Author Topic: Welcome to Birmingham Forum - Please read.  (Read 353993 times)

Phil

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Re: Welcome to Birmingham Forum - Please read.
« Reply #88 on: December 01, 2007, 10:42:39 PM »
Hi Tramp,

What part of Omberseley Rd did you come from, I had relations living in that road also a couple of mates that were living there at the same time as you. The relations were the Wheelers, The mate was one of the Wooly's and the other was a Campbell.

I lived just the other side of Highgate Rd in Larches St, on and off for the earlier part of my life. I have never been outside this country in my life and can see no reason why I shall ever want to. Like yourself I didn't have much of a home life as a youngster and was passed around from relative to relative, but some good comes out of everything as you will appreciate. You lean to make a home of where you are at the moment and you learn to fend for youself from an early age. All thing that help you later in life.

One again welcome to the forum, nice to have another old lad from the Heath.

Phil
Phil died in 2020. RIP.

tramp

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Re: Welcome to Birmingham Forum - Please read.
« Reply #89 on: December 01, 2007, 10:51:23 PM »
Good Morning John.  Thanks for your thoughts.  As a child, I was not aware of having a 'bad life' but once I'd started school, I gradually became more and more aware that it was different and I became even more willfully independent, it was my entirely subconscious survival mechanism.  I won't say more than that which follows - Mom's boyfriend, apart from avoiding getting called up in WWII, was a licensed slaughterer, and as a 7 & 8 yr old he took me to farms to see him perform - real machoman with a humane killer or .22 to hand.  About a week after I ''caught them at it'' in the living room (and promptly scarpered grabbing the buscuit barrel)  he took me out in his van, turned south at Meriden then pulled up in a country lane, took me into a copse, fired the .22 through a cabbage he had, then put the humane killer on my forehead and said ''Now you know Mr [censored], now you bleeding know" (he always called me Mr B, until I passed the 11+ when it became Mr Clever [censored]).  I'd been a bit worried up till then, but once I knew what he was about, I simply relaxed and stared back up at him - I just would not cry.  After about I suppose half a minute or more, he just said, "Let that be a warning, a last warning Mr  [censored]".  He lowered the weapon and I scarpered - I was well practised - and didn't go home till the afternoon of the next day but one...lifts apart it was a bloody long way and I had to nick food, no money.  I can honestly swear that I've never been really scared since, including 8+yrs in the army,  then civil wars & military coups in Africa, earthquakes and hurricanes here and there.  It's simply a matter of not being scared of being scared - that  reaction radically changes your thoughts and actions.  After that I didn't cry for well over 25 years, when my daughter died. Nothing hurts me, yet as I'm often as soft as fresh snow, much that I see saddens me  - over a 100 were killed here a month ago by floods and landslides, and 70,000 were made homeless.
Now, I think that in general we should all try to be and do the best we can for others, or we waste our time breathing, (or robbing the air of oxygen).  Though this doesn't mean that I won't still stick a thumb up behind an ear or two now and then.  I say the above now, but as a child I was mainly concerned with No1's needs and independence.

tramp

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Re: Welcome to Birmingham Forum - Please read.
« Reply #90 on: December 02, 2007, 12:07:18 AM »
Hi Phil,

Sorry, I never knew any Wheelers, Wooly's or a Campbell.  From 13, I was hardly ever in Ombersley or Brum for that matter, although the final split came when I spent a few days there just before I was 16.
A faint bell suggests that there might have been some Woolley's(?) with a shop almost opposite the Birds' shop - Angela Bird was in my class at Clifton Rd.

I remember Larches St - there was a coalman who lived/was based there, decent bloke.  I had a friend in Scotland like you who never wanted to travel, and I understood his rationale, but I'm so glad that I have, and will probably (almost never say never) live in UK again, although I'll probably visit next year.  Apart from bad things like those I mentioned in my last post, I'm glad to have been inside the Great Pyramid, seen the Taj Mahal in the moonlight, climbed Ayres Rock (only took 10 minutes) and seen a glittering sea of diamonds sunrise in the Sahara - it's the condensation evaporating, and other things spent time with a lot of decent and beautiful people.  I didn't move around that much as a child as there were few relatives, 2 WWars saw to that, so I had the same crap most of the time - later it makes you so determined that your own children won't have it - though oddly enough not everyone reacts that way as an adult.  Statistically, children from violent homes are much more likely to be violent parents. 

I agree about fending for oneself, but I never had this 'making a home out of where you are' thing that you mention, as apart from enjoying travelling to somewhere new, for most of my life I've had itchy feet (at least) every few years, a wanting to 'see what's on the other side of the hill' - this has absolutely nothing to do with ''a grass is greener'' thing - not only have I never moved 'blindly', I've  moved on for less money a few times, and right now, although I have my own company, I make less than I did in the early 80s.  Furthermore, that was the most I've ever earned, and I left Scotland for Papua New Guinea in 1984 for less, and then went on to Tonga, and then New Zealand, in each case for still less, and I've stayed happier in these last 25 years than at any other times in life (short episodes excepted).  After the 2 years that Sandhurst took in those days (although we had 4 overseas trips), I moved 18 times in the following three years, including moves back to various bases.  A year after I left the army I was again, Marks & S were more regimented than the army, and Unilever in Sierra Leone offered sun, sand and nearly 3 times the pay (and some of the highest rainfall in the world, but they don't tell you that, or that it is called ''the White Man's Graveyard").   

Once again I've 'gone on a bit' - apart from trying to write what I think, I live and work in Spanish, so it's refreshing to have the opportunity to use English, the more so as on the forum we have folks who are glad to have the same roots, so it's especially good to join you all.

sueb

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Re: Welcome to Birmingham Forum - Please read.
« Reply #91 on: December 02, 2007, 01:33:53 PM »
Just caught up with your posts on this thread and it makes me realise how lucky I was growing up.  I was brought up in Warwick and although we didn't have much money and my dad was a strict disciplinarian it was a stable home life and I know they both loved us - even though in those days I don't remember many overt shows of affection.  My father was much older than my mother and was born in 1909 and he'd had a tough upbringing.  His father died when he was 12 so he had to leave school to get a job to support his family.  Apparently his mother had been born in the workhouse and he was determined they weren't going back in there.  I regret not asking him about  his past now it's too late, but at the time I was a little bit scared of him!

tramp

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Re: Welcome to Birmingham Forum - Please read.
« Reply #92 on: December 02, 2007, 04:57:33 PM »
Hello Graham and Roy Ben,

I'm sorry not to have replied to your It was Frederick who recommended this forum  to me.  I've never been on one before, other than a single post on virtual brum over 5 years ago. Were not old codgers Roy Ben, apart from a bad back, I feel the best I have in a long time - just over 2 years ago I gave up fags after 47+ years, and now enjoy swimming though with heavy early morning rain which was still falling at 8.30, I gave it a miss today.  The pool is ourdoor and unheated - it's supposed to be the tropics.  Not smoking has affected my brain though - after 3 months it started working again, and it motors like a Bonneville now.  But like most British bikes, it's not 100% reliable and is not so good on bends, it goes off at tangents.

mazbeth

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Re: Welcome to Birmingham Forum - Please read.
« Reply #93 on: December 02, 2007, 06:49:07 PM »
Hello Tramp - welcome
from one who lives in Balsall Heath now, but was raised in Aston and then Perry Common.
Let those that love us, love us. And those that don't, may God turn their hearts. And, if He cannot turn their hearts, May He turn their ankles so we may know them by their limping!- Irish blessing

tramp

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Re: Welcome to Birmingham Forum - Please read.
« Reply #94 on: December 02, 2007, 07:36:25 PM »
Hello Mazbeth and thanks for your welcome. What took you to BH, and when?  I've not been there in almost 50 years, but the BBC online tornado pictures I saw of Ladypool Rd about 3 years ago, showed it as more reminiscent of being down the road from Peshawar than Pershore, unlike when I knew it in the 50s. Oddly I've been to Peshawar (in the 60s) - you could buy any weapon as they've been making, repairing and modifying them since Adam was a lad - they must be doing a roaring trade now as Peshawar lies on the road leading to the Khyber Pass which I went through as a paying truck passenger.  That form of travel worked well across Afghanistan, Iran (the Shah, pre ayatollah) and Iraq (I suppose that Saddam was only a junior officer then) and most of Turkey.  It seems that many on this forum are like me in their 60s, are you?

mazbeth

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Re: Welcome to Birmingham Forum - Please read.
« Reply #95 on: December 02, 2007, 07:57:18 PM »
Hello Mazbeth and thanks for your welcome. What took you to BH, and when? 
it was to do with some work I was doing that involved visitation of elderly people, and they had a worker based at Edward Rd baptist church, who I went to meet one day, there.
I was struck with how friendly it was, so joined there and moved into the area as soon as I could. That was July '86.

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I've not been there in almost 50 years, but the BBC online tornado pictures I saw of Ladypool Rd about 3 years ago, showed it as more reminiscent of being down the road from Peshawar than Pershore
yeh, it was pretty awful, and quite scary and eerie that day (I have some pics of it too).
Thankfully it missed our road but hit a few roads away.

you have travelled a lot!! No wonder you call yourself Tramp. :)

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It seems that many on this forum are like me in their 60s, are you?
48 in actual years, in my mind 17, ;D but feel in my 60's - yes. :(
Let those that love us, love us. And those that don't, may God turn their hearts. And, if He cannot turn their hearts, May He turn their ankles so we may know them by their limping!- Irish blessing

sueb

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Re: Welcome to Birmingham Forum - Please read.
« Reply #96 on: December 02, 2007, 08:09:36 PM »
Mazbeth, I lived in Sparkhill for many years and loved it there.  We moved to Hall Green about 10 years ago.  I regularly cycle through Balsall Heath on my way to work and I can't think why people run it down.  Most of the housing is decent and the roads are no dirtier than anywhere else in Brum.  The demographics have changed and some of the shops look a bit scruffy but again, is that any different from anywhere else nowadays? 


roy one

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Re: Welcome to Birmingham Forum - Please read.
« Reply #97 on: December 02, 2007, 08:47:43 PM »
sueb   50 or 60 years ago balsallheath was a diffrent place at the time we did not know about slums it was two up and two down no bathroom no inside loo if you had a bath it was in a big tin bath in front of the fire the loo was up the yard and you shared it with your two next door loo paper was a mail cut up into bits and hung on the back of the door we had gas lighting no hot water and a coal fire we did not have tv no fitted carpits and most weeks we took things to the pawn shop and got it out the weekends the wag was about £5 aweek if you had a good job us kids did not have sweets because it was just after the war and things was still hard to get most of us kids had mail boots  our things was cut down to fit and it was mend and make do we all had free school dinners and for a lot of us it was the only dinner we got now when they started to pull the place down and give us brand new homes with a bath room and three bed rooms we felt posh but what it did do was rip the heart out of the place we could not play in the roads anymoor some one would all ways come out and tell you pee off down your own end but we did not have our own end anymore the flicks started to show films that we did not understand and the shops went one by one to shops that sold food that we did not understand we did not know the folk down the road anymore most kept them self to them self and you could not go next door for a cup of sugar or some bread till dad got paid  sueb its not that balsallheath is bad its just that its not the same to us anymore  i hope that this helps you to understand  when our homes went so did the heart of brum
each day is a blessing and I bless each day when it comes

sueb

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Re: Welcome to Birmingham Forum - Please read.
« Reply #98 on: December 02, 2007, 10:17:04 PM »
Thanks Roy Ben for explaining it better about life in Balsall Heath.  It does sound a completely different way of life and like I said somewhere earlier I realise how lucky I was growing up in Warwick.  We didn't have money for sweets and, like you, no hot water but we had good food 'cos my dad's job was a gardener so we always had fresh veg.  I think when I was born rationing had just finished as well so that must have made things a little easier for us. 
Why don't you write down your memories of growing up in Brum?  To you it must seem ordinary but it's really interesting to younger people (although I don't think I'm that much younger than you!).  Like you said it's a way of life that no longer exists and it would be sad for it to be forgotten.


 

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