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Monday 30 May 2011

Web Page 942




Top Picture: A publicity picture from the early 1960’s promoting the mini skirt, who would have thought it would have lasted so long?




Second Picture: This postcard says award winning Portsmouth, how wrong could anyone be, I think most of the residents of Portsmouth were glad to see the Tricorn go.

Fashion


I know that fashion is a subject that I have looked at a couple of times before but very recently I have had three different conversations with ladies of my own age and they all came out with the same basic fashion story. I wonder if ladies you can relate this tale that they all related?

“My Father was dead against modern fashion but Mum usually managed to pour oil over troubled waters whenever I came home with a new dress or skirt that Father did not think ‘proper’. Eventually we came to a compromise as to the length of my skirts and for a time we drifted along on an even keel. However once Father had got used to seeing, and accepting, the skirt length of my favourite skirt I thought that I could quietly make the odd alteration without him noticing. How wrong I was! During the weekday evenings, when I was in my room supposedly doing my homework, I was actually unpicking the hem of my smartest skirt and taking it up about an inch at a time. I though this was very clever as when I went out on Saturday evenings Father had got used to the skirt and passed no comment. But I was not prepared for the observation powers of Father because over three or four weeks the hem of that skirt went up by about an inch at a time and I thought I was very clever getting away with it. But, as we all know, parents are cleverer than we give them credit for and one Saturday evening as I was coming down the stairs getting ready to go out Father looked up at me, then looked at the hem and said ‘there is no way a daughter of mine is going out wearing a skirt like that, it makes you look like a tart, go up and change.’ Of course in those days Fathers word was law so I meekly went up and changed into my second best, longer skirt and he was happy, but he never, ever let me wear that skirt again.”

Does this tale ring any bells girls?

Mind you it was not only you girls who suffered fashion problems. I myself came across it. My mother was dead against winkle picker shoes and I was told that all the time I was at school and they were buying my clothes I would have what they wanted me to wear. Like most of us I managed to get a part time job when I was in my latter years at school, I worked in a garage, for the Post Office and in a record shop. The upshot of this was that I had money of my own. So one Saturday afternoon I plucked up my courage and cycled into Cosham and bought myself a pair of winklepickers, sorry Mary-Ann I did not buy them from your fathers shop, Christophers. Having got them I felt very proud but on the way home I realised that I somehow had to get them into the house and not only that when I wanted to wear them I had to get them out again. I had not thought the problem through. On the way home it dawned on me we lived in a semi detached house and I could get past the kitchen window and into the back garden and from there into the large shed we had half way down the garden. So I developed a plan to creep past the kitchen, up the garden and hide the shoes in the back of the shed. This I successfully managed and I wandered into the house as if nothing was wrong. The two things that I had forgotten were that whenever I wanted to wear the shoes I had to say goodbye, go out the front door get down on my hands and knees and crawl past the kitchen window and once I had reached the shed, which had no electrical power in it, I had to rummage around in the dark until I found the shoes. Of course I had to reverse the process when I came home. This worked well during the winter months and early spring but come the lighter evening my father would often spend some time outside gardening and in so doing putting the retrieval of the shoes impossible. Still by the time the summer came and I was getting ready to go to college the ‘in’ footwear were sandals, Mum did not mind them and so the winkle pickers were left in the back of the shed. I cannot remember ever retrieving them when I left home or even when my parents moved, so if the shed is still being used there could well be a 50 year old pair of winkle pickers wrapped in newspaper jammed between the boards in the back left hand corner! If they are I don’t think I will claim them back!!!

Stay in touch,

Yours,

Peter

DUSTYKEAT@aol.com
Pj.keat@ntlworld.co.uk

You Write:

More from Jonathon:


The chap I reported into on a daily basis at the Coop Bakery was a charge hand called Alex Rose, a dour middle aged Scot.

Did you ever work there. I don't recall names well but there were certainly some characters on my shift. One was a chap who was not completely all there because of his war experiences. He was a POW in WW2 who got involved in one of the infamous "death marches" from central Germany into Russia, he was as tough as old boots and used to do several jobs around the clock. His idea of a summer holiday was lifting potatoes at a farm on Farlington Marshes!!!!!

There were a number of different jobs that I got tasked to do at the bakery. The least favourite was in the Proving space, where you were cut off from the rest of the staff and received a constant stream of machine kneaded dough "lumps" that had to be placed in tins on moving shelves on one side of the space that had been vacated by moving the tins of proved dough and on the other sides's shelves.

Humping huge sacks of flour in the mixing attic was another and my commonest job "oven hand" where I would physically lift and bang out baked bread and simultaneously load proved dough into the oven......2 tonnes an hour!!!!!!

Some days we had the treat of preparing sweet cakes for the coop, this involved taking the cake sponges about 8 inches in diameter. Slicing them through the middle and filling them with cream and jam before boxing them.

News and Views:


Pete Townsend of the Who has announced that he is writing an autobiography. The as-yet untitled tome will be published in Autumn 2012 by HarperCollins.

On this day 29th May 1960-1965.


On 29/05/1960
the number one single was Cathy's Clown - Everly Brothers and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Wagon Train (ITV) and the box office smash was Psycho. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Burnley were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was Sterling Moss wins Monaco Grand Prix.

On 29/05/1961
the number one single was You're Driving Me Crazy - The Temperance Seven and the number one album was GI Blues - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was Probation Officer (ATV) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 29/05/1962
the number one single was Good Luck Charm - Elvis Presley and the number one album was Blue Hawaii - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Lawrence of Arabia. A pound of today's money was worth £12.89 and Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was London share values crash.

On 29/05/1963
the number one single was From Me To You - The Beatles and the number one album was Please Please Me - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth £12.64 and Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 29/05/1964
the number one single was You're My World - Cilla Black and the number one album was Rolling Stones - The Rolling Stones. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 29/05/1965
the number one single was Long Live Love - Sandie Shaw and the number one album was Bringing It All Back Home - Bob Dylan. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's money was worth £11.69 and Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions

Wednesday 18 May 2011

Web Page 940





Top Picture
: A Chinese Checkers Board from the 1950’s





Second Picture:
The outside of the Odeon, North End. This is now a bargain store.

Table Games


I thought in this electronic age I would take a look at the simple games that we played with as kids, games that could be played indoors and on a dining room table and did not need to be plugged in or fitted with batteries.

The first game that came to mind was Chinese Checkers, a game I never really took to and could see little point in, mind you the same went for Ludo and Solitaire! However looking for sheer tension and excitement you really could not beat a good game of Snakes and Ladders even though you nearly always landed on the long snake that was just before the winning square. Chess, Draughts, Monopoly, Totopoly and if you were posh Backgammon sets some or all of these were normally hidden somewhere in the toy cupboard as were the many and varied card games. Now let’s see how many of these card games I can remember. Old Maid, Happy Families, Snap, Pit, Lexicon and Kan-U-Go, there must be more!

Getting towards maths based games we come across some old favourites domino’s, shove halfpenny, bagatelle and cribbage, all of which are still very popular games today although now they have moved away from the children and out of the homes because they are now mainly played in rural public houses.

Back to children’s games on the table, if we were lucky enough to have a largish dining table out would come the Table Tennis or Ping Pong set and after fixing the net onto the table with the clamps, making sure that they did not scratch the polished surface, fast and furious games would ensue until someone stepped on the last ball and flattened it. End of game. The other full tabletop game was Blow Football, this was before Subuteo superseded it. How well I remember placing the goals in the right places, checking my blowing tube or straw and then attempting to huff and puff and blow the ping pong ball into the opponents goal. But children being what they are, the blow tubes soon filled up with spit and dribble and very soon the whole of the table top was covered with little wet pools. This meant the game had to stop the pitch cleaned and dried before the second half could begin. Yuk!!!

While sitting round the table we could of played a game we knew as Housey, Housey, little did we know that with a name change to Bingo this game would sweep the country in a few years time.

Games involving only pencil and paper were always popular noughts and crosses, Beetle, Hangman, consequences, and battleships to name just a few.

My grandmother was a card fanatic, off she would go to the Whist Drive three or four times a week in different hall in the area, but she also played card games with us at home. Beat my Neighbour, Matrimony, 21’s and of course whist were all favourites, others come to mind such as Rummy and patience, I never did get the hang of Bridge and my grandmother and her friends would spend hours around the table playing a game called Bezique, a game I never understood at all!

Then there were the hoards of board games which were very loosely based on popular radio and TV programmes. Do you remember the Dixon of Dock Green Game, the Lone Ranger Game and the Wells Fargo Game? No nor do I but they were all around when we were young!

These are just a few of the games that were around I am sure you can add more to the list, Pick-a-Sticks, has just come into my mind and so has Yahtse. So come on get you thinking caps on and see if we can drag up a few more bygone games.



Stay in touch,

Yours,

Peter

DUSTYKEAT@aol.com
Pj.keat@ntlworld.co.uk


Web page from 9 years ago


We the Over 50's

Maybe I am getting cynical in my old age but ….
We were born before mass television was popular, before penicillin, polio shots, frozen foods, Xerox, plastic bags, contact lenses, Frisbees and the pill. We were born before credit cards, split atoms, laser beams, and ball-point pens; before dishwashers, tumble dryers, electric blankets, air conditioners, drip dry clothes.......
We got married first and then lived together. We thought "fast food" was what you ate in Lent, a "Big Mac" was an oversized raincoat, and "crumpet" was what you had buttered for tea. We existed before househusbands, computer dating, dual careers, when a "meaningful relationship" meant getting along with your cousins, and "sheltered accommodation" was where you waited for the bus. We had never heard of FM radio, tape decks, word processors, yoghurt, pizzas, or young men wearing earrings. For us a "chip" was piece of wood or a fried potato, "hardware" meant nuts and bolts and "software" wasn't even a word. The term "making out" referred to how you did in exams, "stud" was something that fastened your clothes with and "going all the way" meant staying on the double-decker bus to the depot.........
In our day, cigarette smoking was fashionable, "grass" was mown, "coke" was kept in the coal shed, and a "joint" was the piece of meat you ate on Sundays or a connection in a water or gas pipe. "Rock music" was a lullaby for a baby and a "gay person" was always the life and soul of the party.
No wonder we are so confused. And how old are we? We will soon be just hitting 65+! But don’t you tell anyone!!


You Write:

Mary Writes:-


The new stained glass window in St Colmans Church was donated by the Daly girls, and also Lady Daly who was Lady Mayoress during the war. The Daly girls were all past pupils at Daly School in Kingston Crescent. The window is of St Teresa, and at the bottom there is the Guildhall on fire during the war, and the searchlights, very effective I think.





News and Views:


Plans to restore Wymering Manor have received a boost after two heritage groups offered to support a campaign to save the Manor. Both English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund have said they believe the building’s refurbishment should be a priority for the city. English Heritage has agreed to add the deteriorating historic landmark to its ‘at risk’ list, and confirm it as its ‘number one priority’ Portsmouth building. And representatives from the Heritage Lottery Fund have told Portsmouth North MP Penny Mordaunt plans she has developed with local campaigners would be something they could look to fund. The manor, in Old Wymering Road, was built in 1581, and last used in 2006, when it was a youth hostel. It has repeatedly been offered for sale by the council, but has failed to reach its £350,000 minimum price – in part because of woodworm and water damage. Tom Southall, the council’s head of property, said: ‘Wymering Manor is important to Portsmouth’s heritage and we’ll do whatever we can to preserve it. The options available are limited, but we’re looking again at options that will help prevent deterioration.’


On this day 22nd May 1960-1965.

On 22/05/1960 the number one single was Cathy's Clown - Everly Brothers and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Royal Variety Performance (ATV) and the box office smash was Psycho. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Burnley were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 22/05/1961 the number one single was On the Rebound - Floyd Cramer and the number one album was GI Blues - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was Bootsie & Snudge (Granada) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 22/05/1962 the number one single was Nut Rocker - B Bumble & the Stingers and the number one album was Blue Hawaii - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Lawrence of Arabia. A pound of today's money was worth £12.89 and Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 22/05/1963 the number one single was From Me To You - The Beatles and the number one album was Please, Please Me - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Conservative Party Political Broadcast (all channels) and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth £12.64 and Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 22/05/1964 the number one single was Juliet - Four Pennies and the number one album was Rolling Stones - The Rolling Stones. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 22/05/1965 the number one single was Where Are You Now (My Love) - Jackie Trent and the number one album was Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's money was worth £11.69 and Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

Web Page 938

Top Picture
: The Sunshine Inn. Maxi’s Café was where the brick building is on the left.




Bottom Picture
Christophers shoe shop, Cosham High Street





Business Again

Last weeks page about small business really sparked off your interest, so much so that the whole of this weeks page is comprised of two emails I have had, one from Jonathan and one from John. I hope you enjoy them. Also I have added a few comments of my own now and again.

Memories from Jonathan

You mentioned working for a small store and being paid in records and it reminded me of some of the jobs I did as a young teenager growing up with requirements that outstripped the pocket money my parents could afford.

I used to work at an off licence in Cosham stacking bottles on shelves and remember the delightful smells of beer that adhered to the place; but I cannot remember the name of the store. ( could it have been Smeeds ? Peter)

I delivered meat for the Farlington butcher Frank Vine, on a bicycle with a big wicker basket on the front to some of the large houses along the Havant Road. (sounds a bit like Granville to me, Peter)

I delivered Newspapers on my Lambretta scooter for the Newsagents opposite the Sunshine Inn in Farlington now a Tesco's I think. ( was that Bevis ? Peter)

For three years running in my long vacations from college I slaved as a nightworker at the Coop Bakery in Drayton near the railway triangle....I think it is a housing development now. I worked as an oven hand. I know that I used to work in atrocious conditions probably not allowed by Health and Safety these days. The heat and humidity were tremendous and l would lose 2 stone in weight each long vac. My job was to take tins of baked bread out of an open oven, knock out the bread onto a belt and load the empty oven shelf with tins of proven dough. The trays were always moving past the operating opening and if you got it wrong you got burns on the back of your forearms. (I think the head baker at that time was Mr Osborne, Peter.)

I worked at Drings stripping stacks of box blanks so that the boxes could be assembled.

I worked as a guillotine operator at Power Brakes in Paulsgrove. My job was to use a magnetic clamp to lift a sheet of metal from a stack by trapping air under it and sliding it smoothly from the stack onto the guillotine bed then cut pieces to size.....that job used to earn me nasty cuts all over my hands and arms. One poor lad I worked with accepted my output to roll the cut sheets in a set of rollers to form cylinders that would be welded into air reservoirs for lorry braking systems. One day he caught his fingers in the rollers. The protection for the operator was non existent. By the time we heard his screams and the foreman switched off the rollers his arms were up to his wrists in the damned thing and I believe he lost his hands that day.....................my God how things have changed.

I worked as a parcel sorter on nights at the Post Office at Christmas ( so did I, Peter) while I was at college. We used to wait for the train to come in with huge bags of parcels to be sorted into frames filled with sacks for onward delivery to other areas. I persuaded my colleagues to work really hard for half an hour after delivery so that we could play bridge for half an hour before the next train came in.

I worked as a navvy for Charlie Wager on his Caravan Site on Hayling Island called the Odd Spot digging out excavations for septic tanks for his individual caravan sites. I used to dig them so deep that his son Tony used to have to pull me out on completion. 5 shillings an hour.

My very last part time job that I recall was working for the Admiralty as an Assistant Experimental Officer at Gosport Admiralty Experiment Works (AEW) for 6 months between being expelled by the Headmaster of the Southern Grammar School for smoking and refusing to be caned and going up to Emmanuel College. I think I was the only boy in the history of the school who had a place at Oxbridge and got fired!!!!!!!!!

Anida remembers:


I remember Chapman's very well indeed since my Mums best friend lived in their staff accommodation which was a dark and gloomy block of flats next door to the works in Kingston Crescent so we were frequent visitors. I actually knew the area around Kingston Crescent very well since my Great Aunt lived in Malins Road and my Nan in North End. Looking back there were some very lovely houses in the crescent which had been allowed to go to rack and ruin I recall - one reputedly had a ballroom! On the corner of course was Burtons the tailors, I well remember hanging around while the long drawn out process of choosing the material and being measured for a suit was ceremoniously carried out - the Burton chain was started by Montague Burton but did you know that in 1945 they produced the demob suits for men leaving the services which were known as the 'Full Monty' since they consisted of a three piece suit shirt and tie!

As a child a treat was to go and have tea in the cafe above Smith and Vosper in North End, it was all silver service and very posh or so it seemed! Another of my favourite North End shops was McIlroys and I can remember spending many a Saturday afternoon there, possibly before going to the Odeon to see one of the block buster films that you had to buy a ticket for beforehand. I also remember that next door to the Odeon was I think a dry cleaners but they used to have a lady who mended stockings sitting in the window. How far removed are we in this throw away society from having somebody mend the hole in your stockings, no such things as tights then of course!

Verrechias in North End was by the bus stop and as a child I was also fascinated by the enormous ice cream cone advertising piece that stood in the doorway, and of course the Chocolate King was the place for a treat after going to the pork butchers next door but one, another unimaginable shopping experience - a butchers shop that sold the pig, the whole pig and nothing but the pig!

Oh well back to ordering my groceries on line for home delivery - a nod to the past there of course but instead of a boy on a bike its a man in a high tech refrigeratored van, but at least it means I don't have to slog to the shop with all the packing and unpacking that involves!

As for Cadena Cafe, there was one in Southampton, Above Bar, and a Cadena Cake Shop in Waterlooville.


John remembers:-

Another of the food outlets that also spring to mind before McDonald's, KFC & The Pizza Hut was Bert's Cafe on the Southampton Road just west of the Harbour, I was a Paulsgrove boy before moving to Highbury and can vividly remember my Nan who worked for a while at the old Smith Crisp factory opposite Bert's cafe take myself my sister and brother for fish & chips.

Oh well another institution gone.

(Hey how about Maxi’s next to the Sunshine Inn at Farlington, that was another transport café like Berts. Peter)

Thanks for those memories, stay in touch,

Yours,

Peter

DUSTYKEAT@aol.com
Pj.keat@ntlworld.co.uk




You Write:

Mike Writes:


Observations on Growing Older

Your kids are becoming you...and you don't like them...but your grandchildren are perfect!

Going out is good. Coming home is better!

When people say you look "Great"... they add "for your age!"

When you needed the discount, you paid full price. Now you get discounts on everything but you're too tired to use them.

You forget names .... but other people forgot they even knew you!!!

The 5 pounds you wanted to lose is now 15 and you have a better chance of losing your keys than the 15 pounds.

The things you used to care to do, you no longer care to do, but you really do care that you don't care to do them anymore.

You sleep better on a lounge chair with the TV on than in bed. It's called his "pre-sleep".

Remember when your mother said, "Wear clean underwear in case you GET in an accident"? Now you bring clean underwear in case you HAVE an accident!

You miss the days when everything worked with just an "ON" and "OFF" switch..

You used to use more 4 letter words ... "what?"..."when?"... ???

You have a night out but are home by 9:00 P.M. Next week it will be 8:30 P.M.

You read 100 pages into a book before you realize you've read it.

Everybody whispers.

But old is good in some things: old songs, old movies, And best of all, OLD FRIENDS




News and Views:


People magazine that Paul McCartney and his girlfriend for the last four years, Nancy Shevell, are engaged to be married. It would be 68 year-old Paul’s third marriage, 51 year-old Nancy’s second.


On this day 14th May 1960-1965.


On 14/05/1960 the number one single was Cathy's Clown - Everly Brothers and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Wagon Train (ITV) and the box office smash was Psycho. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Burnley were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions

On 14/05/1961 the number one single was Blue Moon - The Marcels and the number one album was GI Blues - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was Bootsie & Snudge (Granada) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 14/05/1962 the number one single was Wonderful Land - The Shadows and the number one album was Blue Hawaii - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Lawrence of Arabia. A pound of today's money was worth £12.89 and Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 14/05/1963 the number one single was From Me To You - The Beatles and the number one album was Please Please Me - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Liberal Party Political Broadcast (all channels) and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth £12.64 and Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 14/05/1964 the number one single was Don't Throw Your Love Away - Searchers and the number one album was Rolling Stones - The Rolling Stones. The top rated TV show was Conservative Party Political Broadcast (all channels) and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 14/05/1965 the number one single was King of the Road - Roger Miller and the number one album was Beatles For Sale - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's money was worth £11.69 and Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

Tuesday 10 May 2011

Web Page 936




Top Picture: Cox’s Hotel, Little Charlotte Street



Bottom Picture: ‘Take a Brick Home’ was the slogan of Neilsons Ice Cream.

A Little Bit of Business


Whilst looking through a book on Portsmouth the other day my eye alighted on the shops and trade names in the background and I soon became aware that many of the names and businesses had long ago disappeared so I thought I would try to remember some of them.

Being a teenager in the 1960’s one of the first shops to come to mind was Weston Harts especially the one in Cosham High Street. It was here that I bought my first record, a 78rpm of Tommy Steele singing Nairobi, now that dates me! However my allegiance to Weston Harts soon waned as I started to work for RA Fraser in Dayton and he had a record department. I served in the shop made deliveries and generally helped out. I did not get paid I received records instead, which started my record collection. Mind you we sold more than records we sold old-fashioned needles (steel and fibre), styli, record cleaners and racks, posters and pictures. Mind you Bob Frazer did sell other things such as vacuum cleaners and fridges as well. Incidentally Steve Carter and his brother Nicky also worked in this shop for a time. One other record shop that I remember was one, which dealt only in second hand records of all sorts. This was the House of Wax in Lake Road but I think this disappeared when that area was redeveloped.

In this modern age where we buy most things from the supermarket we tend to forget the family and larger businesses that our parents relied on when we were kids. Take bakers for instance. What happened to Campions the bakers, Greens, Smith and Vosper and the Coop. They all had shops and they all had regular rounds and would deliver to your door.

Another collection of names, which have now long gone, are those of laundry’s and drycleaners. Now who remembers Chapmans with their works in Kingston Crescent. The Convent of the Cross a strange business for a Convent to be in I always thought. Then there was Brunswick, Bollom and dear old Daisy Dampwash.

As a family we never went out for a meal so the likes of the Swiss Café were never within our grasp but I do remember having tea in the first floor Black Cat Café in Commercial Road and having a milk shake in Marys Milk bar later to become the Palm Court in Cosham High Street. One other name that comes to mind is the Cadena Café but I cannot remember where it was. As I grew up my tastes, along with most youngsters changed and I frequented the first Wimpey bar in Portsmouth, the Manhattan coffee bar in Southsea and of course Verrechias in the Guild hallSquare.Much has been written about this place but I often wonder just how many people remember that there was actually a branch in London Road, North End? Also in the same area were two well known Portsmouth sweet shops, Maynards and The Chocolate King.

As youngsters we did not need petrol and very often the only time we went to a garage was to buy paraffin, but even the petrol company’s have changed. Where did Regent and National Benzole with its cheap grade of Power at 3/10d a gallon go? How do I remember the price? We I like many other kids, Adrian Gee included worked in Smiths garage in Farlington for a time. Anyone who worked in a garage would remember the phrase ‘Four gallons and four shots lad’. The four shots were of an upper cylinder lubricant called Redex, it cost 1d a squirt and was supposed to protect the valves of the engine!

Whilst petrol based we no longer see Southdown buses or coaches or White Heather Luxury Coaches on mystery tours, Byngs Coaches, Portsmouth Corporation service buses or Meatyards Coches and taxis. All gone!

Maybe someone can answer this question for me. Why did top class tobacconists like Finlay’s in Commercial Road always sell walking sticks. It was a long standing tradition but I have no idea how it started.


Now here is a question for you. Who remember Tony’s Crisps? Who owned the company and where were they based.

With demise of the traditional street market in Charlotte Street so much was lost in the redevelopment of the area. Who now remembers the Charlotte Street Cellars and the Cox’s Hotel in Little Charlotte Street? One of the shops on the south side of the street was The Shirt King who sold nothing but shirts, ties, handkerchiefs and socks, there was also a branch in Cosham High Street and I remember buying many a fashion shirt in there.

Every kid liked ice cream but whatever happened to Neilson Cornish ice cream or Eldorado’s drink on a stick?

I suppose the most famous advertising animal act must have been the TV Chimps of Brooke Bond Tea. They toured the country making personal appearances. In fact I understand that back in the 1960’s my step sister in law had her photograph taken with those chimps. An Evening News photographer took the picture so her picture was published in the following days paper.


The more you look back the more you remember Green Shield stamp shops, Timothy Whites & Taylors the chemist, the Home & Colonial Food Stores, Pinks, David Greig the grocer and Liptons were just a few, as were Weaver to Wearer, Hepworths Taylors and Dunns the hatter.

It was a totally different world then.

Stay in touch,

Yours,

Peter

DUSTYKEAT@aol.com
Pj.keat@ntlworld.co.uk

You Write:

Griff Writes abut ‘our ‘enry


" I must be one of the few people who has given Sir Henry Cooper a smack in the face and lived to tell the tale.
In 1972 I was entering Woolworths in Commercial Rd on a very wet and dreary Saturday afternoon. and as I went through the glass swing door my wet hand slipped on the glass door and the door swung back with some force and struck the person behind me who only turned out to be Henry Cooper.
I looked back and apologised profusely. "Oh! I am so sorry Mr. Cooper but my wet hand slipped on the door and I couldn't stop it" Henry replied in his that well mannered fashion of his. That's alright Son, my nose has had bigger things smash into it"
Henry was going into Woolworths to promote Brute aftershave. He use to be the front advertising man for Brute and we all remember the selling catchphrase......"Splash it All Over !"
But not me. I preferred "Tabac" aftershave in those days.

RIP Sir Henry Cooper.


News and Views:


Marie Osmond re-married her first husband on Wednesday May 4th in a ceremony at the Mormon Temple in Las Vegas. The two had been married from 1982 to 1985 before she divorced him for "mental cruelty." Marie wore the same wedding dress as 29 years ago.


On this day 8th May 1960-1965.


On 08/05/1960 the number one single was Cathy's Clown - Everly Brothers and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Wagon Train (ITV) and the box office smash was Psycho. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Burnley were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 08/05/1961 the number one single was Blue Moon - The Marcels and the number one album was GI Blues - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was No Hiding Place (AR) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 08/05/1962 the number one single was Wonderful Land - The Shadows and the number one album was Blue Hawaii - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Lawrence of Arabia. A pound of today's money was worth £12.89 and Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was London trolley buses decommissioned

On 08/05/1963 the number one single was From Me To You - The Beatles and the number one album was Summer Holiday - Cliff Richard & the Shadows. The top rated TV show was Labour Party Political Broadcast (all channels) and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth £12.64 and Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 08/05/1964 the number one single was Don't Throw Your Love Away - Searchers and the number one album was Rolling Stones - The Rolling Stones. The top rated TV show was Conservative Party Political Broadcast (all channels) and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was Comedian Max Miller dies.

On 08/05/1965 the number one single was Ticket to Ride - The Beatles and the number one album was Beatles For Sale - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's money was worth £11.69 and Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

Tuesday 3 May 2011

Web Page 934




Top Picture: Don Lang and his Frantic Five appearing on the 6.5 Special.



Bottom Picture: Southdown Bus Garage, Hilsea

Don Lang

To most of us the name Gordon Langhorn means absolutley nothing but mention the trombone playing group leader of the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, Don Lang, our minds rush back to programmes like the 6.5 Special.

Gordon Langhorn (Don Lang) was born in Halifax on 19th January 1925 and died in London on 3rd August 1992.

DON LANG was that rare species, a popular entertainer and household name during his heyday in the late 1950s who still retained the respect of his fellow jazz musicians and the critics alike. A natural performer, he could stir an audience to cheers with one of his 300-words-a-minute patter songs (remember The Auctioneer?) and the next instant pick up his beloved trombone and play a sublime jazz ballad in the style of his favourite artist, Bill Harris.

Don had the large physique even as a child to follow his father and also his grandfather into professional rugby football but preferred first the piano, then double bass, only progressing to trombone at 21 after hearing recordings of the American jazzman Jack Teagarden. An obvious natural, he was soon asked to play with the local dance bands while still working daytime as an electrician. But his first fully professional engagement, on the Isle of Man in 1947 and this really set the course for the rest of his life.

He spent engagements with several bands especially the Peter Rose and the Teddy Foster orchestras which led to a telephone call from Vic Lewis who was then putting together what he termed a 'progressive' big band to tour Europe and he wanted someone with a creative trombone style. As a featured soloist, he cut a series of fine solos on Vic Lewis recordings such as 'Sunday Girl' and 'The Man I Love'.

It was during the next four years when he was with the Ken Macintosh Orchestra that he began to sing regularly, initially as a gag with the in-house vocal quartet called the Macpies but, as his confidence grew, also as a solo and he often broadcast as a vocalist. It was with Ken Macintosh that he co-wrote and recorded the hit instrumental 'The Creep', which was covered no less than 17 times in the US alone, notably by Stan Kenton.

Encouraged by his success and tired of spending his life 'up and down the A5', Don decided to form his own group and develop his style. After producing his own demonstration record in his own style he was immediately signed up by HMV in 1955 and the resulting record, 'Cloudburst', was an instant success. Now renamed Don Lang, this name was chosen on the premiss that 'the shorter the name, the bigger the billing', he was chosen with his band the Frantic Five to be one of the cornerstones of the new BBC informal 'teenage' show The Six Five Special in 1959. As most of us will remember he also sang the theme song to the show, ( Over the points, over the points, Over the points etc)

After signing for the BBC Don appeared for two years as resident accompanist on the show and he also performed in his own right every week on live television. His repotoire included such hits as 'Six Five Hand Jive', 'Red Planet Rock' and 'I Want You To Be My Baby'.

Whilst enjoying his popularity and a firm believer in giving the public what it wanted, on the demise of the Six Five Special he retained his firm foothold in the jazz and big-band fields, but continued to make successful records like 'The Witchdoctor'. As a music reading musician the popularity of the Merseybeat did not affect him as badly as many of the other rock-and- rollers: indeed it helped him to survive, in fact when he was working as a session man on the recording on the Beatles ‘White Album’ John Lennon actively sought him out to say hello.

Working in cabaret with his own band and as a featured soloist with larger bands he worked throughout the Seventies and early Eighties, but the last few years saw him in virtual retirement, apart from the occasional rock-and-roll revival show and some rehearsal band workouts just to keep his lip and trombone in good shape.

He was a strong but gentle man, who could keep people amused for hours over a long lunch, he retained the affection and respect of both the public and the many musicians in all spheres who knew him. Typically his long fight with cancer was born bravely and with humour. He died in London on 3rd August 1992.


Stay in touch,

Yours,

Peter

DUSTYKEAT@aol.com
Pj.keat@ntlworld.co.uk

You Write:

Mary Writes:

Hi Peter, just read your site. Many thanks for a very interesting morning - I have spent a lot of time reminiscing! St Colmans Church - my next door neighbour is very involved there, and they have been fundraising for a very long time for a new stained glass window, which has now been installed.


Cosham Park House was for further education and I attended there for a calligraphy course, it is now a Doctors surgery.

I also regularly went to the Savoy on Friday's Big Band nights.

I moved into Kinross Crescent in 1956 I think we were the second people to buy it, and I have at the back of my mind that it was one of the show houses, the block of 3 numbers 1,3, & 5.

My son Gordon went to a Nursery School in Court Lane, just opposite the Manor House, and another pupil was the son of Drs Stock and Lunt who lived in Magdala Road. They were our Doctors, and they sold their practice just over 30 years ago to Dr Allcock, who is still our Doctor and has his own Health Practice in Cosham, where his 2 daughters are also dentists.

Gloria writes:-

My husband says Bond made the three wheeler cars featured last week.



News and Views:

What a shame to here of the death of ‘Our ‘enry’.

Sales of specially-designed Keith Richards T-shirts have raised $138,000 for victims of earthquake-and-tsunami ravaged Japan, according to his web site.

On this day 1st May 1960-1965.

On 01/03/1960 the number one single was Why - Anthony Newley and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was not listed and the box office smash was Some Like It Hot. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Burnley were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was First plain paper photocopier introduced.

On 01/03/1961 the number one single was Sailor - Petula Clark. The top rated TV show was The Army Game (Granada) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth 13.25 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was Bootsie & Snudge (Granada).

On 01/03/1962 the number one single was Rock-a-Hula Baby/Can't Help Falling In Love - Elvis Presley and the number one album was Blue Hawaii - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Lawrence of Arabia. A pound of today's money was worth £12.89 and Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was 93 die in New York plane crash.

On 01/03/1963 the number one single was The Wayward Wind - Frank Ifield and the number one album was Summer Holiday - Cliff Richard & the Shadows. The top rated TV show was Labour Party Political Broadcast (all channels) and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth £12.64 and Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 01/03/1964 the number one single was Anyone Who Had a Heart -Cilla Black and the number one album was With the Beatles - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Labour Party Political Broadcast (all channels) and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 01/03/1965 the number one single was I'll Never Find Another You - Seekers and the number one album was Beatles For Sale - The Beatles.
The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's money was worth £11.69 and Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.