Growing up in Bootle - Time to reflect

[bob. b]

Just thinking about times growing up in Bootle.

Loved my days in Canal Street what great people who lived there then they moved us away. It all came tumbling down, but we never forgot them times in Canal Street.

Going to name some great people in the street lets start it off...

Seddons
Johnsons

Then we can expand this...

Bobby

[Mack]

Hiya Bob,

I've moved you post over here for more replies.

For me it's Croxteth Road, Herftord Road, Linacre Road and Bailey Drive for many happy memories and friends.

Bezzies,

Mack

[EdMcDonald]

What on earth were you doing in Bailey Drive.

[Mack]

Played footy and picnics on the Central Reservation there Ed. Also used to play ollies in the middle of the road. Happy Daze

Mack

[EdMcDonald]

Hi Mack I used to live in 51 Bailey Drive before moving to the prefabs in Bridle Road 1956. Not much traffic in them days. Played lots on the island in the middle. If you found any "Ollies" they were probably mine from days past.

[Mack]

Hi Ed,

How mad is that. You used to live 2 doors away from my mum and dads.

[EdMcDonald]

What # was that. Twists was 49 Parry was 53 .Jardine 55.
Wow.

[Mack]

Can't give the exact address Ed on our public forum for security reasons however you lived very close

Mack

[EdMcDonald]

You mean all those nice girls I used to court in Bailey Drive. I might be your --------------------------------grandad

[Mack]

YUP!

[Dan]

One of Bobhamo's photos from the Bootle Grammar thread.

Label is 1960/61 Form 2 Alpha. That would be 12/13 year olds.



Four lads still in short trousers.

Remember when getting your first pair of longies was a rite of passage?

Made me check, St Martin's 1964 Theta One. First intake at Salesian College. 11/12 years old.

Five lads still wearing short trousers.

[Invicta]

Grammar pic , Front third from left Alan Murch, front end right Norman Gwyther ex Netherton Moss. K

[bob. b]

Great to see you posting Ken

Bobby

[bob. b]

Ken start posting mate

[Dan]

Replying to Ashok on the Burman thread with "The Happy Wanderer" struck a chord.

In the 2nd year at Holy Ghost Juniors, why in god's name did we have to sing sea shanties?

It was every week, some kind of national broadcast through the big radio speakers on the classroom wall.

"What shall we do with a drunken sailor?"

The nursery class at Crosby library now sing "What shall we do with a lazy Katie?" Poor drunken sailor's on the dole.

Oh God. We also use to sing Stephen Foster's minstrel songs. "The Camptown Races" anyone

Then there was the one about, hearts of oak are our ships, jolly tars are our men, steady boys steady.

Just remembered it went on, "we'll fight and we'll conquer again and again." We were only 8

Dear god. Can't remember if our faces were painted with woad for those lessons.

"D'ye ken John Peel with his coat so gay?" I mean really.

There was a lot more, but I think my PTSD has sublimated them into my subconcious.

[Dan]

Couldn't imagine growing up without comics.

The Victor being a particular favourite.

[filsgreen]

Too right, Dan, Billy's Boots was my favourite. Think he was in the Scorcher.

[Dan]

Scorcher was right Phil. The great Billy Dane following in the boot steps of Dead - Shot Keen.

[bob. b]

Oh Fantastic Dan

[Dan]

Another one of my favourites from the early years.

[Dan]

Remember this?

[bob. b]

Oh Yes

[Dan]

From Nicky Allt's twitter feed.

First time through these turnstiles, Wednesday August 25 1965. I was 12 .

Liverpool 0 Sheffield United 1 (Mick Jones 66')

Admission 6d.

[filsgreen]

It was seven shillings, Dan and decimilisation didn't start till February1971. .

[bjones]

Phil I think Dan is relating his own experience of the boys’ pen to an obviously 70s (look at those bermo’s ) pic.
Anyway what happened to reminiscing about comics....what about Alf Tupper, the tough of the track?

[Dan]

Correct Bee. Including bus fare, from Netherton and back, and a programme, total cost was 1s 10d.

Had Alf Tupper in the files.

I was looking for;

a) Alf eating fish and chips out of the paper, and

b) Alf saying" Garn, I run 'em" as he breaks the tape.



Straight out of The Victor.

One of my favourites was Pickford. A great footballer who used to die, then reappear decades later as a great footballer.

The other was a cricketer who used to bend backwards over his wicket, then spring up a smash the ball to the boundary.

I really oughtn't be storing stuff like this in my brain.

[Dan]

Just been reading the Linacre Lane thread.

Bobhamo used a word I haven't heard in donkey's years, "The Washetaria".

Try explaining that to someone born after 1990.

"You did what???"

"Didn't everyone have a washing machine?"

Remember my mum doing the washing in the big ceramic sink in the kitchen, (it was big enough to be our bath on Saturday nights.)

Then we went posh and got a second hand, gas - fired, boiler. We had a wooden paddle to stir the washing.

This post is turning into a Monty Python sketch.

"Wooden paddle? Sheer luxury. We had to get into the boiler and tread the washing in our bare feet."

[Invicta]

What no “dolly tub “ in your house Dan? Ken

[Dan]

It was Sarah's Croft not Coronation Street, Ken.

My mum and dad used to talk about the dolly tubs and dolly blue bags in Brasenose Road, much to our amusement.

In fact, we used to fall over laughing at them.

[Invicta]

I saw one on Bargain Hunt , it went for £70 K

[bjones]

Errrr I remember my mum using a dolly blue for the net curtains and I’m younger than you Spuddy Edwards! Also the old dolly tub used to get dragged out of the shed to hold the whitewash when our dad did the backyard walls. You council house kids didn’t know you were born.... back to the Pythons .

Btw ta for Tupper. I still read the Victor until I was 39, change of job meant I no longer got the hand-me- down from the colleague who was still buying it at 34.

[Dan]

School dinners.

From the National Archive site.

"From 1907, when they began, school meals had to meet certain nutritional standards.

These were abolished in 1981: kitchens could serve up what they liked provided it made money; children could buy what they liked.

Recently, the government has become worried about child health issues such as malnutrition, but also obesity.

Nutritional rules have been re-imposed."

Who could have foreseen abandoning nutritional standards in 1981 could have led to problems???


The result of introducing the School Meals Act 1906

The number of school meals provided rose from 3 million in 1906 to 9 million in 1910 and 14 million in 1914.


Started staying to school dinners in the Holy Ghost annexe around 1963.

The food was prepared in a central Bootle Council kitchen and despatched around the borough in (sky blue?) vans.

Only things I didn't like was white fish with mash and peas, prunes, semolina, tapioca and cheese pie with onion in it.


Salesian was a different kettle of fish, so to speak.

The food was prepared on site and was a cut above the council meals.

The staff didn't have to prepare so many meals, and they were working in a modern kitchen.

The only thing I hated was rock cake. We wore blue blazers made of sponge(the material not the cake).

Trying to eat rock cake and custard, one slip of the spoon and your blazer was covered in custard.

It soaked in immediately. It looked like we were wearing camouflage jackets, designed for a blue and yellow jungle.

[bjones]

Dan , having worn one of those foam backed blazers is a real clue to your age. That stuff was really popular mid to late 60s. Horrible stuff, anything made of it could stand up on it’s own. The advantage was that it could be washed out, unlike the grotty melton blazers we wore.

[Dan]

Bee, we wore them in the early years at the Salesian, from September 1964 until about 1967.

Fall over in the playground and the arm of your blazer would be shredded, beyond patching.

Looking back, it was hilarious. I think the idea for The Walking Dead came from seeing us at St Martin's.

And when it rained you'd weigh about two stone heavier.

And they were a weird shade of light blue - they screamed out "Punch me please".

[Dan]

Some photos from the Liverpool Echo.

August 4 1964 Woolworth's Kirkby. How things have changed.



I can remember young girls used to knock on their neighbours' doors and ask if they could mind the baby.

My mum would put me in the pram and a girl called Carmel, who lived at number 15, would walk me up and down the street.


Two photos taken March 18 1965 Kirkby





July 20 1966 Sefton Park