Index
As a mark of the Site reaching 1,000 pages I included some pages which chart my personal history. The idea came last week when my Cousin gave me a Photo he had found of my Mum and mewhich is shown on theEarly Memories page.
I was born on May 10th 1944, at 17 Hawson Street, Wombwell in a 2 up and down terraced house. I was the first son of James and Mary Beachill. I had 2 brothers; Roy born in 1950 and John born in 1957. My Gran, Mary Anne Glover lived next door at 15 Hawson Street and when I became a teenager I went to live with her until I left to become married. I met my wife Barbara when I worked at Baker and Bessemer and we married in 1965.
We moved to Sandymount Road,Wath after we were married and eventually moved to Conisbrough in 1970.
Attached are pages – some from a picture CV – and I hope you enjoy them. It is a summary of my life in words and pictures and I just wish everyone who reads this site would do something similar – To me all our memories are worth preserving
1. Family Tree
2. Early Memories
3. School
4. Early Years at Work
5. 10 Years in the Steel Industry
6. Private Practice at South Kirkby
7. 1980’s Greendale Electronics & Princess Anne
8. Managing Director
9. Consultancy
10. Cricket
11. Other Interests
Electricity
In the early days our house didn’t have electricity and I can remember watching and looking at the fragile gas mantles.
Then electricity came and we were the first to obtain a TV in the Street. Our front room was packed with children for Children’s hour on a Saturday afternoon!
Just imagine what life was like without electricity !
Errands
As I grew older I had to do errand’s on a Saturday morning if I wanted any pocket money. One was bringing back a stone of potatoes from the market which was always so heavy!
Another was to go to the Co op in Park Street and queue for the weekly shopping. I think I hated
this the most as I had to take a list and the Shop assistants had to get everything – no self service – and they always seemed to treat me with contempt – as they read out the list to my embarrassment.
One day a man came to our house and asked my mum some questions about a washing powder. Because she got the question right we got a voucher for £5 for the weekly shopping. I dreaded my next visit to the Coop – I presented a Shop Assistant with the voucher, then all the shop assistants looked at the voucher – then they all looked at me – and everyone in the shop was now looking at me! The £5 voucher lasted for a couple of months with a repeat performance each week !
Fires, Baths, Wash Days and Toilets
Another task I had to learn was to make the fire with paper, wood and coal. On a winter’s day you knew what cold was! We got our Coal from my Uncles who worked at Darfield Main and every so often I had to help shovel a ton of coal down through the Cellar grate.
The other abiding memories was how the outside toilet always froze up in the cold winter and we had to take a bucket of water to flush it. Then there was the ritual of emptying the Pot under the bed – horrific!
We also had a tin bath and taking a bath was so awkward and difficult in the small house!
Also Wash Days on Monday’s – especially on rainy days – was horrible with wet washing all over the house.
to be continued …………………….