Black Country Ride No 2 - Dudley Castle

[IanD]

Rob, this could end up as a very strange side-show to find under a 'Dudley Zoo' heading, but I hope Dennis will tolerate just a bit more!!

I was at GS with a few people from Eel Street (I think) ....Pam&Pat Oram, Sandra Evans, Paul Harvey. I'm pretty sure that Pat worked at Accles when I used to work in the labs there during the summer holidays??

Dennis and I both had family links with Accles: Christmas parties in the Paddock canteen, Saturday evenings at the Birchley Sports and Social Club with Dennis's Mum & Dad. I also played table tennis quite a lot in some sort of social club building near the gates at Paddock Works (I told you I learnt to focus on a moving ball!!). At one time I also had an Apollo snooker cue and fishing rod.....

Carol Jukes and her sister Pauline..... their Dad used to give me (Dennis too??) lifts in his old Bradford van with windows. A real collector's item that would be today ... see

http://www.oldclassiccar.co.uk/jowettvan.htm

It was probably a death trap: holes in the floor, passenger seat loose and a door held on with string ...but we had some real fun before the MOT!!.

Your school choir photo is also in the Good Shepherd section of Friends Reunited at

http://www.friendsreunited.co.uk/album. ... =0#content

It says it's the Infants Choir in 1955 and lists a few names. The only name that I recognise is Barbara Hemmings; I started at GS with her sister Freda (not sure about that spelling). I don't think that Janice is there; she always had a great mane of golden blonde hair ...still does.

Incidentally, the Friends Reunited photo was uploaded by Rob Williams ... is that you?? I still haven't got a clue what your surname is ... or whether protocol allows you to tell me?!!

The last I heard (a few weeks ago), Carol Mallard's parents are both still alive and have lived in the same house since we all moved in around 1950. The local council was so proud of the Close that they included a photograph in the Coronation Souvenir book that they gave to all schoolchildren. That's one thing that Mum doesn't seem to have saved ... still got my Coronation mug though!

Good grief, how come I can dredge all this 50 year old detail from the depths of my memory (never have kept diaries) when it's all I can do to remember what happened last week ??

[Dennis]

You've a formidable memory, Ian - I've only just spotted your reply to Rob! Yes, the brownish Jowett van which we sometimes had to push down the street until it jolted into life... I liked Mr Jukes, he was a colourful character in the monochrome world of the 1950s.

[Rob]

I'm waiting for Ian to inform me he has scanned all his old photographs of Good Shepherd etc.
Then he could do me a favour and e-mail them to me!! Ian??

[IanD]

Sorry Rob, you'll need to be patient.

I noticed the picture when I was clearing Mum's house at the end of November.

But I didn't have time to organise anything at the time ... everything I wanted to keep went into a collection of bags and boxes until I have time to look at it properly.

Hopefully, I'll have time to do something soon.

Take care.

[mallosa]

Good grief, how come I can dredge all this 50 year old detail from the depths of my memory (never have kept diaries) when it's all I can do to remember what happened last week ??

Hope there's more to tell Ian