On The Market And Such...

A Memory of Wednesbury.

Dad used to take me to help on the market stall he had right outside Woolworth's as he and mom had a Ladies & Children's Wear in Birmingham.  His cousin was Mayor at the time - hence the prime spot? I remember the Tilley Lamps, and the stout lady who ran the fruit and veg stall on the visible corner, who used to hitch up her skirt to reveal £1 and ten-bob notes stuffed into her stocking tops!  My cousin and me used to go the '3d Crush' at the Palace on a Saturday afternoon (never the 'Ri'!) and have a 1d dip which had bits of pork that had drained through if you were lucky and we asked for the scratchings. I also remember Masons and being fascinated by the money tube whizzing to the cashier....ah! the big slabs of butter and sides of bacon! I was born in Wednesbury and lived there 1939-48 - well protected by the Home Guard during the war with their ack-ack guns!  My dad was in the Home Guard as he worked at the Deritend as a Die Sinker ... so we got lead soldiers for Christmas! Happy Days.