Steve Bloomer
29 July 2015
One Saturday after Cavo
I'm sure we all adored growing up in and around St Ann's and I have one abiding memory of the fun, excitement and danger of life on Peas Hill Rd in the 50s. Most of the excitement and danger came in the form of the Redman brothers. They were the loveable rogues of Peas Hill. There was no paternal influence in their lives and even at the tender age of 5 or 6 I felt the sorrow which weighed so heavily on their poor Mother trying to control two such ruffians. The eldest was Jimmy and if someone had something that he didn't, like a toy sword from Goose Fair, then it was his by rights or so he thought.
However, I promised a tale of excitement and danger and it all happened one Saturday after Cavo. Little Jimmy's fave programme was Wagon Train, so wanting to emulate his hero, Ward Bond, he decided to form a wagon train of his own. So he and his brother started scouring the streets for any unfortunate child in possession of a set of wheels, be it peddle car, scooter, roller skates, whatever could roll downhill. You could actually see mothers grabbing their unsuspecting offspring and removing them to the safety of 'Indoors' as the Redmans approached. This did not dissuade Jimmy from his mission and having collected what victims he could, led us all with our assortment of wheeled conveyances, to the top of Edgar Rise, to us, then, a mountainous hill which runs 90 degrees off Peas Hill then on into Cooper St. on the other side of same.
Now little Jimmy had a war cry: "See Me Coming In My Car!!" He also had a speech impediment so what he actually said as he went bravely into battle was: "Tee me Tummin In My Tar!!" He also had an RAF leather flying helmet and goggles, probably a souvenir brought back from the war by a brave father for a doting son but which Jimmy thought should be his, and he, like me, had a red peddle car though his was almost unrecognisable as such. Anyrode up, at the top of Edgar Rise he produced a ball of string and proceeded to tie all the vehicles together, one behind the other to form his 'caravan of doom'. It was peddle cars up front, scooters in the middle and those on skates were at the back and had to hold on to a length of string tied around the waist of the one in front.
So with his 'Wagon Train' in formation he stood up in the seat of his battered car, turned to his quivering comrades, pushed the flying cap out of his eyes, pulled his goggles down, which settled somewhere around his chin, and with a flourishing wave of the arm and a cry of "Wagons Ho" that Ward Bond would be proud of, he jumped into his seat and we were off. We rapidly built up speed, car drivers peddling like fury and everyone else hanging on for dear life, all 10 or 12 of us hurtling headlong towards the sharp right turn into Peas Hill. The noise of all those wheels clattering down the hill almost drowned out Jimmy's cries of "Tee Me Tummin, Tee Me Tummin!! IT WAS MADNESS!
Half way down there was some disquiet among the ranks, particularly those on skates who were beginning to comprehend the enormity of the situation and that this probably would not end well.
Now it was Jimmy's ambition to negotiate the turn into Peas Hill and continue to St Ann's Well Rd without too many casualties. What he failed to take into consideration was that as his column of stalwart idiots turned the corner the column described an ever greater arc plus the fact that NCC had strategically placed a lamp post on the corner, probably to discourage this sort of expedition, but our wagon master was not perturbed. Jimmy's, mine and the car behind got round ok, albeit on two wheels, but as we trundled on towards St Ann's Well we heard string snapping, metal clashing and looked back to see a pile of scooters wrapped round said lamp post and the walking wounded picking themselves off the floor, then the skaters whizzed into view, they shot across Peas Hill and straight down Cooper St, still holding on to each others string and crying "Help......can't stop!!"
Little Jimmy never gave up trying to negotiate that corner with a full compliment and he always seemed to have a ready number of victims to help..... well, it was fun. it was exciting and it was dangerous. Wonder where he is now.
What are your abiding memories of childhood in St Ann's ?
29 July 2015
One Saturday after Cavo
I'm sure we all adored growing up in and around St Ann's and I have one abiding memory of the fun, excitement and danger of life on Peas Hill Rd in the 50s. Most of the excitement and danger came in the form of the Redman brothers. They were the loveable rogues of Peas Hill. There was no paternal influence in their lives and even at the tender age of 5 or 6 I felt the sorrow which weighed so heavily on their poor Mother trying to control two such ruffians. The eldest was Jimmy and if someone had something that he didn't, like a toy sword from Goose Fair, then it was his by rights or so he thought.
However, I promised a tale of excitement and danger and it all happened one Saturday after Cavo. Little Jimmy's fave programme was Wagon Train, so wanting to emulate his hero, Ward Bond, he decided to form a wagon train of his own. So he and his brother started scouring the streets for any unfortunate child in possession of a set of wheels, be it peddle car, scooter, roller skates, whatever could roll downhill. You could actually see mothers grabbing their unsuspecting offspring and removing them to the safety of 'Indoors' as the Redmans approached. This did not dissuade Jimmy from his mission and having collected what victims he could, led us all with our assortment of wheeled conveyances, to the top of Edgar Rise, to us, then, a mountainous hill which runs 90 degrees off Peas Hill then on into Cooper St. on the other side of same.
Now little Jimmy had a war cry: "See Me Coming In My Car!!" He also had a speech impediment so what he actually said as he went bravely into battle was: "Tee me Tummin In My Tar!!" He also had an RAF leather flying helmet and goggles, probably a souvenir brought back from the war by a brave father for a doting son but which Jimmy thought should be his, and he, like me, had a red peddle car though his was almost unrecognisable as such. Anyrode up, at the top of Edgar Rise he produced a ball of string and proceeded to tie all the vehicles together, one behind the other to form his 'caravan of doom'. It was peddle cars up front, scooters in the middle and those on skates were at the back and had to hold on to a length of string tied around the waist of the one in front.
So with his 'Wagon Train' in formation he stood up in the seat of his battered car, turned to his quivering comrades, pushed the flying cap out of his eyes, pulled his goggles down, which settled somewhere around his chin, and with a flourishing wave of the arm and a cry of "Wagons Ho" that Ward Bond would be proud of, he jumped into his seat and we were off. We rapidly built up speed, car drivers peddling like fury and everyone else hanging on for dear life, all 10 or 12 of us hurtling headlong towards the sharp right turn into Peas Hill. The noise of all those wheels clattering down the hill almost drowned out Jimmy's cries of "Tee Me Tummin, Tee Me Tummin!! IT WAS MADNESS!
Half way down there was some disquiet among the ranks, particularly those on skates who were beginning to comprehend the enormity of the situation and that this probably would not end well.
Now it was Jimmy's ambition to negotiate the turn into Peas Hill and continue to St Ann's Well Rd without too many casualties. What he failed to take into consideration was that as his column of stalwart idiots turned the corner the column described an ever greater arc plus the fact that NCC had strategically placed a lamp post on the corner, probably to discourage this sort of expedition, but our wagon master was not perturbed. Jimmy's, mine and the car behind got round ok, albeit on two wheels, but as we trundled on towards St Ann's Well we heard string snapping, metal clashing and looked back to see a pile of scooters wrapped round said lamp post and the walking wounded picking themselves off the floor, then the skaters whizzed into view, they shot across Peas Hill and straight down Cooper St, still holding on to each others string and crying "Help......can't stop!!"
Little Jimmy never gave up trying to negotiate that corner with a full compliment and he always seemed to have a ready number of victims to help..... well, it was fun. it was exciting and it was dangerous. Wonder where he is now.
What are your abiding memories of childhood in St Ann's ?