Early Years

Peter, I was born in 1946 and lived on Fairfield Road, opposite the Moravian Church Settlement. I attended Fairfield Rd, Infants School, on Grove St. My mother Phyllis Roddis owned the local Newsagents, J.W. Thorpes on the corner of Durham St, and Market Street. Droylsden. My grandparents lived in Gorseyfields, Droylsden, and my Uncle Bill Roddis was the organist at St. Mary's Church on Ashton New Road. So we were nearly neighbours!

Hi Barb, We are probably more closely linked than you imagine. For example one of my early girlfriends was called Lyne Mortimer who lived behind the garages on faifield road. Later at the age of twelve (1955) I met and fell in love with a girl called Linda Peacock who lived in Durham St. We married at the Congregational Church on Fairfield road in 1966 and remained happily maried until Linda passed away about six years ago. I miss her and think of her every day. Linda was born in 1944 and also went to Fairfield Rd junior school. We both later went on to Manor Rd Secondary School for about two years and then I moved to the newly opened Littlemoss Boys Sec Mod School. I met Linda for the first time in your mothers paper shop where I was a paper boy (Known as Skid Young), I cannot remember the name of the proprieter but it would have been around 1955 to 1958. At the age of sixteen I bought my fist motorbike, a 350cc Matchless and for a few years lived upto my nickname "Skid", a bit mad on the bike but happily I survived, several of my friends didn't. I played football for Droylesden for a short time and later for Golden Shred. As a boy the Moravian Settlement was very important to me and my pals, as a source of small white stones, perfect for our catapults.
You mention St Mary,s Church and again you bring back many happy memories, we used to go to the dance their on Saturday nights frequently finishing the evenning with a good fight with the interlopers from Openshaw, all good fun really.
Reading what I have just written makes me sound like a bad lot, I don't think I was seen that way, "a bit wild perhaps" but never a Teddy Boy. During the season we used to go to Bellvue Speedway followed by an hour in the fairground finishing with a couple of hours in the Dance Hall. At the end of the evening we would walk home to Droylesden partaking of a portion of Fish and Chips on the way. What more could a Teenager want.

More to come from a new subscriber - just not got the time right now but I'll be back. It's great that a Friends Reunited friend of many years has pointed me to this website!

Gill

Hello Peter, I am a 1943 model, too - and an ex pupil at Moorside. I am sorry to say that I don't remember your name but I probably have a photograph somewhere that has you in it! These days, I go by another given name - Gillian - shortened to Gill but in those times I was called Mavis (ugh!) I don't know what my Mum was thinking when she called me that - I never liked it!

My friend and long-time correspondent, Colin B told me about your post. I'm glad he put me onto this site, I think it could be very interesting.

Hope to hear from you.

Gill

Hi Mavis/Gill,
I feel sure that we will have some friends in common, both from Moorside School and from Droylsden in general, and it should be quite exciting to try to discover them.
When I etended Mooside the teacher I remember most was called Mrs Ryan, she was quite tall and had a hair lip but she was a great teacher. Her classroom was inside a prefab, sited behind the main school brick buildings, with a small garden outside in which we used to grow a few vegitables, all good fun.
I also have a few photographs somwhere and will endeavour to find them so that we can possible compare them with yours at some point.
Unfortunately as I get older I find that my memory for names is deteriorating so please forgive me If I have trouble puting names to the faces.
I now reside in a tiny village just south of Bristol, it has no streetlights, no shop, and no pub, but it lies at the foot of the Mendip hills between two lakes and is very picturesque.
If you try to find people who might remember me, try mentioning my nick name "Skid Young", even the teachers used to call me Skid in those days. My wife was called Linda Peacock and she lived originally in Duram St and later in Ashton Hill Lane, the last house on the right as you approach Ashton Old Rd. Linda was one year younger than me and went to Fairfield Rd Junior school and then to Manor Rd school. Unfortunately she passed away about six years ago but we were very happily married for many years.
I would be inerersted to know which bit of Droylsden you frequented in your younger days as a first step towards finding some friends in common.

Best regards Pete (Skid)

Hi, I was also born in droylsden in 1947 went to moorside school
The youngest of 6 children and lived on moorside street, there were 5 girls 1 boy in family my dad worked on railway I remember
Playing in the fields and helping out at lomas,s farm on hoppit lane and shakey bridge which we got to it through a hedge at side of canal, I loved it there in summer school holidays we played out all day, I went to manor rd school , all girls, but left droylsden in
1963 after my dad died as the house belonged to railway, but I did enjoy my young days living there.

Hello Skid! It's really exciting to read your response - thank you! I hope that we can begin to share some memories together.

A lot of years ago, when Friends Reunited was in its early days, I joined and found a few peers from Fairfield High School (or would they be peer-esses?) it was nice to re-acquaint but after a few exchanges of e-mail, the contacts fizzled into nothingness again.

So then I tried my junior school - Moorside. After a few exploratory clicks, I found myself looking at myself, aged about seven. A class photograph posted there by Colin Benbow. Wow!

Since that day, Colin and I have been in constant contact. Making short remarks, sometimes, going on a bit quite a lot of the time. At one point, until life changed a bit for me, we were in daily contact, still discovering stuff from one another and finding that we had quite a lot in common. It's been delightful and very rewarding and it's very much a part of my life now, being in contact with Colin. And what I've not told you yet is that he was the very first boy I 'fell in love with', age six! I don't think think he'll mind me saying that. Of course he ddn't know I existed.

Our friendship by correspondence has existed for about sixteen years now. He a widower and myself a married lady. My husband doesn't mind at all; Colin is 12,000 miles away, in Tasmania! (Damn!)

I don't remember your wife's name but I do know where Durham Street in Droylsden is. My Mum used to go to a butcher's shop near there - Hundelby's was the name. Do you remember it! Colin used to lived up near there, too - but as I know he's been in touch with you, I'll let him tell you all about himself. I used to live t'other end of Droylsden, down Greenside Lane, off Springfield Road, my address was number 1 Abbey Road. I lived there until I got married in 1965.

I won't write any more now, we will have plenty of time to get into detail, hopefully. I am going to copy this and send it to Colin so that he's in the picture.

Here's to a long, interesting and happy correspondence! Glad to have found you.

Gill

Hi again all,
I appologise for not responding to your very interesting contributions for a few months but I have been exteemly busy trying to move forward a very large project that I am trying to get industy in the UK to take seriously. Hopefully in the next few days I will be able to find a few minutes to pick up where we left off. It would be dissapointing for me to loose contact with such an interesting group.
Best regards Pete (Skid)

Hi all, My grandparents were called Etchells and lived at 8 Durham Street and I used to play with Linda Peacock although she was two years older than me. We both went to Fairfield Road school and to Sunday School at the Congregational Church. I have a photograph of a pantomime there and I am sure Linda is in it. I remember Mrs Roddis well. We lived in the sweet shop on Market Street opposite Gorsey Fields and I believe we watched Linda's wedding. My father Tom worked at Robertsons for many years until he retired when we all moved to Kent. I have many happy memories of my early childhood which was spent in Durham Street and playing in the field behind the houses. I often wonder what happened to all the children. The names I remember are Maureen Mason, Anne Dunphy, Maureen Fearnley and Barbara Etchells who I am pleased to say I am still in contact with. One of my earliest memories is of the Coronation celebration street party in Durham Street. I remember an older boy called Alan who drew the short straw and ended up with me as his partner in the three legged race. I also remember the older boys, Joe Mason and Francis McCluskey who managed to acquire what seemed at the time like huge amounts of wood for the annual bonfire which was on the field behind the houses.

I was born 1956 in 17 Durham st droylsden all my family lived in that street Simmonetts beswick rimmers rosling I called everyone aunty and uncle even if they weren't dolly wright dot Sumner mrs etchels mrs fernly I was bridesmaid for Linda peacock annie and charlie peacock was her mum an
d dad my mum and dad was frank and sylvia rosling

Was Alan's surname wallworth if so he was my cousin we lived at number 17 Simmonett lived at 15 I've got a photo of mrs etchels in my aunty Margaret a house with my mum sylvia me and aunty Ethel

Is the photograph you have of Mrs Etchells my grandmother who lived at 8 Durham Street. IThe only photograph I have of her is one taken for the local paper on her diamond wedding. I would love to see what she looked like when she was younger.

Hello I was born in 1959 and went to moorside school in droylsden then manor road I lived in clough road droylsden just wondering is there anyone that may remember me at moorside I can remember a couple of names gaynor affleck Uzra aitcha forgive the spelling it could be wrong Gareth Edwards x

Hello my name is Julie Ellison, nee Green,I was born in 1959 and went to moorside school in droylsden then manor road I lived in clough road droylsden just wondering is there anyone that may remember me at moorside I can remember a couple of names gaynor affleck Uzra aitcha forgive the spelling it could be wrong Gareth Edwards x