Remember When?

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

Sunday afternoons, mid 1950's, there used to be the afternoon movie on that old 12 inch black and white TV. Mam would go down to the sweet shop just on Alfred Street South opposite Turner Street and get a couple of blocks of Cadbury's choccie. Then we would settle down for the movie, scoff choccie and just pig out!! Dad would be snoring, he'd been to the Coachmakers Arms before dinner and was sleeping it off.

[mick2me 3,033]

Where was the Coachmakers Arms?

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

Where was the Coachmakers Arms?

Odd shaped pub on the corner of Union Road and St Anns Well Road, a few yards down from the junction of Alfred Street South and Central.

[Stan 386]

You were lucky! Chocolate had just recently stopped being rationed-and 2 bars-wow! In those times(early to mid 50`s) we had this bloated capitalist living close by. Not only did he have the only car in the Close(an Austin or Morris of some type), (apart from the Union official with his brand new union owned silver Zephyr Zodiac that is) but also his dad had the only T.V. in the Close, and the house was FULL of dozens of kids of all ages who he aquired as mates at the weekends! Daves' and Dennis' mum was pretty tolerant, (and happy when more TV's appeared at other homes).Ah happy days.

[Stan 386]

Incidentally, you(ayupmeducks) must be about my vintage,did you attend Bluebell Hill School?

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

Incidentally, you(ayupmeducks) must be about my vintage,did you attend Bluebell Hill School?

I sure did Stan, infants and junior! 1952-1958. I can remember sitting on the stone stairs at lunchtime in summer listeneing to the test match for the ashes on those big Rediffussion speakers one of the teachers put out for us, and to think... we though it was live too!!

Yep I recall when sugar rationing finished, early 50's, then sweets became a common thing in our lives together with fillings!!!

[Bip 88]

B) I remember seeing the queens coronation on our own tele....acording to me mam we to had an house full for that royal pageant..... B)

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

B) I remember seeing the queens coronation on our own tele....acording to me mam we to had an house full for that royal pageant..... B)

We didn't have a tv then Den, I think my mum first got us one about 1955 or 56. Our main problem was being on DC, they then converted us all to AC around 1955 era.

[mick2me 3,033]

I went to Trent Bridge School with a lad called Richard Churchill.

I an sure his dad was the Caretaker at Bluebell Hill?

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

I went to Trent Bridge School with a lad called Richard Churchill.

I an sure his dad was the Caretaker at Bluebell Hill?

Too long ago for me to remember Mick. I know the caretaker lived on the premises though, there was a house at one end of the playground near one of the entrances.

[Stan 386]

Yes,the caretaker`s house is still standing, but everything else has been demolished including the school,everything from that period in Nottingham has gone,Mundella, Bluebell Hill school,Elm Grove, and the Hop Bloom pub on BBH,where Harry(cannot remember his surname) used to let us play skittles in the back yard of the pub.

Next to the school was a printworks(? Sissons) who also had a large enamel thermometer on their wall,the saleman must have been selling job lots in the area at that time!!

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

Yes,the caretaker`s house is still standing, but everything else has been demolished including the school,everything from that period in Nottingham has gone,Mundella, Bluebell Hill school,Elm Grove, and the Hop Bloom pub on BBH,where Harry(cannot remember his surname) used to let us play skittles in the back yard of the pub.

Next to the school was a printworks(? Sissons) who also had a large enamel thermometer on their wall,the saleman must have been selling job lots in the area at that time!!

Thats right I recall that thermometer too!

I used to live in Kings Lynn Terrace off Turner Street those days. Two up two down, outside bog and coalhouse.

Recall the Shaws on Pym Street?? Coal merchant, his son Graham also went to BBH schools with me.

One of my Grans lived on Raglan Street off Peas Hill Road, the other lived on Blake Street off Gordon Road.

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

When I was about 13, my Mum got a job with the Lady Bay dry cleaners, and we moved into their new shop on Alfred Street South opposite Agars green grocery corner of BBH and Robin Hood Street. The old shop across the road was closed down.

I had a crush on Agars daughter, Jennifer. Years later I worked with old man Agar at Cotgrave colliery where I finsihed my apprenticeship off.

[Stan 386]

Iam a little older than you Gunga din! When I lived in Elm Grove, the shops at the bottom of BBH were on the corner of BBH and Alfred St., Co-op grocery,and a furniture shop.Further up BBH from the furniture shop was Alsibrook`s bakery then was taken over by the Fords. Further up still but before Guy`s terrace was a newsagent where I bought my first lot of fireworks in 1946/7 rationed to 2/6d. per customer. Next to that was Cotterell`s Dairy. This I remember well,because when the German bombers came over to bomb Nottingham all the young women and their kids would congregate there(their men were away fighting) and old Mr and Mrs Cotterell would offer tea and comfort and support. The kids would hide under the table.!

I believe fairly close to this was a bomb shelter which took a direct hit and everyone inside was killed.(I must look up details)

Don`t know the people you mentioned,but we left BBH in 1951.

[Stan 386]

Just found it-excellent account of the local bombing;

Transcription of Letter describing Bombing Raids on Nottingham (004a)(see Google)

[Stan 386]

This is it,hope you don`t find it too boring,but it gives some idea of what the civilians went through,and as it has just passed Remberance day ,thought it pretty relevant.

Letter describing Nottingham Blitz

21 Lamartine Street

Nottingham

Friday

Dear Ethel and Bill,

Don’t die of shock, having a letter from me, but if you want to know what sort of mess Jerries made of town, then I’m the only one that’s seen it all, or at least most of it. I hope the censor doesn’t ‘blue pencil’ it all, I should hate to give away vital information.

Vera knew nothing about the show till Friday, so you see that part of the globe is OK. All the damage is down our end. I’ve not been down Mrs Clement’s way, but there seems to have been quite a lot of HE’s and time bombs, St Christophers and St John’s are burnt out. Emily and Maggie Bowes have been evacuated to Auntie Emma’s because of a time bomb, and I don’t know whether they are back home again yet. Meadow Lane has suffered badly, the bakery and shoe repairing has gone, and several other places. H.E.’s and incendiaries seem to have been scattered all over the Meadows, and made a nice mess.

Porchester got several direct hits on houses. Our Firm got it pretty bad, only the Framing and General Offices were working on Friday. The No.2 warehouses, that’s where I am, started work on Tuesday, the rest is gutted. (9 factories) Howitt’s and Forman’s are lending us machines, and our men have been sent to work them. The 45 Trolley Buses are not running yet, there was a time bomb just outside our factory, that has now been moved, but the wires are not up yet, there is still a time bomb at the other end of the street, and we are patiently waiting for it to blow us up.

Carter Gate looked a mess on Friday, but it’s looking better now, the Stadium Hotel had a direct hit, the Depot windows are all out, Dunlop is completely down and so is the factory at the other corner of Pennyfoot St. Pullmans ladies shop is down. Trivetts Buildings, Price’s factory and several others in that area are gutted. Morley’s on Manvers Street, and Chesire’s at the bottom of Alfred St are both burnt out.

All the street off Carlton Road up to Cooper and Roe have damage of some sort. Daddy’s place has lost all it’s windows, and there was a direct hit on the place further up the street, where the air raid shelter is underneath, quite a lot of people were killed in the shelter.

St Anns Well Road district had a fair share, Kings Hall is down, but I don’t know whether H.E.’s or fire caused the trouble. Lewis’s old factory is damaged and Alfred Street has no windows, several houses are down in Dane Street and in other streets round about.

The was a direct hit on buildings opposite Toby’s and Mr E.V. Brown has lost his office. The shop next to C&A is burnt out, Chapel bar got 2 craters in the middle of the road, and AB Gibson’s is damaged. The University and Shakespeare St had one or two bombs. Something happened around Castle gate, but I don’t know what it was.

Bridgford had quite a lot of damage, but I’ve not seen anything there, there were several deaths in that district, so some H.E.s must have landed on houses.

I think I’ve told you about all that’s happened, and it took just 2 hours to do it all. I believe Mammy told you about Sabina St: fire – it was a beauty.

The casualty list is not complete yet, but there will be about 150 dead and 250 injured, so far as we can tell.

There is a rumour going round that a second attack was attempted, but our fighters drove the planes off at Belvoir, if that is the case, thank heaven we’ve got some good fighters, as another raid would’ve just about have got Lamartine St nicely, as we were surrounded by fires, and there was no water.

Sorry we can’t give any information about Bill’s sister’s husband, or Mrs Clements as our first news on them came from you, and we have heard nothing further.

Can’t tell you any more. Paper’s run dry. We are still alive and kicking hard, and I hope you are too.

Cheerio,

Clare

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

Yep, I'd say your a few years older Stan, I was born in 1947, so don't recall the horrors of the war.

[alisoncc 379]

Something happened around Castle gate, but I don’t know what it was.

Stan, in the letter you quoted about Castlegate.

As kids we used to go to Sunday School at Castlegate Congregational Church. We were supposed to walk up Carrington Street, along Listergate and then turn into Castlegate. But there was shortcut through "bomb buildings", which went from the top of Carrington Street to the centre of Castlegate. The Arms Houses at the top of Carrington Street were all fenced off. They had been bombed too.

Hugs Alison

[Limey 242]

My mum worked in Nottingham during the war (Morley's I think?) and would tell us about it on rare occasions. She remembered one of her friends was killed on her way to work when an unexploded bomb lodged in the roof of a house exploded as she walked by.

I think our parents did not talk much about what went on - they would rather just get on with life. My dad would rarely talk about his experiences in Africa and Italy "too many mates died" was what he would say.

My mum would talk about the rare occasions when the "girls" went out on the town - on one notable occasion they were thrown out of Yates' for being too rowdy! Now THAT is not a claim many can make!

[mags 0]

Hi That was a very interesting letter because I never knew that so much damage was done in Nottingham. I was 5 when the war started and I remember going to see a few bombsites but not many. Also quite a few lives were lost it seems. I still remember the sirens and they haunted me for years after the war. I worked at Forneman's for 4 years. I belonged to their club and also their drama group. I wonder if their is anyone around who worked in Foreman's in the 50's. Margaret

[Owdtite 2]

Where was the Coachmakers Arms?

If I remember correctly they had a boxing ring upstairs in this pub, My Dad took me in when I was very small on Sunday Lunchtimes when we used to go visiting all his family that were still living in St.Anns. We had moved to the delights of a prefab in Bulwell by then.! I remember being delighted that I was allowed in rather than being left outside with the usual lemonade and packet of Smiths crisps....

Owdtite.

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

I don't ever recall a boxing ring upstairs, thought that was the living accomadation for the landlord and his family.