My Home Town

Town Centre c1960
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I was born in Ravensthorpe in 1937, went to school at St Saviour's infants and the Secondary Modern school until I was 15 years of age. I began working at Hartley Bros, a leather mill at the bottom of Scout Hill, later I worked at MKM mills down Calder Road. I joined the army in 1956 in the KOYLI along with many other lads from the area and served in Cyprus and Germany. I returned to the area upon de-mob and married my present wife who comes from Clckheaton, our first home was at Ravensthorpe Road, Thornhill Lees and we later moved to homes near Crown Flatts and later at Shawcraoss. In the 1960s Dewsbury was a thriving town and far cleaner than it is at the moment. One of my fondest memories is the twice a week markets days of Wednesday and Saturdays and visiting the many well known public houses, with my main ports of call being The Market House and The Little Saddle. Also in those days the town's bus station was on the corner of the Long Causeway opposite the Town Hall with very nice gardens in the area. I played rugby for the Batley RLFC and was quite well known in both towns due to my work and football. I now live in Australia where I have been since 1978. In my opinion the area has changed a lot since my youth and not for the better. But I am proud of the fact that I was born in the area and still have many friends from my younger days but most have moved from the old areas, which have been taken over by immigrants. I have visited quite a few times over the years and noticed the decline of the town and the area in general. If I have offended anyone with my remarks, one only has to look at the photographs of the town, which I have done from the 1960s above and one MUST come to the same conclusion. When I last visited in 2008 the old Pioneer building had bushes and grass growing out of the top of the clock tower and most of the former very good shops in the business area were boarded up and dirty. The once wonderful arcades were in a sad state. Sorry to be so critical but these are my memories and observations of my home town and the place of my birth.