[Hot Dogs and Hamburgers]

In the early sixties I had a part time evening job. (between the ages of 16 and 18 years old)

Does anyone remember the white hot dog carts powered by an electric motor? Worked with one for 18 months, one of my pitches was at the point of Central Market in full view of the palis De Dance ( not sure of the spelling now) Every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights I would be standing there rain, snow or fine. You will remember that we served up the boiled sausage with dehydrated onions in fresh, non sesame seed, buns. It was the mustard and sauces that gave them the flavour. I enjoyed the job because there was the opportunity to meet many different types of people of all ages. I had my regular customers who would often stay to chat. No one complained about the food, I think some had had too much to drink and didn't care what it was as long as it was something in their bellies. It is surprising how many secrets were told to me. Non of which I will put into writing here as some of the people may be reading what I write. And the sights, maybe I should start another topic and Call it "Nottingham - Behind the scenes". One thing I can remember, there was very little trouble in the city in those days, and I stayed out until late most nights. There was one time when a person tried to rob me. Came up opposite me, across the counter with a knife. He asked for my money, but the cart was between him and me so I felt brave. I refused to give it to him, he yelled at me about 3 or 4 times to hand it over but I kept refusing. In the end he gave up and walked away. When I got back to the depot, I heard that one of the other carts, down near the bus station, had been robbed.

After that I moved to another pitch in Broad Marsh, Wow, When I first set up there, what a sight. being young and innocent this place really opened up my eyes. Broadmarsh after 10pm was a totally different place with many a colourful character. Totally different type of clientele. (I will let your imaginations run wild on who my customers were Broadmarsh? Sixties?). But to be honest, I could not have found nicer people. We were workers, we were regulars in this area, we looked after each other. And many of them became good friends. They always had money, so I never judged them. Many a cold night they would come over to my stand with a cup of hot tea or coffee for me, have a hot dog and a chat, and then be on their way. In fact when the police visited Broadmarsh, my line of customers would grow very quickly. They were not loitering, they were waiting to buy. The police knew some of them and after they had bought a hot dog they were told to move on. About 50% of my sales came from police visits, but not one hot dog was bought by the police. The good old days. Occasionally the police would stay and chat for a little while then head off. within minutes of them leaving Broadmarsh livened up again. You could expect a visit from them at least once or twice a night. But except for the occasional drunk who was maybe causing problems, I never saw them arrest many people. It was more, be good, move on.

It was in Broadmarsh where I met my next employer. His name was John, a real hippie type of person. He drove a Harley Davidson motorbike with a side car (I think it was a late forties bike with a gear stick coming up alongside the fuel tank) he had his own stall (not motorized, but it was white too). He built is own hot dog stalls and he had a better product, Deep fried hotdogs and hamburgers with real fried onions. I took over one of his new carts and started pushing in on the white motorized carts. With these carts I moved back to my old Central market site. I got a lot of my old customers back and continued to enjoy the work (not work, FUN). The time I am talking about was around 1964-66, If you came across a guy about 6 foot 2inch tall selling hot dogs or hot dogs and hamburgers then you may be an old customer of mine. Most of my customers knew my first name. So I can soon tell if you were a customer of mine.

These memories only returned in detail last night, so I just had to share them with you. If you liked the article please add to it. If it bored you, I will not apologise, as I have enjoyed writing it. Well I must go to bed now. I am going shopping in Hong Kong tomorrow. Only one day. Be back soon.

Would love to see some old pics of Broadmarsh especially night time pics.

[Out of the shoebox photos .]

Hi Ian Tivy

I think We knew each other when we were kids.

Did you live in Conway Crescent.

I had 3 brothers and a sister at that time.

Roger, Geoffrey, Diane and Anthony (Tony)

[Carlton - the part near Tesco]

One more post before bed.

DavidW Do you know a Carol Shelton? I think I met her once at Alf and Mildred's house.

Check this website

www.rivercityfm.com.au

Carol is the girl in the middle holding the trophy St Pauls School choir 53/54

[Carlton - the part near Tesco]

Sorry I pressed the post button to early.

Brian was 13 years older than me ( He would be about 79 now if he is still alive), His sister Ann was about 6 years older than me. She moved to Canada, Got married and had two Children. 1 boy and 1 girl.

I cannot remember if Brian was married, I think he was.

Was I correct in remembering Alf Shelton being involved in politics?

[Carlton - the part near Tesco]

Hi DavidW

You are 100% right.

Mildred was my mothers sister.

Thank you for reminding me of Alf's name. I should not have forgot it. As I stayed many a night with them in Marwood Crescent when I was little.

Also my other Aunt Gladys Newton was also Bennett. Sister of my mother Iris and Mildred.

Also related to Billy Bennett the Netherfield window clean. His wife is Grandmother of Jimmy87 notts.

Can I PM you with some personal info. Or you can PM me.

[old christian names]

#9

Believe or not, I have a student named Fanny, she is 10 years old. In Taiwan old English names are popular.

Girls - Doris, Mabel, Clara, Daisy, Kitty (Usually call her Hello Kitty) Edna, Alice, Marge. Dolly, Rita, Milly, Hope, Audrey, Lydia, Betty, Ruby. Ivy, Mini

Boys - Algie, Billy, Jack, Ben, Ron, Eddy,

Most boys names tend to be quite normal.

But if you want some crazy names here are a few.

Boys - Brown, Ocean, Superman, Jonah, Banana, Fish, Sausage (How would you like this name Ding Dong).

Girls - Apple, Peach, Rhema, Flower, Sunny, Candy.

How about this name - Wee-Wee, Here it is spelt Wea Wea She was in one of my classes, I had a problem using the name, Most of the time I would just use You.

When I first heard it I laughed. I thought she was joking until another girl told me it was her English name.

There are many more that do not come to mind at the moment, Maybe I cam add to the list later.

[Carlton - the part near Tesco]

My last post just brought back more memories. I used to deliver newspapers for a newsagent on Foxhill road around 1959 1960 that was where I had heard of Loaches Lane. Although I delivered around that area I did not deliver to that lane. My cousin Brian Shelton used to be the manager of the newsagents. His family, my aunt Mildred Shelton used to live in Marwood Crescent, Just off the top end of Cavendish Road. The first house in on the left. My cousin Ann migrated to Canada around 1964/5. My uncle if I remember correctly was involved in the government in some way before he died. I think he may have been a local member. I remember something about putting up posters in house windows and shops supporting him. I think his name was Arthur Shelton.

I had another Aunt and Uncle living on Foxhill road until 1967/8. Their daughter ( Velda) migrated to Australia about 1964, her mother and father followed her around 1968. Their name was Newton

[Carlton - the part near Tesco]

Re: Loaches Lane ( I am not 100% sure but it could be one of two) I have heard of the lane.

1. Behind the old post office . Between the post office and the old Carlton Central Primary school there was a lane that had a house on it and I think a factory or storage area of liquid chemicals. When I attend this school you could look out of the school gate in the lane straight across to the factory. It always had blue drums store outside

2nd location

At the corner of Cavendish Road and Carlton hill there was a lane there too. It went off at about a 30 degree angle from Carlton Hill More like a bike track that led up to foxhill road, as you walked up it, I remember a big tree on the right.

This path went up behind houses and on the right of the lane it was rough grass. It was a tarred surface, but I never saw cars on it. On the google map now it would certainly be under TESCO. This maybe the one.

[Another "old" bus !]

Thanks Michael. I can still visualize two inspectors that were regulars on my routes but I am afraid their names escape me. I have a real problem remembering names.

If he had a name like Mighty Fine, he must have been one of the better inspectors. One of them, the one I described before. You had to be very careful when he was around.

Even if he caught you eating sweets while working, it was enough to get a citation. His little book would come out and he would write in it.

This same guy would also come down on the #25 (I think it was the number 25 (an AEC regent) It stopped right outside the police station at the Carlton terminus before it continued up Cavendish road). He would jump off that bus, run across the road and jump straight onto ours just as we were pulling away. But the other inspector I can remember was the opposite. If we met in the canteen he would often sit down and have a cuppa with us. If he got on our bus there was always friendly conversation before he got off again.

The newer buses I mentioned in the last post were the Atlantians they are the ones that had the microphones. I saw a pic of one last night another topic on this website.

[Another "old" bus !]

This page brings back memories. From early 1968 to march 69 (When I left England with my family) I worked for Nottingham City transport on the 39 run and occasionally on the 24 route. On the 39 route we had if I remember rightly fleetliners and on the 24 route the AEC regents.

Long time ago so my memory is a little faded. The buses we had on the 39 route, we named the mobile coffins because there was no protection for the driver if the bus was involved in an accident. I worked with a great driver who was a real pleasure to work with. But sadly I cannot remember his name. I had a little portable radio that I used to sit on the dash of the window. I think our bus was the only one in the whole fleet that worked with music. The radio would be blearing out the latest songs while I walked up and down the isles collecting the money and giving out the tickets singing along to the latest songs. ( If an inspector jumped on, my driver or myself would grab the radio and hide it. Brings back memories of the TV show "On the Buses", none of my passengers complained about the music). I really enjoyed the job. I think if I had not left England I would have stayed with that job for a while longer (my wage was 11 pound 15 shillings per week more if I did overtime). It was good for meeting girls, and my driver and I only had to worry about the occasional visit from an Inspector. I can remember one inspector who used to stand back from the bus stop up against a wall or near a tree or bush and you would not see him until the last minute then I would have to run around making sure I had collected all the fares. Later we got newer buses and some of them were fitted with a microphone, I still had my radio, but now the music could reach the whole bus through the microphone. When I went upstairs to collect the fares I could still hear the it clearly. Most of the music was from radio luxemburger or the pirate stations.

Lots of fond memories are returning of the 39 route. I do not remember much about route 24, I just remember it was very cold standing on the back platform on the first bus out of the depot in the middle of winter. I just remembered something else about the winter.. If I had the first bus out, I had to walk all the way to the depot over Carlton Hill from Conway Road. Usually this was done before the salt trucks got out to salt the road, so I sometimes had to walk in thick snow, I can remember wearing my green uniform with long underpants, two jumpers and a thick overcoat and I was still cold. I can remember one winter, we came down a part of Carlton Hill nearly sideways. In those days I was young and fearless so to me it was fun.

If anyone travelled on a number 39 bus and music was playing then you were on my bus. I hope you enjoyed it.

[Nottingham, and the rest.]

I also agree with a charlesworth if a DVD is produced let it include the history of each place not only would it be a record of a great country from past to present but also could be a great educational tool in schools both locally and overseas if produced correctly. I know I would be willing to use something like this in my language classes here.

I use a lot of DVDs as it helps with listening, pronunciation and speech. Visual aids are better that just audio as they can be taken home and used as homework and they do retain the students attention. I am working on ajoint venture with an American company. Where they produce the educational DVDs and I write the student books to go with the DVDs.

OK, I am off to work now. Have a good night and a good day.

[Nottingham, and the rest.]

I think both are good ideas. But maybe the University and the county council should get together on a project especially in regards to the county and the city. Your idea of a series which includes all the counties would make excellent viewing on Discovery channel or National geographic. These channels are quite popular in Taiwan.

Nottingham University has campuses in Malaysia and China. They promote the university quite widely throughout Asia but very little promotion of Nottingham itself.

More and more students in Asia are looking towards further education overseas. Originally this was usually USA. but now more students are looking towards Britain and Australia. Not just for University, but also language centres to improve their English ability. Students may not spend much money individually, but if lots of students visited and each spent a small amount, that small amount would soon turn in to a very large amount. More and more people are travelling overseas. More and more countries are trying to tap into the tourist dollar, I have a student who has just spent 6 months in a language college in Australia. He spent the equivalent of over 7,000 pounds (sorry no pound symbol on my computer). Imaging 1000 students spending that much in Nottingham. It could be a very lucrative market if the promotion is done correctly.

The students I work with, when I mention England, all they can tell me about England is London. London is not England it is only a small part of it.

The student are very surprised at what they see when we go surfing on the internet and I show them the area where I was born. I dwell on the old architecture of the area, because it was the old buildings that I enjoyed visiting, this included Nottingham castle and Sherwood Forest. A lot of students in Taiwan have read Robin Hood, but they thought it was all make believe. Some of the stories maybe, but the area is real.

Please note some of what I have said about Nottingham may not be accurate now, because I left a long time ago. But I do still feel very close to Nottingham.

anyway I have said my piece, so now I am off to bed.

[Hello.]

Hi Mick2me Thank you for your kind comments. Just been roaming the site and found a relation I did not know I had. This website is certainly interesting.

I will place another post later when I have more time. Enjoy your day.

[Old Nevo lad here]

Hi Jimmy87notts We are related way down the line. Billy and Ethel were my Uncle and Aunt, Joan was my cousin. My grandmother and grandfather were Joe and Doris Bennett my mother was Iris. I am also in the Hello forum.

[Hello.]

Hi Everyone Thank you for your warm welcome.

LizzieM, I am located in Taiwan. Landed here totally by accident 10 years ago. Stayed and worked teaching English in a primary school. Even though it is a very advanced country, it is like living in the sixties again. Low crime rate, low taxes, freedom to go anyway at anytime, still get respect from the students and I do not have people telling me I am too old. Now I have my own small Language school teaching English. I still ride a scooter, I also have a car for rainy days.

It is because of my present environment, that over the last two years, I have started to think a lot about Carlton and Netherfield again and the fun times from long ago. I have found I can still visualize the places around the area, but I have forgotten a lot of names. My children (all adults now) used to ask me about when I was in living England. I used to love sharing my experiences with then, but I never had photos to share. I would now like to find some copies of photos to refresh my memory. I would also like to try to make contact with some of the people from the past.

Is it true that the Royal Oak is now the Inn for a Penny? I have just been roaming on Google map.

One memory that returned to me the other day was when I was very young I used to sit at my bedroom window looking across the railway tracks at the Chandos Street school gym, watching the kids climb the climbing bars attached to the walls. They stretched across the big windows that faced me. I used to think that the kids looked like monkeys (no disrespect) climbing the bars. A few years later, I was one of the kids doing the same thing at that school.

I also remember my Saturday morning trip to Hickinbottoms the butchers in Netherfield to collect the fresh faggots and a jug of gravy.

My other grandfather, who lived with us, used to work in the loco sheds, I would often go with him at weekends or during school holidays, looking at and climbing into the trains, also sitting in the lamp room helping to fill the lamps and drinking tea. I was also in the Chandos street school choir. One year we had to practice with the Carlton girl's school choir. My position was next to a girl from that school. I was so scared on the performance day that I grab the girl's hand and held it for the whole performance. This was the most embarrassing time of my life, as her friends who were sitting with us were giggling and nodding towards us. The news spread across the whole back row of the choir. One thing I did appreciate was that she never let go of my hand, I never did find out the girls name.

Must finish for now.

Hoping someone can help to refresh my memories.

[Hello.]

Hi Everyone, and HAPPY NEW YEAR. Thank you for helping to return some good old memories of Carlton and Netherfield. I have been reading a lot of posts from the archives.

As the years have passed, I have lost a lot of memories of that area.

I was born and lived in Carlton for the first 21 years of my life, I lived on the railway track right opposite Chandos Street School.

I went to Carlton Central Primary school and then on to Chandos street Boys school.

Left England in 1969 now live in a part of the world many miles away from you where people do not speak my native language.

As I said I lived in Carlton, but my grandmother and Grandfather (Doris and Joe) lived in Dunstan Street ( I think, but I cannot remember for sure, in Devonshire cottages) My grandfather used to drink in Jacky Bells

My uncle lived in Netherfield too, maybe some people may remember him. He was the local window cleaner, riding around on his pedal bike that had a sidecar that carried his ladders and buckets.

I am even having problems remembering names from my school days. But I can still picture the cricket field, the swings, slide and concrete blocks under the railway bridge, the dyke where many a time I fell in while trying to jump it, the gravel pits with the tunnels, maybe I was one of the kids who used to use your rafts when no one was around. The maggot farm, Even on the colwick side the old concrete building near the gravel pits (that I think had been bombed during the war) I never knew the building when it had windows.

My father used to work at the sugar beet factory and was a member of the gun club there. I still remember some of the fun family days that the factory used to have .

The other day I remember reading an old post that mentioned the name of John Fowler (I seem to remember that name from Chandos street) other names Peter Esswood, John Price, I think maybe a peter Ellis, But not too many more. I have lost most of my old photos whilst travelling. I would appreciate copies of any old photos that anyone may have of the old school days both at Carlton Central and Chandos Street Boys school My school years stretched from about 1953 to 1962. I have no pics to share with my kids of my time there. I use Google maps to try to show them the area, but it has changed so much, even I cannot remember it fro the modern pics

I am sorry to bore you with this post. Just hope I can meet up with someone from the past to share memories and life with. Keep up your posts, I have found all of them very interesting.

Good work Guys.