bluebirdgals

Hi Stagecoach, Just found your post while googling for Hyde Park Dog Track. In the 1940's , I lived in Whites Lane, Wybourn, and as a very young boy often went with a crowd of pals to the dog track, where we climbed the exterior wall, then sat and watched the dogs and the spectators, till we were chased off by the track security. On the "spare ground" up from the dog track, was where crowds of men used to gather to play "pitch and toss", gambling what seemed huge amounts to me, on throwing a couple of pennies in the air, and occasionally if we were lucky, we'd earn a few pence acting as an outer ring of lookouts for the adult lookouts, watching for the inevitable police raids ! There was also, near Warris place, a quarry (or a huge bomb crater), where in about 1947 after very heavy snowfalls, the "bigger" boys organised Anderson Shelter rides (a curved section of a dismantled Anderson shelter acting as a giant sledge) down into the quarry, 2 bigger lads steering, and 6 or 7 of us nippers as passengers ! Wonderful memories. One of the older lads was my uncle Harry (Gill) who lived on the Wybourn all his life. I'd love to see your photos of the dog track if you can find time, as I've no Photos at all from the early part of my life on the Wybourn.