Two Steps Up
I lived at 23 Clayton Street, off Bradford Road, Miles Platting. I was the youngest of 17 children. Some of my brothers and sisters died before I was born, so I didn't know all of them. In about 1938/39 we moved to a larger house, in the same street, just across the way at number 28. This house was considered to be 'up steps!' Not just because of the two steps up to the front door! People used to say 'up steps' when they thought you were getting on in the world! My dad was invalided out of the army in 1916 because he'd lost an arm in either the battle of the Somme or Vipers. My dad was a strict disciplinarian, as most fathers of that time were. We each had a job to do and there was no arguing about it. Black leading the grate or fetching coal. When I was growing up, there seemed to be more camaraderie, people looked after each other, not just their families but their neighbours as well. During the summer everyone would leave their front doors open, in fact the back door too. The way a lot the houses were constructed; was that if you stood at the front door you could see right through to the back door. In our street there was a lady called Mrs. Baxendale, she had at some time broken her hip; and I don't know whether it had mended properly or not, but I do remember she had to sleep on the couch. It was a job of our family to run errands for her after school each day, and as each of my brothers or sisters became the age for leaving school and starting work, then the next in line would do the errands. The job of running errands eventually came to me and one day which I still smile about, was when Mrs Baxendale told me to go for 3 pennorth' of chips. Of course I went to the chip shop for the 3 pennorth of chips (which was an awful lot of chips) When I got back with them she wasn't very happy, as she wanted wood chippings to light the fire! We had plenty of clubs to keep us occupied when I was a lad. I used to go to Hugh Oldham lads' club, Ancoats lads' club and Ardwick lads' club. We used to pay a membership of 3d. If we wanted to play board games with our mates we'd hand in our membership card and then we were entrusted with the games. If we played billiards, snooker or table tennis we paid a nominal charge. Most of the clubs had a benefactor or sponsor. The chairman at Ardwick lads' club was William Timpson, of Timpson's shoe shop. I remember we used to have a kind of jumble sale about once a year to raise funds and there would always be a pile of brand new shoes for sale, cheaper than you'd pay in the shops. Children from the poorer families would occasionally be taken on holiday to places like Formby. Charities would pay for this kind of trip. I don't know if it's me, but there seemed to be more trust in those days. Maybe it was because nobody had anything and everybody was in the same boat, but there wasn't the violence that there is nowadays. If you had an argument with somebody you'd sort it out, sometimes it would end in a fistfight. But you didn't have the fear of getting stabbed or shot like now. Of course there was some kids who would push it, but it was usually a bit of mischief that got them into trouble, or petty pilfering like trying to 'nick' an apple or something from the greengrocers, which they'd stuff up their jumper and hope they weren't caught! I do feel sorry for the youngsters of today though. People hear about someone misbehaving and they 'tar them all with the same brush!' All kids aren't bad but they do get a bad name. I think some people forget what it's like to be young. There is a completely different attitude altogether about most things. |
links Two Steps Up l My memories l A Slice Of My Life l Muffin Men & Doctors Bills l Bad Times Fade l As Time Goes By Changes l The Welsh Bible l Poor But Blessed l in The Good Old Days
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