Yorkshire Short Boats, Rabbits,Scraps And Handel's Messiah,

A Memory of Horsforth.

Mr Cassare was a cheerful soul he fitted a recon engine into my Father's Morris Minor. We bought his house 6 Victoria Crescent so knew him well. The building opposite is the Imperial Cinema. Priority for me as a schhoolboy was the excellent chip shop offering free scraps. The pet shop sold me a rabbit which had performed with Sooty and Sweep on TV. At 13 years all my free hours were spent helping the boatmen on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal between Castleford and Skipton, swinging bridges and working the locks.
One day I came home after helping discharge 40 tons of coal, with barrows then. My Mum took one look at the state of me as I stood at the back door and said, "Take everything off right there and go straight up to the bathroom!" Mornings I jumped onto the No.32 + 53 red West Yorkshire to Otley Grammar usual Friday detention or caining from a prefect for not wearing my school cap. So I learned to enjoy the wonderful classical music Mr. Bainbridge practiised in the Assembly Hall I still do.