We used to go up to the Wellow Institute playing billiards or cards or whatever, the lads and myself, and I came down one night back with my bike, I must have been fifteen, and it was a dark night, just gone ten o’clock, just a little bit of light. I had my head down looking at the ground, and all of a sudden, there was this shape in front of me and ‘bang’. The front wheel went straight between Charlie Bryne’s legs, Ron Hillier was helping him home. Yes, they’d had a couple, or several, and I went over the top of Charlie Bryne – didn’t do the bike a lot of good, but it did me a lot more harm, it really hurt. Charlie got up, the air was somewhat blue. Apart from bruises up his back he had nothing wrong with him. I got home and put my bike away and I’d taken the top off one of my ankle bones.
And I thought: ‘I’ve hurt my head’. There was all blood and went to see Dad, who was listening to the radio and he come and had a look. He said, ‘Mother, I think you’d better come and have a look at this.’ So mum came out in the kitchen – ‘ Oh, I don’t like the look of that’.
Poor old Gran, who was staying with us at the time, she came out and she put it right. She got the scissors out and then cut my hair away and put a plaster on it. The damage to my ankle made me limp for a while. Charlie Bryne, he was fine.
Ron Wallis b 1935
Tag Archives: Vic Whittingham
Thorley School photo 1932, 1930s
Thorley School pupils c 1932
Back Row: Hazel Trowbridge, ? Robinson, Margery New, Gladys Scovell, Ivy Russell, Vecta Cooper
2nd row down : Reg Cozens,?Welsted, Kath Cozens, Cyril Henderson, ?Robinson, Jack New, ?Eileen Thornton,Margery Henderson, Not Known
3rd row down: ? Welsted, ? Robinson, Phyllis Squibb, Billy Henderson, ? Robinson
Front Row: Not Known, Not Known
Margery New married (1) Andy Cooke d WWII (2) Bill Colenutt
Gladys Scovell married Vic Whittingham, Ivy Russell married ?Stone
Marge Henderson married a Canadian soldier during WWII and went back to Canada as a war bride.
Phyllis Squibb lived in Whitewalls. Her mother Elsie was a teacher, her father Frank worked for Mills. Vecta Cooper lived at Upper Lee Farm with parents Henry and Fanny, and Aunt May Cooper. The Welsteds lived in New House or Upper Place ( there were 2 related families, spelling their name either Welstead or Welsted).Cyril and Margery Henderson lived at Acorn Cottage with parents Victor, a Coastguard, and Florence. Cyril married Sue Hillier who lived in one of the pair of Newclose Cottages, eventually living in the newly built Northview. J.C.