'Happy'

I remember "Happy" my mother and father used to talk about him what a character he was. I remember his cart and his bike with the bellows of his horn mounted on the cross bar, he would ride along sounding his horn by pressing his knees together. As you can imagine it made us smile, also if you asked him how he was he would reply "yes very happy thanks, yes happy, very happy. A nice man who gave us a smile. As said by others on here he also lead the Salvation Army on November 11th, at the front and carrying the flag. Now the sad bit which I cannot confirm, as told to me by my parents he used to live in Trafalgar St not far from the Reliant Foundry (where I used to work as a 16year old) I wonder if anyone remembers that . Anyway, from what I was told he was out on fire duty when the city was bombed, when he returned his house along with others had gone, blown away. Again I cannot confirm but it was said all his family was killed. After the incident he was never the same again. Such a sad story. Anyway I hope this has thrown some light on the man they called Mr Happy.

Hi and welcome to the forum Radford kid, that's a good first post hope to see more of you, the end bit is a bit if it right

Welcome, RK, and thanks for the interesting information about one of Coventry's favourite characters

Echo that.

"Happy" came to Coventry from Lowestoft with the Salvation Army in 1919. His real name was "Herbert Betts". He never married but sometimes lived with his sister. Also known as "Sunbeam" or "Sunshine", he was officially employed as a roadsweeper in the Foleshill and Parkside areas. He died in a Chester hospital in 1976 after a long illness at the age of 86. [John Ashby: "The Character of Coventry"]

We always knew him as Sunbeam. Working in Mile Lane in the early/mid 60s we saw him most lunchtimes.

During the 50s and 60s there was an old chap used to march around the city centre wearing a sort of dark blue 'uniform' complete with dark blue kepi and white gloves. He would be shouting orders to an imaginary squad, or directing imaginary (sometimes real!) traffic. Some of the cafes felt sorry for him, and would take him in and give him a meal and cup of tea.

I remember him very well too, but didn't know what he was called. He not only directed traffic, but also "marched" an imaginary squad around the city centre, sometimes stopping and saluting. Before the dark blue 'uniform' and kepi of later years, he wore, as I remember, something more civilian, I think it was a mac of a lightish colour with a dark hat. But he always wore gloves, and always looked very smart. I can vaguely remember his handcart, but he must have abandoned it in later years, because my last memories of him he didn't have it, just marched stiffly around. Some of my mother's neighbours said that he had been through some sort of wartime trauma, but no-one appeared to know what. The thread is very interesting, and it's great to hear a lot more about him. He often went in the Greek-owned cafe in New Union St where the cafe owner would give him a sandwich and a cup of tea, sometimes a cake. One of my father's friends (I won't name him here) was sent out of his mind by the bombing of 1940. During air raids he would stand on the front steps of his house watching and grinning, and rubbing his hands with glee each time a bomb went off, with "That's a beauty!" "Another good one!" and so on. Then he saw a parachute mine coming down, must have thought it was a descending airman, and ran to it, put his arms around it as it landed, and then went off. There was absolutely nothing left of him.

I remember Happy vanishing for a while (in the 1970s I think) and then the Coventry Evening Telegraph publishing a short piece saying he was ill in hospital and that many many get well cards had been received from Coventrians who loved and missed him. That's a sad story about how he lost his family, it could well be true I think. I don't know how anyone got through the war and came out sane at the other end. The basket being carried by the girl on the right of the photo, "gondola basket" - I remember we used to use those to carry our ingredients to school for cookery lessons, oooh we did think we were cool.

Hello Blackberry-rum, Apart from Happy, that basket was the next thing I noticed, they were all the rage. Did not see many, if any, plastic bags in those days as common as they are today. Sorry, I am drifting - again. I,like so many people, remember Happy, more so directing traffic!! The good thing was everybody accepted him for who he was and what he did. I wonder if he might have been put in a suitable home today?

Happy was in Philip Ward Coventry and Warwickshire hospital in late 1976 for some weeks after falling and breaking either his knee or hip (can't remember which) I was a student nurse on the ward at the time and he was a pleasure to nurse, always his usual HAPPY self. He was in the first cubicle as you entered the main ward right by the entrance and would always ask you if you were happy as you passed. I don't know what happened to him but I believe he may have gone into a care home. Note from TonyS: This post merged with another similar post from a duplicate thread

Herbert Betts also known as Harry

I nursed Happy on Philip Ward, Coventry and Warwickshire Hospital in mid to late 1977 when I was a student nurse after he had fall and had a knee replacement. He was in the first cubicle on the main ward right by the entrance, and was his usual self always asking if we were happy. He was a pleasure to nurse and we were all sad when he was transferred to Ward 8, Whitley Hospital for rehabilitation. I don't know what happened to him after that.

Who remembers a sandwich board man who, I think, had an advert for Benlys on his board, I think he was called "Happy", I think it was in the sixties or early seventies, apologies if this has already been covered. I also remember, in the 70's, being advised to get off a bus because "Scotch Mary" had just got on, I heard she was a notorious character, anyone remember?

My favourite current character - I know he's current as I saw him the other week is Rod Stewart in Earlsdon. He's his doppelganger and has been around for seemably longer than Rod!