Texas

There's something a little unreal about this, because, in today's 'Daily Mail' (5.7. 2019) there's a full page article about the PO W camp at Lodge Moor. It reminded me of when I was around 12/13 years old, and a gang of us kids from the Pitsmoor area would go and fool around on Stanage Edge for a while and then walk back via Lodge Moor to Sheffield. We invariably passed by the camp and always climbed up the stone wall surrounding the camp to slag off the prisoners because we didn't know any better. One day we climbed up the wall and went into our usual routine and were well into it,'Sieg Heiling' and giving the Nazi salute with one hand and clinging onto the wall for dear life with the other. ( Sometime, if you could manage it , you could hold your left forefinger under your nose in the time honored imitation of Hitlers mustache). Anyhow, one day we got a reception committee. There was a gaggle of people at the main gate. We never noticed this until it was too late. My first inclination of these people was when all my mates were running up the road and I was still performing. Waiting for me was a guy in army battledress and three stripes standing below me in the road. I dropped down off the wall and he grabbed my ear and we started down the road to the reception committee, there were ordinary police there too, apart from MP"s. I was in trouble, so the first thing I did was RUN.. I ripped away and ran for my life, I can still hear the hobnailed boots behind me, and i can still feel where my piece of ear was torn off. ( Just kidding on the last bit).

The only shop I knew of was down at the far end of Attercliffe, just to the left of the bottom of Broughton Lane. I only met him once, and I remember him as a short stocky guy with glasses. The shop itself was managed by a chap called Arthur Caudren. Henry H had some premises with an entrance on a cul-de-sac just to the left of his shop. Here he had a static training 'bike with a large timing clock. A floor above was devoted to weightlifting and the club of the Sheffield All Rounders. This was in 1948 and I was 15 years old.

I knew a family who lived on there, Paynter by name. Les Paynter, the head of the family worked at Woodhouse Pit.

Anybody remember or know where they were assembled in Sheffield? It was during the 20's so I don't think there'll be many around who remembers them. They were originally a rail car, but I found a picture of one on Hull docks, loaded with fish, and I realised I'd never heard of them.

I remember as a kid and I had the 'bread' I could start at the News Theatre in the morning (they started about half ten I think), take in the show, get up to the Hippodrome or any other uptown cinema in early afternoon, and then go to another cinema early evening. I could nearly go a whole day without seeing daylight.

Back in the 50's I used to go to the News Theatre at least twice a week. They used to change the show mid-week so you'd get new cartoons and comedy shorts. I think my favourites were Sylvester and Daffy Duck but over the years Bugs Bunny came close. Anybody remember the ginger cat that lived in the dust bin and managed to outwit Sylvester all the time. He used to comb his hair with a fishbone. I've never been able to master the short tongued way of speaking like Sylvester (like the late Robin Williams could) but I can do Bugs Bunny if I concentrate (eeeeeah What's up Doc?). This post reminded me of a singer by name of Al Hibbler. He sang with the Duke Ellington orchestra for a number of years. Al Hibbler was a great cartoon fan and he would sit there in the theatre and roar with laughter at the antics of Bugs and Sylvester et al. The thing was, he was stone blind. He liked the backing music.

Wasn't the Vat 69 jazz club under/in a pub called the Acorn? If so that was the first and the last time I ever saw Harold McNair the alto player. I remember he did nearly the whole gig playing flute. You had a good brother there Odie. ---------- Post added 16-08-2018 at 18:56 ---------- And let's hear it for Aretha Franklin.

Getting the silent treatment in the morning, 'Awreet love? Silence. 'Ave y'got monk on'?

That bit of flat ground opposite Woodfold was a regular football pitch for us 'Woodys.' There was many a 'brick war' back then between the 'Springers' and 'Woodys'. Of course this was before the whole area was landscaped.

My wife always calls Sherbert Fountains 'Kayli' suckers.

Seems the memory is playing tricks, not a million miles from Terry to Tony. Perhaps Terry Thornton opened a club in Manchester?

I can't remember 'The Leadmill' but I remember the 'Esquire' on Leadmill Road. It was just up the road from that big garage on the corner. It was run by a guy called Tony somebody from Manchester. He got a lot of good jazz acts down there and fans could get right up into the action etc,etc. Once he got Cleo Lane after she'd been on at the City Hall and really she didn't want to be there. If you could lip read the language was quite basic. But bread is bread. ---------- Post added 22-05-2018 at 18:54 ---------- Sarcastic, moi ?

Now I wouldn't have put you down as a 'Skiffle' fan but, then again, it takes all kinds. i know you like Julie London (so do I ). You'll remember she was married to Jack Webb and made a few films. I have seen a couple or three recently. But to Jack Webb. I didn't know he played the cornet for real. I remember I was impressed by his performance in 'Pete Kelly's Blues', he was perfect for that role, but that it was some other musician played the notes. He was a huge jazz fan and had thousands of tapes. I watched a movie recently 'Appointment with Danger' starring Alan Ladd, No details AL doing his usual stuff, but the business between A and J, very funny. Not intentional comedy you understand, but it made me laugh. If you get the chance have a look.

Anybody remember the entertainments on the piece of waste ground opposite Water Lane police station. The area had been made level and ashed over after the war and it was handy for selling roasted chestnuts on in winter, selling books and magazines, fire eaters, and escape artists from ropes and chains,(not out of the nick itself). I even saw a 'Find the Lady' con man doing his stuff one time, talk about a chancer!

I had a good bike rim too. I remember it was off a real racing bike and I thought the world of that rim. The stick, what can I say, a true round piece of my grandma's old sweeping brush, One Sunday I took the combo' out for a run and finished up at Fox House. By then I was a little thirsty, so I went in the pub' for a glass. When I came out some one had nicked my rim. ********, I had to walk all the way back to Pitsmoor, Sorry about that, I've been trying to get that joke off for years,

Many years ago at the City Hall, a chance remark in a conversation with Albert Colley, was my first memory of the Baltic Bakery. The remark was that his mother had bought shares in the business. Albert was a cousin, I think, to Brian Mooney. Entrepreneurs to the max.

I remembered a gym established on the corner of Bank St and Snigg Hill very early 60's. It was probably the first gym I'd seen that had carpet on the floor and chromed equipment. I think it was called the 'Universal Health Studio' and it had a high pressure sales team that almost stuck their hand in your pocket to get your money.

I can go back as far as 1948. I left school in that year and fancied my chances a playing rugby. However, although quick, I was only about 8 stone. To gain weight I decided weightlifting was the thing. The first gym I trained at was the 'Sheffield All-Rounders', at the bottom of Broughton Lane. The gym was an old workshop, ground and upper floor, and looking back, in as parlous state. It was owned by Henry Holmes, the racing cyclist. But at the safest end of the upper floor they trained on the 'Three Olympics', Press, Snatch, and Clean and Jerk. But I digress. I suspect, that a gym, 'Rex Grays' had been established up around Staniforth Road, for quite sometime. Another good gym was in a big church hall on Nursery Street. The famous 'Raven' on West Street was another. All the gyms were in church halls or at the back of 'boozers' in those days. No machines, just free weight.

I see that a re-run of the 'Bill' is planned on the Drama channel this week.

Anyone remember when a pocket or clasp knife was closed, and it really snapped shut because it had a strong spring, was said to 'talk'.

Listening to radio interview the other day the person being interviewed kept referring to her partner. Her partner this, her partner that and so on. I took that to mean she was unmarried and living with some guy. But no. It was another girl. But enough of that. Time was when two people were living together, unmarried, it was called ' living over the brush'. Anyone remember that?

Believe me Dex, any bread will ever taste like, or will ever smell like, or have the texture of the bread your grandma made. I've had this trouble for years. Another one is Lemon Curd. My grandma' made a lemon curd pie like you wouldn't believe. Never found out the secret don't think I ever will.

I can imagine the squeamish reacting to that but to my mind it's only the same as breastfeeding. How did we get this far? Breastfeeding and a form of regurgitation.

It's 'Clock cowd' innit. ---------- Post added 27-03-2017 at 19:50 ---------- Got that wrong. It's 'clap cowd'. ---------- Post added 27-03-2017 at 19:50 ---------- Got that wrong. It's 'clap cowd'.

Did anyone go to Dronfield Grammer? It seems that if you lived in, for instance, Beighton which would be in Derbyshire pre' 60's, you could get a place there.