Alan Stewart?
A Memory of Oakwood.
Among the lovely pictures of 1950s Oakwood is a picture of a lake in Oakwood Park for model boats which I used in the late forties and early 50s. Sailing boats there was a favourite pastime of my friend and neighbour (at the time) Alan Stewart whom is in the foreground of picture O105012. It must have had an effect on him as he joined the merchant navy when he was older. I wasn't so keen as I managed to break the mast of both boats that I owned. I was always in trouble when I broke anything.
I remember in 1949 my dad announced we were going to have a television. I had no idea what that was but it sounded as if it was something quite exciting and was told we would have to draw the curtains when it is used. When it was delivered it stood in the corner for ages unused. I suppose it was waiting for an aerial to be erected? I would look at the mysterious object with excitement. It was the largest screen available at the time 12". Eventually it was ready but I was then disappointed to be told that there was nothing to be seen until Sunday when Muffin the Mule would be on. Apparently they didn't broadcast everyday. Some time later on a different day a children's soap (called a series in those days) was broadcast. The soap was called 'The Appleyards'. In the early evening there was another soap called 'The Grove Family'. In the mornings the only programmes on were test transmissions with Sylvia Peters and short films like 'London to Brighton in 4 minutes'. It was a speeded up film of a train. My friend would often come round when children's programmes were on and after watching the likes of Hop a Long Cassidy we would play cowboys and Indians outside.
We, as many other children at the time, were given a lot of freedom to play outside in the street and to explore away from home. Even before I was five years old I would travel up to a mile away from home on my tricycle. My friend and I would walk about a mile to Merryhills School when I was five. Sometimes I was given a penny as a treat and I would then catch the 107 bus to near my home after school. I then discovered another boy was given 2 or 3 pennies extra and he could buy a large bag of stale cakes from a cake shop in the Oakwood Parade, Bramley Road (known as 'up the top') because it was up a hill to get there. I got round my mum to sometimes give me an extra penny and I would stuff my face with cakes walking home down South Lodge Drive from the bus after school..
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The boating lake would freeze over in some winters, and I fell through the ice on one occasion. It was mighty cold of course, so my friend and I went to the igloo and got inside. We lit a fire in the dry leaves and rubbish in there to try to warm up, but nearly choked ourselves instead. So it was home to mum and a clip under the ear!
I have fond memories of the times, much exploring and adventure.
There was an old fellow we called "Mr Pastry" (??) who lived down the road. Many of the local kids, young and not so young, would knock on Mr Pastry's door and we would be given something delicious like a sugared almond or some other sweet. You didn't have to ask. I found out much later that my older sister and her friends used to knock on Mr Pastry's door as well! Imagine giving children sweets these days, you'd probably be arrested.
I used to spend a lot of time looking at the test pattern on our black and white telly, and listening to the music. It has stuck with me for more than 50 years for some reason. There was a picture on there sometimes of a sort of wooden building and verandah, with the word "Anglia" on a flag I think. I've always wanted to know what the music was, they played the same music all the time.
One of my favourite programmes was "Space Patrol" and I recently discovered the whole series on youtube. Of course "Bill and Ben" and "Torchy" were favourites as well.
Torchy had some good ideas - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2k0Ur5YL9Y
Sixpence on a saturday would get us a matinee film at the Southgate pictures, and an ice lolly or a bag of broken biscuits from the shop on the way home. For a few pennies you could buy a return ticket to Southgate on the tube, and you could ride all the way into London and back on that ticket as long as you didn't come out of any stations.
Ah, those cold and foggy winter nights, and warm coke fires. The snow, the Robins.......
Memories from Australia.