular intervals, oil made things last for ever.
My Father had gone out, and although my Mother was in the kitchen, there seemed little point in trying to explain to her the Theory of Hydraulics, first she was a woman and secondly she was busy cooking the Christmas Dinner. I therefore set about conducting a practical test, if I turned the pedals the chain would be driven over the chain wheel, if I placed my finger on top of the chain as it went over the chain wheel, any oil on the chain would be deposited on my finger. Being a new bicycle which had never been used on the road, the oil would be new and light in colour, but would leave a deposit, if it had never been oiled, no deposit. The test would be conducted forthwith.
I turned the pedals to put the device in motion, I decided to use the first joint of the first finger of my right hand has the test piece. Sadly at this point, and remember this was the first time I had tried this type of test, I committed an error of judgement, I placed my finger on the underside of the chain, instead of on top of the chain. My finger went between the chain and the chainwheel. It seemed to me that the finger could jam the system, perhaps breaking the chain, therefore the pedals should continue to be turned with speed and force, until the finger became free at the end of one turn of the chainwheel. My decision, in the split second I had to make it, was justified, my right hand, with two joints of the first finger came through the test, sadly, the first joint, which was the test piece, fell onto, and stained the carpet.
The Threshold of Pain
I felt a sharp pain as my finger went between the chain and the chain wheel, it caused me to scream and shout, I had never be subjected to pain at that level before , and in addition to my screams , I violently pushed the bicycle away from me. At that moment, in reply to my screams, my Mother came through door, just as the pedal of the bicycle went through the back of the one week old settee. She linked my screams and violent action to my earlier display at not being allowed to take my bicycle outside.
She caught hold of my jersey and started to slap my legs, to even louder cries from me. She had hardly started when she noticed a number of spots, red in colour. running down the wall. She stopped the slaping and demanded to know what I had been doing. Waving my damaged right hand about, and adding more red spots to those on the wall and ceiling, I tried to explain.
When they saw the injury both my Mother and Grandmother went into action, the wound was covered with a large pad of lint, and bandaged, to hold the lint in place. Uncle Albert was told to make himself ready to take me to the General Hospital, about a mile away. There was a brief discussion regarding possible means of transport, but it was confirmed that there was no Public Transport, and it could mean a long wait for an ambulance, on foot would be the best method of getting me to hospital.
ESP (Emergency Shanks Pony)
It was decided that rather than walk alongside Uncle Albert I would ride on his shoulders, this would prevent the injury being knocked and the journey completed in the shortest possible time. As we left the house, Grandmother had picked up the severed finger tip, wrapped it a clean handkerchiel, put the folded handkerchief in Uncle Alberts top pocket, with firm instructions to hand it to the Doctor when we arrived.
I was told afterwards that we took the Summer Lane, Loveday Street route. When we arrived at the General the Doctor was waiting for us, it appears that my Mother went along the road to Bridge Street West Police Station and persuaded them to telephone the hospital.
I do not remember the events that followed at the hospital, I was told however that they decided not to attempt to attach the finger tip, I was given 'gas' the wound was cleaned up, stitches were put into finger to pull the open wound together, the finger was heavily bandaged and I was discharged. I returned home as I had left, on Uncle Albert's shoulders. I was told that the total time, to and from the hospital, including treatment was less than three hours.
It appears that we were back home before the Christmas Dinner was served, which pleased Grandmother. Both my Mother and Father were so pleased in the way Uncle Albert had handled the emergency, that a leg of turkey was placed on his plate, as his share of the Christmas meal. It is said that he also had a second helping of Christmas Pudding complete with Rum Custard. I didn't feel hungry and was put to bed.
Wednesday, 18 February 2009
The Sporting Life
Before colour
Monday, 9 February 2009
Pictures of me
Sunday, 8 February 2009
Music
Monday, 26 January 2009
Some Pictures
Upon the return from our honeymoon at Lossimouth in Scotland Beryl decided to have her dress, (which was a copy of the wedding dress worn by Grace Kelly when she married Prince Albert of Monaco) altered for a special occasion.
I was at this time a novice member of the Handsworth Photographic Society, the Society were organising an 'Open' photographic competition and exhibition. After attending the Birmingham School of Photography for two years as an evening student I decided to photograph Beryl and produce an 'Exhibition Print' for the competition and exhibition. My first attempt at this level of photography.
I was at this time a novice member of the Handsworth Photographic Society, the Society were organising an 'Open' photographic competition and exhibition. After attending the Birmingham School of Photography for two years as an evening student I decided to photograph Beryl and produce an 'Exhibition Print' for the competition and exhibition. My first attempt at this level of photography.
My photograph won the Novice Portrait award and was hung, as a prize winner, in the 1957 Handsworth Photographic Society Annual Exhibition. During the exhibition, visitors are invited to vote for the prints they liked, at the end of the exhibition a panel of 'Experts' select, from the visitors voting slips, twelve photographs and these are entered for a National Exhibition. 'Beryl' was one of the prints selected and was hung in London and Edinburgh.
The print was then 'lost' for almost two years, I could find no trace of it either in London or Edinburgh, then there was a knock on the door and the postman handed me a large envelope which contained 'Beryl'. The print had been on a world tour and labels on the mounting board showed that in addition to London and Edinburgh in 1957 it had been hung in Dublin, Toronto and New York in 1958 and Tokyo in 1959. Not a bad start for a novice!
Labels: Beryl in her Wedding Dress
Saturday, 24 January 2009
Give it a try.
In the Beginning.
My beginning was about noon on Monday 16th April 1932, in a back to back house in Great Russell Street, Hockley, Birmingham. This was one of a series of districts, closely surrounding the city and about one mile from the city centre.
I have been told that the weather was warm and sunny, and this good weather heralded the first holiday of the year, Easter Monday. In addition the recovery from the slump of the 1920's was beginning to take effect and in a working class district like Hockley, there were more jobs available than people to do them. With money in the pocket, food on the table and within reason, the opportunity to look for the job you wanted to do, rather than take any job that might be available or not work at all.
We were not a rich family, but with both my parents in work, my Father in engineering and my Mother in the food industry, I believe at this time she made biscuits, and with my Grandmother at home looking after myself and later my Brother we were relatively 'well off'
It is difficult to know where memory begins and to be able to differentiate between things that you can recall from your memory, and things that you 'remember' from stories told to you later, or perhaps at family gatherings. At sometime during perhaps the first two or three years of my life, we moved from the house I was born in to a much larger house in Bridge Street West, a journey of perhaps two or three hundred metres. I don't remember that happening.
I think that my earliest memories were to do with clothing. I was expected to look smart, clean and tidy. For this reason, most weeks I was given something new to wear. Many of these items were purchased from a shop in Great Russell Street, which specialised in women and children's clothing. The long sleeved woollen pullover seemed to be the most popular item, but in those far off days it was called either a jersey or a gansey. There has to be some link with the Channel Isles, maybe style or colour, but I don't know.
Another memory, holidays I can remember that a big group of family members used to go on holiday together, grandmothers, grandfathers, aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers and sisters. I remember a Public House called 'The Jolly Sailor' at Keynsham near Bristol. The men slept in tents and the women and children had bed and breakfast at the pub. How we got to Keynsham I have no idea, we didn't have cars, so it must have been by train. I do recall however that it never rained on holidays in the 1930's.
A Major Event.Christmas morning 1936, a number of things occurred before lunch on this day, each event on it's own was, in the main, not significant, but when these things happened, in a short space of time the term 'Major Event' is not an exaggeration. In the 1930's at Christmas, England closed down.
Buses and Trams stopped running at 10pm on Christmas Eve and didn't start again until 6am on Boxing Day. It was agreed that the drivers, conductors and maintenance men were entitled to Christmas Holiday. I almost forgot, the railways also closed for the same period,
The majority of Public Houses were also closed, I think one in ten pubs were allowed to open for two hours during the day, 12 noon to 2pm, and different pubs were allowed to open from 7pm to 10pm in the evening.
The police reduced the number of policemen on patrol, no one would commit crime on Christmas Day, and with very few of the pubs open, there would be very few drunken persons on the streets.
Hospitals however set the standards, in the week before Christmas few new patients were admitted into hospital, those patients already in hospital were thoroughly examined and all but the terminally ill and those suffering from contagious diseases were discharged and their treatment be conducted by their GP's at home.. Those that remained in the hospital were concentrated in the minimum number of wards so that the number of doctors and nurses required could be reduced. . With little or few admissions ambulances were not required so ambulance crews could spend the day with their families. Even the horses that pulled the ambulances were given the day off to rest in their stables.
As I said, in those days England closed on Christmas Day.
Sunday, 18 January 2009
Hobbies and passtimes
For both of us, sport and hard physical effort has always been a part of our lives. Before we were married Beryl attended the Birmingham Institute for Athletics.
She attended courses on general fitness in order to pursue her main interest, fencing which for women was the foil. She once appeared on BBC TV demonstrating the skills required to use the foil.
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