Memories - early or general

Annewiggy, Dreamtime, Same here, ours was a six foot high barrel, the tin baths hanging at the side, ladled into the copper, every Monday being wash day and for hair washing twice a week when sister was a teenager - never knew people had bathrooms inside the house. Think I attended a doctors twice in seventeen years, and once the doctor came out to the house - sunstroke. Every summer Dad cleaned the barrel out with a hard broom. We helped and drowned each other, great fun. Don't think I laughed so much as when a kid. Thanks for the memory.

Thinking about the rain-water tank we had over our back loo when I was growing up always reminds me of the time my dad was playing football with me in the back garden. In a moment of over-enthusiasm, as he kicked the ball his slipper came off, and up it flew, into the water tank! He eventually retrieved it, but a new pair was needed!

Working on the Cov Council as a painter I got to see a lot of these rainwater tanks. Mostly they were placed on top of the outside loo and shed, becoming the roof. What I did like was some of the best aquatic gardens made by the owners, some with fish in. The best view of them being from the bathroom window.

Scrutiny, I had a good friend who I followed from school into the building trade, whilst we were both apprentice painters and, as you say, he worked for the corporation, I worked for a private firm but we came together at art school. His name was Graham Fox, this was 1963/ 66, would you remember him? The water tank brings back memories as we had one on our council house in Tile Hill, they were galvanized, I think.

Hi M55. Yes, I remember him as well as many others. You were there the same time as me, Wayne Guy, Doug Hems, Dennis Cooley. Mr Townsend was the Principal. There should be a topic on the art school somewhere, will have a look.

Memories. How about Len Harris who was still on for the Corp in about 1997 working out of Lythalls Lane. Pete Norris, Brian Ballard, Paul Kennely, who is mentioned on this forum, Brian Archer, Dennis Roberts, Ken Davenport, Dave Smith, Derwent Oliver,and Pete Eborall (he married an American girl and ended up going to Vietnam). another, Pete Dingley Tutors were Mr Light, Mr Pollard and Ron Lippiat, I never knew till after that I worked for the same firm as him but 20 years later. Happy days

I think Len was Hall and it was Ray Harris? Len was foreman when I went back and worked for two years on the Cov Council in the eighties. Derwent Oliver, he went to Freddies but I thought he joined the navy, he was in my class at school. Most of the other names I knew but Pollard was a pain, to me anyway.

Scrutiny, Yes, you are correct about Len Hall. There are few others I can picture but cannot put names to. Like you I didn't get on with Pollard, we crossed swords frequently. Now, I can get on with anyone but he was the exception . Graham Fox, Ken Davenport and Paul Kennelly were members of a group and Derwent Oliver was a manager of sorts. They were playing in a school in Wellington Street in Hillfields about 1967/8 and Derwent introduced me to the girl who became my first wife - he's got a lot to answer for

M55, that answers a question. The school was also the church rooms for St Peters and Derwent was a member of the church. He was one of the altar boys. I had a big run in with Pollard and the principal Mr Townsend got involved. Pollard never spoke to me after that. I also went to Wheatley St School, then on to the place just off the A45 where I came out of my time.

In this 1960s view of the family home in Coventry St, the tank is above the outside loo & coal house/store shed: 1930s view of the garden and it can be seen bottom left:

My family home was in Grangemouth Road, behind Jubilee Crescent, in Radford - identical lay out there too! I remember one summer, my dad decided to paint the inside of the water tank a lovely sky blue colour - made it look like we had our very own swimming pool.

Who remembers getting "Record Tokens" for birthday or Christmas presents?

Never record tokens but plenty of book tokens from distant relatives. I was an avid reader so they rarely lasted longer than January. With Mum and Dad we wrote very long lists from which they could make selections. A thing my sister and I continue to this day. We go off piste for little jokey things. It may have been the list thing but I can't remember ever believing in Santa but I can remember pretending to so as not to upset Mum and Dad. My brother and his kids were always pro money rather than gifts, which I think is a bit miserable but one year when the kids were young I created a day of presents for them. Their presents were in a big box of shredded paper and ranged from a pound coin in a shoe box to proper presents. There were even empty ones. The kids had to complete puzzles to be allowed to dig for a present (blind fold of course) but if they picked out a present for the other one, they had to put it back and wait for their next turn. They loved it. My nephew recently said that he couldn't wait to have kids so he could do the same for his kids.

Never got any book tokens, didn't read much out of school, but always have my nose in a book these days (had 3 as Christmas presents). When I first started to buy records, I think that singles were 6/8d (3 for a £1). But if you went to Woolies and bought their Embassy label, they were only 4/6d. Cannot remember how much an LP was? The first single I ever bought was "Bird Dog" by the Everly Brothers.

I've always loved reading from the People and the Pictorial on Sunday, when I was much too young to be reading the content. Book tokens were always a great gift but it was considered an odd one. I won a prize at school and was given a token and sent to the book shop on Trinity Street to choose a book for presentation. When I got there I was mesmerized and couldn't make a choice so I picked three paperbacks. They weren't happy with paperbacks so my books weren't presented at the end of year assembly. Later, when I became a bookseller I learned that, at that time, you could send book tokens to New Zealand and Australia and, I think, South Africa and they would be honoured. Amazing. I used to buy records at Paynes and also the shop (Hanson's?) on Market Way, near Woolworths. My dad almost always bought records at Woolies because you got two hits on each record. We loved The Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison and later, Adam Faith. Does anyone remember the young man who looked just like Adam Faith and walked around the city wearing a brown suit just like his? My first single was a Phil Spector production by the Teddybears and Heartbreak Hotel. Later we couldn't wait for Juke Box Jury on Saturday evening to hear Monica say 'Oil give it foive".