The Cubbin Twins

A Memory of Little Sutton.

Yes, the Cubbin twins - Alison and Janet. They had an older sister, Shirley, who became a dancer.
I was in love with Janet for years! She was full of life, always laughing and fooling around. I never got up the courage to ask her out and never got round to telling her years later how much I had admired her. I can't now.
The twins' father, Ronnie, was my father's best friend. They grew up together in Childer Thornton and remained friends. Sadly, Ronnie died some years ago but I do remember him so well, a cheery, red-cheeked man, a true son of the soil. He used to work at Pulford's farm in Ledsham and I sometimes went with him at Christmas to slaughter turkeys. Later, he worked at Bowaters when I worked there.

My older sister Sue got married when I was 16. I worked for Hyde's Jewellers in Ellesmere Port at the time and Janet worked at Burtons Tailors. We use to get the same bus home - the 5.40 C4. I went in to get a suit for Sue's wedding and a stout fellow called Nigel said he would measure my inside leg. A voice from behind a display chirped 'No, I'll do that!' No prizes for guessing...

After the girls left home Ronnie and his wife Beth moved to Badger's Rake.
The last time I saw Jan was at my younger sister's wedding in 1976. I arrived with Carol, my wife and went to a seat at the back of St Barnabas Church in Bromborough and saw this wonderful head of flaming red hair and thought, 'That's Janet!' and it was - along with her husband who was at Ellesmere Port Grammar School when I was there but he came as a late entry and I regret that I do not remember his name.
Alison was the quiet one. She married another EPGS late-entry called Jimmy Smith, a tall dark-haired lad who, if I remember right, was a gifted goalkeeper.

I can remember playing on the lawn at the back of our house in Seymour Drive with Janet and Alison. I had to play with girls - there were no boys my age living there! I know they came to my birthday party when I was 6.
Mentions by Chris of the layout of the school stir up memories too, but what I remember most is the smell of cooking and Mrs Pye the dinner lady, the big heap of coke in the corner of the playground and the hill down to Chester Road which at 5 years of age seemed live Everest. Woe betide any budding Edmund Hillary who tried to scale the coke pile!