Kidderminster / The Canal

Being born and raised in Kidderminster leaves me with a lot of good memories. I moved to the USA in 1958. My Dad worked on the canal before the war and indeed during the war. As a kid I spent a lot of my time walking and playing up and down that canal. We would sometimes ask a passing barge for a ride and they would steer close to the bank and allow us to jump on board. On one or two occasions I have seen barge horses break the tow line and and run wild down the often narrow towpath. I have jumped over the fence or hedgerow to get out of the way several times. I lived near the Horsefair and would have to run over there to get one or other news agents and pick up the "Pink Un" or the "Green Un" to get the latest horse racing results, Many hours were spent at St Georges park on Radford Ave. Silence reigned in most homes on a Saturday tea time as the BBC would read the football results and listeners held their collective breath to see if they had won the pooles. During the war years Kiddy was full of military personel, especially the "Yanks" who were stationed at 52nd General Hospital, Wolverley. Burlish Camp (near Stourport) also had a lot of soldiers housed there. Kidderminster really buzzed in those days. Of course over the years the town has changed and it seems has lost a lot of its identity. The building of the ring road...seems to me the planning was a bit short sighted as it has split up the centre of the town. However, in my heart Kidderminster is still my home town...