Friends

A Memory of Birkenhead.

We lived at the corner of Cleveland St and Vittoria. My dad was a docker. Life wasn’t easy, but we had lots of mates and family in the area. My friends were the Hickmans from Vine St. Audrey Wilson Vittoria St. Pam & Lorraine Tomlinson from Livingstone St. I worked at the Falcon Laundry on the corner opposite our house from the age of 15. I danced at the Craftsmen’s club on Grange Rd, the Tower Ballroom in New Brighton and the Kingsland. My God, we had such a great time. The boys always had a fight at the end of the night. Does anyone remember Thompson’s Mission where you could go, sing some songs, watch a film and get something nice to eat at the end, along with a bundle of old clothes? We were poor, but we never went hungry and had lots of fun in the streets, cockling down at the shore, running amok in Birkenhead Park or Biddy Hill, swimming at the ‘baths’ on Livingstone St, playing kick the can, skipping, two balls, catch the girl, kiss the girl, never bored. I went to Cathcart Street from 1947 and Conway St from 1955 to 1959. My name is Pat Kerr. Anyone remember me? I have four brothers....Kenny, Billy, Alec and David. Ahhh the memories.