OLD WEST BROMWICH PHOTOS

It has been rather quiet on the site lately, perhaps everyone is shifting snow or doing their shopping, ( ex-pats in Australia and NZ please ignore the snow reference! )  so may I wish everyone a very happy Christmas and a more peaceful world for 2011...

Essa..

Essa, I hope you have a great Christmas too, and yes lots of snow,

SNOW ???

That ain't snow, I remember 1963 when the sea froze and I remember my parents going on about the winter of 1947.

Nah, you lot are too weak kneed

Have a great Christmas to you all, from a sunny and warm, middle 70 Degrees, Wellington New Zealand.

1947  now that was snow and like many other schoolkids, by government decree, I had to attend school in short trousers come to that I was still wearing them at Cronehills in 49/50.  I cant recall a school closure for snow and if the boiler packed up we kept our coats on. Is it the mamby state or fear of litigation causing all the problems now?.

 Any way up hope yo all ave a BOSTIN Christmas un that 2011 is an elfy un  for ya.

 regards john mason

Will someone please take lots of  'snow' photo's of West Brom,  so that all the people having to endure 70deg sunshine become very very envious of us !! 

Essa...

In 1947 my Dad said he was living in a tent in Scotland still waiting for Demob and didn't take his boots off for weeks  and in 1963 we were living in a house with a toilet down, yes down,  not in, but down the yard and Mr Shipley made us dig out the path throught the Playground.  bring on Global warming!!

Dad used to hang a paraffin lamp up in the outside loo to help stop the pipes freezing, it never seemed to make the loo seat any warmer though, and they say the good old days

how many of you old west bromwich kids remember coal picking on jessons bonk in 1947. If you remember thats when the holes were formed on the slope away from garratt street and they played havock with the sledge run, always falling into these holes if you were too close to milton street. I remember all us kids in tantany lane built an igloo in the field which is now the school, and they think the recent snow is unusual

neil.b at December 24, 2010 at 4:55 PM

Dad used to hang a paraffin lamp up in the outside loo to help stop the pipes freezing, it never seemed to make the loo seat any warmer though, and they say the good old days

My old man did exactly the same, he used get the Parrafin from Alf Danks Ironmongers shop up the road.

Coming down the Jesson bonk on a sledge now that was something until they removed the base of the bonk coal digging leaving about a 3 foot drop at the end  of the run. Tony Hudson broke his leg if I recall it right taking that drop on a sledge. Had a lot of fun playing cowboys and indians throught the gorse bushes on the tantany side of the bonk. 

Went down Milton st tuther day and couldnt believe how flat it all is now even the "big  wall" that went round the bottom of Oakwood park has gone. Wow the number of kids that dropped that wall  to evade the parky.

 Near the junction of Milton anf Greswold streets there used to be a spring,many a kid drank from it on a hot day. that seens to have dissapeared as well. and fencing  everywhere so the kids of today will never have the memories we have.

 Have a great 2011 .  john mason

I have sent Paul some pictues of the Snow, It is starting to melt now, glad i live on a hill, next thing will be floods.

Freeezing weather here:

Floods in parts of Australia:

Snow and lightning in America:

what on Earth is happening...pun intended!

Still,  it's now started to rain so it must be Summer already !!!!! 

Essa...

i went home on leave in the early part of 1947,from Khartoum in the Sudan,the bus got me from snow hill station to carters green through deep snow,it couldnt go any further so i had to walk to vicarage road late at night,carrying a kit bag,i ended up in hallam hospital with pneumonia,but  i must have been warm sometime during my leave,my wife got pregnant,we,re still married and our son was 63 on boxing day.

Bill:

You never cease to amaze and enthral everyone with your little anecdotes..such a mine of information!!

Will you please spend a little of your time writing, or recording, your memories?...... promise ?

I remember as a small boy talking to someone who had worked as a loco fitter at the Great Western Railway works in Wolverhampton..

All his wonderful stories and experiences went with him when he passed away.........such a loss for people trying to recreate "God's Wonderful Railway."

I am sure we all had uncles/ aunts/ mums/ dads, who would spend time telling us stories, sadly, most are not with us any more to answer the little questions that keep popping up on this wonderful site.  

Please keep your memories alive by passing them on! 

(Sorry to go on a bit........)

Essa. 

Essa at December 27, 2010 at 5:19 PM

Freeezing weather here:

Floods in parts of Australia:

Snow and lightning in America:

what on Earth is happening...pun intended!

Still,  it's now started to rain so it must be Summer already !!!!! 

Essa...

when i got to my parents home,in the early hours,frozen,after 18 months in the middle east,i found my wife was still at her mothers,in oak avenue opposite the bus garage,so,after a fortifying drink i walked there and we both walked to vicarage road,what a night,and i write this ,sweating in 35 degrees of heat in australia,ain,t life strange?,incidentally i went back to Khartoum for another year,my son was 3 months old when i met him'