Web Page  No 2128

1^st February 2015

Top Picture: Morris Bristow’s AA bike

 Middle Picture: Another sign of summer, the open top bus service.

Lower Picture: Coaches waiting for tour customers 1950

Bottom Picture: Jerry ‘Here comes summer’ Keller

Here Comes Summer!

I know that it is only February but hopefully Spring is only just round the corner, but do you remember this time of year when we were kids? The weather was either wet or cold or both, the evenings were long and dark and going out meant wearing coats, scarves, gloves and even sometimes hats.

We could not wait for those long cold, dark evenings to disappear and we looked for the first sign of spring and the official start of Summer Time. But what actually marked the coming of summer? We all know daffodil’s and crocus’ but there were other more subtle changes in daily life that may have been forgotten, so let me try to remind you of some.

To start with the Ice Cream man would resume his interrupted round much to the delight  of the local kids and the Corona man also would start to appear again selling his bubbly drinks, but other deliveries like the coalman and the paraffin delivery man in his pink van were no longer being required and so would go off  into hibernation.

One of the sure signs that summer was on the way would be change of uniforms. I do not know the official change over date (doubtless someone will tell me) but the crews on both the Southdown and Corporation buses would suddenly appear in stone coloured linen jackets and with white covers over the top of their uniform caps. When you saw this you knew that Summer was coming.

Other uniforms were also affected. My father had a friend, Morris Bristow, who was an AA patrolman and he dreaded the summer coming because he could never remember where he had put his white hat cover when he put it away the previous year. For many years he was a motorcycle patrolman out on the motorcycle and side car so a white top did not apply but it did when he moved into the luxury of an AA van. Back to the motorbike and sidecar; when I was a young lad he would call in if he had a quiet patrol and would sit me on top of the side car tool box and take me for a spin around our back garden. Imagine my surprise when many years later I visited the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu and there on display was his bike a BSA M21 registration number YUC 593 and as of last June it was still there. Take a look at the photograph and see but unfortunately the sign on the sidecar  in the picture does not mention the highly irregular garden trips that this particular bike made. Whilst talking about road patrols I believe that the RAC also used white hat toppers on their uniform caps in the summer.

Another sign of summer was the appearance of the deck chair attendant along Southsea front (where did they all go in the winter?). The attendant was always male, I never remember a female attendant, complete with his long buff coloured storekeepers coat with the Portsmouth coat of arms on the lapels, a Corporation employees cap with white top, ticket machine and money pouch.

At this time all the seaside kiosks would be open as was the pier. Another seaside sales person was the photographer. I only got caught once when I was walking along the front with Jenny and we were caught by a ken photographer and were persuaded to buy the photograph he said he had taken. However we did have to pose for another one which actually turned out very well when it arrived. I still have my copy and I know that Jenny still has hers!

The other thing on the seafront that heralded summer was the opening of the Coach Tour ticket kiosks. I expect we can all remember the rows of coaches lined up along the prom ready to take the visitors on a day trip. Coach company’s such as White Heather, Byngs and Meatyards all offered a jolly day out on four wheels.

Just about Easter time the Hilsea Lido swimming pool would open providing salt water bathing in a sheltered position. Isn’t it a shame that when the built the M275 the contractors managed to bury the sea water intake pipe and so it was decided to fill it with fresh water instead and so Portsmouth lost the only salt water swimming pool that it had.

As I have said before, it all happened a long time ago. But finally do you remember the song ‘Here comes summer’ by Jerry Keller?

Stay in touch

Peter

DUSTYKEAT@aol.com

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News and Views:

On this day 1^st February 1960-1965

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