BLITZER

I went to Sharrow lane school in the mid 30's with a Willie Aistrup.

Thanks for that Nahden,a pity about the lawns though. Fings 'aint wot they used to be - I might have known.

Hi Echo beach, Yes,I remember the fish and chip shop. It was Marriots,and the tastiest fish and chips you could find. In those days,you could get a penny fish and a pennyworth of chips - and I'm talking the old penny. I lived on Ashley road and would walk down Hobart street on my way to Bagshaw's barber shop,or the 2 picture houses in Heeley. A very long time ago!

I remember before WW2,I used to pass the Blue coat school on my bike on the way to work at Bents Green,and would greatly admire the look of the school, and particularly the wonderfully tended lawns,they were absolutely meticulous. Then came the war,and the Army commandeered the school and grounds. I watched in horror as heavy army vehicles churned up those lawns,and every day it seemed to get worse,so I did'nt look after that. Afterwards,I went into the forces,so don't know what happened afterwards. Did it revert back to the school after the war? And today,what is it's function now? I hope the lawns are back to their pre war glory.

Does anyone remember 'short arm' parades in the forces? The quack would be armed with a pencil to avoid contact!

A great photo of the police box. I remember it before the war. On the opposite side of the main London road was the Lansdowne picture house. Also,just by the police box, is where the local blackhirts would hold open air meetings in the evenings, As young kids that was good free entertainment to listen to the arguments,sometimes quite heated. On the same side of the road, going towards the bottom of Ecclesall road,was a group of shops,which included a jewellers and a gown shop. The shops were bombed and destroyed during the blitz and they became an advertising site with 3 or 4 big hoardings. They remained that way for years,but recently,thanks to Google street level,I've had another look and I'm amazed that after 70 years the site is still an advertising site. Why is it that a valuable site like that,in a great position,remains so? Beats me.

The Odeon cinema building was started about 1937,but after all the steelwork had been completed,the war broke out and the building was stopped. It remained in that state all through the war and afterwards and was'nt completed until 1956. The major cinema in Sheffield pre war was the Regent in Barkers pool. Top price 1/10d (9P).Wages were only about £3 pw though.

Between Clark Square and Broom Close there was a car showroom,and I remember before the war they had a light aircraft on display for a couple of weeks. I had never seen an aircraft close up before,and it created quite a lot of interest. A little further down was Merrills toy shop,a very popular shop indeed to go window shopping. Across the road on the corner of a street was Brookes furniture shop. During the blitz one of his plate glass windows was blown out,so the next day he placed a huge sign up that said just one word BLAST!

I too regard Jimmy Hagan as the most skilful player United ever had,a joy to watch him play. I remember a match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the late 40's. United kicked off,and the ball was passed to Hagan who immediately set off for Chelsea's goal. He beat player after player and scored,a wonderful display of his skill.It was shameful he only had one England cap. He and Brookes,the other inside forward,had a sports shop on London road,opposite Hill street and Wigfalls How they could use his skill in the current team.

Palmers palm toffee,broken into smaller pieces by a toffee hammer..

In the blitz,I was in the shelter beneath the 30 shilling tailor's shop on the moor,until we had to evacuate because the shop above was on fire. We were directed down the side street by the Central cinema to the street running parallel to the moor(can't remember the name)where there was an underground shelter. We all got in there safely,but before very long the shelter received a direct hit,and there were casualties.

My 21st,sailing up the Red sea en-route from Bombay to Naples for the Anzio landings,although we did'nt know it at the time. Sippers of rum all round (tradition).

I remember in the thirties, how lots of kids and unemployed blokes,would gather at the gates of United's ground,at the corner of Bramall Lane and John Street,waiting for the gates to be opened 10 minutes before the end of the game,and then all making a beeline up the concrete steps to witness the last 10 minutes of the game for free. They were known as 'The last tenminuters' Is this tradition still maintained,or has it been consigned to the gash bin of history?

Charles Atlas was born Angelo Siciliano in Italy,and died in New York 1972 aged 80.

I was interested to read about St Barnabas church. I remember we all attended there on Armistice day from Sharrow lane school in the 30's. One lad in my class was a choir boy there,and at school morning assembly, would sing a hymn. 'Oh for the wings of a dove' was a favourite.

Marsden's milk bar started up on Pinstone Street about 1937. I remember my friend and I used to cycle to night school at Salmon Pastures,and afterwards on the way back,we would call in to Marsden's for our favourite,a bowl of tomato soup. It cost 5d,and worth every penny.

Yes,I remember the sideboard,also the bicuit barrel. Still got it 70 years on. Remember the kitchen cabinet,very popular in the 50's,also the £25 Hoover washing machine,the latest in technology at the time. The Ideal home exhibition at Olympia in London,was an Aladdin's cave of household goodies,especially in the post war years. Loved all the demonstratrions,and free samples!

The school tuck shop in Sharrow Lane,opposite the school. White's shop,corner of Ashley Rd and Club St Mrs Attenborough's shop in Mount St Stevenson's shop,corner of Salmon St and Club Garden Rd

As a young boy,I remember a lot of the trams were open ended at both ends. I would pay my ha'penny,climb up the winding stairs,and go straight to the open front,weather permitting. Great way to travel, to see all that's going on outside on your journey.

Does anyone remember Marsdens milk bar on Pinstone Street?

The first programme I remember was "The Passing Show",that was in 1952, my TV was a Marconi with a 9 inch screen,and it also had a radio. I still have it up in the loft! In those days,programmes did'nt start until 7 pm,and finished between 11 and midnight. Plays were "live"and if actors dried,youcould hear the prompt giving them the next line. Also,during the play,there would be intervals of about 10 minutes,and a bell would ring to let you know it was starting again. During the intervals,there were idyllic scenes of a boat going down a river,seas lapping the shore at the seaside,and a Potter at the potter's wheel. Male newsreaders wore evening dress to read the news,and the women all wore posh frocks,all with cut glass accents. No daytime telly in those days. Of course there were no live news,it was like the cinema,newsreels. And like the cinema,at the end of the programmes in the evening,they would play the National Anthem. Compared to today's technology,it was the dark ages,but everyone was fascinated in this new fangled gadget,and was subject of great discussion at work the following morning. Just like when crystal sets were invented in the early 20's - but that's another story.

It's such a long time ago, I could'nt possibly say for certain. Could well be.

On a visit to Sheffield ,my wife went to see 'Bullet' at the ABC cinema,whilst I went to see United play Cardiff in an midweek evening match. Can't remember the year,but the new Bramall Lane stand was under construction at the time. My wife was impressed with the cinema,I never did get to go there. Years before,The Regent was my favourite.

My first weekly wage in 1936 was 12s/6d, This was at the S&E Co-op . Joined the RN in '41,and after a small allocation,drew 10s (50 pence) every fortnight.

As a kid (yonks ago)I used to like Andy Hardy films,with Mickey Rooney,Our Gang series,Joe E Brown (Big gob)films,and The Marx Bros. Not forgetting Laurel and Hardy. Cinemas were The Lansdowne,Star,Heeley Coliseum and Palace,and Abbeydale.