We had a second son, James, born 12th of January 1990. My wife stayed at home to look after both boys Andrew 4 and James.
At work I was working in the North East Network Management Centre located in Leeds B Transmission Repeater Station, Burley Road, Leeds opposite Leeds Westgate. My new post responsibilities were liaising with Other Licenced Operators(Administrators) connected with The North East Region. These included Kingston Communications, Cellnet, Vodaphone and Mercury. It was a new post in BT with every Region having a manager. I eventually had 2 Techical Officers working for me, Ian Lindley and Paul Coombs. During this time I became the manager in charge of Private Circuits in Bradford as well. Within BT there was rationalisation ongoing especially Networks with Trunk and Local merging and Network Management Centres(NMC) being formed. Each Zone(Region) had a NMC with field staff supporting them. The North East NMC was located in Netel House, 6 Grace Street, Leeds 2. During my role in the RNMC I used to meet Kingston Communication(Hull) monthly, I met with HQ and Region Interconnect Operations Managers every 2 months at Milton Keynes but after all the HQ posts moved Oswestry. This was the National Network Management Centre.
My boss Dave Colley moved to a National Support Group in 1993 and I was temporary promoted to be in charge of 5 support managers for Transmission in the North East. One of the posts which I had responsibility was Emley Moor transmission station which connected to Emley Moor TV mast. I went there one afternoon and was took the top. It took 7 minutes to get there because the lift is very slow and can only accommodate 2 people. Eventually Trunk Networks merged with Local Networks through NAIP(Network Administration Implement Plan).
After James was born in January 1990 we went to Fuengirola, Spain. We'd been there 7 times before but this we went into a different block of apartments. It was further out than Los Boliches about 2 miles from the apartments in Los Boliches, La Concha IV. There were older but had 2 bedrooms, a kitchen and bigger lounge plus we got 3 weeks for the price of 2. We stayed there for 2 years but it wasn't advertised anymore.
I went out with different girls especially when I was training in Stone. I used to go to Sammy Bells in Newcastle under Lyme or Night Clubs in Stoke.
In 1992 my eldest son started going to Oulton Rugby League Club because my sisters three boys went there. They trained every Wednesday but Andrew didn't play until 1993 in the second team of under 8s. He enjoyed it but after a year I got fed up with the coach 'Jimmy'. I used to help but it ended up with me and another lads father doing all the hard work and Jimmy taking all the glory. We decided to move Andrew to Shaw Cross Boys Club as it was only just outside Ossett. James started training there when he was 4. I used to take James and my wife used to take Andrew. At first James played matches on a Sunday and Andrew played on a Saturday. When James was 9 I was asked to help to Under 10's coach at Dewsbury Moor. James knew some of the players and he wanted to move so I agreed. Dewsbury Moor under 10's struggled to get a team but they all tried to play even their parents didn't come to matches.
At work in 1994 when locals merged with trunks we moved into Netel House at the back of the police station. The new management centre was called the Network Operation Unit(NOU) and the field staff were called the Network Field Unit(NFU). I stayed as Interconnect manager taking provision as well as maintenance with my 2 TOs. My manager Dick Thorpe I knew already because he was the MAC manager. He went on temporary to a level 3 post and he asked me to cover his post which I did for 18 months. Under me were 14 managers, 100 technical officers and 5 clerical assistants. After this I moved on to Network Control rota manger were between 5 managers covered 24 hours as the Duty manger. the North East Network Operations Unit was closed but everyone was guaranteed another post. I said I would move to Manchester keeping my role as Rota manager for the North. I managed to keep a Leeds TO to work on my staff. He lived in Morley on the same side of Leeds. We shared the driving daily. For the first 3 years we got travelling expenses. At the end of year 1999 we worked earlies over Xmas and nights over New Year and BT paid us exceptionally At the end January I got over 5K !
In March 2001 it was announced that Manchester was closing leaving Cambridge and Oswestry to cover all of the country. I was offered either to move to Cambridge or work from home as National Transmission Support Manager. I chose to work from home until March 2003 when in the morning I suffered a massive stroke.
Throughout my later years of management, especially Network Management I built a relationship with the Government, MI5, MI6 and GCHQ. There was a division in BT called NPA7 who dealt with the Duty Managers. This group owned equipment in every DMSU which had facilities to monitor customers lines. If their equipment goes faulty they contact the Duty Manager to get somebody to escort them.
Tuesday 26 June 2012
Saturday 23 June 2012
My Life 1980-1990
Holidays we went to Torquay, Seahouses and several times were used my wifes Aunty's caravan in Bridlington. Holidays abroad were Ibiza, Fuengirola, Yugoslavia, when it was run as a communist state, Majorca and Lanzarote.
In 1985 things really changed my wife became pregnant. We had son, Andrew, who was born 26/01/86. My wife took maternity leave and went back to work but she resigned after the benefits stopped. Our lives changed dramatically by having a son. I remember going to Los Boliches, Fuengirola where we took my wife's aunt because she looked after Andrew when my wife returned to work. After that we went to the same apartments at least once ever year.
In 1990 we had another son, James, born 12/01/90.
At work a computer was installed called MAC, Measurement and Analysis Centre whose purposes was to run throughout Leeds telephone network and to measure the service. I joined the Reference Centre as the main T.O. working the MAC in 1984. In 1988 I had to cover for my manager who's other roles were Cordless Switchboard maintenance and SPC Telex. In 1999 the engineers union POEU(which I was a member) took strike action about the governments role providing a new telecommation operator 'Mercury'. It started with a 1 day strike but BT seeked reassurances that it wouldn't happen again. The engineers refused and everyone took srike action but I, as manager, went back to work. This lasted for about 3 weeks when BT negotiated a return.
I took my board in April 1990 but I was moved into a temporary post on System X(Digital) maintenance. I got my first post as the North East Manager on Interconnect. My headquarters were in Leeds B Transmission Repeater Station opposite Leeds Westgate on Burley Road in the North East Regional Network Management Centre. After 6 months I managed the Private Circuits Maintenance in Bradford. It was a local duty but Trunk Networks staffed it. There were 2 TOs and 1 T2A in the main Exchange in Manchester Road, Bradford. I got an office there as well. The 2 TOs had a bad reputation but after the initial meetings I worked with them to raise the statistic
In 1985 things really changed my wife became pregnant. We had son, Andrew, who was born 26/01/86. My wife took maternity leave and went back to work but she resigned after the benefits stopped. Our lives changed dramatically by having a son. I remember going to Los Boliches, Fuengirola where we took my wife's aunt because she looked after Andrew when my wife returned to work. After that we went to the same apartments at least once ever year.
In 1990 we had another son, James, born 12/01/90.
At work a computer was installed called MAC, Measurement and Analysis Centre whose purposes was to run throughout Leeds telephone network and to measure the service. I joined the Reference Centre as the main T.O. working the MAC in 1984. In 1988 I had to cover for my manager who's other roles were Cordless Switchboard maintenance and SPC Telex. In 1999 the engineers union POEU(which I was a member) took strike action about the governments role providing a new telecommation operator 'Mercury'. It started with a 1 day strike but BT seeked reassurances that it wouldn't happen again. The engineers refused and everyone took srike action but I, as manager, went back to work. This lasted for about 3 weeks when BT negotiated a return.
I took my board in April 1990 but I was moved into a temporary post on System X(Digital) maintenance. I got my first post as the North East Manager on Interconnect. My headquarters were in Leeds B Transmission Repeater Station opposite Leeds Westgate on Burley Road in the North East Regional Network Management Centre. After 6 months I managed the Private Circuits Maintenance in Bradford. It was a local duty but Trunk Networks staffed it. There were 2 TOs and 1 T2A in the main Exchange in Manchester Road, Bradford. I got an office there as well. The 2 TOs had a bad reputation but after the initial meetings I worked with them to raise the statistic
Monday 15 November 2010
British Telecom 1970 - 1980
I started work as an apprentice, TTA (trainee telecoms apprentice) for British Telecom on 12th October 1970. The first two days were spent on an induction course in Telecom House on Leeds Westgate just outside Leeds City centre near the Westgate swimming pool. I found out, later on, that there were over 100 apprentices started at BT Leeds that year.
The third day I had to go to Hammond Street , South Accommodation Road Leeds 9 to work with a gang of men that did Rodding and Cabling. We did some work with a new machine that put the ducts and cables in without digging. After this I spent 6 weeks on jointing cables. Because I was an apprentice I had to make notes and answer a questionnaire about every job I went on.
Also during my appenticeship every Friday I had to go to Kitson College of Technology. The college was in Leeds City centre near my school Leeds Central and I started at 09:00 - 13:00, 14:00 - 16:00 and 18:00 - 20:00. My first two years at British Telecom were discovering every job I could do and the last year of my apprentice was doing the job I was going to do when my apprenticeship ended.
Other jobs I was allocated in the first two years were Contractor watching which was very boring, external planning, installation in Leeds City centre, fitting in Leeds City centre, PABX installation, subscriber maintenance in Hunslet, test desk duties in Leeds Basinghall exchange, exchange constrution in Leeds Westgate exchange, exchange maintenance in Hunslet, Leeds Basinghall, Leeds Westgate, Telex maintenance in Leeds Westgate and Leeds Head Post Office.
As detailed in the previous chapter my love consisted of various Girls from swimming, Hilary Munroe, a girl that met in the Lake District, Gale Parmer swimming, Helen Muhl swimming, Barbera Leighton swimming, a girl from Long Benton Newcastle at Butlins Filey, Diane Carter from Holbeck, Sandra Lazenby from Dewsbury Road, my Wife, various girls from Beeston YMCA, a girl from Harehills, a girl from Heckmondwike, a girl that sat with me on the coach to Wembley, on the way back a girl I met before we got to Victoria Coach Station etc....
During my apprenticeship I had to take three internal courses at Otley training school but if you lived close (25 miles) you weren't allowed to lodge. I had to catch 2 buses and to get there at 08:00. All three courses lasted for 4 weeks and because the courses were allocated by your name several students were the same throughout my apprenticeship. I got friendy with Rob Marrows, John Robinson, John Richardson, Graham Smith, John Tinsdale and Steve Vickers.
Leeds HPO(Head Post Office) used to be the trunk exchange before Leeds Westgate was opened in 1968. There were lots of ghost stories because Leeds HPO used to be a hospital before. I spent a lot of time doing exchange maintenance at Hunslet, Leeds Basinghall and Leeds Westgate. Leeds Westgate was the trunk exchange and during my second year as an apprentice I went to LS/WGT (Leeds Westgate) three times lasting over 15 weeks. I went on exchange construction, exchange maintenance and telex maintenance. Not many apprentices liked LS/WGT but I liked it and at the end of my second year I said I wanted to work in LS/WGT on exchange maintenance. LS/WGT was a very big trunk exchange with five floors and a tunnel to connect with LS/B the transmission repeater station over the road, Burley Road. It was said that there was a ghost called Harry who haunted the tunnel and although I worked in LS/WGT for 22 years I never went into the tunnel. Somebody told me there is a nuclear shelter in the tunnel. There were over 150 people working in LS/WGT in 1972 but in 2002 there wasn't 5 such is the scale of modernisation telecommunications.
My third year as an apprentice I started on the T2A(technician 2A) rota. On this rota there were several duties, trunk test, group selectors, motor uniselectors, reference centre, circuit provision, switchboard maintenance and telex. I still had to go to Kitson College and I think I went for 15 years. For switchboard maintenance you had to go to another building which housed 100 female operators in Park Place which is in Leeds City centre. There were about 10 T2As on the rota but we all enjoyed going to Park Place because most of the operators were about the same age. Their supervisors were much stricter they had to leave their headsets in the room when ever they went to the toilet or for a break. I got to know several Operators and went to the pub with some at Christmas to The Central. I saw a few on Monday nights at Tiffany's in the Merrion Centre.
Outside of work, when I was 16, I used to go to Beeston YMCA on Cemetry Hill where they held a youth club. Around this time I met my wife when we were watching a football match on Hunslet moor. I used to hang around with a gang in Beeston and our enemies were from the Cardinals estate on the outskirts of Beeston/Leeds. I can remember one Sunday afternoon, because we were bored we decided to visit the Cardinals but we were spotted by the police. After about 15 minutes there were police cars all over Beeston picking up our gang. We all split up and I went home. That evening in Beeston YMCA youth club we all told our stories. The funnist was somebody was picked up and the policeman saw somebody else. So he told the first to stay in his car while he went to pick the second one up. While he was away the first one got out of the car and went home and the policeman never got the second one. Other stories I can remember were one night we had a sponsor walk to Harry Ramsdens in Guisley, on the other side of Leeds, and back to Beeston. It was 25 miles and took us about 7 hours. We went to the Lake district a couple of times to climb mountains and abseil. I tried to sleep with the 2 girls the leaders found me and sent me back upstairs. Once we went to Scarborough, Scalby Mills had disco on the beach at night time. One girl Sandra had Firm tits she let me play with them but no further ! They were really firm, the firmest I've felt.
A gang of us, about 15, use to go to watch Leeds United home and away. When we went away we used the football special which was a very old train solely for the use to take football fans. At home matches we used to go to a pub near Beeston YMCA, The Highfield, where a pint of bitter cost 2/6p . Then we would walk to Elland Road via the cemetry.
Later on we started going into Leeds city centre to meet other fans in the pinball arcade "pinners" and after the match we went back to Leeds city centre and hopefully meet the away fans who were going to the train station. I met a lot of mates from other parts of Leeds and BradfordI(Shipley) who liked the things I liked, fighting and football. I used to go to these areas during the week especially if they were going to fight some other lads... Belle Isle use to fight Middleton, Harehills use to fight Moortown, etc,. I was able to go other parts of Leeds because I had a good job and I had enough money. Most of my friends were on the dole. I earnt about £20 per week and gave my mum £5 board. Aged 17/18 I passed my driving licence 1st time and bought a Vauxhall Viva C registration 1965. I used to go to Wigan Casino on a Saturday/Sunday morning because Wigan Council allowed Dancing from 0001 - 0800 and after we went swimming in Wigan baths. I used to go to Tiffanies and Cinderellas in the Merrion Centre.
My left my mum on Boxing Day when I was 18 to live with another woman. I helped him moved before I went Elland Road to watch Leeds United. About same I started helping Cliff the landlord at the Moorhouse which was opposite our house. When I came home at 2230 Cliff keep serving the police who have just finish the late shift. I run the bar while Cliff would keep an eye things up to 0200. It became a regular job where I got to know the police from Dewsbury Road,
Special memories were Blackpool versus Leeds about 50 of us hired a coach to take us to Blackpool. We got there at 11:00 and went to Woolworths were we stole a lot of footballs. We played on the beach then we went to the match. After the match we to a department store where we had a wash and brush up. We went to a Fish restaurant and went to a pub where we stayed all night because our coach didn't leave until midnight. While were going back to our coach someone broke a tobacconist window and stole all the cigarette lighters. On the coach before we set off the police came and everyone was searched. They didn't find anything but they provided a police convoy to take us out of Blackpool.
Leeds played Sheffield United on a night match we were going back to the station when we saw a policeman arresting a Leeds fan but as there were about 15 of us we told the policeman to go. The young Leeds fan came with us to the station.
Again we hired a coach to take us to Coventry because some of the gang met another gang from Hinckley near Leicester. They were having problems with a gang of Hells Angels and we planned to go to Hinckley after the match. On the way to the ground we saw a large gang of Coventry fans near some roadworks. We picked up shovels, pickaxes and anything heavy then we charged but a car(unmarked police) tried to run us over. Loads of police came and surrounded us and escorted us to the ground. At most of our away matches we went in the home end not displaying our scarves. If we were let in we would start a fight and usually get moved to the away end. At this match we managed to stay in the home supporters end all match. After the match we went to Hinckley and sorted the Hells Angels out. We went back to Coventry because our coach did not leave until midnight and went drinking. When we got back to our coach a gang of Coventry fans were waiting for us. We ran at them and kicked a few but the rest disappeared.
Another memory is once I went to Ipswich on a Wallace Arnold coach. It took us 6 hours to get there and we picked up a friend who was hitch hiking because he couldn't afford to pay. About 30 of us went in the Ipswich end but due to all the aggro we decided to split up. At the end of the match we all met up in our coach.
We went in various pubs in Leeds City centre The Wellesly Hotel downstairs was The Buccaneer Bar where a lot of gays use to hang out, The Scarborough (taps), The Black Lion(opposite the pinners), The Guildford Hotel where we used the baths and showers, The Peel, Whitegates, Yates Wine Lodge, The Piccaldy Bar, The Charles and The Wade.
At a home match when Leeds were playing Liverpool after the match we caught up with the Liverpool fans in Holbeck Moor. I started fighting with one of the Liverpool fans(he was one of the Kelly's) but stopped when he went down and he didn't get up. All the little Leeds fans started kicking him but I left to find more Liverpool fans on the way to the station. That night when I was in town the police came to my house and asked my younger brother what he did after match(his nickname was 'tillo' as well). He had witnesses to account for what he did after the match because the police said a Liverpool fan was seriously injured following the match.
In 1972 Leeds played Arsenal at Wembley in the final of the FA Cup. Although I used to collect tokens from programmes that allowed you to get ticket for the final. My Uncle Joe got me a semi-final ticket and said he would get me a final ticket. When the sales began he told my mother that he'd seen me fighting and wouldn't get me a final ticket. I had given my tokens away to a friend but my mum bought me one from somebody who lived in the multi-storey flats on our estate.
Leeds won 1 - 0 with Alan Clarke scoring the goal. I went with several of my mates. We went on a Wallace Arnolds coach setting off at midnight and returning at midnight on Saturday. It was a brillant day ! On following Monday Leeds had to play Wolverhampton to win the Football League but they lost.
I got really friendly with Charlie from Shipley who use to go in the pinners on a Saturday morning to met me. We would have a drink in either The Scarboro' taps or The Black Lion and we walk to The Peacock opposite Elland Road. At about 13:30 we go in(0.75p) The GELDARD END. We stand near the back to watch the match. After we walk to Leeds City Station where Charlie caught his train and I went home.
In 1972 my father moved out because he was seeing another woman. From what I remember he had been seeing her for several years and she had 2 children ? At Christmas that year he decided to move in with her. After I began working at the Public House opposite our house called The Moorhouse. It's owner was called Cliff and he used serve Policemen after 2200 when their Late shift finished up to 0200 am. At Boxing Day Cliff called to ask me if I would help move some barrels. I did and tidied the cellar. He told me anytime I wanted to work after 2230, closing time, I could serve the police after time. I did this until Cliff retired about 2 years. It worked well because the Police were from Dewsbury Road police station who look after Elland Road. There were a few times I was arrested but just thrown out of Elland Road.
I was on the T2A's rota for 6 years and at LS/WGT we enjoyed plenty of outside interests, football, rugby league, cricket and treasure hunts. When it was sunny we went up to Woodhouse moor to play football, rugby league and cricket. Also British Telecom Sports and Social used to organise events that we could enter. Because LS/WGT was a big exchange we had are own teams. The only other exchange was LS/BAS/(inghall).
Treasure hunts were usually good the process was 10 cars with four passengers, including wifes/girlfriends were given directions and had to find answers to questions on the information sheet plus they had to find the treaure asked for. The treasure hunt always ended up at a pub with food laid on. On a Friday lunchtime we used to go to the pub next door "The Highland" it was very popular.
I was on the T2A's rota for 6 years when I was promoted to a Technical Officer. I started as a pool T.O. which was to cover the rota T.O.'s. There were 3 rotas at LS/WGT and if you were on a rota you were better off financially. On each rota, trunk test, RT unit and 2nd floor, there were 5 duties. Earlies 07:00 - 14:30, Nights 22:00 - 07:00, Week off, Days 08:00 - 16:00, Lates 14:00 - 22:00. If you covered a rota post you got an extra 'Z' £7.95 plus any overtime.
LS/WGT had plenty of floors that were not used so we built a badminton court so we could use it in our lunchtime. At meal times there was a card room, a reading room, a quiet room and a table tennis room.
After about 2 years as a pool T.O. my manager asked me if I wanted to work in a new part of LS/WGT called the transit exchange, located on the fourth floor. I didn't know a lot about it but decided to give it a go.
Apart from learning new skills working in a trunk exchange and studying at college I went on several training courses. Basic auto Harrogate, 2000 switch maintenance Harrogate and Non-Director Trunk Exchange maintenance at Stone near Stoke. I visited Stone every year training. Other courses I attended at Stone were Register/Translator(RT Unit), MF2 signalling, TXK4.
With my wife we saw Slade and Rod Stewart plus The Faces at Leeds Town Hall. Every Friday we went to see a movie in Leeds.
In 1973 I passed my driving test, first time. I bought a Vauxhall Viva Mark 1 for £60. It wasn't very good but it better than using the bus especially when my wife moved from Garnet Road to Cottingley. Also in 1973 In 1974 I changed my car to Ford Cortina 1600 L Mark 3 costing £550. I had to sell it to buy a house when we decided to get married. I was told by the Dewsbury Road police to settle down and move to another district. I used serve the police in the Moorhouse after hours when they finished lates at 2200 - 0200.
In 1975 we got married and bought a house in Armley 71 Highfield Close near The Dragon public house on Whitehall Road. My wife caught me playing away shortly after our wedding. She asked why my shirt was covered with foundation ? My mother used to wash my shirt ! We had problems with our noisy neighbours next door. Their were South African, the bloke was O.K. but the woman and two kids were very noisy. We had a few upsets and one time the bloke and her brother called for me to come outside and fight. I refused and called the police but we didn't have phone. I had to go to the coinbox and when the police came it was quiet. One morning I was waiting for the bus and the bloke came and stood next to me. There was little traffic and I smacked him a few times and I threatening him. But the noise carried on even he tried to commit suicide. Eventually we decide to move and sold our house in October 1976 to move into a new house in Ossett, Wakefield. I bought a Morris Marina 1800L before we moved to Ossett. Our new house wasn't finished but the people who bought our old house wanted to move in straight away. We moved into with my mother and my brother for about 6 months.
We moved into our new semi-detached, 3 bedroom house in March 1977. Our house was one of the last houses to be occupied in our street. My sister in law's, father in law built the estate. It's address was 38 Fairfield Gardens, WF5 0LX. It was very different living in Ossett rather in Leeds. We both worked in Leeds and my wife didn't drive. We use to set off at 07:00 and I used to drop my wife at my mother's house before I went work. I started work at 08:00 and my wife started at 08:30. She worked at the Yorkshire and Humberside Council of Further Education at the old Princess Field school in Holbeck. I finished work at 16:30 when I went to pick my wife up who finished at 17:00. In 1978 the traffic between Ossett and Leeds on the M1 was light so it only took us about 20 minutes. We went drinking, in Ossett, in The Weavers or Two Brewers. We became regulars in The Weavers but eventually stopped going in because the landlord, Les was always drunk, kept giving us free drinks. We used to go out every Sunday night with my sister in law, Janet, and her husband Phil
Clarkson.
On New Years Eve we went to The Warehouse in Leeds. It was different because it opened in March 1979, it played tunes that were not Top 40 but some were Northern Soul which my brother and me liked.
The third day I had to go to Hammond Street , South Accommodation Road Leeds 9 to work with a gang of men that did Rodding and Cabling. We did some work with a new machine that put the ducts and cables in without digging. After this I spent 6 weeks on jointing cables. Because I was an apprentice I had to make notes and answer a questionnaire about every job I went on.
Also during my appenticeship every Friday I had to go to Kitson College of Technology. The college was in Leeds City centre near my school Leeds Central and I started at 09:00 - 13:00, 14:00 - 16:00 and 18:00 - 20:00. My first two years at British Telecom were discovering every job I could do and the last year of my apprentice was doing the job I was going to do when my apprenticeship ended.
Other jobs I was allocated in the first two years were Contractor watching which was very boring, external planning, installation in Leeds City centre, fitting in Leeds City centre, PABX installation, subscriber maintenance in Hunslet, test desk duties in Leeds Basinghall exchange, exchange constrution in Leeds Westgate exchange, exchange maintenance in Hunslet, Leeds Basinghall, Leeds Westgate, Telex maintenance in Leeds Westgate and Leeds Head Post Office.
As detailed in the previous chapter my love consisted of various Girls from swimming, Hilary Munroe, a girl that met in the Lake District, Gale Parmer swimming, Helen Muhl swimming, Barbera Leighton swimming, a girl from Long Benton Newcastle at Butlins Filey, Diane Carter from Holbeck, Sandra Lazenby from Dewsbury Road, my Wife, various girls from Beeston YMCA, a girl from Harehills, a girl from Heckmondwike, a girl that sat with me on the coach to Wembley, on the way back a girl I met before we got to Victoria Coach Station etc....
During my apprenticeship I had to take three internal courses at Otley training school but if you lived close (25 miles) you weren't allowed to lodge. I had to catch 2 buses and to get there at 08:00. All three courses lasted for 4 weeks and because the courses were allocated by your name several students were the same throughout my apprenticeship. I got friendy with Rob Marrows, John Robinson, John Richardson, Graham Smith, John Tinsdale and Steve Vickers.
Leeds HPO(Head Post Office) used to be the trunk exchange before Leeds Westgate was opened in 1968. There were lots of ghost stories because Leeds HPO used to be a hospital before. I spent a lot of time doing exchange maintenance at Hunslet, Leeds Basinghall and Leeds Westgate. Leeds Westgate was the trunk exchange and during my second year as an apprentice I went to LS/WGT (Leeds Westgate) three times lasting over 15 weeks. I went on exchange construction, exchange maintenance and telex maintenance. Not many apprentices liked LS/WGT but I liked it and at the end of my second year I said I wanted to work in LS/WGT on exchange maintenance. LS/WGT was a very big trunk exchange with five floors and a tunnel to connect with LS/B the transmission repeater station over the road, Burley Road. It was said that there was a ghost called Harry who haunted the tunnel and although I worked in LS/WGT for 22 years I never went into the tunnel. Somebody told me there is a nuclear shelter in the tunnel. There were over 150 people working in LS/WGT in 1972 but in 2002 there wasn't 5 such is the scale of modernisation telecommunications.
My third year as an apprentice I started on the T2A(technician 2A) rota. On this rota there were several duties, trunk test, group selectors, motor uniselectors, reference centre, circuit provision, switchboard maintenance and telex. I still had to go to Kitson College and I think I went for 15 years. For switchboard maintenance you had to go to another building which housed 100 female operators in Park Place which is in Leeds City centre. There were about 10 T2As on the rota but we all enjoyed going to Park Place because most of the operators were about the same age. Their supervisors were much stricter they had to leave their headsets in the room when ever they went to the toilet or for a break. I got to know several Operators and went to the pub with some at Christmas to The Central. I saw a few on Monday nights at Tiffany's in the Merrion Centre.
Outside of work, when I was 16, I used to go to Beeston YMCA on Cemetry Hill where they held a youth club. Around this time I met my wife when we were watching a football match on Hunslet moor. I used to hang around with a gang in Beeston and our enemies were from the Cardinals estate on the outskirts of Beeston/Leeds. I can remember one Sunday afternoon, because we were bored we decided to visit the Cardinals but we were spotted by the police. After about 15 minutes there were police cars all over Beeston picking up our gang. We all split up and I went home. That evening in Beeston YMCA youth club we all told our stories. The funnist was somebody was picked up and the policeman saw somebody else. So he told the first to stay in his car while he went to pick the second one up. While he was away the first one got out of the car and went home and the policeman never got the second one. Other stories I can remember were one night we had a sponsor walk to Harry Ramsdens in Guisley, on the other side of Leeds, and back to Beeston. It was 25 miles and took us about 7 hours. We went to the Lake district a couple of times to climb mountains and abseil. I tried to sleep with the 2 girls the leaders found me and sent me back upstairs. Once we went to Scarborough, Scalby Mills had disco on the beach at night time. One girl Sandra had Firm tits she let me play with them but no further ! They were really firm, the firmest I've felt.
A gang of us, about 15, use to go to watch Leeds United home and away. When we went away we used the football special which was a very old train solely for the use to take football fans. At home matches we used to go to a pub near Beeston YMCA, The Highfield, where a pint of bitter cost 2/6p . Then we would walk to Elland Road via the cemetry.
Later on we started going into Leeds city centre to meet other fans in the pinball arcade "pinners" and after the match we went back to Leeds city centre and hopefully meet the away fans who were going to the train station. I met a lot of mates from other parts of Leeds and BradfordI(Shipley) who liked the things I liked, fighting and football. I used to go to these areas during the week especially if they were going to fight some other lads... Belle Isle use to fight Middleton, Harehills use to fight Moortown, etc,. I was able to go other parts of Leeds because I had a good job and I had enough money. Most of my friends were on the dole. I earnt about £20 per week and gave my mum £5 board. Aged 17/18 I passed my driving licence 1st time and bought a Vauxhall Viva C registration 1965. I used to go to Wigan Casino on a Saturday/Sunday morning because Wigan Council allowed Dancing from 0001 - 0800 and after we went swimming in Wigan baths. I used to go to Tiffanies and Cinderellas in the Merrion Centre.
My left my mum on Boxing Day when I was 18 to live with another woman. I helped him moved before I went Elland Road to watch Leeds United. About same I started helping Cliff the landlord at the Moorhouse which was opposite our house. When I came home at 2230 Cliff keep serving the police who have just finish the late shift. I run the bar while Cliff would keep an eye things up to 0200. It became a regular job where I got to know the police from Dewsbury Road,
Special memories were Blackpool versus Leeds about 50 of us hired a coach to take us to Blackpool. We got there at 11:00 and went to Woolworths were we stole a lot of footballs. We played on the beach then we went to the match. After the match we to a department store where we had a wash and brush up. We went to a Fish restaurant and went to a pub where we stayed all night because our coach didn't leave until midnight. While were going back to our coach someone broke a tobacconist window and stole all the cigarette lighters. On the coach before we set off the police came and everyone was searched. They didn't find anything but they provided a police convoy to take us out of Blackpool.
Leeds played Sheffield United on a night match we were going back to the station when we saw a policeman arresting a Leeds fan but as there were about 15 of us we told the policeman to go. The young Leeds fan came with us to the station.
Again we hired a coach to take us to Coventry because some of the gang met another gang from Hinckley near Leicester. They were having problems with a gang of Hells Angels and we planned to go to Hinckley after the match. On the way to the ground we saw a large gang of Coventry fans near some roadworks. We picked up shovels, pickaxes and anything heavy then we charged but a car(unmarked police) tried to run us over. Loads of police came and surrounded us and escorted us to the ground. At most of our away matches we went in the home end not displaying our scarves. If we were let in we would start a fight and usually get moved to the away end. At this match we managed to stay in the home supporters end all match. After the match we went to Hinckley and sorted the Hells Angels out. We went back to Coventry because our coach did not leave until midnight and went drinking. When we got back to our coach a gang of Coventry fans were waiting for us. We ran at them and kicked a few but the rest disappeared.
Another memory is once I went to Ipswich on a Wallace Arnold coach. It took us 6 hours to get there and we picked up a friend who was hitch hiking because he couldn't afford to pay. About 30 of us went in the Ipswich end but due to all the aggro we decided to split up. At the end of the match we all met up in our coach.
We went in various pubs in Leeds City centre The Wellesly Hotel downstairs was The Buccaneer Bar where a lot of gays use to hang out, The Scarborough (taps), The Black Lion(opposite the pinners), The Guildford Hotel where we used the baths and showers, The Peel, Whitegates, Yates Wine Lodge, The Piccaldy Bar, The Charles and The Wade.
At a home match when Leeds were playing Liverpool after the match we caught up with the Liverpool fans in Holbeck Moor. I started fighting with one of the Liverpool fans(he was one of the Kelly's) but stopped when he went down and he didn't get up. All the little Leeds fans started kicking him but I left to find more Liverpool fans on the way to the station. That night when I was in town the police came to my house and asked my younger brother what he did after match(his nickname was 'tillo' as well). He had witnesses to account for what he did after the match because the police said a Liverpool fan was seriously injured following the match.
In 1972 Leeds played Arsenal at Wembley in the final of the FA Cup. Although I used to collect tokens from programmes that allowed you to get ticket for the final. My Uncle Joe got me a semi-final ticket and said he would get me a final ticket. When the sales began he told my mother that he'd seen me fighting and wouldn't get me a final ticket. I had given my tokens away to a friend but my mum bought me one from somebody who lived in the multi-storey flats on our estate.
Leeds won 1 - 0 with Alan Clarke scoring the goal. I went with several of my mates. We went on a Wallace Arnolds coach setting off at midnight and returning at midnight on Saturday. It was a brillant day ! On following Monday Leeds had to play Wolverhampton to win the Football League but they lost.
I got really friendly with Charlie from Shipley who use to go in the pinners on a Saturday morning to met me. We would have a drink in either The Scarboro' taps or The Black Lion and we walk to The Peacock opposite Elland Road. At about 13:30 we go in(0.75p) The GELDARD END. We stand near the back to watch the match. After we walk to Leeds City Station where Charlie caught his train and I went home.
In 1972 my father moved out because he was seeing another woman. From what I remember he had been seeing her for several years and she had 2 children ? At Christmas that year he decided to move in with her. After I began working at the Public House opposite our house called The Moorhouse. It's owner was called Cliff and he used serve Policemen after 2200 when their Late shift finished up to 0200 am. At Boxing Day Cliff called to ask me if I would help move some barrels. I did and tidied the cellar. He told me anytime I wanted to work after 2230, closing time, I could serve the police after time. I did this until Cliff retired about 2 years. It worked well because the Police were from Dewsbury Road police station who look after Elland Road. There were a few times I was arrested but just thrown out of Elland Road.
I was on the T2A's rota for 6 years and at LS/WGT we enjoyed plenty of outside interests, football, rugby league, cricket and treasure hunts. When it was sunny we went up to Woodhouse moor to play football, rugby league and cricket. Also British Telecom Sports and Social used to organise events that we could enter. Because LS/WGT was a big exchange we had are own teams. The only other exchange was LS/BAS/(inghall).
Treasure hunts were usually good the process was 10 cars with four passengers, including wifes/girlfriends were given directions and had to find answers to questions on the information sheet plus they had to find the treaure asked for. The treasure hunt always ended up at a pub with food laid on. On a Friday lunchtime we used to go to the pub next door "The Highland" it was very popular.
I was on the T2A's rota for 6 years when I was promoted to a Technical Officer. I started as a pool T.O. which was to cover the rota T.O.'s. There were 3 rotas at LS/WGT and if you were on a rota you were better off financially. On each rota, trunk test, RT unit and 2nd floor, there were 5 duties. Earlies 07:00 - 14:30, Nights 22:00 - 07:00, Week off, Days 08:00 - 16:00, Lates 14:00 - 22:00. If you covered a rota post you got an extra 'Z' £7.95 plus any overtime.
LS/WGT had plenty of floors that were not used so we built a badminton court so we could use it in our lunchtime. At meal times there was a card room, a reading room, a quiet room and a table tennis room.
After about 2 years as a pool T.O. my manager asked me if I wanted to work in a new part of LS/WGT called the transit exchange, located on the fourth floor. I didn't know a lot about it but decided to give it a go.
Apart from learning new skills working in a trunk exchange and studying at college I went on several training courses. Basic auto Harrogate, 2000 switch maintenance Harrogate and Non-Director Trunk Exchange maintenance at Stone near Stoke. I visited Stone every year training. Other courses I attended at Stone were Register/Translator(RT Unit), MF2 signalling, TXK4.
With my wife we saw Slade and Rod Stewart plus The Faces at Leeds Town Hall. Every Friday we went to see a movie in Leeds.
In 1973 I passed my driving test, first time. I bought a Vauxhall Viva Mark 1 for £60. It wasn't very good but it better than using the bus especially when my wife moved from Garnet Road to Cottingley. Also in 1973 In 1974 I changed my car to Ford Cortina 1600 L Mark 3 costing £550. I had to sell it to buy a house when we decided to get married. I was told by the Dewsbury Road police to settle down and move to another district. I used serve the police in the Moorhouse after hours when they finished lates at 2200 - 0200.
In 1975 we got married and bought a house in Armley 71 Highfield Close near The Dragon public house on Whitehall Road. My wife caught me playing away shortly after our wedding. She asked why my shirt was covered with foundation ? My mother used to wash my shirt ! We had problems with our noisy neighbours next door. Their were South African, the bloke was O.K. but the woman and two kids were very noisy. We had a few upsets and one time the bloke and her brother called for me to come outside and fight. I refused and called the police but we didn't have phone. I had to go to the coinbox and when the police came it was quiet. One morning I was waiting for the bus and the bloke came and stood next to me. There was little traffic and I smacked him a few times and I threatening him. But the noise carried on even he tried to commit suicide. Eventually we decide to move and sold our house in October 1976 to move into a new house in Ossett, Wakefield. I bought a Morris Marina 1800L before we moved to Ossett. Our new house wasn't finished but the people who bought our old house wanted to move in straight away. We moved into with my mother and my brother for about 6 months.
We moved into our new semi-detached, 3 bedroom house in March 1977. Our house was one of the last houses to be occupied in our street. My sister in law's, father in law built the estate. It's address was 38 Fairfield Gardens, WF5 0LX. It was very different living in Ossett rather in Leeds. We both worked in Leeds and my wife didn't drive. We use to set off at 07:00 and I used to drop my wife at my mother's house before I went work. I started work at 08:00 and my wife started at 08:30. She worked at the Yorkshire and Humberside Council of Further Education at the old Princess Field school in Holbeck. I finished work at 16:30 when I went to pick my wife up who finished at 17:00. In 1978 the traffic between Ossett and Leeds on the M1 was light so it only took us about 20 minutes. We went drinking, in Ossett, in The Weavers or Two Brewers. We became regulars in The Weavers but eventually stopped going in because the landlord, Les was always drunk, kept giving us free drinks. We used to go out every Sunday night with my sister in law, Janet, and her husband Phil
Clarkson.
On New Years Eve we went to The Warehouse in Leeds. It was different because it opened in March 1979, it played tunes that were not Top 40 but some were Northern Soul which my brother and me liked.
Sunday 24 May 2009
Leeds Central High School 10 - 15
I passed my 11 plus exam when I was 10 years old and I opted to go to Leeds Central High School(boys only) because my Uncle Joe went there. It is situated in the city centre on Great George Street and I had to catch a bus(No.1 Beeston to Lawnswood). My sister went to Thoresby High School(girls only) next door.
It was very strange starting at a new school where I had to wear an uniform but one of my friends, Neil Rudge who lived at 43 Northcote Street, was starting as well. One of my friends from St. Peter's Chuch, Ian Langley, who was older than me went there as well. Each year the pupils were divided up into 4 classes called Faraday(blue), Murray(green), Newton(red) and Preistley(white) which were our houses. My house was Preistley. In my first year my class teacher was Mr Stewart who was also the deputy head. Mr Stewart was a mathematics teacher. The first day we got a timetable which described what lessons we had every week and where they were held. Each lesson was held in different room. Our games were held on our sports field which were about 3 miles away in West Park using private buses to get there on a Wednesday morning and our woodwork classes were held in a different location near Woodhouse moor where we had to use public transport. I knew some other boys in different classes but it was very different than going to Junior school. Each year had four classes so there was about 700 pupils. Another thing that I had to do was homework every night !
The lessons lasted for 45 minutes and the topics were Mathematics, English, French, History, Geograrhy, Physics, Chemistry, Technical Drawing, Art, Woodwork or Metalwork, Religion, Physical Education and Games.
During my first year because I was only 10 I entered the Junior Swimming competitions against my old school. Mr Blakeborough did not like this because I won every event I entered.
Other schools that children from Bewerley Street went to were Cockburn Dewsbury Road, Parkside Middleton Road, Hillside Beeston Road and Matthew Murray Holbeck(my wife went to Matthew Murray).
When I was about 14 our house in Northcote Street was compulsory purchased by Leeds City council to improve the area. We had 2 options which were get about £1,000 to buy another house or get a new council house. We chose to get a new council house, a three bedroom, terraced house, central heating, bathroom, extra toilet downstairs, which was near to Dewsbury Road opposite the police station. Our new address was 5 Moor Crescent Chase. It was a small estate with about 30 houses/flats (2 stories) and 2 blocks of flats (16 stories). Our house was opposite The Moorhouse public house and our family became good friends with the families who lived in The Moorhouse, my mother became a barmaid later. Also around the same time Canning Street Club was rebuilt at the end of our street. The rumour was it should have been built on the opposite side of Dewsbury Road. My grandmother Furness moved into one of the flats(2 storeys) after.
My mother changed jobs and started working at Kays the catalogue company on Marshall Street full time. We still came home for our dinners but when my Dad was on earlies we went to my Grandmother Furness's house for dinner.
I still used to go to Elland Road and went with my new friends on the estate. I also had new friends from school and they used to go as well. I became good friends with Steve Brown who used to go to Leeds Central Swimming Club. Steve lived on Barkly Road off Dewsbury Road about a mile further up. He went to Cockburn School. I can remember going camping to Bolton Abbey with Steve and John Dunn who was also a member of Leeds Central. We camped in a field opposite Bolton Abbey. Steve was two years older than me and bought a scooter when he became an apprentice at the Post Office Telecommunications in 1969.
About this time we changed our shopping habits every Thursday we went to Grandways which was on Dewsbury Road above Tunstall Road. They was a lot of shops in Dewsbury road that we used.
Things that I remember from Leeds Central school, the postman told my mum that somebody was sending me postcards but sending to the wrong address. On the postcard it said I was GAY. My Mum came to school to see my headteacher and he called me into his office. He asked me who I thought it was and I didn't hear anything else' The postcards stopped ! I told the head Rockie that I thought Wade and Mac were sending them because they were jealous.
I remember going camping to Pately Bridge, my Dad took me and my friend Damon Starkey and we were suppose to met other friends when we got there. But they didn't show up. We set up our tent on Saturday and decided to look for them on Sunday. We got up on Sunday but we didn't know the time. We looked all morning after about 2 hours we heard a radio telling us that it was only 8 o'clock. We continued to look for them but at 12:00 we decided to cook our Sunday lunch.
Our friends were taking the calor gas stove but we had two methalated spirit stoves which we used. During the cooking one of stoves ran out so we put some more methalated spirit in but the stove exploded and set our tent on fire. After all the commotion we decided to go home. It took us about 3 hours but when I got home there wasn't anyone in. All my family had gone to Patley Bridge to see me. What they did find was one of our friends from Leeds Central swimming club staying in the same camp site so they stayed all afternoon.
In the fourth year I was bullied, some 'mod' bullyboys chose me as one of their targets particularly at sports. It made me not chose sports as a option in the fifth year. I could revise for my O-levels instead of sports.
As well as school I represented Leeds at swimming in Yorkshire and North East County galas. One year I came third in the North East counties but my younger brother was always winning gold medals. We travelled all over Yorkshire and the North East on a Heap's coach. Our parents sat at front and all the swimmers sat at the back. The oldest sat at the back and we played games. This normally involved kissing !
In 1968 the Gelderd End was formed. The Spion Kop at Elland Road was built in the 1920's and attained its name from a hill in South Africa. During the Boer War 322 British soldiers lost their lives on the hill and many football teams named their stands after Spion Kop hill in tribute to the fallen men. The original Kop was all terracing and built on an embankment, at this time the Kop had no roof. In April 1968 the old Spion Kop terracing was stripped away in no less than six weeks and in its place the new Kop was built complete with a roof and new name. The Elland Road Kop was now known as the Gelderd End. The new stand cost £250,000 to build. In 1994 as a result of the recommendations in the Taylor Report which was published in 1990 the Gelderd End became all seater. 7,000 seats were added to the terrace reducing the stands capacity by just under 3,000. The Gelderd End was the final stand at the Elland Road stadium to acquire seats. The new look Kop was officially opened in October by the President of the club, Lord Harewood and Mrs E Revie the late Don Revie's widow. The Gelderd End was renamed after the great manager himself and the stand is now officially known as the Revie Stand. In the season 1968/9 Leeds played Manchester United early at beginning of the season. Leeds fans used to stand in the scratching shed(Elland Road) and the away supporters stood in the Lowfield Road section. When Geldard End opened all the younger(skinheads, mods etc.) moved but the older fans rockers stayed in the Scratching Shed. When the scum came they decided to go in the Geldard End and they outnumbered the Leeds fans. After that match all the Leeds fans went in the Geldard End.
In 1970 Leeds United played Chelsea at Wembley in the FA Cup and they drew. The replay was at Old Trafford on the Wednesday evening. I got two tickets for my brother and me. Our school told us we could go because a Special train was leaving Leeds in the afternoon taking all the school children. We had a great time but Leeds lost in extra time.
I met Kathy Dohethry who lived on our estate and I met 2 girls from Nottingham who came to visit their Grandparents. I met a girl from Holbeck called Diane Carter who I went out with her for about 1 month. I used to talk with loads of Girls because I used get along with them unlike my friends who were shy. During this time I went out with my Wife and we used to go in the trains from Middleton Railway that were stored in the yard opposite her house in Garnet Road. I met a girl in Cross Park and we went to Middleton Woods for my first encounter ! When I was Leeds I met girl Janet from Heckmondwike who I went with for about 3 months including going to watch Leeds United. They were banned from playing at Elland Road and had to play teir home games at Huddersfield or Hull etc..
When I was 15 I decided to stop training for swimming because of my O levels and I wanted to go out with my friends on a night. I met my wife at a football match on Hunslet Moor. I started going out with her on and off since 1969.
In the fifth year I took my GCE O-levels in Mathematics, English, Technical Drawing, Engineering Workshop Theory & Practice, History, Physics and French. I passed 6 only failing French. I didn't want to go to school anymore because some friends I had were working already as apprentices. I decided to follow them. I applied for apprentices at British Telecom(GPO), Post Office(engineering) and printing. In printing you had to pass an exam set by the union who found you a post. On the last day of school some of us decided to get our hair cut to the skinhead style which was really short.
During the summer holidays six of us went to Butlins for a week. Damon Starkey, Maurice Hope, Paul Gomersol, Phillip Stringer(his parents run a public house on Rothwell Road) and Stephen Gore. At Butlin's we all started drinking even though I was 15. I was the only one to get a girl who lived Longbenton, Newcastle. I wrote to her a couple of times. After I found work in a warehouse next to Kay's in Marshall Street. I got paid £5 a week but I knew that I had got an apprenticeship with British Telecom but I couldn't start until I was 16.
One day I went into Leeds city centre where some skinheads began talking to me and we went to a cafe called Lulu's where a lot of skinheads go. I made a lot of new friends who liked watching Leeds United and fighting. Some of my new friends use to go to the youth club in Beeston on Cementry Road. I stupidly got caught shop lifting in Grandways, stealing some spark plugs.
It was very strange starting at a new school where I had to wear an uniform but one of my friends, Neil Rudge who lived at 43 Northcote Street, was starting as well. One of my friends from St. Peter's Chuch, Ian Langley, who was older than me went there as well. Each year the pupils were divided up into 4 classes called Faraday(blue), Murray(green), Newton(red) and Preistley(white) which were our houses. My house was Preistley. In my first year my class teacher was Mr Stewart who was also the deputy head. Mr Stewart was a mathematics teacher. The first day we got a timetable which described what lessons we had every week and where they were held. Each lesson was held in different room. Our games were held on our sports field which were about 3 miles away in West Park using private buses to get there on a Wednesday morning and our woodwork classes were held in a different location near Woodhouse moor where we had to use public transport. I knew some other boys in different classes but it was very different than going to Junior school. Each year had four classes so there was about 700 pupils. Another thing that I had to do was homework every night !
The lessons lasted for 45 minutes and the topics were Mathematics, English, French, History, Geograrhy, Physics, Chemistry, Technical Drawing, Art, Woodwork or Metalwork, Religion, Physical Education and Games.
During my first year because I was only 10 I entered the Junior Swimming competitions against my old school. Mr Blakeborough did not like this because I won every event I entered.
Other schools that children from Bewerley Street went to were Cockburn Dewsbury Road, Parkside Middleton Road, Hillside Beeston Road and Matthew Murray Holbeck(my wife went to Matthew Murray).
When I was about 14 our house in Northcote Street was compulsory purchased by Leeds City council to improve the area. We had 2 options which were get about £1,000 to buy another house or get a new council house. We chose to get a new council house, a three bedroom, terraced house, central heating, bathroom, extra toilet downstairs, which was near to Dewsbury Road opposite the police station. Our new address was 5 Moor Crescent Chase. It was a small estate with about 30 houses/flats (2 stories) and 2 blocks of flats (16 stories). Our house was opposite The Moorhouse public house and our family became good friends with the families who lived in The Moorhouse, my mother became a barmaid later. Also around the same time Canning Street Club was rebuilt at the end of our street. The rumour was it should have been built on the opposite side of Dewsbury Road. My grandmother Furness moved into one of the flats(2 storeys) after.
My mother changed jobs and started working at Kays the catalogue company on Marshall Street full time. We still came home for our dinners but when my Dad was on earlies we went to my Grandmother Furness's house for dinner.
I still used to go to Elland Road and went with my new friends on the estate. I also had new friends from school and they used to go as well. I became good friends with Steve Brown who used to go to Leeds Central Swimming Club. Steve lived on Barkly Road off Dewsbury Road about a mile further up. He went to Cockburn School. I can remember going camping to Bolton Abbey with Steve and John Dunn who was also a member of Leeds Central. We camped in a field opposite Bolton Abbey. Steve was two years older than me and bought a scooter when he became an apprentice at the Post Office Telecommunications in 1969.
About this time we changed our shopping habits every Thursday we went to Grandways which was on Dewsbury Road above Tunstall Road. They was a lot of shops in Dewsbury road that we used.
Things that I remember from Leeds Central school, the postman told my mum that somebody was sending me postcards but sending to the wrong address. On the postcard it said I was GAY. My Mum came to school to see my headteacher and he called me into his office. He asked me who I thought it was and I didn't hear anything else' The postcards stopped ! I told the head Rockie that I thought Wade and Mac were sending them because they were jealous.
I remember going camping to Pately Bridge, my Dad took me and my friend Damon Starkey and we were suppose to met other friends when we got there. But they didn't show up. We set up our tent on Saturday and decided to look for them on Sunday. We got up on Sunday but we didn't know the time. We looked all morning after about 2 hours we heard a radio telling us that it was only 8 o'clock. We continued to look for them but at 12:00 we decided to cook our Sunday lunch.
Our friends were taking the calor gas stove but we had two methalated spirit stoves which we used. During the cooking one of stoves ran out so we put some more methalated spirit in but the stove exploded and set our tent on fire. After all the commotion we decided to go home. It took us about 3 hours but when I got home there wasn't anyone in. All my family had gone to Patley Bridge to see me. What they did find was one of our friends from Leeds Central swimming club staying in the same camp site so they stayed all afternoon.
In the fourth year I was bullied, some 'mod' bullyboys chose me as one of their targets particularly at sports. It made me not chose sports as a option in the fifth year. I could revise for my O-levels instead of sports.
As well as school I represented Leeds at swimming in Yorkshire and North East County galas. One year I came third in the North East counties but my younger brother was always winning gold medals. We travelled all over Yorkshire and the North East on a Heap's coach. Our parents sat at front and all the swimmers sat at the back. The oldest sat at the back and we played games. This normally involved kissing !
In 1968 the Gelderd End was formed. The Spion Kop at Elland Road was built in the 1920's and attained its name from a hill in South Africa. During the Boer War 322 British soldiers lost their lives on the hill and many football teams named their stands after Spion Kop hill in tribute to the fallen men. The original Kop was all terracing and built on an embankment, at this time the Kop had no roof. In April 1968 the old Spion Kop terracing was stripped away in no less than six weeks and in its place the new Kop was built complete with a roof and new name. The Elland Road Kop was now known as the Gelderd End. The new stand cost £250,000 to build. In 1994 as a result of the recommendations in the Taylor Report which was published in 1990 the Gelderd End became all seater. 7,000 seats were added to the terrace reducing the stands capacity by just under 3,000. The Gelderd End was the final stand at the Elland Road stadium to acquire seats. The new look Kop was officially opened in October by the President of the club, Lord Harewood and Mrs E Revie the late Don Revie's widow. The Gelderd End was renamed after the great manager himself and the stand is now officially known as the Revie Stand. In the season 1968/9 Leeds played Manchester United early at beginning of the season. Leeds fans used to stand in the scratching shed(Elland Road) and the away supporters stood in the Lowfield Road section. When Geldard End opened all the younger(skinheads, mods etc.) moved but the older fans rockers stayed in the Scratching Shed. When the scum came they decided to go in the Geldard End and they outnumbered the Leeds fans. After that match all the Leeds fans went in the Geldard End.
In 1970 Leeds United played Chelsea at Wembley in the FA Cup and they drew. The replay was at Old Trafford on the Wednesday evening. I got two tickets for my brother and me. Our school told us we could go because a Special train was leaving Leeds in the afternoon taking all the school children. We had a great time but Leeds lost in extra time.
I met Kathy Dohethry who lived on our estate and I met 2 girls from Nottingham who came to visit their Grandparents. I met a girl from Holbeck called Diane Carter who I went out with her for about 1 month. I used to talk with loads of Girls because I used get along with them unlike my friends who were shy. During this time I went out with my Wife and we used to go in the trains from Middleton Railway that were stored in the yard opposite her house in Garnet Road. I met a girl in Cross Park and we went to Middleton Woods for my first encounter ! When I was Leeds I met girl Janet from Heckmondwike who I went with for about 3 months including going to watch Leeds United. They were banned from playing at Elland Road and had to play teir home games at Huddersfield or Hull etc..
When I was 15 I decided to stop training for swimming because of my O levels and I wanted to go out with my friends on a night. I met my wife at a football match on Hunslet Moor. I started going out with her on and off since 1969.
In the fifth year I took my GCE O-levels in Mathematics, English, Technical Drawing, Engineering Workshop Theory & Practice, History, Physics and French. I passed 6 only failing French. I didn't want to go to school anymore because some friends I had were working already as apprentices. I decided to follow them. I applied for apprentices at British Telecom(GPO), Post Office(engineering) and printing. In printing you had to pass an exam set by the union who found you a post. On the last day of school some of us decided to get our hair cut to the skinhead style which was really short.
During the summer holidays six of us went to Butlins for a week. Damon Starkey, Maurice Hope, Paul Gomersol, Phillip Stringer(his parents run a public house on Rothwell Road) and Stephen Gore. At Butlin's we all started drinking even though I was 15. I was the only one to get a girl who lived Longbenton, Newcastle. I wrote to her a couple of times. After I found work in a warehouse next to Kay's in Marshall Street. I got paid £5 a week but I knew that I had got an apprenticeship with British Telecom but I couldn't start until I was 16.
One day I went into Leeds city centre where some skinheads began talking to me and we went to a cafe called Lulu's where a lot of skinheads go. I made a lot of new friends who liked watching Leeds United and fighting. Some of my new friends use to go to the youth club in Beeston on Cementry Road. I stupidly got caught shop lifting in Grandways, stealing some spark plugs.
Thursday 23 October 2008
My Early Memories 0 - 10
I was born at St. Mary's maternity hospital in Armley, Leeds(www.secretleeds.com) on 7th October 1954. I lived in Galway Terrace, Holbeck/Hunslet, Leeds. (Our house was near the border between Holbeck and Hunslet two working class areas near the City centre). In the same street my Grandparents (Tillotson) lived and my Great Uncle lived. My other grandparents lived in Shand Place, Holbeck and my Grandad Furness had a bookies shop near their house which was near to Ninevah Bridge.
During the Second World War my grandad had made the cellar into a bomb shelter so his friends could stay there during bombing raids. Near to my Grandad Furness's house there was a theatre called The Queens(www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/Leeds/QueensTheatreLeeds.htm). My Mother went to Princess Field school(www.leodis.net) which was nearly opposite Shand Place. My Grandad Furness died in 1961 when I was at Junior school. He was in Leeds town centre paying somebody's electric bill. He was very popular and the route to the cemetry(Elland Road) was lined with people coming to pay their last respects. I can't remember my Grandad Tillotson working but I seem to remember a scrap yard ? My Grandmother Furness worked as a cleaner in a warehouse opposite their house. She worked until she was 70 !
My father was a printer and he worked in a print works in Beeston which is farther out of Leeds above Cross Flatts Park called Waddington's. My mother used to make clothes and she worked in clothes factory in Marshall Street, Holbeck called Hay and Flocktons. She used an electric sewing machine and she had one at home as well. She only worked afternoons.
My first memory was when someone visited us to look round our house and I found out we were moving. Our house was a back to back house with two bedrooms, a living room, a small kitchen and a cellar. Our toilet was in a yard down our street which was used by other families. My elder sister tells me I was about 2 years old and I think we were moving because my younger brother was on the was, he was born 8th May 1957.
Our new house was situated over the main road, Hunslet Hall Road, and it's address was Northcote Street. Although it's front door was on Hunslet Hall Road it's postal address was Northcote Street and that was only a narrow street down the back of the main road. This street was only used by the postman, milkman, dustbin lorry, the coal merchant and the pop lorry. This house was a through terrace with four storeys consisting of a large bedroom at the top of the house(which I shared with my brother), two bedrooms(first floor my parents and my sister), a dining room, a living room and pantry(ground floor) and downstairs a bathroom/kitchen, a workshop and a coal cellar. At the front there was a garden on to Hunslet Hall Road and on the back there was a yard with our own toilet leading on to Northcote Street. It was very big !
Although we had a bath downstairs we couldn't afford to heat the rooms downstairs. We had a tin bath that we used every Saturday. My parents filled it from a geyser(gas appliance) above the kitchen sink. My sister went first, my brother, me, my mother and my father. When one of us got out my dad used to top the bath up. It took about an hour to bath us all. I remember when I went swimming, a lot, I didn't have a bath because I went in the shower at the public baths.
Northcote Street was the longest street in the area called the Northcotes which was a triangular area that started on Hunslet Hall Road and went towards Beeston to Lady Pitt Lane. The Fish & Chip shop was on Lady Pitt Lane. Nearly every street had a shop at the end of it. Northcote Street had an Off-Licience and a Newsagents. Also one of the residents was a money lender who used his house for his business. At one end of Northcote Street, the same end at the newsagents, lived Mr Kaye the undertaker and joiner. He put a window in our bedroom. His boy was older than me but he played with us. Also there was a family whose parents were deaf and dumb. They had two children, a boy and a girl.(twins ?) . One of our favourite games was 'kick out ball' it was like hide and seek but instead of counting one person was nominated to kick a ball and the person who was the seeker had chase the ball and return it before he could start seeking.
At one end of Hunslet Hall Road there were traffic lights with Dewsbury Road the police station, the library, St Peter's Church of England(see Leodis) and the Junction public house. After the traffic lights there was the Moorhouse pub, Hunslet Moor which was a park with tennis courts, bowling greens, children's rides (swings, slides and round-a-bouts) and a football pitch which we used when playing the school football team. Much later on the M1 motorway split this park up ! There was a public house called The Blooming Rose near the football pitch. The rugby league pitch was near to Hunslet Moor but next to The Garden Gate public house.
At the other end there was Beeston Road with a children's nursery, a small park which we used to play in and The Golden Lion public house. We used to go to the shops in Beeston Road using the butchers, bakers, post office, barbers and the handymans. At the handymans we bought records to play on our record player and radio which were cheap because they were not recorded by the original group.
On the other side off Beeston Road the next road was Elland Road and next was Holbeck Moor which was similar to Hunslet Moor.
I used to go out with my Grandad Tillotson by bus to Dewsbury market, Otley and to a farm which was situated near Brimham Rocks near Harrogate. The farmer used to pick us up from the bus stop and take us to his farm in a Land Rover. My grandad was friends with the farmer who had cattle and sheep. My grandma Tillotson died in 1966 I don't remember much about her, she was older than my grandad and she had a glass eye. My grandad died soon after in 1967. I can remember one Christmas when my Grandad took my sister to see Father Christmas's Grotto in Lewis's. They were the first in the queue and were photographed in the Yorkshire Evening Post. I also remember my grandad had an article in about him saving man in the River Aire but I never saw it. Grandad Tillotson told me about the time he saved a bloke who had jumped off a bridge over the river Aire in Leeds city centre.
Presents I got for Christmas were electric tractor, electric train, chemistry set and scalextric. My dad built a railway for my train. I used to play with this a lot because it was in the kitchen/bathroom downstairs. We used this room to play with our toys when it was raining. In our bedroom my brother and me had a small snooker table and we used to play billiards, snooker and subbuteo on it.
My parents were friends of 'Uncle' Bill and 'Aunty' ? Bill used to play Piano in a pub at the bottom of Domestic Road and us three children stay in our car a Ford Popular.
When I was eight I had piano lessons, choir practice, swimming club, cubs and lots of activities through school. I don't know why but my mother got me to take piano lessons at home, we had a piano in our lounge. As did my grandparents Furness.. I did not like them and would rather play out with my mates. My teacher taught my sister to dance in a Methodist church on Beeston Road.
Early memories are my Infant School, Bewerley Street was situated at the end of Northcote Street. Although it was called Bewerley Street the Junior school was about 200 yards away on Bewerley Street nearer the City centre. In the Infant school there was a medical centre and a dentist located with the school. I only spent 3 years there BECAUSE me and Ian Rudge, the 2 oldest who both lived in Northcote Street were moved up a year because we were bullies. I didn't realise this until I sat my 11 plus exam at 10 years old. Because the infant school was only across one road from our house I can remember going to school by myself.
At that time there were not many cars about. We got a car in 1963, it was a new Ford Popular. In Northcote Street, at first, there were only 3 residents who owned cars, the Off Licience, the Wood's and the Tillotson's. My dad garaged it in some garages that belonged to a Shell petrol station on Beeston Road. At the time petrol cost 6s 8d a gallon(compared with 2011 petrol costs £7 a gallon). It stayed this price until 1972. My dad used to get new cars every 2 years through his work at Waddingtons. Other cars he had were Ford Cortina Mark 1, Ford Escort, Vauxhall Viva and Toyotas.
I can also remember there was a workshop where older boys use to go for joinery classes but they were not from the junior school. They were from Ingram Road School which is further up Dewsbury Road. I went home for lunch because I lived near the school and my mother was home to cook our lunch. The only thing that I remember I did was to learn to read and write at Infant School.
There was a lot of children living Northcote Street and we all played together, sometimes we played in a small park that was situated at the end of Hunslet Hall Road next to Beeston Road. Sometimes we used to play football or cricket in the infants school playground or we use to climb and play on the school roof. Other children I remember were the Rudges(2 boys Ian was my best friend and his brother was older) Brian Wood(he lived next door no. 37 and was the same age as my brother), the Lindleys (2 boys).
My mother took my sister, my brother and me to St. Peter's church which was on Dewsbury Road at the other end of Hunslet Hall Road. I can remember two young women taking us to Sunday school while my mother attended church. In the church halls I also attended the cubs and the youth club. I ended up being a sixer in the cubs which I was in charge of five other cubs. I used be in the church choir with my brother. Rehearsals were on Friday, weddings on a Saturday(you got 2s 6d) and Church on a Sunday. I can remember one Saturday we attended 4 weddings so we got 10/- each.
I can remember going ,with other children, to the pictures on a Saturday afternoon. It was called the Malvern, on Beeston Road and we used to go every Saturday afternoon.
I also remember one year 1963 when it snowed until Easter and we used to go Greenmount Terrace which was a steep hill but at the bottom of the hill there was a place where we could use our sledges and this run lasted for about 100 yards. Normally when it snowed we used the delivery entrance to Shaftbury House which lasted for 20 yards but this year we started using this run.
Bewerley Street Junior School memories were the headmaster Mr Blakeborough who was very keen on sports. In the last two years there I joined the Rugby League team, the Football team, the Cricket team and the swimming team. I played Rugby League age 8 against boys age 11 because I moved up one year plus I started playing the school team in 3rd year. Our home pitch was on Hunslet Moor or for Cricket was a pitch on Middleton Ring Road near the Rex cinema. If we had a match we used to catch a bus on Dewsbury Road(No. 3 or 12). In my last year I won best bowler for cricket which was a tennis ball. Mr Blakeborough threw to me in assembly and he told me if I dropped it he would keep it. Our swimming baths was Hunslet public baths but we used another school's baths in year one called Hunslet Lane. At first we joined Hunslet Club but we changed to Holbeck Club because the coaches were good, In the last year at Bewerley school I was picked to join a swimming club that trained on Tuesdays at Roundhay School and on Thursday at Lawnswood school. A girl Hilary Munroe went as well. I became very good at swimming as I was picked to represent Leeds and began training with Leeds Central Swimming Club.
At Bewerley Street I can remember some teachers, Mr Naylor, Mr Llewleyn, Mr Roberts and Mrs Shaw. When I was suppose to take my 11 plus exam I had 'yellow jaunice' so I had to take it later after 2 weeks at home but I still passed at 10 years old. As well as being a good swimmer I came first in the District for diving. My teacher Mr Llewleyn used to make me practice my position by standing on a desk in the classroom everytime we had some spare time. I found it hard because all my mates would watch.
Mr Blakeborough used to take us hiking to various places in Yorkshire. In the last year at Bewerley Street we had the chance of going to the Lake District for a week. We went to a hostal near Keswick and joined another school. We climbed several mountains and went to the seaside for a day as well. I became friendly with a girl from the other school.
We still had corporal punishment and Mr Blakeborough once hit me, on the bum, with table tennis bat for misbehaving while a student teacher was in charge. I can remember all the school attending while two older boys were caned for stealing lead from the school roof. At Bewerley Street school Mr Blakeborough use to organise boxing tournaments for schools in the district. Children I remember from Bewerley Street Junior Street were Tate, David Chance, Ian Storey, Kevin Pattison and Hilary Munroe.
I can remember playing football with all my mates near a very large hostal Shaftbury House. The front door was in Beeston Road but the grounds came near our street. It was huge, it was men only. My mother told us to keep away because the residents were not nice. We went all over during the holidays and sometimes went to Middleton park through the woods.
Every Saturday morning we went Leeds shopping. We went to Leeds market to buy the vegetables and the cooked meat. We went to Woolworth's to buy a joint of meat for our Sunday dinner and our weekly shopping. We used to get the No. 1 to Leeds which stopped at the cafe on Beeston Road and we got off outside the station near City Square. A bus ran on Hunslet Hall Road from Belle Isle to Bramley No. 46. Sometimes we used the buses from Dewsbury Road to Leeds City Centre which were Nos 2, 3, 12, and 20.
While I was at Bewerley Street Junior School I was asked to join a special group of children throughout Leeds who were very good at swimming. I had to go to swimming lessons, twice weekly at Rounday school and Lawnswood school. Hilary Munroe was picked as well. They told me to move to Holbeck swimming club because it was better than Hunslet. Through this I was able to join Leeds Central Swimming Club though I had to pass their time trials first. When I joined Leeds Central I went swimming everyday. I went to Cookridge baths on Mondays and Fridays and Holbeck baths on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. On Tuesdays I went to Holbeck baths training for Leeds Central from 19:00 - 20:00 and training for Holbeck from 20:00 - 21:00. I remember one Tuesday I went swimming with school in the morning, after school we had a winter squadron match swimming against another school, I had training with Leeds Central and training with Holbeck. That night I was the cleanest kid in Leeds !
At school we entered a team in the Winter Squadron League each school had 3 competitors who swam indivdual in either back stroke, breast stroke or free style and a team race. Mr Blakeborough took us to these events in his Morris Traveller.
Because Leeds Central's main night was on a Friday I couldn't go to choir practice at the church and I stopped going to Scouts on a Thursday. I enjoyed going training and to representing Leeds at swimming galas. Eventually my sister and my brother joined Leeds Central Swimming Club. It became our family theme. I used to swim with kids from all schools in Leeds. I met few girls I got friendly with.
If you played football for your school sometimes you got free tickets to watch Leeds United. I used to go and went in the junior section (later this was called Gelderd Road - The Kop). One Saturday my mates (Dave Chance) dad took me and Dave to Old Trafford to watch "The Scum" BUT we wanted to see George Best. We went on the train to Manchester and went on another train to Old Trafford. We had planned to go to Manchester Airport before going to the match but Dave was sick so we did not go to Ringway. It was a very long day and I fell asleep on the way back. If Dave's father took us we used to go into the Scratching Shed which was the home supporters end.
Another memory was in October/November all the kids use to go 'chumping' for Bonfire Night. At Beeston Road end of Northcote Street there was some derelict land where we had our bonfire. About 1 month before Bonfire Night we use to go collecting wood for a bonfire. Also we use to pinch wood from other bonfires and vice versa. Sometimes this would become battles with other gangs.
Other families we used to visit were Aunty Jean who lived in some flats next to Holbeck Moor. The flats she lived in were very modern, were 10 floors high and had under floor heating. Uncle Alan, Aunty Milly, Stephen, Brenda and Pauline who were relations on my Dads side. They lived near Ninevah bridge in Holbeck and moved to Belle Isle when their house was demolished by the council. Uncle Bill and Aunty Edith lived near Domestic Street. Uncle Bill played a piano in a pub near Domestic Street in Holbeck. On a Saturday night we would all go out to the pub but we (the kids) would stay in our car while my parents went in the pub or we went to Canning Street Club where children could go inside situated just off Beeston Road near my grandmother's house in Shand Place. On Sundays we went to my Uncle Joe's (my mothers brother) who lived in Moortown on the other side of Leeds. He was a solicitor who had his own firm and had two offices one in Leeds town centre and one in Garforth. He was married to Aunty Kathline and had four children John, David, Andrew and Gillian(twins). Sometimes we would visit my Grandad Furness's sisters Aunty Sarah, Aunty Ethel, Aunty Violet or my Grandmother Furness's relatives in Methley near Leeds. My Grandmother Furness came from Sunderland but most of her family lived in Methley.
Every year we used to go to Bridlington in August and stayed in the same guest house in Trinity Road. It was full board and we all slept in the same room. At first we went in a taxi but later we went in our car.
On Sunday afternoons we use to go out in our car usually to Otley sometimes we would go into the swimming pool or Ilkey swimming pool or round the dales just for a change of scenery.
My dad worked different shifts at Waddingtons earlies 06:00 - 14:00 and lates 14:00 - 22:00. The building moved from above Cross Flatts Park to over Dewbury Road behind The Broadway public house.
Even though I was only 10 I can remember getting girlfriends !
During the Second World War my grandad had made the cellar into a bomb shelter so his friends could stay there during bombing raids. Near to my Grandad Furness's house there was a theatre called The Queens(www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/Leeds/QueensTheatreLeeds.htm). My Mother went to Princess Field school(www.leodis.net) which was nearly opposite Shand Place. My Grandad Furness died in 1961 when I was at Junior school. He was in Leeds town centre paying somebody's electric bill. He was very popular and the route to the cemetry(Elland Road) was lined with people coming to pay their last respects. I can't remember my Grandad Tillotson working but I seem to remember a scrap yard ? My Grandmother Furness worked as a cleaner in a warehouse opposite their house. She worked until she was 70 !
My father was a printer and he worked in a print works in Beeston which is farther out of Leeds above Cross Flatts Park called Waddington's. My mother used to make clothes and she worked in clothes factory in Marshall Street, Holbeck called Hay and Flocktons. She used an electric sewing machine and she had one at home as well. She only worked afternoons.
My first memory was when someone visited us to look round our house and I found out we were moving. Our house was a back to back house with two bedrooms, a living room, a small kitchen and a cellar. Our toilet was in a yard down our street which was used by other families. My elder sister tells me I was about 2 years old and I think we were moving because my younger brother was on the was, he was born 8th May 1957.
Our new house was situated over the main road, Hunslet Hall Road, and it's address was Northcote Street. Although it's front door was on Hunslet Hall Road it's postal address was Northcote Street and that was only a narrow street down the back of the main road. This street was only used by the postman, milkman, dustbin lorry, the coal merchant and the pop lorry. This house was a through terrace with four storeys consisting of a large bedroom at the top of the house(which I shared with my brother), two bedrooms(first floor my parents and my sister), a dining room, a living room and pantry(ground floor) and downstairs a bathroom/kitchen, a workshop and a coal cellar. At the front there was a garden on to Hunslet Hall Road and on the back there was a yard with our own toilet leading on to Northcote Street. It was very big !
Although we had a bath downstairs we couldn't afford to heat the rooms downstairs. We had a tin bath that we used every Saturday. My parents filled it from a geyser(gas appliance) above the kitchen sink. My sister went first, my brother, me, my mother and my father. When one of us got out my dad used to top the bath up. It took about an hour to bath us all. I remember when I went swimming, a lot, I didn't have a bath because I went in the shower at the public baths.
Northcote Street was the longest street in the area called the Northcotes which was a triangular area that started on Hunslet Hall Road and went towards Beeston to Lady Pitt Lane. The Fish & Chip shop was on Lady Pitt Lane. Nearly every street had a shop at the end of it. Northcote Street had an Off-Licience and a Newsagents. Also one of the residents was a money lender who used his house for his business. At one end of Northcote Street, the same end at the newsagents, lived Mr Kaye the undertaker and joiner. He put a window in our bedroom. His boy was older than me but he played with us. Also there was a family whose parents were deaf and dumb. They had two children, a boy and a girl.(twins ?) . One of our favourite games was 'kick out ball' it was like hide and seek but instead of counting one person was nominated to kick a ball and the person who was the seeker had chase the ball and return it before he could start seeking.
At one end of Hunslet Hall Road there were traffic lights with Dewsbury Road the police station, the library, St Peter's Church of England(see Leodis) and the Junction public house. After the traffic lights there was the Moorhouse pub, Hunslet Moor which was a park with tennis courts, bowling greens, children's rides (swings, slides and round-a-bouts) and a football pitch which we used when playing the school football team. Much later on the M1 motorway split this park up ! There was a public house called The Blooming Rose near the football pitch. The rugby league pitch was near to Hunslet Moor but next to The Garden Gate public house.
At the other end there was Beeston Road with a children's nursery, a small park which we used to play in and The Golden Lion public house. We used to go to the shops in Beeston Road using the butchers, bakers, post office, barbers and the handymans. At the handymans we bought records to play on our record player and radio which were cheap because they were not recorded by the original group.
On the other side off Beeston Road the next road was Elland Road and next was Holbeck Moor which was similar to Hunslet Moor.
I used to go out with my Grandad Tillotson by bus to Dewsbury market, Otley and to a farm which was situated near Brimham Rocks near Harrogate. The farmer used to pick us up from the bus stop and take us to his farm in a Land Rover. My grandad was friends with the farmer who had cattle and sheep. My grandma Tillotson died in 1966 I don't remember much about her, she was older than my grandad and she had a glass eye. My grandad died soon after in 1967. I can remember one Christmas when my Grandad took my sister to see Father Christmas's Grotto in Lewis's. They were the first in the queue and were photographed in the Yorkshire Evening Post. I also remember my grandad had an article in about him saving man in the River Aire but I never saw it. Grandad Tillotson told me about the time he saved a bloke who had jumped off a bridge over the river Aire in Leeds city centre.
Presents I got for Christmas were electric tractor, electric train, chemistry set and scalextric. My dad built a railway for my train. I used to play with this a lot because it was in the kitchen/bathroom downstairs. We used this room to play with our toys when it was raining. In our bedroom my brother and me had a small snooker table and we used to play billiards, snooker and subbuteo on it.
My parents were friends of 'Uncle' Bill and 'Aunty' ? Bill used to play Piano in a pub at the bottom of Domestic Road and us three children stay in our car a Ford Popular.
When I was eight I had piano lessons, choir practice, swimming club, cubs and lots of activities through school. I don't know why but my mother got me to take piano lessons at home, we had a piano in our lounge. As did my grandparents Furness.. I did not like them and would rather play out with my mates. My teacher taught my sister to dance in a Methodist church on Beeston Road.
Early memories are my Infant School, Bewerley Street was situated at the end of Northcote Street. Although it was called Bewerley Street the Junior school was about 200 yards away on Bewerley Street nearer the City centre. In the Infant school there was a medical centre and a dentist located with the school. I only spent 3 years there BECAUSE me and Ian Rudge, the 2 oldest who both lived in Northcote Street were moved up a year because we were bullies. I didn't realise this until I sat my 11 plus exam at 10 years old. Because the infant school was only across one road from our house I can remember going to school by myself.
At that time there were not many cars about. We got a car in 1963, it was a new Ford Popular. In Northcote Street, at first, there were only 3 residents who owned cars, the Off Licience, the Wood's and the Tillotson's. My dad garaged it in some garages that belonged to a Shell petrol station on Beeston Road. At the time petrol cost 6s 8d a gallon(compared with 2011 petrol costs £7 a gallon). It stayed this price until 1972. My dad used to get new cars every 2 years through his work at Waddingtons. Other cars he had were Ford Cortina Mark 1, Ford Escort, Vauxhall Viva and Toyotas.
I can also remember there was a workshop where older boys use to go for joinery classes but they were not from the junior school. They were from Ingram Road School which is further up Dewsbury Road. I went home for lunch because I lived near the school and my mother was home to cook our lunch. The only thing that I remember I did was to learn to read and write at Infant School.
There was a lot of children living Northcote Street and we all played together, sometimes we played in a small park that was situated at the end of Hunslet Hall Road next to Beeston Road. Sometimes we used to play football or cricket in the infants school playground or we use to climb and play on the school roof. Other children I remember were the Rudges(2 boys Ian was my best friend and his brother was older) Brian Wood(he lived next door no. 37 and was the same age as my brother), the Lindleys (2 boys).
My mother took my sister, my brother and me to St. Peter's church which was on Dewsbury Road at the other end of Hunslet Hall Road. I can remember two young women taking us to Sunday school while my mother attended church. In the church halls I also attended the cubs and the youth club. I ended up being a sixer in the cubs which I was in charge of five other cubs. I used be in the church choir with my brother. Rehearsals were on Friday, weddings on a Saturday(you got 2s 6d) and Church on a Sunday. I can remember one Saturday we attended 4 weddings so we got 10/- each.
I can remember going ,with other children, to the pictures on a Saturday afternoon. It was called the Malvern, on Beeston Road and we used to go every Saturday afternoon.
I also remember one year 1963 when it snowed until Easter and we used to go Greenmount Terrace which was a steep hill but at the bottom of the hill there was a place where we could use our sledges and this run lasted for about 100 yards. Normally when it snowed we used the delivery entrance to Shaftbury House which lasted for 20 yards but this year we started using this run.
Bewerley Street Junior School memories were the headmaster Mr Blakeborough who was very keen on sports. In the last two years there I joined the Rugby League team, the Football team, the Cricket team and the swimming team. I played Rugby League age 8 against boys age 11 because I moved up one year plus I started playing the school team in 3rd year. Our home pitch was on Hunslet Moor or for Cricket was a pitch on Middleton Ring Road near the Rex cinema. If we had a match we used to catch a bus on Dewsbury Road(No. 3 or 12). In my last year I won best bowler for cricket which was a tennis ball. Mr Blakeborough threw to me in assembly and he told me if I dropped it he would keep it. Our swimming baths was Hunslet public baths but we used another school's baths in year one called Hunslet Lane. At first we joined Hunslet Club but we changed to Holbeck Club because the coaches were good, In the last year at Bewerley school I was picked to join a swimming club that trained on Tuesdays at Roundhay School and on Thursday at Lawnswood school. A girl Hilary Munroe went as well. I became very good at swimming as I was picked to represent Leeds and began training with Leeds Central Swimming Club.
At Bewerley Street I can remember some teachers, Mr Naylor, Mr Llewleyn, Mr Roberts and Mrs Shaw. When I was suppose to take my 11 plus exam I had 'yellow jaunice' so I had to take it later after 2 weeks at home but I still passed at 10 years old. As well as being a good swimmer I came first in the District for diving. My teacher Mr Llewleyn used to make me practice my position by standing on a desk in the classroom everytime we had some spare time. I found it hard because all my mates would watch.
Mr Blakeborough used to take us hiking to various places in Yorkshire. In the last year at Bewerley Street we had the chance of going to the Lake District for a week. We went to a hostal near Keswick and joined another school. We climbed several mountains and went to the seaside for a day as well. I became friendly with a girl from the other school.
We still had corporal punishment and Mr Blakeborough once hit me, on the bum, with table tennis bat for misbehaving while a student teacher was in charge. I can remember all the school attending while two older boys were caned for stealing lead from the school roof. At Bewerley Street school Mr Blakeborough use to organise boxing tournaments for schools in the district. Children I remember from Bewerley Street Junior Street were Tate, David Chance, Ian Storey, Kevin Pattison and Hilary Munroe.
I can remember playing football with all my mates near a very large hostal Shaftbury House. The front door was in Beeston Road but the grounds came near our street. It was huge, it was men only. My mother told us to keep away because the residents were not nice. We went all over during the holidays and sometimes went to Middleton park through the woods.
Every Saturday morning we went Leeds shopping. We went to Leeds market to buy the vegetables and the cooked meat. We went to Woolworth's to buy a joint of meat for our Sunday dinner and our weekly shopping. We used to get the No. 1 to Leeds which stopped at the cafe on Beeston Road and we got off outside the station near City Square. A bus ran on Hunslet Hall Road from Belle Isle to Bramley No. 46. Sometimes we used the buses from Dewsbury Road to Leeds City Centre which were Nos 2, 3, 12, and 20.
While I was at Bewerley Street Junior School I was asked to join a special group of children throughout Leeds who were very good at swimming. I had to go to swimming lessons, twice weekly at Rounday school and Lawnswood school. Hilary Munroe was picked as well. They told me to move to Holbeck swimming club because it was better than Hunslet. Through this I was able to join Leeds Central Swimming Club though I had to pass their time trials first. When I joined Leeds Central I went swimming everyday. I went to Cookridge baths on Mondays and Fridays and Holbeck baths on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. On Tuesdays I went to Holbeck baths training for Leeds Central from 19:00 - 20:00 and training for Holbeck from 20:00 - 21:00. I remember one Tuesday I went swimming with school in the morning, after school we had a winter squadron match swimming against another school, I had training with Leeds Central and training with Holbeck. That night I was the cleanest kid in Leeds !
At school we entered a team in the Winter Squadron League each school had 3 competitors who swam indivdual in either back stroke, breast stroke or free style and a team race. Mr Blakeborough took us to these events in his Morris Traveller.
Because Leeds Central's main night was on a Friday I couldn't go to choir practice at the church and I stopped going to Scouts on a Thursday. I enjoyed going training and to representing Leeds at swimming galas. Eventually my sister and my brother joined Leeds Central Swimming Club. It became our family theme. I used to swim with kids from all schools in Leeds. I met few girls I got friendly with.
If you played football for your school sometimes you got free tickets to watch Leeds United. I used to go and went in the junior section (later this was called Gelderd Road - The Kop). One Saturday my mates (Dave Chance) dad took me and Dave to Old Trafford to watch "The Scum" BUT we wanted to see George Best. We went on the train to Manchester and went on another train to Old Trafford. We had planned to go to Manchester Airport before going to the match but Dave was sick so we did not go to Ringway. It was a very long day and I fell asleep on the way back. If Dave's father took us we used to go into the Scratching Shed which was the home supporters end.
Another memory was in October/November all the kids use to go 'chumping' for Bonfire Night. At Beeston Road end of Northcote Street there was some derelict land where we had our bonfire. About 1 month before Bonfire Night we use to go collecting wood for a bonfire. Also we use to pinch wood from other bonfires and vice versa. Sometimes this would become battles with other gangs.
Other families we used to visit were Aunty Jean who lived in some flats next to Holbeck Moor. The flats she lived in were very modern, were 10 floors high and had under floor heating. Uncle Alan, Aunty Milly, Stephen, Brenda and Pauline who were relations on my Dads side. They lived near Ninevah bridge in Holbeck and moved to Belle Isle when their house was demolished by the council. Uncle Bill and Aunty Edith lived near Domestic Street. Uncle Bill played a piano in a pub near Domestic Street in Holbeck. On a Saturday night we would all go out to the pub but we (the kids) would stay in our car while my parents went in the pub or we went to Canning Street Club where children could go inside situated just off Beeston Road near my grandmother's house in Shand Place. On Sundays we went to my Uncle Joe's (my mothers brother) who lived in Moortown on the other side of Leeds. He was a solicitor who had his own firm and had two offices one in Leeds town centre and one in Garforth. He was married to Aunty Kathline and had four children John, David, Andrew and Gillian(twins). Sometimes we would visit my Grandad Furness's sisters Aunty Sarah, Aunty Ethel, Aunty Violet or my Grandmother Furness's relatives in Methley near Leeds. My Grandmother Furness came from Sunderland but most of her family lived in Methley.
Every year we used to go to Bridlington in August and stayed in the same guest house in Trinity Road. It was full board and we all slept in the same room. At first we went in a taxi but later we went in our car.
On Sunday afternoons we use to go out in our car usually to Otley sometimes we would go into the swimming pool or Ilkey swimming pool or round the dales just for a change of scenery.
My dad worked different shifts at Waddingtons earlies 06:00 - 14:00 and lates 14:00 - 22:00. The building moved from above Cross Flatts Park to over Dewbury Road behind The Broadway public house.
Even though I was only 10 I can remember getting girlfriends !
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