Texas

Are you saying TT that the teachers actually 'strapped' you to a bench or something and chastised you in the accepted order of the day?

Really sorry to hear about Nev'. He played tenor sax' with the 'Savoy Quintet' (you might not know who they were.) Why the hell he didn't practise more I'll never understand. RIP indeed. Glad to know you Nev. ---------- Post added 02-03-2017 at 19:35 ---------- Really sorry to hear about Nev'. He played tenor sax' with the 'Savoy Quintet' (you might not know who they were.) Why the hell he didn't practise more I'll never understand. RIP indeed. Glad to have known you Nev.

I remember it well. During the latter days of WW 2 some kids would use it as chewing gum. The real thing wasn't available back then.

Just stumbled on this post, and after screwing around on the 'pewter' for a bit (drops and so forth) I get to the chase. Did Mick have a brother, Tony? And I remember working with Fidler and Tony on the Gleadless Estate a lot of moons ago. Fidler was the clumsiest geezer ever.

Yeah, I certainly remember it, and before, in the 30's and 40's. I always remember it as a 'nice' area. That is as a 'gentile' sort of area. Fairly posh houses, certainly big houses, the kind with the twitchy curtains. Mind you, I was only a kid, so what did I know? All my connections with Fir Vale were via Crabtree Lane, I had relations down there and it was like going for a trip to a country village. Some funny 'ha ha' times at the Laws, that was the name of my relations. All that and the 'Sunbeam' cinema, in second place after the 'Collie, and the 'Roxy' in later years. I made some good friends down that way too. The book in question sounds good and it's on my list.

All these memories of the Raven inspired me to look through my T' shirts. I had one with the name 'Raven', red on a black, done about 20 years ago. The only one in existence. Does the name Harry Henries ring any bells? He trained there for a while.

Back in the mid 50's there was a gym (weight training) at the back, upstairs. You got changed into your kit downstairs then climbed a ladder into the gym proper. It was managed by a guy called Charlie, he worked on the GPO. The weights were all over the place, no racks or anything like that, not like today. Some fairly famous people would go there from time to time. When I say famous I mean in the strength area of sport and athletics. It was like an up-market Sheffield All-Rounders venue, meaning you could train on all the floor area without fear of going through it. Happy days they were.

Tights, you could use them for robbing the corner shop. 'Corner shop', remember them?

I remember it well. Part of my childhood but I never went in when I was old enough. I remember you had to go up three or four steps to get into the pub. I once chucked a 'banger' in there. Down the road to the 'Bacon Box' ( Marshall Tavern), you went down three or four steps.

I suppose it doesn't exist now, but years ago, at least until the 50's, the building at the corner of West St and Trippet Lane was a show room for Wolf Tools. It was full of machinery of various shapes and sizes,a lot of drills I remember. Anybody remember this? You don't see Wolf Drills anymore so I guess the company has been taken over. But what one does see are Wolf gardening tools, high class kit for the keen gardener. I wonder if there is any connection.

Bet you cant remember the diameter of the straw.

Wasn't 'Happydrome' the name of a radio show back in the 40's?

Yes, I remember it. I went there a couple of times with a mate, Bob Hudson. We weren't members or anything but we never got questioned about drinking in there. It would've been in the late 50's.

Anybody remember a tailoring establishment that went by the name of 'Weaver to Wearer? They were a bit like Burtons. I'm not being snooty but if you had your clobber knocked up by the likes of Kearney or Barney Goodman you wouldn't go there.

I see that the great baritone saxophonist, Joe Temperley has died this week. He took Harry Carney's chair with Ellington, and was a member of some terrific bands over the years. He was up there with the greatest. Big Joe now gone, RIP.

I agree, some pubs do sell bad beer.

I have a relative who lives in Lincolnshire who as a plumber by the name of Brian Damms . He also plays piano, writes poetry?? And is a really good bloke.

Both Harry and Laurie were tenor players but Harry featured bass sax usually. I think Laurie took over 'the Pieces' when Harry died. I remember back in the late 50's, the Harry Gold band was guesting at the 'Locarno'. Kenny Napper the bass player ( not in the Pieces of Eight) who was married to a Sheffield girl and was visiting Sheffield at the time, had been dragged down to the 'Locarno' by his missus and she'd also got him up to dance. I mean Kenny was the hippest and when he was shuffling around the floor and Harry Gold recognised him.......... Man, that band took the **** like you've never seen.

Ernestine Anderson RIP.

No, it was the **** Inn. ---------- Post added 07-03-2016 at 19:02 ---------- I should've said 'Male Jungle Fowl'. ---------- Post added 07-03-2016 at 19:09 ---------- Now I am surprised. Nobody has mentioned the 'Bacon Box', originally located on, what was known, as the 'Bank'. This was the bottom bit of Pitsmoor Road. If you'd blinked you'd missed it, the pub I mean, not the road. Don't remember the proper name at all.

Gerron thi 'orse and drink thi' milk!

I think the movie makers aim for more authenticity nowadays than they once did. The Roy Rogers, Gene Autry type movies, although good entertainment at the time, have fallen by the wayside these days. Western themed movies are more realistic and 'gritty' than in bygone days. A recent TV example was 'The Johnson County War'. It starred Tom Berenger, playing the part of Nate Champion, a minor cattleman in Wyoming back in the 1800's. The basic story was all true, only the portrayal of Marshal Canton? was a little 'iffy'. The part was taken by Burt Reynolds, a little out of place I thought. Anyhow, watch it if you get the chance, then look the story up. Surprised to see the sale of booze on a reservation.

He looks a lot like Antonio Fargas.

I saw a mate of mine, back in the 50's, down a pint glass of Barley Wine. It was in the Minerva down Charles St. He didn't do it in one hit, but he certainly did it. Flash git, good though. As for myself, I was refused a second bottle in Jersey, because it was too strong to drink more than one.

The older you get the more bizarre memories begin to surface. I've had one floating around for a while now. When I lived on Fox Street, Pitsmoor, I knew a kid called Brian Scholey, we were in the infants and junior's in the '30's at Pye Bank. Anyhow, I had a copy of 'Observer's Book of Birds,' and, without going into detail, we were looking at this book and came across the picture and text of the Nightjar. Brian said he'd seen them on the Bolehills up Crookes way. We caught a tram' and flogged around for a couple of hours and then went home to Pitsmoor. Quite an adventure. Nowadays, in 'birding parlance, he'd be known as a 'stringer', I think. However, we were only about 10 years old so you have to give a little. What I would like to know, is, have any of today's Ornithologists, Birdwatchers. 'birders', 'twichers', call them what you will, ever recorded, or heard of any record of a Nightjar on the Bolehills? Please though, no jokes about the homo sapiens species of 'birds'.