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Re: ITV Sunday Night Theatre 5th May 1974 'There Is a Happy Land'

Posted: Thu 28 Sep, 2017 7:42 pm
by tilly
On the subject of outside loos ours in Hunslet was at the top of the street all the streets off Pearson Street were cul de sacs the top of the street being the wall of the Hunslet Engine Company this meant we had to walk a little way up the street to go to the loo.There was a block of four toilets two for our side and two for over the street with a wall in the middle making the two for over the street separate from ours the other houses in the street had toilets in passages.We never had toilet rolls just squares of news paper hung on a string.Looking at the film i saw one of the lads with a snake belt holding up his trousers and tank tops were to be seen also long woolen socks no doubt with elastic holding them up that is what i wore has a lad.Also at the end of both toilet blocks was an open midden likewise the ones in the passages i dont remember them being used i think in my time we had bins.

Re: ITV Sunday Night Theatre 5th May 1974 'There Is a Happy Land'

Posted: Thu 28 Sep, 2017 8:18 pm
by MiggyBill
Ey up Warringtonrhino, thank you for putting my mind at rest, I now know where the street locations were filmed, good stuff!

Hiya Tilly, very similar to you with the description of the shared lavvys, the space where the midden was had been made into a motorbike shelter for the bloke at no.3. We had proper dustbins that the dustbin men lifted onto their shoulders and tipped them into the bin wagon which had curved metal sliding doors on the back, and the bins were full of ashes from the coal fire, not a lot of waste in them days, owt that burned got put on't fire.
I got all reminiscent too re the snakebelt, made me remember a particular pair of blue short trousers that I had to wear (with my snakebelt of course) the trousers came down to about knee length and were made of some coarse itchy material, I hated them. Was dressed just like these urchins. Loved playing in the derelict houses, they were great for chumpin near bonfire night, making dens etc.

Cheers all involved with this site., Billy.

Re: ITV Sunday Night Theatre 5th May 1974 'There Is a Happy Land'

Posted: Fri 29 Sep, 2017 7:40 pm
by tilly
Hi Bill if i lived my life again i would have it no different in my formative years, it made who i am.You have had to have lived through it to know what we are talking about poor but happy.My mum brought me and my sister up on her own holding three jobs in the day to put food on the table you dont know at the time what people had to do until you get older and start to think about it.No free hand outs in our day i have said to my sixteen year old grand daughter i would love you to spend a few days in my past i dont harp on about it but i am sure it would do her more good than harm.I think some of the younger members will think the oldies are at it again but we are proud of who we are and what we have lived through.I have gone to school with cardboard in my shoe to stop stones getting through the hole in the sole.This is not a sob story its just to let people what it was like in the day, when my best friend moved to Belle Isle they hired an hand cart and me and him did about eight trips moving all there stuff can you see a seventeen year old doing that now life moves on and so it should.Sid.

Re: ITV Sunday Night Theatre 5th May 1974 'There Is a Happy Land'

Posted: Fri 29 Sep, 2017 11:53 pm
by MiggyBill
Hi Sid, that's a lovely post you just made. I know what you mean about having nowt and it moulding your character, that is so true. As a kid I lived through me mam and dad having nowt, they worked hard though, my mam used to have a treadle sewing machine and every week "Uncle Ken" would drop a load of boxes full of cloth and such like, me mam would sew them all together into oven gloves and toilet sets. me and my sisters would help putting them into ploythene bags, then "Uncle Ken" would pick them up and drop another load off. I don't think she earned much though. My Dad worked at Broom Pit, did regular nights to enable him to look after his pigs and hens down at his yard. Eventually they opened a shop on Town St, Miggy. For a couple of years we had a good standard of living, then bankruptcy and back on the poor heap! and several more years before stability. I think you're right about folk back then, certainly friendlier and more willing to help and muck in. I think that knowing what it's like to have nowt when yo uare growing up instills a real sense of what is valuable and what isn't.
I've more or less dropped out now, today is for the youngens, it's their world, in 40 years time the 60/70 year olds will probably be saying the same as us.

Re: ITV Sunday Night Theatre 5th May 1974 'There Is a Happy Land'

Posted: Fri 29 Sep, 2017 11:54 pm
by MiggyBill
Hi Sid, that's a lovely post you just made. I know what you mean about having nowt and it moulding your character, that is so true. As a kid I lived through me mam and dad having nowt, they worked hard though, my mam used to have a treadle sewing machine and every week "Uncle Ken" would drop a load of boxes full of cloth and such like, me mam would sew them all together into oven gloves and toilet sets. me and my sisters would help putting them into ploythene bags, then "Uncle Ken" would pick them up and drop another load off. I don't think she earned much though. My Dad worked at Broom Pit, did regular nights to enable him to look after his pigs and hens down at his yard. Eventually they opened a shop on Town St, Miggy. For a couple of years we had a good standard of living, then bankruptcy and back on the poor heap! and several more years before stability. I think you're right about folk back then, certainly friendlier and more willing to help and muck in. I think that knowing what it's like to have nowt when yo uare growing up instills a real sense of what is valuable and what isn't.
I've more or less dropped out now, today is for the youngens, it's their world, in 40 years time the 60/70 year olds will probably be saying the same as us.

Re: ITV Sunday Night Theatre 5th May 1974 'There Is a Happy Land'

Posted: Sat 30 Sep, 2017 6:49 pm
by volvojack
Thanks again to all who have contributed to this so far, it brings back so many memories and also reminds me that we were more or less the same as kids, very poor but with familes that cared which although it did not take away the hungry feeling we had to endure during food Rationing the food we did get was usually nourishing.
I was fortunate to be born on the brand new Gipton Estate, so never had to endure the Outside Toilet, The rest of my folks moved from the Richmond Hill notorious Bank.
The thing that struck a chord with me was that having been born with a bone problem in both knees i had to wear Leg Irons ( Calipers ) on both legs from the time i was able to walk, the difference between the boy wearing one in the Film was that i had them on both legs and also they were from my ankle to the top of my leg, so not only uncomfortable to wear but also to walk in.
We lived half way along South Farm Road and the Bus that took us to Roundhay Hall for Therapy and Exercise waited up near Coldcotes Circus. Until i was older my Mother took me along in the morning but walking home there were a couple of kids that used to wait for me and not only mimic my stiff legged walk but also shouted various insults. Luckily when i was about 10 the knee bones had developed so that i could discard them and go to a normal School. I owed a lot of that to my Mother who spent many hours and days with me at the L.G. Infirmary, no National Health so the Calipers that i grew out of or broke she had to pay for.
The Coach that took us semi crippled lads to School also took boys who were referred as "Backward" they had vaarious problems and they were dropped off at Hunslet Lane School. Our Coach was dubbed "The Silly Bus" and i am afraid that was also another cross to bear.
Anyroadup I came out of the other side and am still here at 82 years if i live 'till December.

Re: ITV Sunday Night Theatre 5th May 1974 'There Is a Happy Land'

Posted: Sun 01 Oct, 2017 8:30 am
by tilly
Hi jack sounds like you had some bad times at an early age but you came through, i wonder how a lot of the young ones nowadays would cope.We accepted our lot and got on with it and in the long run we were better for it i could write a book on how things were in the past i am sure a lot of the youth today would think it was a novel and that i was making it up, that would be the same for you and Bill if you both put into writing what it was like in your past.I must stress to the younger end we did not think we were poor has every one around us lived the same so you accept that has the norm but one thing i must say we were happy very happy i cant say i knew any kids with depression that says a lot for the life we lived.In this day and age material things are paramount and thats were a lot of todays problems stem from, if we had not got it then we we would not be getting it so lets go out and play. :D :D :D