Childhood Memories
A Memory of Hemsworth.
My father, Bertram Whittingham was a native of Hemsworth, born 1892 and I am the remaining son of the family born August 1926 in a small miner's cottage located at No. 7 North View. My father was a coal miner, working at Hemsworth Colliery until his retirement. There are so many memories, I really don't know where to begin.
The police station was located just before reaching Cross Hills on the right hand side.
Opposite was Townsend, the butcher, with the "slaughter house" situated at the back of his shop. Next to Townsends stood the Midland Bank. At the bottom of Highfields was a stone trough where the horses would stop to drink. I can only recall 2 policemen manning the station, one of them named "Bobby Johnson". As children, we were scared to death of him. If he caught us being mischievious, he would give us a clip "round the ear hole", folowed by - "Al tell thi father wast tha's done".
Time around 1932
On Kirkby Road, just past the market place, was a whole sale fruiters named Sainters and then the Hemsworth Brick Yard. Then the open fields.
I have just found your web site, so sometime soon I will spend time in thinking up psst memories of my childhood and teenage years spent in Hemsworth.
I left Hemsworth 1953 to become an ordained Salvation Army Officer, but my Mum and Dad, together with my older sister Alice, remained and died in Hemsworth.
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My wife also was a resident of Hemsworth and her granddad and grandmother were both deeply involved with the Salvation Army. Their names were Edith and Arthur Banten [we think he had the rank of captain] My wife seems to remember that most of the Banten family were heavily involved also.
Yes we remember Sainters fruit and veg on the small hill going down towards the brickworks and Hippodrome picture house.
I lived in a large house just off cross hills behind a grocery store called the globe which was next to the newspaper office [ I think it was called The South Elmsall and Hemsworth Express].it was a large rambling house which at sometime must have had some importance as I remember playing out side in a annex building across the courtyard which had stales in it for horses.This whole courtyard was surrounded by a high wall [it seemed high to me at the time] and a big tin shed in one corner[ which I know now to be a electricty sub station] , but at the side of this shed part of the wall was missing [ just enough to get through] and into a market garden which belonged to Middletons who had a green grocery shop next to your police station.I used to play with Terry who was their son, and not only that they had a black and white telly where we would sit and watch wooden tops muffin the mule etc and then the endless adventures in the garden which extended to the rear of the George and dragon pub. Many happy memories of Hemsworth and surrounding area I could go on for ever. Eventually got married and moved out of the area to work in the new coal mines further east Kellingley and the Selby coalfielde. We now live in retirement in Selby with our memories