Author Topic: Radio and government surplus shops in 1950s Brum  (Read 4729 times)

Akatarawa

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Radio and government surplus shops in 1950s Brum
« on: January 07, 2013, 10:23:38 PM »
Does any one remember Kershaw's Korner ?

It was in Bromsgove Street on the left hand side heading towards Digbeth, on the corner with Pershore Street, and painted red.

As a schoolboy I worked there part time for a couple years from 1954 to the summer of 1956.

For radio hams and enthusiasts it was a treasure trove of government surplus electronic equipment.

The shop was owned by a bluff character called Sam Kershaw, of which many stories can be told, he was killed in a car crash about July 1956.

Around the corner in Hurst Street was a radio component and surplus shop, Norman H Field, initially on the same side of the road as The Diskery, but later moved across the road a little lower down.  This was where I first used to buy my radio stuff when I was about 13 years old.

I believe it still exists as an audio store, and Normans son, also named Norman, is a fine jazz clarinetist.

Tom Field,  brother to Norman Field had a surplus store either down the Parade, or Soho Road.  I should be able to  remember as I also worked there for a short while.  He moved to Hurst Street too, across the road from Norman H Field.

I was only there about 2 months and turned up about 15 minutes  late one Saturday morning, to be immediately sacked for being late.  So I went back to Kershaws.

Another lad also worked part time for Kershaw,  Brian Whitehead.  We had many high jinks, as only 17 year olds can,  including nearly burning down Kershaws warehouse located down Pershore Street towards Sherlock Street.

We had been told to burn rubbish in the yard, it all got out of hand,  and sacks of components stacked to the top of the outer wall caught fire,  the flames could be seen from up at the shop.  Fortunately the sacks contained ceramic insulators which cascaded down and virtually extinguished the fire.







roy one

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Re: Radio and government surplus shops in 1950s Brum
« Reply #1 on: January 07, 2013, 10:44:02 PM »
hi and welcome
                             when i was a kid i used to buy parts from that shop to make a Crystal sets  v/caps wind my own coils  plus head phones that used to cost about 3 bob and i would make the sets up and flog um to the kids at school  i also found a shop  in steel house lane that sold the parts but they had the coils made up already
dar dit dar
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Akatarawa

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Re: Radio and government surplus shops in 1950s Brum
« Reply #2 on: January 08, 2013, 08:43:50 AM »
There used to be an incredible radio shop in Summer Row (I think, it is so long ago) near to the Philip Harris scientific supplies wholesalers.

My dad had bought a 1926 Chums Annual for us boys during the war as toys and books were scarce then.
It had articles on building wireless sets.......1926 style......so when I started off in wireless as a hobby that was all I knew about, from that book.

The window of this shop I found around 1950 had never been cleaned in years,  by peering it was just possible to see it had displays of old radio components inside.

This shop must have been there since before the war, it was run by an old bloke,  I was probably his only customer since 1939 !
He charged the pre-war prices that were marked on the parts. I bought coils and valves and a large sheet of ebonite to make the front panels as described in that 1926 Chums.

I often wondered what happened to that shop, it would have been a collectors dream


malcolm tomlinson

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Re: Radio and government surplus shops in 1950s Brum
« Reply #3 on: January 08, 2013, 10:52:51 PM »
I used to spend hours sitting in my dads car outside that shop in Summer Lane whilst he was inside chatting and buying bits for his hobby of building radio's.I think he called it Sonny's.There is a photo in one of Alton Douglas's books Our first TV was built from bits purchased at these shops,the circuit diagram was in a magazine and was built up in weekly instalments.That set never once broke down in the 15 years that it was in the family.It was called a viewmaster.

cocacolakid

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Re: Radio and government surplus shops in 1950s Brum
« Reply #4 on: January 09, 2013, 01:52:29 PM »
Does any one remember Kershaw's Korner ?

It was in Bromsgove Street on the left hand side heading towards Digbeth, on the corner with Pershore Street, and painted red.

As a schoolboy I worked there part time for a couple years from 1954 to the summer of 1956.

For radio hams and enthusiasts it was a treasure trove of government surplus electronic equipment.

The shop was owned by a bluff character called Sam Kershaw, of which many stories can be told, he was killed in a car crash about July 1956.

Around the corner in Hurst Street was a radio component and surplus shop, Norman H Field, initially on the same side of the road as The Diskery, but later moved across the road a little lower down.  This was where I first used to buy my radio stuff when I was about 13 years old.

I believe it still exists as an audio store, and Normans son, also named Norman, is a fine jazz clarinetist.

Tom Field,  brother to Norman Field had a surplus store either down the Parade, or Soho Road.  I should be able to  remember as I also worked there for a short while.  He moved to Hurst Street too, across the road from Norman H Field.

I was only there about 2 months and turned up about 15 minutes  late one Saturday morning, to be immediately sacked for being late.  So I went back to Kershaws.

Another lad also worked part time for Kershaw,  Brian Whitehead.  We had many high jinks, as only 17 year olds can,  including nearly burning down Kershaws warehouse located down Pershore Street towards Sherlock Street.

We had been told to burn rubbish in the yard, it all got out of hand,  and sacks of components stacked to the top of the outer wall caught fire,  the flames could be seen from up at the shop.  Fortunately the sacks contained ceramic insulators which cascaded down and virtually extinguished the fire.

Kershaws corner.   I remember that name very clearly, I must have passed by it many times, however, I can't picture it in my mind's eye.
 
Phil, do you have a photo of said shop? I would be interested to see it. I am sure the other guy's on this thread would appreciate it, too.
 
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Every day is a gift, that's why they call it the present.

Phil

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Re: Radio and government surplus shops in 1950s Brum
« Reply #5 on: January 09, 2013, 02:12:53 PM »
malc
 
I'm afraid this is the best I can come up with at the moment, the shop itself is half hidden by the bus. I'll have a look around.
Phil died in 2020. RIP.

Gee Gee

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Re: Radio and government surplus shops in 1950s Brum
« Reply #6 on: January 09, 2013, 03:13:28 PM »
Sorry to digress;but that is a lovely photo of the Lounge Bar Blackpool bus. O0
I will now return to the thred by saying I remember that shop very well. O0

cocacolakid

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Re: Radio and government surplus shops in 1950s Brum
« Reply #7 on: January 09, 2013, 03:35:06 PM »
malc
 
I'm afraid this is the best I can come up with at the moment, the shop itself is half hidden by the bus. I'll have a look around.
Phil.
 
Thanks for the picture phil, one without the bus would be a bit better, so I could get my bearings of the surrounding area, if you can find one, cheers.  Not sure I understand gee gee's comment ??
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Every day is a gift, that's why they call it the present.

Phil

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Re: Radio and government surplus shops in 1950s Brum
« Reply #8 on: January 09, 2013, 04:32:54 PM »
malc
 
He's just referring to another thread that he is involved with, in the meantime I'll keep looking.
Phil died in 2020. RIP.

cocacolakid

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Re: Radio and government surplus shops in 1950s Brum
« Reply #9 on: January 09, 2013, 06:02:59 PM »
malc
 
He's just referring to another thread that he is involved with, in the meantime I'll keep looking.
Thanks for that, Phil.    O0                                                                      Malc.
Every day is a gift, that's why they call it the present.

Akatarawa

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Re: Radio and government surplus shops in 1950s Brum
« Reply #10 on: January 09, 2013, 07:01:41 PM »
It is amazing that you could come up with that photo Phil.
It was taken looking down Bromsgrove Street towards the market end of the road.  Pershore Street is crossing at right angles.

Directly opposite to Kershaws on the corner on the right of the picture was Brownswords hardware shop,  one of those old fashioned shops with sacks of stuff in front of the polished brown Mahogany? counter,  and with countless rows of drawers behind the counter.

It is 8 am here have to dash,  be back later :)


 

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