brooklynex

Jim, don't you mean the Boy's Brigade?

Are you sure that wasn't Michael McDonald,-he of Edgar St. not the Doobie Bros- as Malcolm was an ex-Arsenal and Newcastle United footballer

Glad to hear Hank is still around albeit in Oz. One of my early sixties favourites in my Sheffield days. I now live in New York and was married to a lady who became a Jehovah's Witness,so that was the end of that marriage! Does Hank use his stage name or his real name - Brian Rankin- as those people are not supposed to twll fibs!

Are you sure it was Hitchins? as Littlewood's was already there, if so then I don't know where I got Burgess's from.

Yes I was at the Helen Shapiro concert in March '63 out of curiosity, I quite liked Helen, but me and a friend of mine went along to see what all the fuss was about with these four- we would be in for a rude awakening- When they were introduced on stage-one by one, there weren't any curtains at the City Hall-artists had to come up a staircase from the dressing rooms in the middle of the stage. They wore those brown suits with velvet collars, the same ones in the photo on the cover of "Please, Please Me' album. First up was Lennon who slunk to the right of the stage as we were looking at it from the mezzanine, and leant on the microphone stand with Rickenbacker in hand, looking bored to death. Then it was McCartney, the few screams there was that night were begining to get louder. Next was George who ran up the stairs and LEAPT over an amplifier-well he was only 19 then- Ringo walked up the steps with snaredrum in hand, the rest of the communal drums were already set up. after a few seconds of tuning up, Paul was looking to his left at John waiting for the signal to start at after Lennon nodded the go-ahead my musical life change forever-"One -Two- Three- FARR!!, Well She Was just Seventeen......." WOW!!!

About the two Beatles dates at the City Hall in march '63, one was the Helen Shapiro tour, which I was at! don't remember the other one, What was it!

After the Helen Shapiro concert in March '63, which I was privileged to be at, and there wasn't a lot of screaming either, most people were there out of curiosity or to see Helen. Well, we weren't curious after that! I don't remember Roy Orbison being on the bill and certainly not Herman's Hermits in March '63-they didn't have a hit record till Sept '64- anyway after that tour, the Beatles NEVER supported anybody!!

That store was Burgess's and was between Banners and Staniforth Road. It was probably the best men's store outside the city centre and better than some in it!

According to these pages, the first department store outside London to have them.

If I'm thinking of the right place,it became the "Blue Moon". the second Stringfellow club. The "Black Cat'" was St. Aidan's church hall on City Road.

Myer's Bakery was in that block of shops on Ellesmere Rd between Gower St and John Heath's.Their uncut loaves-white and brown-was the best bread anywhere!!

I live in the the United States and I bought both books on Amazon. both very good. I'm a Pitsmoor lad by the way

Hello! I happen to be one of Martin's uncles along with my brothers Brian and Tony. His dad-Dennis-was sheet metal worker and the place he worked at (the name I forget) was on Kirk St that ran off Gower st.

Alan Brunt, he worked at his dads tool shop-Turners- in the old rag and tag. John Kwazis mum and Hobbos mum were sisters!

Heres another few; Steve Walker, the Brunt brothers, Malcolm Hobson and cousin and next door neighbours the Kwaznikas. Talking about Geoff Lyall, a couple of pals of mine Stu Smith, Kev Tring, Pete Simmo (I think they all live in Australia now.) and Hobbo used to call him "Sugar", well, Tate and Lyle refine sugar don't they? Apart from Malc Brunt all the aforementioned are a couple of years younger than me.

Martin Manterfield did not have a brother, he had a sister, Michelle. She'll be about 51 now.How do I know? I'm his Dad's (Dennis) brother and I'm David! Got to know Pete Flynn thro' them.

Hi Falls. Thanks for your reply, and who was the "Commandant?" was it a bloke called Scowcroft or was that another school. Some of those "Burnie" teachers' reputations had preceeded them before we got there, Henchman like Perkins, Shillitoe, Challis e.t.c. One annoying thing about Hughes, I made sure I kept out of his way,was when he gave his oration after assembly on Monday mornings when he was supposed to read out the outcome of the schools sporting exploits the previous week-end, was to prattle on about the Welsh rugby team and if they had beaten the English, well that that put a smirk on his Glamorgan face!

Yes, I went there from 1958 to 1962 and it's 50 (Yes Fifty) years ago this week that I left! My first teacher was a guy called Holding, him and another teacher called Middleton it was their first day as teachers. Before we went to "Burnie" we were terrified of the place, but it turned out not bad at all teacher wise. Some of the hard hands had gone by the time we got to the third year. The other ones I remember were Carter, Needham the woodwork guy. Raper the geography guy.Lacey big tall bloke with a thick tache' who looked like a Scotland Yard detective when he arrived at school in his belted gaberdine mac. Hague the P.T. bloke. Hardwick metalwork, Mike Carter, Harry Clarke, A Canadian fella called Dansen who useed to drive to school in a big U.S.Army staff car. Goodlad (who I think was Australian and a bit wacko) Smith maths,and of course Elwyn Hughes the head teacher no wonder they used to call him after "Das Fuher" as he was the spitting image of the man. Best one was Nev Reaney, Pitsmoor bloke too. Happy Days!!

Don't know about Dave Reaney who lived across the street from me. It sounds more like Malcolm Brunt who lived in Petre Street between Earldom St and Maxwell St, and went on to play professionally for Chesterfield F.C.

I used to deliver papers from there when I was a kid. Mr.Yates' brother also had a newsagents in Upwell St.

I lived at 136 Petre St. until 1975 that's between Sutherland Road and Lyons St. I now live in Brooklyn, New York which is a far cry from there! The Reaney's lived across the street-kids names David and Kathleen- and as for Mr.Yates' paper shop, his brother had a newsagents too, in Upwell St.

I remember the Pitiful Souls, Leroy Walcott, who him and I were in the same class at Burngreave. His brother Joe was in the group too and the guy Delroy was their cousin. (Think his last name was Williams, but not certain.)

I went to that game, can't remember who won, Geoff Boycott was out for 11 and the first time I had Spam and tomatoe sandwiches with piccallili!

If you lived there then you should know the name was Buckenham Road and at Ellesmere Road it changed into Buckenham Street and ran to Earsham St past Ellesmere school.