Web Page 1078

22nd September 2012 (Happy birthday Mrs K.)

Top Picture: Commercial Road 1950

Middle Picture: Lineside fire

Bottom Picture: Early 1960’s train Spotters Book

Firstly lets welcome two new school pals, John Dean and he has also sent some photos which will be put on soon. 

Also it was great to hear from Pam Hammond and to add her onto our contact list. She also tells me she has some photographs from school days. 

It is amazing as soon as I think that there is no one else out there to contact more and more people come aboard. Its great especially as it is now 50 years (more for some) since we all left school.

Its amazing what some folks will admit to. I had the following sent to me recently.

Trouble on the Lineside.

I'd like to take you back to the summer of 1960. The grass was brown and parched and the afternoon temperature very hot. As a 13 year old I was member of a train spotting gang and our 'manor' was an area in the South West - through which the London to West Coast Mainline passed. We met there every day that summer and stayed well into late evening, collecting train numbers and making enjoyment (for enjoyment read childish 'mischief') in whatever way we could. We were a mix of ages from twelve to sixteen, and a few of the elder members of our gang occasionally smoked the odd 'No. 6' a brand that was popular at the time.

As everybody knows, smoking goes hand in hand with camp fire making, and the order of the day as the early evenings arrived and the temperature dropped to a bearable 20 degrees was a small camp fire consisting of logs and sticks, with fresh potatoes plucked from the cupboards of our various homes while are parents attention was diverted. These served as a delicious impromptu dinner as we told rude jokes and generally misbehaved.

Early one evening in the late summer we were gathered around the camp fire, waiting for the last express of the day to pass through from the Midlands and the horseplay commenced as usual, only a bit more boisterous than in previous evenings. We started to have a roast spud fight. I'd just been struck right behind the left ear with a sizzling spud, which made a popping sound as it exploded around my skull, much to the delight of my friends. In revenge, I scooped up the biggest, blackest old King Edward I could find and with all the finesse of Fred Trueman I launched it in the direction of the perpetrators head. My mate was a keen sportsman and possessed lightning quick reflexes and with little effort managed to dodge the burning projectile with ease. Unfortunately for me and my pals, it didn't miss the embankment, and within seconds of the spud landing the whole embankment - for about 400 yards - was engulfed in a giant wall of flame. Panic commenced and after quickly extinguishing and trying to conceal evidence of the campfire we skulked back to our homes where we set about showering and washing our clothes so as to avoid the wrath of our Dads "For lighting fires- again".

Some time later, my mum came in and asked me nonchalantly how I'd enjoyed my day's train spotting. "Oh, no problems, it was good" I replied without looking up. "That's strange then." She replied "As I just heard on the radio that the whole of the West of England AND the London main lines have been closed for more than two hours because of a line side fire in this area, I don't suppose YOU know anything at all about that, do you?" I don't think even my tan could hide my red face, although Mum did give me the benefit of the doubt. I went to bed shortly after, mainly because I couldn't think of anything to say without incriminating myself! Now with the benefit of hindsight and age, I would like to apologise, not only for the stupidity of lighting camp fires on dry embankments but also to all the holiday-makers who were packed into stuffy trains for hours on end, the commuters whose journeys home was needlessly extended, the train crews who sat at Danger signals, the guards who were no doubt the subject of torrents of abuse from angry travellers and most of all to the firemen and the police who had a very busy evening.

Stay in Touch

Peter

DUSTYKEAT@aol.com

Pj.keat@ntlworld.co.uk

You Write:

I have enjoyed the book and my brother loves his copy. He said it brought back many happy memories. We used to go to the Odeon for Saturday morning cinema and sometimes spend our bus fare on a cake. We would walk home to Farlington. We loved the cowboy films. My brother says he remembers that with a great deal of happiness. We played on Farlington Marshes , the chalk pits and I can remember going to Deadmans Wood. There always seemed to be plenty to do. I can remember some of the people who ran the shops in both Drayton and Cosham. Mr and Mrs Allen who ran the drapers in Drayton. Then there was Mr and Mrs Dennis who owned the chemists. Our shoes were always bought at the shoe shop in Drayton. My father would often walk to Fishy Francis if my parents fancied fish and chips  for a late supper but that was a rare treat. In Cosham High Street my parents knew the people who ran the pawn shop as Dad had done work for them. We were quite friendly with Frank and Rose Arnett who owned the wet fish shop. They were lovely people. All of this ended in the summer of 1959 when we moved to the countryside between Denmead and Hambledon and what fun that was!!! 

News and Views:

Johnny Mathis has cancelled shows for the next several months to undergo a second right hip replacement. Johnny had both hips replaced in 1998 and 1999.

On this day 22nd September 1960-1965

On 22/09/1960 the number one single was Apache - The Shadows and the number one album was Down Drury Lane to Memory Lane - A Hundred and One Strings. The top rated TV show was No Hiding Place (AR) and the box office smash was Psycho. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 22/09/1961 the number one single was Reach for the Stars / Climb Ev'ry Mountain - Shirley Bassey and the top rated TV show was "Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25. The big news story of the day was Take Your Pick (AR)".

On 22/09/1962 the number one single was She's Not You - Elvis Presley and the number one album was Best of Ball Barber & Bilk. 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 Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 22/09/1963 the number one single was She Loves 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 Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 22/09/1964 the number one single was You Really Got Me - Kinks and the number one album was A Hard Day's Night - Beatles. 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 Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 22/09/1965 the number one single was Make It Easy On Yourself - Walker Brothers and the number one album was Help - 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 Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.