Benbow

Hi Ray43, I was one of those who caught the Sharps bus in front of the Red Lion between 1950 and 1955 along with Mr Guest plus one other who I can't remember. I started at Gleadless High School, up Smithfield Road and turn right, a very small school with little more than a handful of pupils between 5 and 11years. Anybody who went to GHSchool cant fail to recall Mrs Reynold's saint Bernard, a great dog and the day that it died the world ended and we all went into mourning. Great days just after WW2 ended. Brian

Hi Jeff, I don't know if you are still on this forum but here I am again four years later. I am still living in Brittany with my wife and enjoying life here. We visit our daughters twice each year, summer and Christmas and are currently looking forward to this Christmas, the Pantomime, Santa special on the dean forest railway and seeing the families again (grandchildren 9, 15, 16 & 21 all join us.) I hope that life is treating you well and have a nice Christmas. Brian

Hi Grammarian Remember Geoff Brint, he played a mean clarinet and sax, he was a good friend of mine. He still lived in Beighton until he passed on a couple of years ago. Also remember Marsman so nicknamed by his supposed resemblance to the green martians in the Eagle comic. Well............ it was me but I have got over it now! Geoff gave me a copy of one of those school photos - big and oblong. He wrote names on all those he could remember. We should get together sometime and talk over old times Brian

A follow on memory - on my paper round there were a couple of houses with really fierce dogs which would run down the hall and throw themselves barking, growling and howling at the door/letterbox. Occasionally I would get fed up and roll the paper very tight, push it into the letter box and when the dog arrived bash it through the gap - great satisfaction. Another house had a particularly tight flap on the box with about 1" gap which was ok for most papers at the start of the week but the thicker papers were impossible to poke through and arrived torn through the box. It was never changed! Brian

I delivered the Star Monday - Sat and magazines on Thursday in 1951-1954 for Plumbs newsagents at Gleadless Townend. The magazines were just about manageable then, wages 5/- (5 shillings) a week and it never went up. I also delivered meat for the Co-op butchers on a Saturday mainly carried in a butchers basket. If you got there very early you stood a chance of one of the two butchers bikes - hard lines if you got the wrong one though, it was the very devil to pedal. 5/- for that as well. My mother used to make me hand over the cash which I earned and she hid it in a childs tin combination safe which she kept in the pantry. Fortunately for me it was my safe and I also knew the combination so the money didn't stay in there long. I think that the "handing over the cash" was some sort of family tradition as she never mentioned when it quickly disappeared! I never did the mornings though as I found distinct difficulty in getting up early. This has stayed with me to this day (73). Brian

Yes it was in the Briarfield Ave area but no, it was in the building next to the house which looks like a garage - very small. I think that the pupil count was around 20+. Mrs Reynolds was the teacher and her daughter helped occasionally. Top of Smithfield Road and turn right - the road was unmade (not tarmacced) I went up it to school and back twice every weekday, I rarely stayed to dinner which was always served in the house. Delicious soup as I recall. I seem to remember that there was an air raid shelter behind the school I enjoyed my 6+ years there before I moved on to Eckington Grammar as Lister Crescent, where I lived, was in Derbyshire and the nearest school was outside the 3 mile limit. We always travelled to school on a Sharps Bedford coach. I am still looking for ex pupils but haven't found any so far. Brian

I went to a "small" school not too far from Norton Aerodrome called Gleadless High School. It took 5 - 11 year olds. I was there from 1944 to 1950. Anyone remember this? Brian

Italian, above, mentioned the word "doings". I still use the word i.e. "do you know where I put my doings!" My wife is an excellent mind reader and finishes off my sentences. Also what about "thingy" and "thing-y-mi-jig" and "wots it" and "ooojaa" and "sithy"as in "sithy later". Must be thousands of these in different dialects. Incidentally we live in Brittany which also has it's own language and dialect. I usually try French with a yorkshire "twang" (oops! there's another) Brian

Thanks to all for your help. I am tracing my ancestors and my mother and father were both born in the Grimesthorpe area (Upwell Street) and my Grandma lived for a time in Swallow Place. I see that this post has been open and supported for three days short of two years, amazing! Many thanks, Brian

Hi Joan Thanks for that, Alfred Gould's was the place. As I recall, it was just a large room and a record player. Very ordinary but sweet memories for me! I see that you live by the pier in Bournemouth, it must be a nice place for retirement. Brian

I remember those days in Sheffield at the Locarno and Cutlers Hall. Does anyone remember the "dancing school" by the Peace Gardens where we all used to try to learn how to dance. This was in 1959 and the most popular hit then was The Platters singing Smoke gets in your eyes. I met my first wife, Irene Lilian Goddard, there but unfortunately we parted in 1964. Sad but life goes on. I would be interested to hear where she is now. Brian

Hi Jeff, I was an insignificant little boy with a round face. I went home from school down Smithfield road (a rough unmade road then), crossed White Lane and down the gennel opposite (between Plumbs newsagents and the chemist) left at the bottom on to Lister Crescent, number 37. I started at Gleadless High in 1944 and I guess that you were (and are!) two years senior to me. I seem to remember that there was an air raid shelter in the back garden where we played. I seem to remember that I went home for lunch except on the odd occasion wnen my mother was out. I was the only pupil to take the "11+" then, in 1955 and I passed for Eckington Grammar. I took my children there many years ago and they couldn't believe that it had been a school. It was so small!! Happy, innocent days, though... Brian

Hi Jeff I hope that you are still on this site as I have just spotted your reply to my post. If you would like to get in touch, please let me know on here and I will pm you my email address. Hope to hear from you Brian. PS I don't remember your name but it was nearly seventy years ago!! Brian

As you all come from Attercliffe, does anyone know where Swallow Place was. My grandma lived there for a while in 1891. I think it has long gone now. Brian

Anyone know where Swallow Place was? I am searching my family tree and my grandmother lived there briefly in 1901. The census says that it was in the Attercliffe area. I have searched Google maps but it isn't marked, probably demolished! Thanks for any help.

Hi Sedith I can't remember Horace Laybourne but all the others yes. I remember Pete Ward had a new Ford Prefect, the first one with headlights in the front wings. Alice, Mrs Willoughby and Mr Smith must have been nearing retirement in the late 60's. Was Tom Farnsworth still the "ruler" then (a strange machine). The binder in my day was a chap with a club foot, can't remember his name. Just remembered, Noel but his surname has gone. Brian

My Great Grandparents, Grandparents and parents came from the Upwell St / Holywell Rd area around the turn of the 20th century and my Great Grandma lived on Swallow Place. Can anyone tell me where this is or was, I have a feeling that it's somewhere off the Carlisle St East side of Upwell St. Many thanks. Brian

For some reason, I can't remember why as it was around 60 years ago, the Hippodrome was one of my favourite cinemas, the other one was The Palace, Union Street. I remember seeing "Calamity Jane" at the Hippodrome on a temporary screen propped up on one side of the stage and I have queued for hours outside often in the pouring rain. I saw the "house of wax" in 3D there in the 50's as well. Th Palace was a comfortable venue but you had to be careful where you sat as there were supporting pillars for the balcony which obstructed the view. The showed the first cinemascope film there as well, "The Robe", an odd choice for cinemascope because of those pillars!!

Hi Kiwiowl Yes, Gleadless Townend was in Derbyshire, at least part of it was. The Yorks/Derbys border ran along the bottom of our garden via a dyke which was between Lister Crescent (Derbyshire) and Seagrave Crescent (Yorkshire). The dyke is still there but the border moved years ago. Had it not been for that I would have gone to a school in Sheffield! What is/was your aunts name, I may have known her in the 40's/50's?

I can go back to 1950 at EGS when Dr Walmsley was head and I think that he had a fondness for the cane! Mr Rollinson took over a few years later but before I left in 1955. At about the same time a new PE teacher appeared and the morning assembly moved from the gym to the dining hall/concert hall etc to save the gym floor from damage. As far as I can remember, Mr Thompson was the woodwork teacher (I remember him because woodwork was the only subject in which I came top of the class), Mr Guest was chemistry - he used to travel on the same bus as me from Gleadless, Miss Callister (a young extremely good looking girl very popular with the male students) was art, Mr Rees was RI and I think latin but I stand to be corrected. The rest I can't remember. I do recall that at the start of the school year in September, an event called "bushing" took place where all the new boys were thrown into a handy shrub near the boys playground, a sort of inauguration into EGS. Fortunately for me I was one of those they couldn't catch but one little lad, Tim,I think, was "bushed" and rolled over the bush landed on his head and was rushed away for first aid. That effectively ended the "bushing" permanently. I also recall that the prefects, some of whom were bullies, gave their young charges the "slipper" for any misdemeanour they were caught doing. This involved taking the culprit to their classroom away from the prying eyes of the teachers, hoisting them over a desk and thwacking him on the bottom several times. Not, I think, something which would have been allowed now!! Tom Brown's Schooldays was mild compared with some of the things which happened at EGS in those days.

Hi jeff I also went to Gleadless High School and I left in 50/51 and went on to Eckington Grammar, I lived then on Lister Crescent. I have fond memories of GHS and Mrs Reynolds particularly the watery soup which she served up at dinner time and the annual concerts in the church (chapel?) hall on Hollinsend Road. I wanted to play the drum but always ended up with a triangle! Do you recall the magician we had there one year? I live with my wife in Brittany now and we regularly visit our daughters and grandsons in Worcester and relatives in Sheffield. I went to look at the old place a few years ago and was amazed at it's small size particularly as she taught a range of pupils there from 5 to 11 years. The only name I can recall from those days is Michael Powell and I have often wondered how my fellow pupils fared over the years. You are the only person to appear in around 60 years. What a stroke of luck! I would certainly like to mull over old times, Jeff, by phone, skype or email. Good to hear from you Brian Cooper

Thomas William Woods married Clara Elizabeth Cooper in 1907 and I am a descendant of Clara's line as her brother, James William Cooper, was my grandfather. She was present when he died in 1941 at Rothay Road, Grimesthorpe. I would be very interested to talk to the children or grand children of Clara and Thomas's. Brian Cooper

Thanks for the info, Bullerboy. I have just found Jenkinson and Marshall on google streets and it looks well now although apart from a paint job the building is pretty much the same as I left it in 1961. Jenkinson and Marshall were originally on Surrey Street and owned the two premises at that time. Bob Marshall (Mr Bob in those days!) used to visit P&B's each day and I remember cleaning his car for him on the odd occasion. Mr Smith was the works manager although he only visited once a day as well. Miss Willoughby was in the office (she was the office) and Alice was in despatch. In those days the building had three floors, including the loft. Litho was on the ground floor, letterpress on the first floor and ruling, bookbinding and guillotining on the second. The loft was a peper warehouse. i wonder if there is anyone still around from those days? Brian

Hi ChrisM I too went to the last show at the Empire. It was a bit ironic really as the old theatre went out with a show sponsored by....I think it was Smedleys Frozen Foods......a sure sign of things to come. My girlfriend at the time worked in a grocers shop and had been given two free tickets. A sad, sad loss of a great theatre. Brian

A shot in the dark here - my Grandfather, Abraham Gregory lived in Grimesthorpe and later at Firth Park on The Oval he was a boilermaker. His wife was Ada (nee White). Their daughter was Hilda and their son was Harold, he was a moulder? at Hadfields for many years and had a bad stammer. Brian