FCH Revisited ...anyone remember me?

[waddy 10]

My nan was in the fulwood cottage homes as a child she was born in 1907 and I think she would have been about 10 when she went in.She then went into service.Her younger sisters were also in there and went to mayfield school.

[SputnikBoy 10]

I do believe that the other person that lived in conduit road had a dog's name and a cat.

 

Hmm ...the other person with the dog's name would have to have been Rex. Not sure about the cat ...Blackie, I believe, who happened to be a stray. So long ago but still very clear in my memory banks.

 

How are you, Rex? Are you still in the Shetlands or are you by now Australia bound? I look foward to catching up with you in late-March.

 

I haven't participated on the forum for some time. I just call in every now and again to check it out. However, I would like to thank the other posters that have contributed since I was last here. You have raised a few names and places, anlabystreet, that I'd all but forgotten. The David Lane Chapel, for instance, brought back memories of a long walk to and from from FCH. I seem to recall blackbery bushes along the way. Was it a Mr. Marsden who preached at that chapel? He was VERY old - perhaps 40 - and, bless his soul, very boring to we young kids. I would love to know what happened to both he and the chapel.

 

If there are any newcomers to the forum who had previously missed this thread and can contribute ...PLEASE DO.

[anlabystreet 12]

Hmm ...the other person with the dog's name would have to have been Rex. Not sure about the cat ...Blackie, I believe, who happened to be a stray. So long ago but still very clear in my memory banks.

 

How are you, Rex? Are you still in the Shetlands or are you by now Australia bound? I look foward to catching up with you in late-March.

 

I haven't participated on the forum for some time. I just call in every now and again to check it out. However, I would like to thank the other posters that have contributed since I was last here. You have raised a few names and places, anlabystreet, that I'd all but forgotten. The David Lane Chapel, for instance, brought back memories of a long walk to and from from FCH. I seem to recall blackbery bushes along the way. Was it a Mr. Marsden who preached at that chapel? He was VERY old - perhaps 40 - and, bless his soul, very boring to we young kids. I would love to know what happened to both he and the chapel.

 

If there are any newcomers to the forum who had previously missed this thread and can contribute ...PLEASE DO.

well david lane chapel is still there..as are all those cottages round the corner ...in fact most of those farms in the mayfield valley ....yes i remember those blackberries on the left side of the hill going up back towards fch..it was worth the long walk to get at them...all gone now though....in those days before the mass ownership of cars they grew profusely with only a few locals and the "homers" to pick them.i can't remember the old boy at the chapel ...i was more interested in all those apples at harvest festival...do you remember at christmas the old "news theatre" later to become the classic cinema in fitzalan square gave us all a treat to a film show..and as we went in they gave us all sweets and an orange...it was like winning the pools.....and the staff were lovely...how nice to be treated like we were loved..and such a change...a management and their workers with genuine compassion for all those kids.... i remember thinking how much i would have loved to be taken home by one of them......i remember climbing up the wall at the top side of fch and seeing those glider enthusiasts in the corn field ...people with plenty of money to buy one of those in times of austerity for the working classes....i was in there from 1951 to 1956 so i must have seen you at some time in there cos everybody knew everybody else...it was a social gathering on those swings on the bottom field...

[flyer 10]

When talking David lane chapel is that the tiny little one almost alongside the old village school ,during my stay at F.C.H only about 6of us attended, most everyone else went to the CofE church,the old minister would bring us water in an old pewter jug(no running water),revisiting with my new wife in 65 how tiny it looked ,but that walk was the best about my stay in Fullwood.&yes i remember the blackberries well , also the turnips we stole fm the farmer's mound,braking them on the rd munching on chunks all all the way to school,the farmer must have just felt sorry for us because he never said anything.

[SputnikBoy 10]

well david lane chapel is still there..as are all those cottages round the corner ...in fact most of those farms in the mayfield valley ....yes i remember those blackberries on the left side of the hill going up back towards fch..it was worth the long walk to get at them...all gone now though....in those days before the mass ownership of cars they grew profusely with only a few locals and the "homers" to pick them.i can't remember the old boy at the chapel ...i was more interested in all those apples at harvest festival...do you remember at christmas the old "news theatre" later to become the classic cinema in fitzalan square gave us all a treat to a film show..and as we went in they gave us all sweets and an orange...it was like winning the pools.....and the staff were lovely...how nice to be treated like we were loved..and such a change...a management and their workers with genuine compassion for all those kids.... i remember thinking how much i would have loved to be taken home by one of them......i remember climbing up the wall at the top side of fch and seeing those glider enthusiasts in the corn field ...people with plenty of money to buy one of those in times of austerity for the working classes....i was in there from 1951 to 1956 so i must have seen you at some time in there cos everybody knew everybody else...it was a social gathering on those swings on the bottom field...

 

 

How comforting to know that the David Lane Chapel is still there. I seem to recall that the entire area was somewhat peaceful and rural. Is it still like that or did the greedy land developers move in and muss up the place?

 

It's great to be able to converse with someone who 'was there' even tho' I can't place you personally in the picture, anlaby. Since I was probably the oldest boy in Cottage #9, I was later assigned office duty at the main entrance of the home. Since it was rather an honor to be office boy I never complained about being there at night all on my lonesome but, the truth is, I was scared stiff. I survived many a potential heart attack when someone would appear out of the darkness thru' the main gates. There were not many vehicles so most people were on foot and would appear without warning. Had I been there longer I might have suggested that everyone returning to the home at night be given a cowbell to wear around their necks. Little wonder that I'm now emotionally scarred ...just kidding!

 

I do recall the play area of course ...the swings and some kind of a metal rocking horse if I remember rightly. I remember one boy (whose name I know but will with-hold) who would perform some rather lewd practices at times ...just to gain attention probably. He was also subject to taking epileptic seizures which I and others found to be rather scary. Those images stayed with me into adulthood. I now have a friend of a friend who is an epileptic and, while I'd much sooner they didn't occur, of course, I'm much better these days at dealing with these situations.

 

I'll pobably keep recalling events, names, and places pertaining to FCH. Nice to have you around, anlaby (and others), to help me relive some of the memories.

[anlabystreet 12]

yes....nobody suffered on their own in that place....the more i think about it the more comes to mind......bad as it were then i would love to live there now....all executive housing...makes my suburban semi a little plain....they never come on the market for sale...i keep checking..it was frightening living there then but we only ever get one childhood and no matter how wretched it is its still remembered.......i remember when i was in there two songs always on the radio...one was doris day singing que sa ra ra (thats kay ser ra ser ra in english money and one called i love to go a wandering...dont know who sang that.i think i might know who the lewd practice kid was...did it involve a drink and a rusty tin at the bottom of the field where the swings were....???...

[anlabystreet 12]

yes....nobody suffered on their own in that place....the more i think about it the more comes to mind......bad as it were then i would love to live there now....all executive housing...makes my suburban semi a little plain....they never come on the market for sale...i keep checking..it was frightening living there then but we only ever get one childhood and no matter how wretched it is its still remembered.......i remember when i was in there two songs always on the radio...one was doris day singing que sa ra ra (thats kay ser ra ser ra in english money and one called i love to go a wandering...dont know who sang that.i think i might know who the lewd practice kid was...did it involve a drink and a rusty tin at the bottom of the field where the swings were....???...

no....thats one area that still looks the same almost....all the way to forge dam....we often go up there for sunday walks.....you can see it all on google earth.......all that grass area in the middle of fch has been made into gardens.......and....you can no longer go through the top gate near the water tower....its now somebodys garden....

[pauly1664 10]

i think my mum and her sister were in the homes.........although im not sure.if anyone was there in the 40s send me a msg

[AMB60 10]

My dad was also there from 1929-early 1940s,has many tales to tell!!

[flyer 10]

I seem to think that for some of the poorer folk it was almost automatic ,that when mum was having a baby the rest of the kids got put in short term home's Fullwood (ithink)was more long term,Iknow some kids got put in two or three time's.over the yrs .

[anlabystreet 12]

well i dont know if anybody remembers this about winnie edge the foster mother from hell in cottage 1....there was one little lad in there called edward stacey who always came home from school and had wet himself every day....the poor kid had gone through a lot of trauma...so winnie edge said "the first time you come home dry i will put the flag out...sure enough when he did she put the union jack out of the window....thats all that kid needed...to be shown up in front of the whole crowd...

[flyer 10]

well i dont know if anybody remembers this about winnie edge the foster mother from hell in cottage 1....there was one little lad in there called edward stacey who always came home from school and had wet himself every day....the poor kid had gone through a lot of trauma...so winnie edge said "the first time you come home dry i will put the flag out...sure enough when he did she put the union jack out of the window....thats all that kid needed...to be shown up in front of the whole crowd...

 

I think the Bull fm #2 39-46 plus could go one better for nastyness ,I remember one lad dragged in fm the blitz both parents killed,wet the bed first night, the penalty for wetting the bed was a good pasting with the flat paddle,fm the blitz to when i left in 46 he got a pasting every day of his life I think the Bull & winnie edge must have been taking lesson's fm each other for the right to become the queen of evil (i do know Edge was one evil bitch).