“Granddad, Granddad, we love you .. Thoughts of when I was a Boy“
Clive Dunn was not one of my my Granddads, my paternal Granddad Mark died a few years after I was born … my maternal Granddad lived 300 miles away in Coltishall, Norfolk .. so I didn`t get to see much of him .. but he was a bit like Clive Dunn in some ways .. he had the cap .. he was short .. and he was always cheerful, ..... despite being married .......
My first memory of my grandparents and their house was on my first holiday (and train journey) to Coltishall village near Norwich. We all set off from Bath Spa station for London, the carriage seats were brown, and the window had a big leather strap to open it. Above our heads were little hammocks (made of netting) to put your luggage in. We arrived in London, at a busy noisy station, full of people dashing in all directions.
"Quick", said Dad, " The platform we need is over there". He pointed across the railway lines, our train to Norwich was in and we had to run to make sure we got on it in time. We sat down patiently and waited for the guard to blow his whistle and let the train leave the station.
We arrived in Norwich and boarded the bus to Coltishall. It seemed ages before we got there, and Rosie and me were looking out of the bus windows to see if we could spot Nanny & Grampy. The bus pulled up alongside a grass bank, under some trees."This is what you want" said the bus conductor in a strange kind of voice, "North Walsham Road, Ling Common".
We got off and started to walk up the road with our bags, "Viv, over here" Nannys voice came from behind a fence. ("Viv" was whay nanny called our Mum). Nanny was out in the garden feeding the chickens. We ran to see her and Grampy. and we helped to scatter the grain for the chickens food. Grampy was on the toilet in the back garden, there were three buckets in a row under a board of wood (supported on two low brick walls). The wide plank of wood had large round holes cut into it. This made a rough seat over the buckets. A man with a cart came round every thursday to empty the buckets to make manure.
Uncle Billy was home and he showed us to where we would be sleeping in a room upstairs with Mum and Dad. We saw his bedroom, and it was full of models, mainly planes and boats. I asked him if I could have one of his model planes to take home. He said "Maybe when you`re older Francis you`re only three". Billy was very bossy and always argued with Nanny & Gampy about everything. We were woke up in the morning by Nanny coming into the room shouting "Billy`s hit me with a knife!". She had blood on her face, dad said to her "What do you want me to do about it then?". I can`t remember any more about that incident but Rosie and I were both shocked
Uncle Raymond was adopted by Nanny & Grampy because his Mum couldn`t look after him properly. We went to Lowestoft with him on this holiday and we all played on the fun-fair there. Had ice creams and a pink candy floss, then walked around the town with Nanny, Grampy, Mum & Dad. Dad had his long gaberdine mac on despite the fact that the sun was out and it was quite warm.
Back to Oldfield Park, Bath .. " I`ll see you burn..."
Another big noise at the time. It began as I was drifting off to sleep one night when I was suffering from a bout of Mumps. My dad had crept into my room, on a bad weather night, when the snow was very deep outside. He had hopped onto the old spare bed under the window, just to reach up and pull the curtains across you see. He had forgotten all about the Paraffin heater that was behind him, (the big black one with a tall chimney). “Crash!!! .. whooomphhh “ ..two noises that invoked a very basic animal instinct from deep within me.
”FIRE !!! .. FIRE !!!” (my dad was shouting this at the top of his voice), I was being grabbed so fast the bed clothes came with me, I hung on for grim death as the flickering grew bigger and the noises grew louder in my once darkened bedroom.
I was down the stairs before you could say “Flash Gordon“. Mum was at the sink with an old grey zinc bucket filling it up,and she had the creamy enamelled one in her other hand as well. (It was chipped, with an “iffy” wooden handle that sometimes slipped off). The kitchen tap was “Whoooshing“ at full belt through the rubber spout (speeded up the water flow), and all the water was shooting over the side of the white belfast sink when dad took the bucket away ready for Mum to fill the next one.
Dad had kicked the heater along the landing to get it down the stairs. By now the staircase was also well alight, and it was utter bedlam! The “Clang Clang “ .. and the roaring noise of the Fire Engine (all covered in flashing lights)..just like Christmas it was! This little bit of excitement (for Rosie and me), was followed by “Bash, Crash, Thud!“ as the fireman ripped up the cord carpet on the stairs and the lino on the landing to get the floor-boards up …..
The wood was still burning and smouldering, the paraffin heater was by now in the road looking all black and sooty, buckled and badly bent. I could see it when I scrambled up onto the settee in the front room and looked out the window. The Fire Engine and the men were disappearing down the road, and the neighbours were now going indoors one by one. I spent a little while there, looking at the twinkling stars with my sister. Then Mum came in (looking very quiet and subdued for a change), she took me and Rosie into her and dads room for the night … I think we got into the Bath Chronicle newspaper the next day...famous at last!
1950 - Use Browser "Back" Button to return to previous page - 1952
