brooklynex

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

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!!

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.)

Don't know bart dat! maybe he was part Greek. Good job he wasn't a young kid running around Pitsmoor with a name like that! My dad used to call him Sam anyway!

His name was, I think i'm sure. Sam Davies!

Yes I'm from Petre Street and I remember when I was a kid there was a fish and chip shop in the vicinity your'e talking about-it was Haywood's near to the ironmongers (forgot their name), George Barron's barbers and Fred Wordsworth's cobblers. Happy days!

Brian was the name of one of the Cowley's, he married Maureen Pearce who's parents ran the chip shop on Petre St. The other Brearley boys names were Chris and John.

The Godson's lived at 59 Edgar St,and the Brocklesby's (Mike) next door to them.

With all the talk about "Edgar Street" on these pages, it's a wonder nobody's mentioned "Brownies Ice Cream" van!

I lived on Petre St in those days and as Pepperdine's was a fruit and veg place and Collie's was an excuse of a grocery store, I think the smell might have been the wooden floorboards.

That pub was the "BUCKENHAM Arms" on the corresponding corner the next street up from the Ditchingham Arms. My did used to go in there in the 50's and he referred to to the "Ditch" as "Dick Finney's" after the then landlord.

Thanks Pitsmoorboy for bringing back memories of fifty (wow!) years ago. I went to Burngreave too. 58-62. I was very friendly with some of those lads. In fact Craig Sleigh (Carlisle St. east) was my best buddy at one time. His family took me awy on two summer holidays when my dad was out of work because of ill-health. I remember Stuart (Little Man) Hackett.Ronnie Fox, his brother John and I were in the same year at "Burney" along with Percy Rodgers. Funny you should mention Neville Hiley, his parents Gordon and Mary were big friends of my parents from the Burngreave (Clun Rd. club' my dad used to run the place!) And Keith Wordsworth's dad Dave. Neville was one of the funniest kids I ever came accross its a wonder he didn't go on to be another Ronnie Barker or Ben Elton or someone of that ilk. Or maybe he did! As for his brother Robert, I didn't see him much over the years one thing I emigrated, and another was most of the time he would be "Detained at Her Majesty's Pleasure". Pity!' because they were a nice family. Iwould not have believed then that all these years later I would be sat in a Manhattan skyscraper writing this. You mention your sister Rita and the only one thar comes to my mind are a family named Skeemer? or something like that who lived in forncett st. near Cossey Rd. Thanks again!!

I think song you're referring to is "Tell Me what He Said" about 1961 and perhaps her fourth single. Not a bad song for that time of the decade. Great voice too!