Sally Bash

A Memory of Newburn.

This was about 1954. The Salvation Army was a large hut on Millfield bank, they did lovely pie and pea suppers now and again for about threepence. Every Sunday evening from six till about seven the Salvation Army band would play on the corner next to Lloyd's Bank. I was enthralled with the musical instruments and decided I wanted to learn how to play one of these, so I joined the band. I went along to band practice and Mr Hurst who was the band master, and Captain if I remember right, gave me a cornet to learn on, but no matter how much I tried to do the scale my cheeks blew out. This wasn't good enough for Captain Hurst, you just didn't puff your cheeks out with a cornet, so he gave me this very large trumpet which you 'had to blow your cheeks out'. I was allowed to take it home and bring it back for band practice once or twice a week. I seemed to be doing all right and couldn't wait to be on Lloyd's corner with my big trumpet, but that was a long way off, so my job was to the shake a can and hand out 'War Cry'. That was too tame for me, but being inquisitive I took my trumpet home and decided to see how it worked. It came to pieces quite easily, but putting it back together was another thing, so I wrapped it in a travel rug and stashed it under my bed and I never went back. A few weeks later I came in with me sledge and me Ma said Mr Hurst has been for the trumpet. My ears were red with coming in from the cold but they were redder by the time me Ma finished with me, and I never went back. Oh, and before I forget, I got measured for a uniform but that was as far as it got. Next door to the Sally was a detached house and if my memory serves me right there was two spinsters living there and they had an orchard of fruit trees where we could go to the door and buy apples or pears for thrupence a bag and now and then we would sneak through the allotments which backed on to there place and get some freebie's. I've just remembered, pie and pea suppers was also great at Newburn Endeavor which was just behind the Council Offices.

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