Peter Keat 1946 - 2024

Peter’s Last Post

This post is coming from David, Peter's son. I am very sad to say that my father is now termanally ill with a prignosis of a short illness. His family is with him in Hospital giving as much support and love as posssible. He wanted me to pass on his thanks for all the support he has had from you all over the years. Personally i lnow how proud he was and how much he loved writting blogs for you all to read. One last short memory from my beloved Dad to pass on to you all. He sat up in bed yesterday and said "ive just remember what it was like walking to school in the snow" Thank you all and take care David Keat

Web Page 3043

First Picture: Saveen and Dogs

Second Picture: Seveen and Daisy May

Third Picture; Saveen and wide boy doll

Fourth Picture Peter Brough and Archie Andrews Saveen Albert Saveen was born Albert Edward Langford on the 27 May 1914 and died on 14th April 1994. He was well know as a ventriloquist when we were youngsters he was normally known as the by the single name Saveen. His most famous puppet character was a little girl called Daisy May who hosted her own radio on the Light Programme Saveen was born in Southwark, London, he worked for a printing company before being injured in a bomb explosion in the Second World War. While recuperating, and exercising using only one lung at a time, he developed a ventriloquism technique that produced a girlish voice, with which he entertained his fellow troops. He made a tiny wooden schoolgirl dummy, Daisy May, and she was later was discovered by impresario Val Parnell. Saveen made his first BBC radio appearances in 1945, and in 1950 had his own regular show, Midday with Daisy May. He also made frequent appearances on television and in the variety halls in the 1950s and 1960s. He used 14 different puppet characters in all, including a cockney boy dummy who was called "Andy the Spiv", and he incorporated into his act two dogs (one dummy and one real). The puppet dog used to say "Drop Dead!" or ”Ah! Shut up ” in a very droll posh voice whenever Saveen spoke to him or when the puppet dog would continually yap at it. At the end of the stage act, Saveen, who was always immaculately dressed in a tail suit and smoking a cigarette, the puppets would be packed into a tidily in a suitcase, and appeared to be heard arguing with each other as Saveen and the real dog left the stage. The act was often billed as "Daisy May assisted by Saveen". Daisy May almost seemed to have her own life and she had her own bank account and telephone number. Roy Hudd wrote that, on one occasion, he rang to speak to Saveen; "Daisy May" answered the phone and insisted that Roy Hudd could not speak to Saveen, but that she, if he wished, would pass a message on for him to ring Mr.Hudd back as soon as possible. Saveen was a trained carpenter and made and repaired most of his characters himself. He started with ENSA entertaining the troops and was discovered by Val Parnell. Although he had developed the voice, he still had no doll to go with it and so he decided to create the Daisy May character. Saveen appeared first on BBC Radio where he was the first ventriloquist to have his own radio show, beating Peter Brough and Archie Andrews and his “Educating Archie” to it by just a matter of weeks, and later on Television. In later life Saveen gave up performing and became a theatrical agent. He died in Worcester Park, Surrey, in 1994, aged 79. "Daisy May" is identified as the origin of Royal Navy slang "Daisy" for a sailor named May. Stay in touch Peter gsseditor@gmail.com

>Web Page 3041 29th June 2024 First Picture: Ted Heath

Web Page 3039 22nd June 2024 First Picture: Mr Teasy Weasy

Second Picture: Mrs Teasy Weasy

Third Picture; In the Salon

Fourth Picture 1950s publicity Mr Teasy Weasy Peter Carlo Bessone Raymond OBE was born Raimondo Pietro Carlo Bessone on 11th May 1911 and died 17 April 1992), known as Raymond Bessone and also as Mr Teasy-Weasy, Teasie Weasie Raymond and various combinations of these, was a British hairdresser from the 1930s to the 1960s. He was at 61 Wardour Street, Soho, London, of Italian and French parentage and descent. He subsequently Anglicised his name, and legally changed it by deed poll, to Peter Carlo Bessone Raymond. His name is sometimes, but incorrectly, given as Pierre Raymond Bessone. He began his career making false beards and moustaches in his father's barber shop. He subsequently opened his own salon in Mayfair, where he trained Vidal Sassoon. Building on his first salon, he developed a chain of highly fashionable salons in the West End. He later opened outlets in several major cities, including Birmingham. He was the first hairdresser to appear on television, and had his own show at Saturday teatime. Regarded as Britain's first celebrity hairdresser, he cultivated a faux French accent and a camp manner. He liked to pace around his salon and, if a customer approached him, he would then exclaim with exasperation, "Madam, can you not see that I am meditating!" His Knightsbridge salon was replete with gilt mirrors, chandeliers, and champagne fountains. In 1956 he was flown to the United States by Diana Dors, for a shampoo and set, at a cost of £2,500 (equivalent to £70,000). The stunt caused media controversy since a house could have been bought for the same amount. In 1957 he launched the Shangri-La style, based on "the four principles of colour, line, youth and softness" and inspired by his view of Swiss mountain peaks after being knocked out in a skiing accident. In the early 1970s he made a cameo appearance in the television soap opera Crossroads. Except for girls under 20, he considered that women should avoid having long hair because he considered it ageing. He was also of the opinion that, except for women with very regular features, a central parting should be avoided. The modern bouffant is considered to be his invention. He also innovated by dyeing hair with bold colours, including pink, orange and purple. He was the part-owner of 1963 Grand National winner Ayala and was also part-owner of 1976 Grand National winner Rag Trade Although Bessone had bought the gelding himself for 18,000 guineas, at a public auction at Doncaster, he later sold two 25% shares in the horse to businessmen William Lawrie and Herbert Keane. With trainer Arthur Pitt the horse ran the 1975 Grand National, only managing to complete the course. Under trainer Fred Rimell, the following year, the horse won both the Welsh Grand National at Chepstow and the Grand National at Aintree. His racing colours were ice blue and wine halved, sleeves reversed. He was married to the actress Rosalie Ashley and had three daughters. In 1979 his 28-year-old daughter Amber, who was pregnant, was killed when returning from a family wedding. Her car crossed a damaged section of the M4 motorway crash barrier and hit an oncoming Porsche. The two people in the Porsche, as well as his daughter, her husband and two children, were all killed instantly. Several weeks after the accident it was discovered that the male passenger killed in the Porsche was Brian Field, one of the organizers of the 1963 Great Train Robbery, who had changed his name to Brian Carleton. He received the OBE in 1982, for services to hairdressing. He died in Windsor, Berkshire in 1992, aged 80. Stay in touch Peter gsseditor@gmail.com

Web Page 3037 15th June 2024 First Picture: Traditional kazoo

Second Picture: Trombone kazoo

Third Picture; Plastic kazoos

Fourth Picture: Largest kazoo marching band

The Kazoo As a child we must have either owned or played with a kazoo. The kazoo is a musical instrument that adds a buzzing sound to a player's voice when the player vocalizes into it. It is one of a class of instruments which modifies its player's voice by way of a vibrating membrane of goldbeater's skin or material with similar characteristics. The kazoo player hums, rather than blows, into the bigger and flattened side of the instrument. The oscillating air pressure of the hum makes the kazoo's membrane vibrate. The resulting sound varies in pitch and loudness with the player's humming. Players can produce different sounds by singing specific syllables such as doo, too, who, rrr or brrr into the kazoo. Simple instruments played by vocalizing, such as the onion flute, have existed since at least the 16th century. It is claimed that Alabama Vest, an African-American in Macon, Georgia, invented the kazoo around 1840, although there is no documentation to support that claim. The story originated with the Kaminsky International Kazoo Quartet, a group of satirical kazoo players, which may cast doubt on the veracity of the story. In 1879, Simon Seller received a patent for a "Toy Trumpet" that worked on the same principle as a kazoo: Seller's "toy trumpet" was basically a hollow sheet-metal tube, with a rectangular aperture cut out along the length of the tube, with paper covering the aperture, and a funnel at the end, like the bell of a trumpet. The first documented appearance of a kazoo was that created by an American inventor, Warren Herbert Frost who named his new instrument kazoo in his patent issued on January 9, 1883. In 1916, the Original American Kazoo Company in Eden, New York started manufacturing kazoos in a two-room shop and factory. These old machines were used for many decades. By 1994, the company produced 1.5 million kazoos per year and was the only manufacturer of metal kazoos in North America. In 2010, The Kazoo Museum opened in Beaufort, South Carolina The kazoo is played professionally in jug bands and comedy music, and by amateurs everywhere In North East England and South Wales, kazoos play an important role in juvenile jazz bands. In the Original Dixieland Jass Band 1921 recording of Crazy Blues, what the casual listener might mistake for a trombone solo is actually a kazoo solo by drummer Tony Sbarbaro. The kazoo is rare in European classical music. It does appear in David Bedford's With 100 Kazoos, where, kazoos are handed out to the audience, who accompany a professional instrumental ensemble. Leonard Bernstein included a segment for kazoo in the Introit of his Mass. In Frank Loesser's score for the 1961 Broadway musical comedy How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, several kazoos produce the effect of electric razors used in the executive washroom during a dance reprise of the ballad I Believe in You. In 1961 Del Shannon's "So Long Baby" featured a kazoo on the instrumental break. In addition it featured on the UK London American release of his album Hats Off To Del Shannon. Joanie Sommers' 1962 single "Johnny Get Angry" featured a kazoo ensemble as did Dion's hit of the same year, "Little Diane", and Ringo Starr's 1973 cover of "You're Sixteen". The kazoo is used regularly on the BBC Radio 4 comedy panel game show I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, often paired with the swanee whistle in a musical round called "Swanee-Kazoo".. The Arctic Monkeys released a single in 2006 "Settle for a Draw", which includes kazoo solo part Stay in touch Peter gsseditor@gmail.com

Web Page 3035 8th June 2024 First Picture: The Worker

Second Picture: CD compilation

Third Picture; Charlie Drake at home

Fourth Picture Grave

Charlie Drake Charles Edward Springall was born on 19th June 1925 and died on 23rd December 2006 was known professionally as Charlie Drake, he was an English comedian, actor, writer and singer. With his small stature (5 ft 1 in), curly red hair and liking or slapstick, he was a popular comedian with children in his early years, becoming nationally known for his "Hello, my darlings!" catchphrase. He was born in the Elephant and Castle, Southwark, South London, he took his mother's maiden name for the stage and, later, film and television, achieving success as a comedian. Aged eight, he won a chorus place in a Harry Champion music hall production. He left school and home aged fourteen to become an electrician's mate while attempting to break into showbusiness. Drake made his first appearance on stage at the age of eight, and after leaving school toured working men's clubs. After serving in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, Drake turned professional and made his television début in The Centre Show in 1953. He then joined his wartime comrade Jack Edwardes to form a double act, named 'Mick and Montmorency'. In 1954 he appeared with Bob Monkhouse and Denis Goodwin in their BBC TV sketch comedy show, Fast and Loose. He appeared in the television shows Laughter in Store (1957), Drake's Progress (1957–58), Charlie Drake In… (1958 to 1960) and The Charlie Drake Show (1960 to 1961), being remembered for his opening catchphrase "Hello, my darlings!" The catchphrase came about because he was short, and so his eyes would often be naturally directly level with a lady's bosom. Because of this and because in his television work he preferred appearing with big-busted women. In 1961, his series was brought to an abrupt end by a serious accident which occurred during a live transmission. He had arranged for a bookcase to be set up in such a way that it would fall apart when he was pulled through it during a slapstick sketch. It was later discovered that an overenthusiastic workman had "mended" the bookcase before the broadcast. The actors working with him, unaware of what had happened, proceeded with the rest of the sketch which required that they pick him up and throw him through an open window. He fractured his skull and was unconscious for three days. It would be two years before he returned to the screen. He returned to television in 1963 with The Charlie Drake Show, a compilation of which won an award at the Montreux Festival in 1968. The centrepiece of this was an extended sketch featuring an orchestra performing the 1812 Overture, in which he appeared to play all the instruments; as well as conducting and one scene in which he was the player of a triangle waiting for his cue to play a single strike – which he subsequently missed. Television fame led to four films, none of them successful Sands of the Desert (1960), Petticoat Pirates (1961), The Cracksman (1963) and Mister Ten Per Cent (1967). He was the subject of This Is Your Life on two occasions, in December 1961 and in November 1995, when Michael Aspel surprised him. He starred in The Worker (ATV/ITV, 1965–70) where he played a perpetually unemployed labourer who, in every episode, was dispatched to a new job by the ever-frustrated clerk at the local labour exchange. All the jobs he embarked upon ended in disaster, The series was briefly revived by London Weekend Television in 1978 as a series of short sketches on Bruce Forsyth's Big Night, with Charlie Drake and Henry McGee reprising their roles of Worker and Labour Exchane Clerk. He made a number of records, most of them for the Parlophone label. The first, "Splish Splash", got into the Top 10 , reaching number 7 in 1958. In 1961, "My Boomerang Won't Come Back" became a mid-chart UK hit (No. 14). Later he turned to straight acting in the 1980s, winning acclaim for his role as Touchstone in Shakespeare's As You Like It , and an award for his part in Harold Pinter's The Caretaker. He also starred as Smallweed in the BBC adaptation of Bleak House (1985), and Filipina Dreamgirls, a TV film for the BBC. His final appearances on stage were with Jim Davidson in Sinderella, his adult adaptation of Cinderella, as Baron Hard-on. Charlie Drake was married twice. He was married to Heather Barnes from 1953 until 1971, and they had three sons. In 1976, he married his second wife, Elaine Bird, but the marriage was dissolved in 1984. He suffered a stroke in 1995 and retired, staying at Brinsworth House, a retirement home for actors and performers, run by the Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund, until his death on 23 December 2006, after suffering multiple strokes the previous night. Stay in touch Peter gsseditor@gmail.com

Web Page 3033 1st June 2024 First Picture: Wagon Wheel

Second Picture: Packaged Wagon Wheel

Third Picture; Giant Wagon Wheel

Fourth Picture Gluten free Wagon Wheel

Wagon Wheels It is a long argued statement that the Wagon Wheels we bought as kids were far bigger than the ones we can buy today. Wagon Wheels are a sweet snack food sold in the United Kingdom as well as other Commonwealth countries. They are also sold in Ireland. They consist of two biscuits that form a sandwich with a marshmallow filling, and they are covered with a chocolate-flavoured coating. Wagon Wheels were invented by William Peschardt, who sold the patent to Garry Weston, son of W. Garfield Weston. Garry Weston worked for his father's business in Australia before taking over his family's business in Sheffield, England. He placed two Marie biscuits around a marshmallow filling and covered it with chocolate. They were introduced in 1948. The name (originally "Weston Wagon Wheels") relates to the shape of the biscuits and capitalised on the Wild West, which was popular in mass media at the time. In Australia, Wagon Wheels are now produced by Arnott's Biscuits. George Weston Foods Limited sold the brand to Arnott's in August 2003] In the United Kingdom Wagon Wheels are produced and distributed by Burton's Foods who separated from the Weston family connection when they were sold out of Associated British Foods in 2000. The original factory which produced the biscuit was in Slough but during the early 1980s production was transferred to an updated and modern factory in Llantarnam in South Wales. Weston had been producing biscuits on the Slough site since 1934 and the Llantarnam site since 1938. In Canada, Wagon Wheels were originally produced by McCormick's, however they are now under the Dare Foods Limited name. They come in Original, Fudge, Choco Cherry, and Raspberry flavours[ There have been many debates amongst fans of the biscuit about its size. Wagon Wheels have supposedly shrunk in size over time, but Burton's Foods Ltd has denied this. It has been suggested that the supposed shrinkage is due to an adult's childhood memory of eating a Wagon Wheel held in a much smaller hand; this argument is perhaps moot, as it does not explain why the modern Wagon Wheel appears to be fatter than the original. Furthermore, in Australia, Arnott's has stated that tray packs of Wagon Wheels were in fact 'Mini Wagon Wheels' and have re-released the original 48g Wagon Wheels The original factory in Prestonpans produced the biscuit with crinkled edges and corn cobbs rather than the updated smoother edges. This caused the overall diameter of the biscuit to shrink slightly, but not as much as fans of the biscuit believe. As of 2006 the diameter of the Australian version is measured at 88 mm (3.5 in) which is 14 mm (0.55 in) larger than the UK version, while the UK Wagon Wheel is notably thicker by 4 mm (0.16 in). The British comedians French and Saunders made a sketch with Jennifer Saunders dressed as a schoolgirl stuffing a Wagon Wheel into her mouth. Mentions in art: Van Morrison mentions Wagon Wheels in the 1985 song lyric "A Sense of Wonder" British comedians Hale and Pace used Wagon Wheels in their recurring "Curly & Nige" sketches, as the Curly and Nige characters won Wagon Wheels from each other by doing self-mutilating and dangerous bets. Wagon Wheels are thrown into the audience by Berwick Kaler during the annual York Theatre Royal pantomime. Wagon Wheels were "re-launched" in 2002 Previous slogans for the product have been: • "A taste for adventure." • "If there's a bigger bite, it can't be found." • During the 1980s the slogan in Australia was "It's more than a biscuit, it's a mighty big snack!" The current slogan is "You've got to grin to get it in”] Wagon Wheels were chosen by Judge Paul Hollywood as the technical challenge for the first episode in series 9 of The Great British Bake Off. The original wagon wheel which is now called "chocolate" had a marshmallow centre and not a jam centre. Stay in touch Peter gsseditor@gmail.com

< Web Page 3031 25th May 2024 Adventures by bike First Picture: Dead Mans Wood

Second Picture: Hayling Sand Dunes

Third Picture; Ports Creek

Fourth Picture Portsdown Hill Talking to Willie Westcott the other day he came out with the statement that we would not have grown without our bicycles. Most of us had two one for everyday use and one fixed wheel one for use on the local dirt tracks, one on the hill and one on the old allotment site that was on the site where the school was eventually built. Locally we would tour the local chalk pits the two in Drayton Lane and the one in Gillman Road. The large chalk pit at the top of Drayton Lane had a an area where, those who were brave enough, could cycle over the edge and down a slope to the bottom. Quite an exhilarating experience but you also stood the chance of falling off and we all did at one time or another. The smaller chalk pit up this lane only supplied a dirt track but was patrolled by the hermit who lived in the green corrugated iron within the small pit. The pit at the top of Gillman Lane was a totally different matter. This was overgrown and creepers and ivy covered the wall and we spent many hours climbing through the branches seeking out birds nests and cutting secret tunnels through the undergrowth, Whilst talking about this area I must mention the little thicket just on top of the hill. This had memorial stones I it and was known locally as Dead Mans Wood even though no bodies were interred there. The undergrowth was covered with moss bracken and ferns between the trees. On a visit back there a couple of years ago, it is now part of the golf course , the trees are still there but the ground area has been manicured and is far too tidy. Very disappointing. The hill was our playground especially before they built the naval estate. We would spend days on our bikes and cycle out to Hambledon, Droxford and Old Winchester Hill. We would also go in the other direction Havant, Emsworth and Torney Island. I suppose the most popular ride in the summer was to Hayling Island to spend time on the beach, in the sea and among the now long-gone sand dunes. A great time was had by all. We took a packed lunch and a bottle of Corona. After a day on the beach we them faced the cycle home and believe me if just a minute piece of sand remained on your lower body and lodged itself between your skin and underwear when you reached home you could be suffering with a very sore undercarriage. One other thing the bike came in useful for was fishing. I would tie a garden fork to the cross bar along with my fishing rod and my tackle in my duffle bags and cycle down to Portscreek. The down side was that I had to cycle there in my wellies because the bait we had to dig, lugworm, lived in the mud in the creek which meant wading out there with the garden fork and digging them out by hand. Then it was onto the Eastern Road bridge to start fishing. I was never very good at this part of the operation in fact I only ever remember catching one small fish and dozens of tiny crabs in the whole of my fishing career. Griff Writes Ah! Jetex that's a name that brings back memories for me. As Peter mentioned in his last blog that these Jetex motors were very common in the 50's 60's 70's as a power plant for model aircraft and plastic bodied racing cars. Wynn's toyshop in Drayton use to sell these Jetex kits and if memory serves me correctly they were 2/6d. (12-1/2p) for a basic kit which was at least weeks pocket money for me at the time. Solid fuel pellets within an aluminium case and you lit the fuse that you had to pull out without burning your fingers to enable the motor to provide rocket thrust of about 8 to 10 seconds through a pinhole exhaust which was just enough thrust time to get your model aircraft airborne trailing a puff of white exhaust smoke. Many a happy flying day for me at the Farlington Eastern Rd. playing fields. Jetex kits are still around and making a nostalgic comeback but the price is around £40 for the full set. That's inflation for you. Regards to Everyone Melvyn (Griff) Griffiths. Stay in touch Peter GSSEDITOR@gmail.com /b>

Web Page 3029 20th May 2024 First Picture: Mobo Snail

Second Picture: Mobo Horse

Third Picture; Mobo Jeep

Fourth Picture Jetex fuel

Mobo Toys MOBO TOYS' were made by D. SEBEL & CO., ERITH, KENT, ENGLAND from 1947 to 1972. David Sebel had emigrated from Russia in 1912 and set up in partnership as a Wheelwright in East London in 1921. In 1928 he moved the Company to Lant Street with the take over of a firm, Hazeldine & Norton, of Wheelwright's & Motor Body and Van Builders. Interestingly the house next door had been the residence of Charles Dickens when his parents were in the Marshalsea Debtor's Prison. In the 1930's they expanded into Architectural metalwork and other engineering projects. Also producing street cleaning carts, milk churns and fronts for Cinemas. In 1931 Harry Sebel, David's son, joined the firm starting from the bottom up. During the Second World War the Company turned over to war work and several local premises were used for their production of aircraft and tank components, bunks for air raid shelters, bailey bridge components and even a tower for an experimental radar station. In the early 1940's Harry was looking to the future and realised the need to expand the company and find work for the existing workforce and those which had been called up. After much research it was decided to go into metal furniture, under the Trade name Stak-a-Bye and into the toy business. But what to make which would be different from anyone else. Harry had the idea of a Rocking Horse which the rider could propel along themselves. Basic plans were drawn up and a mock up was made using bicycle gears. To get an idea of what the finished product would look like a Taxidermist in Piccadilly was approached for a horse hide, the only thing he had was from a Zebra so that was used. The prototype Zebra was around at the Erith factory for several years. A Patent was taken out in 1942 for the basic mechanism. Later Charles Morewood, was commissioned to sculpt the clay body of what became the Mobo Bronco. The steel furniture business was set up in 1946 from the Weller Street side of the premises, a name which was used at the Erith factory to denote the furniture production building. The Lant Street premises were not going to be big enough for the toy and furniture business envisaged and so the ex Vickers Gun Works at West Street, Erith, Kent were purchased in February, 1947. As the intention was to produce everything in-house from the arrival of the raw material to the finished product, the full kitting out of the factory with large presses, dip tanks, spray booths, etc. took a while. Toy production did not start at Erith until September, 1947. The name 'Mobo' came from a brain-storming session when 'Mobile Toys' had been rejected. The clown on the decal was due to an interest in the Circus by the David Sebel. The Circus theme was used in a lot of their Exhibition Stands and advertising. A tin clown was designed but never went into production. The most well known toy is the BRONCO, the ride-on horse. It works by the rider sitting on the horse and pushing down on the stirrups, then releasing them and then the horse moves along. From 1947 to 1950 the Bronco could only be steered in a straight line, but in February, 1950 Magic Steering was introduced. This enabled the rider by pushing on either stirrup to move the horse in that direction. The Broncho was so popular that it stayed in production until 1971. The body pressings were also used for a series of other toys SPRING HORSE (PRAIRIE KING), NIGHT RIDER, PRAIRIE PRANCER, RANGE RIDER two different types produced, ROCKING HORSE, & BRONCHO MERRY GO ROUND. The colours came from 'market research' with the local school children yellow and red being the favourite. These children were also used for photo shoots for advertising and testing the toys. In 1949 the 'Walking SNAIL' was introduced at the New York Toy Fair, also at the same fair the 'PONY' was first shown. The 'Pony' pressings went on to be used on several different toys. The American Market was an amazing success for the MOBO Company. In 1948 they exported to the USA half of the total toy exports of ALL British Toy Companies. At this time Britain was recovering from the Second World War and steel was rationed according to the amount of goods exported. Mobo never had any trouble obtaining supplies because of their excellent export record. A New York office had been opened in 1948 and an American subsidiary formed Sebel Products Inc. Other major markets were Australia and South Africa. A Showroom & Office had been opened at 39/41 New Oxford Street, London W.C.1 in September, 1945. Other toys produced included Prams, Bicycles, Desks, Wheelbarrows, Rockers, Swings, Scooters and from 1956 Pedal Cars. In 1951 Harry & David emigrated to Australia and set up a factory at Sydney. Here they produced both Toys and Furniture. The components were shipped from Erith and assembled and painted at Bankstown. The Australian company decided in 1957 to concentrate on the furniture business and so toy production was stopped. In 1955 the Toy Boat business of Harold Flory Ltd., of Bromley, Kent was taken over. They produced the SNIPE, SWIFT, ST. CHRISTOPHER Motor Boats, the SPRITE YACHT, and the SNORT SUBMARINE, also Toy Cars. The boats were continued in production by Mobo's. Jetex, the Model Aircraft Engine business was purchased in 1956. Besides a range of Jet propelled engines they also produced model kits for aircraft and a plastic boats and cars for the Jetex engine. The mid 1960's saw an introduction of toys made from injection moulded plastic and the importation of a range of plastic Pedal cars from Pines of Italy. By the late 1960's the British toy industry was having a difficult time due to cheap imports from the Far East. When John Bentley of Barclay Securities made an offer to purchase the Company in 1970 it was taken up. The Barclay Toy Group was formed to which Chad Valley, Charles Methuen and Tri-ang were added in 1971. Unfortunately the overheads of the Group meant that losses were still being made and a major reorganisation took place in 1972 with the Erith Works being closed and all production of all Mobo Toys ceasing. The site is now a large housing estate.

Web Page 3027 11th May 2024 First Picture: William Pink

Second Picture: Pinks shop Petersfield

Third Picture; Pinks shop Portsmouth

Fourth Picture Sugar in blue bags

Pinks I suspect that many of our mothers would have, at one time or other shopped in Pinks Grocery store, there always seemed to be one near wherever you lived. William Pink was born on December 15th 1829 at Durley, near Botley he was a farmer's son. The Pinks were a notable Hampshire family having their family seat, for over 300 years, at Kempshott Park near Basingstoke. On leaving school he was apprenticed to a greengrocer at Winchester. During the Crimean War period he worked in London for the prestigious grocery firm of Fortnum & Mason thereby gaining extra experience of the retail trade. Returning to Portsmouth in 1858 he opened his first shop at the corner of Surrey Street and Commercial Road. He stood for the Council in 1868 and, with but a two year hiatus, served his borough for thirty-six years. By 1866 the business was firmly established and William Pink began to devote a greater part of his time to public duties , first as a Councillor and then serving as Lord Mayor for five terms. He was knighted by Queen Victoria in 1891 and made a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour for his services in entertaining the officers of the French fleet which visited Portsmouth the same year. In 1887 William Pink took his three sons into partnership - Ernest, Harold and Victor . Harold followed his father into public affair s as well and was Mayor three times. He was knighted in 1919 for wartime duties. The partnership was changed into a limited company in 1912 with Sir Harold Pink as Chairman and his son Frank as Secretary, After the First World War Frank Pink became Managing Director of the company and expanded it into a very prosperous concern with forty ¬ two branches. Frank Pink did not involve himself in civic affairs but his son Ralph Bonner Pink did , becoming Lord Mayor in 1961 and Member of Parliament for Portsmouth South in 1966, holding the constituency until his death in 1984. Our nearest Pink store was on the Havant Road in Drayton. To me it always seemed rather dull and dreary inside. But here you could see the shop assistants making up blue paper bags to serve sugar in, or a whole cheese being cut with a cheese wire. Many items were sold loose or individually sultanas, butter beans and dried peas being examples. There was also wine counter where, if you brought your own bottles, your folks could buy loose wine or sherry. Another popular sight in the shop was when the assistant took up the butter bays and moulded it into half pound blocks. I also remember that all the cash transactions where undertaken by a lady sat in a cash booth in the back of the shop. These were the days when there was always a chair by the counter for the customer. I am getting old. Stay in touch Peter gsseditor@gmail/com

Web Page 3025 4th May 2024 Max Bygraves First Picture: Publicity photograph

Second Picture: Max, Tommy Cooper and Arthur Askey

Third Picture; Max and Blossom

Fourth Picture : LP Cover

Max Bygraves, died aged 89 after suffering from Alzheimer's disease, was an all-round entertainer: a mischievously smiling raconteur, a full-throated and sentimental singer, a television host and a reluctant gameshow compere. He always kept the persona of a cheerful cockney stevedore, smart-alecky but good-natured, with a reassuringly imposing presence and the sort of innocent bawdiness that would not upset anyone. The persona was entirely suited to the voice, the expansive arm gestures and the chummily unemphatic manner that absolved jokes that in another mouth might have been offensive. He was born Walter William Bygraves into a large family in Rotherhithe, to Henry Bygraves, a prizefighter who became a docker, and his wife, Lilian. The family lived in a two-room flat and money could be scarce. Max Bygraves wrote in a memoir. Henry tended to fend off his young son's questions about life and sex with jokes. When, in early adolescence, the boy asked him why hair was beginning to grow on his body, his father told him it was God's punishment for his misdeeds: "You're turning into a coconut." He attended St Joseph's school, Rotherhithe, and sang with his school choir at Westminster Cathedral. When his father dressed him up in an old army cap, gave him a broom for a rifle and got him to sing a popular song in front of an audience of dockers, the collection for him was large enough to encourage the thought of a career in show business. However, after leaving school at 14, he went into an advertising agency, WS Crawford, as a messenger, ferrying copy to newspapers and popping into the Holborn Empire to see variety acts whenever he could afford it. When the advertising industry slumped at the beginning of the war, he got a job as a carpenter's apprentice and built air-raid shelters. After being blown off a roof he was repairing during an air raid, he decided to volunteer for the RAF in 1940 and served as an airframe fitter for five years and. He met a sergeant in the WAAF, Blossom Murray, and they married in 1942. Together, they had three children, Christine, Anthony and Maxine. Stationed near Kew he started entertaining the troops and performed in pubs, doing impressions of Frank Sinatra, the Inkspots and Max Miller (earning him the nickname Max, which he kept). By the time the war ended, he had resolved to turn professional. At the Grand theatre, Clapham, he was spotted by the agent Gordon Norval, who got him six weeks' work. Further engagements followed but the going was tough. Despite their love of Britain, he and Blossom had just decided to emigrate to Australia when a letter arrived from the BBC asking him to repeat the audition act he had recently given. This earned him an appearance in the radio series They're Out, which featured other entertainers such as Spike Milligan, Jimmy Edwards, Frankie Howerd, Harry Secombe and Benny Hill. In 1946 he did a touring revue, For the Fun of It, with Frankie Howerd. He had another radio hit in the 1950s, performing in the comedy Educating Archie, written by Eric Sykes. Meanwhile, the London Palladium had become something like his professional home. He made his debut there in 1950, after he was seen at the Finsbury Park Empire by the leading impresario Val Parnell and was asked to stand in for the comedian Ted Ray at the Palladium. He appeared in 14 shows there over a period of 10 years and eventually starred in 19 Royal Variety Performances. After the first of these, in 1950, Judy Garland asked him to appear with her at the Palace theatre in New York where, wrongly, he did not expect his cockney humour to register. He was naturally laidback and worked on perfecting the art of unforced pace on stage. His gags went over better than ever; from then on, his delivery was always apparently casual. He regarded his catchphrases as better value than a press agent, and lines such as "A good idea, son" and "I wanna tell you a story" became national property. Like many variety big earners, he was sometimes taken for a ride but he also made some shrewd business decisions. His company Lakeview Music bought the rights to Lionel Bart's musical Oliver! for £350 and he made a fortune when he sold them on for £250,000. In the 50s, he had reached the Top 5 with the singles Meet Me on the Corner, You Need Hands/Tulips from Amsterdam and Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'o Be. He published a novel, The Milkman's on His Way, in 1977. His autobiography, I Wanna Tell You a Story, appeared the previous year, and further memoirs followed, including After Thoughts (1989), Max Bygraves: In His Own Words (1997) and Stars in My Eyes: A Life in Show Business (2002). In his later years he settled into a routine of overseas shows, especially in South Africa, which he had often visited before the end of apartheid, protesting that an entertainer should not concern himself with politics. Personally, he was generous to family, friends and old associates and worked for theatre charities. He relocated to Australia from Poole, Dorset,. Blossom died in 2011. Max Bygraves died 31 August 2012 and is survived by his children and several grandchildren.