Odds N Ends

[DaveR]

Pulling information out of the old Llandudno Local Database is quite difficult, so i am going to fish some odds and ends out and then try to make sense of them here. Feel free to chime in if you see anything of interest or would like to claim your post...

"Ernie Kendal was another regular in the Parade. He was a bricklayer who wouldnt work in inclement weather. His Red Indian nickname was 'Passing Cloud' His funeral made the National Papers as the lads Led by John Bargate, got too enthusiastic on the Prom and got themselves arrested.I remember reading the Daily Mail at the time and P**sing myself when I read the quote from John saying 'It''s what Ernie would have wanted' "

"I was just passing the Winter Gardens one day and there was a small crowd gathered and a couple of policemen. Out walked Harold Wilson the Prime Minister. He had his famous pipe in his hand and waved to everyone and a woman shouted out to him 'Keep your pecker up love!' "

"I worked as a waitress at Gardners chippy opposite the tram station. The daily special was cod chips peas bread and butter and a pot of tea - 35p! That was in 1971. I later worked on the pic n mix at Woolies where people would ask for broken rock as it was cheaper than the proper sticks of rock. There was also a Deli and a fruit and veg counter in there. My worst job was making leather belts  at the back of Clifton road. I couldn''t do it properly and got the sack after a week!"

"Couple of years back I visited the Llandudno Archive which used to be Lloyd Street School and it was absolutely fascinating. I was trying to get information about when my parents moved to Kings Road and what I got threw up a couple of personal mysteries. The attendants suggested looking in the school registers for Dyffryn Road School for the time, something I''d have never thought of myself. It was an amazing experience. And I''d recommend the archives as a real treacle mine. There in front of me were all my childhood mates (for me - brought to life in full technicolour) and the teachers, some harridans, some angels. I got playbacks of tennis ball football in the boys\\'' playground and games of tag and King (who remembers that then?). And the girls in their own playground playing skipping games or games bouncing a ball against the wall and reciting 1940s hip hop. Gas mask drills in standard one and assembly with Hughie Hughes (Headmaster) playing piano - Bach has been a favourite of mine ever since (in spite of the interim of Frankie Laine, Guy Mitchell, Johnny Ray, AFM and Radio Luxemburg).For some reason, after standard one, I had a spell in Lloyd Street and gang warfare was rife there.

At dinner time we'd get birch cuttings from a nearby garden at the back of St David's and we\\''d hunt the other gang down - usually split up and scattered; running for dear life - around the backs of St David's, St Mary''s, St Seriol's and around the Oval (rough open fields then - apart from the cricket ground). I went back to Dyffryn Road after the Headmaster belted me with a closed fist on the top of my arm and splattered a new typhoid inoculation I''d had there. Real respect culture without the guns!! The worst thing I ever did was to pass the eleven plus and, dressed in the cheapest school uniform my mother could afford, we'd moved to Cwm Place in 1949, I went to John Bright's. Most of my mates went to Central. From the outset I hated the place with a passion. I was an outsider and the snotty nosed middle classers constantly tried to humiliate me because I wasn't polished in appearance or had social graces like them. Rees, the headmaster was a snobbish pig who encouraged the class prejudice in the school and wielded a mean cane. Mel, the sportsmaster was just odd and somewhat incompetent - with constant facial twitches and suspect self-scratching. The one I grew to like and who had something of a positive influence was Charlie Jones, the Deputy Head. His favourite growl was: Cox - I''ve seen better things crawl out of things that crawl out of cheese.

There was nothing else but to rebel and I constantly gave them two fingers - but confounded them by remaining in an A form throughout my curtailed stay. At about 14 I refused to wear a uniform any longer, got myself a crew cut and turned up to school in lumberjack shirt and jeans. I had a lovely tatty Wire Haired Fox Terrier called Paddy who, completely faithful, would turn up at assembly or later when I was in class. It was a good dodge because it meant I could take time out to take him back home. Paddy became a favourite of some of the more human inmates and was well featured in the school magazine. After many battles, I made it clear to the snobs that I would leave at 15 and not go through to sixteen as they were ordering me to. I did leave at fifteen, spending the last six months sitting at the back of the class reading whatever I wanted to - usually the Hotspur, the Wizard, the Rover or the Eagle.I suppose in a slightly deviant kind of way I have good memories of the confrontations and rebellions and to this day I have one of those three foot long panoramic photos of the whole school in 1953 on the bedroom wall (there were also a few goodies amongst the inmates). Gives me some good chuckles of satisfaction. A few years back I did write to the Education Department to see if I could root out some the John Bright school records but it seems they had a fire which destroyed most of the records beyond the time of the fire. They did send me a couple of surviving school mags though and they're interesting in themselves, especially for the sports teams of the era."

Back in the 60's early 70's it was more classy to be seen socialising in a Coffee Bar as opposed to a Public House. You'd think nothing of going past the Venezian Bar (opposite Trinity Church) and see maybe a dozen motorbikes outside all parked up in the road, inside you\\''d see a load of teddy boys drinking tea and coffee (no alcohol). Nowadays this wouldnt seem the norm. Sometimes there would be a bit of friction at these venues because of the mix between cultures gathering here with the likes of Willy O' Rei*** (surname disclosed) who was a bit of a hardcase. Our Historian Richard witnessed a scene between Willy and another local character Yan Dec*** (surname disclosed) who held up a 10 minute fight looking like something out of a wild west film. Does anyone else remember this or the gatherings at the 'Ven' or do you rmember the bike races around the Great Orme. If you had 3 shillings, you could put 3 records on the Jukebox. The bikers would then get on their motorbike and do a run around Marine Drive and back to the Ven before the records had finished that was the race these bikers used to do! Not everyone owned a bike, some people would try race the bikes in their cars, and one time one of these cars crashed on the West Shore side which ended in a fatality

[Ian]

That last item does make some sense to me.  In Madoc st, there was a shop - Lazars? - the owners of which had a teenage son who was one of those who used to put on a record in the juke box then try to race around the Marine Drive and return before it finished. He lost his right leg in an accident trying it and was often see thereafter as a pillion passenger with a crutch.

[Quiggs]

Ian, if my memory serves me, Joe Lazars son crashed in a car, his fathers I think, he was injured but don't think he lost a leg. One of my friends could have given the details, but sadly is no longer with us. I'll ask around.

[ed jones]

Pulling information out of the old Llandudno Local Database is quite difficult, so i am going to fish some odds and ends out and then try to make sense of them here. Feel free to chime in if you see anything of interest or would like to claim your post...

"Ernie Kendal was another regular in the Parade. He was a bricklayer who wouldnt work in inclement weather. His Red Indian nickname was 'Passing Cloud' His funeral made the National Papers as the lads Led by John Bargate, got too enthusiastic on the Prom and got themselves arrested.I remember reading the Daily Mail at the time and P**sing myself when I read the quote from John saying 'It''s what Ernie would have wanted' "

"I was just passing the Winter Gardens one day and there was a small crowd gathered and a couple of policemen. Out walked Harold Wilson the Prime Minister. He had his famous pipe in his hand and waved to everyone and a woman shouted out to him 'Keep your pecker up love!' "

"I worked as a waitress at Gardners chippy opposite the tram station. The daily special was cod chips peas bread and butter and a pot of tea - 35p! That was in 1971. I later worked on the pic n mix at Woolies where people would ask for broken rock as it was cheaper than the proper sticks of rock. There was also a Deli and a fruit and veg counter in there. My worst job was making leather belts  at the back of Clifton road. I couldn''t do it properly and got the sack after a week!"

"Couple of years back I visited the Llandudno Archive which used to be Lloyd Street School and it was absolutely fascinating. I was trying to get information about when my parents moved to Kings Road and what I got threw up a couple of personal mysteries. The attendants suggested looking in the school registers for Dyffryn Road School for the time, something I''d have never thought of myself. It was an amazing experience. And I''d recommend the archives as a real treacle mine. There in front of me were all my childhood mates (for me - brought to life in full technicolour) and the teachers, some harridans, some angels. I got playbacks of tennis ball football in the boys\\'' playground and games of tag and King (who remembers that then?). And the girls in their own playground playing skipping games or games bouncing a ball against the wall and reciting 1940s hip hop. Gas mask drills in standard one and assembly with Hughie Hughes (Headmaster) playing piano - Bach has been a favourite of mine ever since (in spite of the interim of Frankie Laine, Guy Mitchell, Johnny Ray, AFM and Radio Luxemburg).For some reason, after standard one, I had a spell in Lloyd Street and gang warfare was rife there.

At dinner time we'd get birch cuttings from a nearby garden at the back of St David's and we\\''d hunt the other gang down - usually split up and scattered; running for dear life - around the backs of St David's, St Mary''s, St Seriol's and around the Oval (rough open fields then - apart from the cricket ground). I went back to Dyffryn Road after the Headmaster belted me with a closed fist on the top of my arm and splattered a new typhoid inoculation I''d had there. Real respect culture without the guns!! The worst thing I ever did was to pass the eleven plus and, dressed in the cheapest school uniform my mother could afford, we'd moved to Cwm Place in 1949, I went to John Bright's. Most of my mates went to Central. From the outset I hated the place with a passion. I was an outsider and the snotty nosed middle classers constantly tried to humiliate me because I wasn't polished in appearance or had social graces like them. Rees, the headmaster was a snobbish pig who encouraged the class prejudice in the school and wielded a mean cane. Mel, the sportsmaster was just odd and somewhat incompetent - with constant facial twitches and suspect self-scratching. The one I grew to like and who had something of a positive influence was Charlie Jones, the Deputy Head. His favourite growl was: Cox - I''ve seen better things crawl out of things that crawl out of cheese.

There was nothing else but to rebel and I constantly gave them two fingers - but confounded them by remaining in an A form throughout my curtailed stay. At about 14 I refused to wear a uniform any longer, got myself a crew cut and turned up to school in lumberjack shirt and jeans. I had a lovely tatty Wire Haired Fox Terrier called Paddy who, completely faithful, would turn up at assembly or later when I was in class. It was a good dodge because it meant I could take time out to take him back home. Paddy became a favourite of some of the more human inmates and was well featured in the school magazine. After many battles, I made it clear to the snobs that I would leave at 15 and not go through to sixteen as they were ordering me to. I did leave at fifteen, spending the last six months sitting at the back of the class reading whatever I wanted to - usually the Hotspur, the Wizard, the Rover or the Eagle.I suppose in a slightly deviant kind of way I have good memories of the confrontations and rebellions and to this day I have one of those three foot long panoramic photos of the whole school in 1953 on the bedroom wall (there were also a few goodies amongst the inmates). Gives me some good chuckles of satisfaction. A few years back I did write to the Education Department to see if I could root out some the John Bright school records but it seems they had a fire which destroyed most of the records beyond the time of the fire. They did send me a couple of surviving school mags though and they're interesting in themselves, especially for the sports teams of the era."

Back in the 60's early 70's it was more classy to be seen socialising in a Coffee Bar as opposed to a Public House. You'd think nothing of going past the Venezian Bar (opposite Trinity Church) and see maybe a dozen motorbikes outside all parked up in the road, inside you\\''d see a load of teddy boys drinking tea and coffee (no alcohol). Nowadays this wouldnt seem the norm. Sometimes there would be a bit of friction at these venues because of the mix between cultures gathering here with the likes of Willy O' Rei*** (surname disclosed) who was a bit of a hardcase. Our Historian Richard witnessed a scene between Willy and another local character Yan Dec*** (surname disclosed) who held up a 10 minute fight looking like something out of a wild west film. Does anyone else remember this or the gatherings at the 'Ven' or do you rmember the bike races around the Great Orme. If you had 3 shillings, you could put 3 records on the Jukebox. The bikers would then get on their motorbike and do a run around Marine Drive and back to the Ven before the records had finished that was the race these bikers used to do! Not everyone owned a bike, some people would try race the bikes in their cars, and one time one of these cars crashed on the West Shore side which ended in a fatality

I remember the 'Ven', me and my my mates Richard Evans and Harry Hassin used to use it a lot, usually after A.T.C. Used to drink coke and a milk shake syrup (dead cool eh! ) I remember Gardners chippy by the tram station. On a Saturday morning I used to get a shilling from my Dad, 6d to get in the Saturday morning picture show at the Odeon, 3d for an ice lolly and then the treat of the week 3d for a great big bag of chips and batter scratchings in newspaper then we'd walk up the tram tracks home, scoffing chips and batter, Bl...y brilliant.

[snowcap]

bet u sucked the vinegar out of the papper?

[ed jones]

Too right I did, let nothing go to waste