"Burglar Bill" and other old tales of Radford

Ted's party A very good friend of mine invited me to a pre Christmas party, my friend Ted had two sisters, both very pretty and I have to say I was in love with one of them . My age at the time was about 15 years and being so young I knew she would not be looking at the likes of me, her age was about 21 but it did not stop me lusting after her (how sad). Ted and myself got to the party held at his house, the party was in full swing, I think it was the first adult party I had been invited to so it was all new to me (how the other half lived). As we were so young we were not too good at judging our limits, in other words we both got drunk, I retired under the dining room table to try and make sense of my head, it was quiet and it stopped party goers from plying me with more drink. Now this is the silly bit, as Ted and myself were drinking the same type of drink, we decided to mark our drinks with pickle onions, well it got silly and before you knew it our glasses were full of beer and pickles, don't we behave silly when the old booze kicks in. After a while I began to come round, I pulled myself to my feet, just then the door bell rang, and in walked a vicar! "What's a vicar doing at my friends party?" I noticed the vicar chatting to everyone and enjoying the party ambience. I was now feeling like taking on the world again and reached for a whisky, thinking I was a man and showing the party goers I could drink whisky neat, down it went in one shot, wow, what eck was that all about? I was now dying, my throat was ablaze, I need water quick, seeing the vicar with a glass of water in his hand I asked him if I could please use the water to put out my fire that was raging in my throat "Sure my son" was his response and without much ado I drank it down. Now there is one drink I cannot abide even to this day, "gin", the vicar was drinking neat gin and I drank the lot before I realised what it was! Omg did that turn me into a child again, jumping up and down and running into the kitchen for a real glass of water, much to the delight of the party goers. That put paid to any chance of Ted's sister ever chatting to me again, she was never going to be my girlfriend that's for sure, lol. Now what was the vicar doing drinking neat gin? I returned to the party and with blurred vision I could see the vicar chatting away, I approached him to enquire why he was drinking gin and pulling a stupid stunt as to giving me a glass of high octane booze, as I was talking to him a crowd gathered and they all started to laugh, not that funny I thought. As I was talking to him he started to remove his coat, "oops" I thought he is going to have words, then I noticed his waistcoat was on back to front? While he was chatting to me someone was undoing the buttons on his waistcoat which he could not reach as they were at he back, once removed he then started to remove his shirt, again on back to front in order to make it look like a dog collar, "clever" I thought "now I get it" he was not a real vicar but a party goer dressed up. Can you imagine my face when it dawned on me I had been had! Well it sure made the party go with a swing, they loved it and although I was now becoming even more drunk I did not feel so bad. Time to go home and it fell on my mate Ted to walk me home, as he had done on many occasions before, as we walked home past Hill Farm School we stopped for a fag (I smoked in them days), Ted stood me up against the fence while he reached for his packet of fags, Senior Service. He then dropped the matches, "hold the fags for me" he said "while I retrieve the fallen matches," I was so drunk I emptied the complete packet on the dew ridden grass, he was not amused. I think he came close to landing me one that night, but he didn't, still friends to this day although he now lives in Ireland. We got home and with the help of my mum he put me to bed along side the obligatory bowl, lol. I am still here, you hear some many scary stories about booze related deaths it's a wonder I got to my age. I think luck was on my side that night but it is such a stupid thing to do, not worth it kids. Colin.

Oh dear, oh dear, RKid, 15 must be the norm for young lads to start learning one of the facts of life. Don't mix your drinks. I dread to think how you would cope at being 15 now, you might have got to chat the 21 year old up, you will never know. Hope you felt better the following morning although I hardly think you did.

I am putting in this post to replace the one which disappeared with the hacking. This post is loosely connected to Radford, in that my friend from that time also came from Radford. His name was George ....... and he was a good friend to me in those days, alas I do not know what became of George after we grew up and went our different ways. George lived at the top end of Bulwer Road, but we spent a lot of time playing in High Mounts and on the common. Does anyone remember the Tanner rush, at cinemas in Coventry. Me and George went to the Gaumont every Saturday morning to see a programme of sometimes Hopalong Cassidy, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Laurel and Hardy, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, and always a cartoon. An interval of singing when the organ came up, but this wasn't met with enthusiasm because we wanted to get back to the films. After leaving the Gaumont and heading for home, our next stop was call in at the Rex open air market. This was on the site of the bombed Rex cinema. We always called there because we could buy second hand comics and Batman and Superman comics. But the main attraction was Uncle Louis, anyone remember him?, he was long before Del Boy, but Del Boy must have learnt from Uncle Louis. He would load a dinner service on his arm piece by piece until he was holding the full set then would come the patter, I don't want ten pounds, I don't want seven pounds, I don't even want five pounds, buy this set of which I only have two for four pounds. These would then quickly sell, and another ten sets would appear. I remember one day when I was there he had some watches, exclusive, straight from Switzerland as worn by Royalty and Lords around the world. Same patter as before, I don't want ten, I don't want five, four pounds, only three left, I guarantee these watches, you buy one of these and you take it into any police station in the country, and you'll get ten years. He was a showman who entertained a large crowd every time we went, but we never bought anything. Fond memories of bygone days, simple pleasures, again what children today are missing. Freeman.

Hello Jim, not too sure about this but was his name George Steven? That name seems to ring a bell. Your other mates name was Jim Robinson, always remember him coming to call for you, "hello Jim Walton's mam" he used to say, what a great lad he was! And do you remember Percy Parr? A great friend to our Mum. If you wish to elaborate on this then feel free, lol. I think you knew him more than me . Colin

Yes, you are right, his name was Stevens, I did not fill it in, in case, were he to read Historic Coventry, wherever he is, he might be to pleased to have his name written. The other friend of which you speak was not Jim Robinson, he was Jim Goode, brother to Billy Goode. The Robinsons lived next door. The middle girl was an extremely lovely person and joined in with us as a bit of a tomboy, Her name was Irene and her elder sister was Barbara. Had a son whose name was Christopher. I think he died young, but I am not hundred percent sure on that. The other Robinson was of course Bobby, who you mention in your posts. Percy Parr, now here was a tale, I was never and still am not sure on his/her gender, but a marvellous person nevertheless. He was always there for our Mum when she needed help, but was always ridiculed for the lifestyle he/she led. Freeman.

Hi Folks, Apologies once again for repeating anything. We lived in the "cut in" of Radford Rd. (in a what I thought was a really nice ex-council house), between Murray Rd. and Heathcote St., from 1959 to 1974. I remember "Burglar Bill", but I can only see a single, grotty old cottage in the middle of the waste land opposite Radford Common, and if kids when anywhere near his place, he came running out, "Go on, bugger off you little &%£^!*!" It was all transformed in early 1970's to social housing. I remember Turley's really well, and used to buy a bag of sweets on Sunday afternoons after lunch, or got sent down to buy for the family. Next door was a butcher, then Busy Bee wool shop. Anyone remember the cobbler (really good repairs) round the corner in Villa Rd? The only family I knew down there were the Crabbe's. There was Ben Swain's (great butcher and nice family) on the very corner of Heathcote St, daughter Julie (very shy, very attractive, real 60's looking kind of girl with a wonderful aroma of good soap! ) was in my class at Hill Farm school, then another shop, some houses, then in Bulwer Rd. / Heathcote St a wool shop, Iwanczuck's brilliant chippy - did fantastic "scollops" (their son Roman was in my class as well), the grocery shop run by Irish-Brummies Brendan and his half blind wife (lovely people), (Stuart) Schofield's newsagent, "Parade" fruit and veg shop run by a miserable bugger always in a cardy and a brown trilby, another grocers, Lengden's hardware shop (son Nick was a mate and in my class) then a hairdresser's. The "High Mounts" were opposite our house and I had tons of fun over their climbing trees and all sorts of nonsense! Barry Thomas from Bulwer Rd was a mate, and his dad used to take us fishing all over the place. Footie on Radford Common, jumpers for goalposts of course! Although there were some lads up on Sadler Rd., (Nick Knight, etc) I didn't bother with them much. Billy Andrews (lived near bus stop), quiet lad kept himself to himself, and became a well-respected optometrist.

Hi folks, I am a new member having just been introduced to the forum by my younger brother. I was born in Telfer Rd and like a lot of others on this forum, went to Hill Farm and Barker Butts. My first day at Hill Farm School was in a wooden hut on the site of what is now a block of flats on the corner of Foster Rd and Beake Ave. A lovely teacher by the name of Miss Williams, and when 11 o'clock playtime arrived, I walked straight out of the opening in the wall around the playground (no gates, all been removed for the war effort) and went home thinking that was it for the day. Of course, mother walked me straight back up there!! When the time came to leave the infants and join the junior school, I found myself in Mrs Goddard's class, wife of the headmaster. Does anyone remember the sheep dog named "Bobby" that followed Mr Goddard everywhere. People thought it was his dog, but not so. Bobby lived in either Middlemarch Rd or Grangemouth Rd and walked to school every day except weekends. Some of the names I can remember from junior school were Robert Hughes, his sister Jean, Bernard Woodfield, the Cramp twins, Graham and ?? and David Pilbin. Next time I write will maybe about Barkers and the kids I knew, some of whom have already been mentioned on here.

I haven`t read through all the comments in this thread .....but does anybody remember the gang fights on Radford Common? (even taken part in them - I did know one chap who said he had)

Hello & welcome Stormin Thank you for your post. I hope you enjoy your time with us.

Hi Roger, yes I remember them. I remember a crowd of kids coming out of Villa Road onto Radford Road heading for the common, and some of them had snapped off car aerials to use as weapons.

Welcome to the H/C forum Stormin from me too. I recall the black wooden school hut of Hill Farm, the doors opened out facing Foster Rd. I too went to Hill Farm and was born and lived in the middle section of Telfer Rd. I wasn’t in the wooden school hut but my older brother and sister were.

Hi Morgana, thanks for the welcome, I was born and lived at 21 Telfer Rd which was down by the shops on Cheveral Ave.

I too recall fights on the common, teddy boys as young as I was. I also recall some walking up Telfer Rd showing one another their flick knives, and the rockers fighting.

I didn't witness any fights but my friend Barbara and I used to sit on the bench by the common on Engleton Road and watch the rockers outside the Beaker Cafe.

I remember the Beaker cafe, but doe's anyone remember the air raid shelters on the Radford common? And what about Arthur Black the bookmakers on the end of the row of shops next to Turleys etc. When I was about 10 or 11, my father used to send me round to Arthur Blacks on my bike with a bet of his choice of "gee gees" for the day. Father knew the horses and studied form before placing a bet, and usually collected winnings. Most years our annual holiday (Cov. fortnight as it was then) seen us in Weymouth for a week, or sometimes two. Dad would pay the deposit on the holiday, and when the remaining balance had to be paid three weeks before the start of the holiday, he would sit down with the "Racing times" and say, "it's time to get the holiday money from Arthur", and he did, year after year. The word Weymouth always conjures up visions of standing in a packed train corridor with mum sitting on the suit case and younger brother on her lap. I have'nt read all the forum on the Radford link, but a couple of things brought back memories. Walking home from Barkers with Adrian Morgano on the day his mother was brutally murdered, and I believe he was the one who found her, and someone else talking about throwing 303 bullets on the fire!!! We used to play on Radford brook which ran behind Porettas coal yard, a rope tied to a tree so we could swing back and forth across the brook, and a beautiful clear water spring that was always cold to drink even on the hottest days. The brook ran under the wide entry between Porettas and the Savoy cinema, and then under the Savoy car park. One day we crawled inside the "culvert" daring each other to see how far they dare go, when Chris Willett came out backwards with 2 "clips" of bullets in his hand. The long and short of it was, we took them round to his dad's shed where Chris put a bullet in the vise and hit the end with a nail and hammer. He nearly lost 2 fingers, we were all deaf with the bang, and the bullet went through the side of the shed, passed through the garden fence and into the allotments out back. 10.30 that night, I was in bed when mum woke me up to tell me there was a policeman waiting to talk to me!! A lecture from the "Bobby", and a good hiding from dad before getting back to bed. Where did they come from I hear you ask, apparently they were put there by the home guard in case of invasion by the Germans.