Bedfordshire, particularly Luton
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Joyce Bonner commented
A priceless resource.
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Anonymous commented
Luton news & Evening post
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Anonymous commented
Evening post and Luton news
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John Partridge commented
More Bedfordshire Times and/or Bedford Record from the 1950's through to 1960's
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Tom commented
More editions of the Herald to take us into the 1980s at the least please
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Anonymous commented
Current subscriber - Would love to see more coverage of the 1910's -Present day.
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John hind commented
Herald And post great paper 👍
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Jo commented
Can we see the Herald and post added
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Bev commented
Coordinate more later years
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Neil Crowe commented
I attended Denbigh Road school in 1944 at the age of five and had advanced to both junior and senior schools by the age of twelve.
My sister Margaret took me in on my first day but I was not too keen on staying as I remember.
My oldest recollection is collecting an oblong piece of cardboard from the classroom cupboard. The card had holes pierced down each long side threaded with a cord. We sat cross legged on the classroom floor when we were taught to ties knots and bows to simulate tying up our shoes correctly.
In the first year of juniors I escorted a girl classmate to her home in Buckingham Road after school when she dragged me into a high privet hedge and planted a kiss on my lips, wow!
In the juniors I excelled at playground games, the most popular being "Milkies". The game was played with cardboard milk bottle tops that each player would place on edge against a wall. We would all retreat about ten feet and skim-flick our tops in order to knock down those on edge. The player who knocked down the last standing "milkie" claimed the whole game play of milk tops.
The older "mikies" were usually quite soft and dirty as many still had the remains of the cream on the top of the milk but the new ones were hard and flat and usually claimed the win. Each morning the boys would arrive at school with their pockets stuffed with dirty smelling "milkies" ready for the lunchtime contests but if we arrived early enough we would sneak a game or two before assembly.
Another activity was to burn holes in film negatives using the power of a magnifying glass, I can remember the smell of burning film to this day. Family's in those days would keep their negatives in order to have processed additional pictures to give to friends and family, needless to say we had none! Another game was to see who had the fastest "Dinky Toy" when we would oil up the axles and wheels and shoot them down a slope in the playground.The cars the traveled furthest were usually heavily scratched and chipped but carried the highest exchange value when swopped, the best swop of the day being a red double decker London bus.
Academically, each year end in the juniors I was placed in the low thirties in an average class size of thirty three, but I owned the fastest silver Mercedes Benz dinky toy!
Things changed for the better when having failed the eleven plus I moved up to the seniors and was then always in the top three and excelled at maths due to the help of Mr Fern who everyone in the school feared. Having then passed my very first examination I qualified for a place at the Luton Technical School much to the annoyance of the the head teacher Mr Trip who was against anyone leaving his school and tried to persuade me to stay on. No luck there "Trippy" -
Jeremy commented
Maximise the archives
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Dylan commented
In the days when we had "real" winters, (where did they go), Wardown Park Lake would freeze over and we would walk out over the ice and make slides. One year there were ice skaters on the lake and I borrowed an old pair that I had found in the attic but I had no ankle boots, also the clips would not hold on my shoes therefore the experience was not a great success.
Sledging was a different story when we would start our run from the the trees at the top of Popes Meadow and on a good day our speed would carry us across the Old Bedford Road and into the Wardown Park entrance.
In the summer we visited the Museum where in one room there was a bee hive with the inlet passage under a glass screen allowing us to peer through at the worker bees going in and out. The hive was there for years but whether they were the same bees I don't know.
The putting green was a favorite too but nothing could surpass fifteen minutes on the paddle boats. I can still hear the boat house staff calling us in with a, "Come in number 5 your times up" .
The all school's sports day was held on the oval sports ground with it's tiered concrete viewing terraces. I was selected and competed for Denbigh Road Juniors one year, I can't think why as couldn't run or jump particularly well,I expect they were short of entrants.
In the summer "Stanley Thurston's" fair would arrive for one week, we had no money to spend but watched the dodgems, the whip and swing boats. Hardly anyone won on the air rifle range, hoop-la or coconut shy but it was good fun watching. -
Matt commented
During the summer holidays we would visit the outdoor swimming pool in Bath Road. The first indication when near to the entrance was the strong smell of chlorine and the sound of the two water fountains.
No matter what time of year or the weather of the day the cubicle area was always cold and wet. We would undress behind a half door in the cubicle and take our clothes and deposit them in a green painted tall steel locker, I do not recall there being a door lock of any description. We then had to walk through a very cold foot bath before entering the large paved area surrounding the swimming pool itself.
The pool was divided into three sections, two graded shallow areas either side of the deep central pool that had a three tier diving board and single spring board. There were no poolside attendants to oversea the pool activities and even children had access to the high board and would "bomb" into the water splashing everyone in the immediate vicinity. There was a large sunbathing terrace with an area equipped for exercising comprising of gymnastic rings and a horizontal bar. The paved areas would get very hot in the sunshine and we would run for the cool waters of the pool when we could stand no more. Some days were reserved for schools and best avoided. There was no cafeteria as such but snack bar where we could buy a piece of fruit cake but not much more as this was still the post war era and no sweets or chocolate could be purchased.
When first visiting the pool I was still unable to swim but could do an impressive fake swim bouncing off the pool floor on tip toes but then after learning to glide face down toward the hand hold at the pool edge I soon picked it up and enjoyed being in the deep central section. The best part of the expedition was dressing and feeling the warmth of our clothes again. -
Ken commented
The Arndale centre
That was the beginning of the end for Luton ,some great memories and architecture disappeared when they built that place.
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Jim commented
i was born in 1947 in welbeck rd, but my parents moved to hart lane, when my family grew to 7 six boys and a girl, we did'nt have a lot but we got by all the kids round hart lane derwent rd and brooms rd, we used to play football on the school field, we used to get chased off it every now and then, we found the old air raid shelter that went under the school, growing up was no picnic we lived day to day and i spent most years in and out of hospital, so my schooling was always interupted so when i left old bedford rd the only test i passed was a blood test, the kids next door were the lincoln's and we used to go round to get the lister's and kilpatrics as well as harry empson who i met about 3yrs ago as harry came back from australia, and jack fortune used hang about with us, the town had started to lose all its characher when they knocked the old market and all the shops down to build the arndale, the old libery went and manchester st lost all its shops now whats left? i hope there is someone who remembers all this.
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Fiona commented
I entered St. Marys Hospital, as a Pupil Nurse on 18/10/1971' to start my Nursing training.All the Nurses in my 'Set' moved into the Nurses Home. I was 20 years old. In the ground, there was our 'school'., which we spent 6 weeks at a time., making notes from our Tutor. There was about 12 Nurses in our set., and we had a 'Home Sister, that lived in a room, at the bottom of the stairs, to our Nursing home. On moving in day we were each allocated a small room, single bed, bedside cabinet, chest of draws and a small wardrobe, and a wash basin. On each of our beds was our Uniform., 3 dresses in green and white strip, buttoned from neck to bottom of dress., which went below our knees. 3 very starched white aprons, and a green and white strip narrow belt. We had to wear skin colour tights, black flat lace up shoes., We each had a black cape with black collar., and the lining of the cape was red, with red straps that crossed over our body, and buttoned at the back, under the cape. We had white Nurses hats that were paper, that we had to clip onto our heads. No hair was allowed to touch our collar. No jewellery, and no make up, and no nail varnish allowed. Short clean nail, was hot on the rules. We had about 4 cubicle baths., with a door and bolt. Down stairs we had a formal Libary. We had a very large sitting room, with armchairs that hadhigh backs and winged sides., and a black and white small TV. In the Kitchen we had a tiny two ringed cooker, with grill. And a large oblong sink to do our washing. Then hanging from the high ceiling, a old fashion laundry dryer. The whole of the Nursing home was very old fashion, but it was home to us. I am still in touch with one of the other Pupil Nurses (Sally Stokes) We often talk about our times as Pupil Nurses. We had a wonderful Matron., who knew everything that took place, whether in the Nursing Home., or everywhere in the Hospital. It was extremely hard work on the wards., and spending 6 weeks at a time, in the 'School'., then 6 weeks on the ward. We had regular exams., that we had to pass, or you where out. We were also sent to the Children's Annexe, for phediactric work, and to Luton and Dunstable Hospital, for Medical and Surgical work. I always loved coming 'home' to St. Marys., and the gathering of our 'Set'. We ate together and Studied together. And become very close friends. My time spent training was The Best Time Of My Life!
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Zara commented
I was born in 1942 and lived in Faringdon Road, My Great Uncle was Charles Jeyes a building contractor and was also a Past Chairman and President of Luton Town Football Club I went to school at Leagrave Junior School and eventually to The Technical school on Park Square
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Tony commented
I moved to Luton as a child in the early 60s. My first school was the St Maria Convent on Rothasey Rd, Later Denbigh Road Juniors, remember our crazy Gibraltren Head Master, then Denbigh High, stern Mr Whittaker and then Luton VIth form college
Remember Bikes at the Sun and the Cock Inn, Dances at the Queensway. Saturdays by the flamingos in the Arndale. centre. Horseriding at Lilley Riding School, peacocks at Whipsnade zoo
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Jake Lowe commented
I was born in Luton in 1981 I know that's not that long ago but it holds alot of memories for me I grew up in stopsley Luton Bedfordshire in 112 Littlefield rd.i had a good childhood but my dad left us when I was 7yrs old and then when I was about 11yrs old we left luton.i now live in Kent I have a wonderful partner and two wonderful children.and Kent is a lovely place but Luton will always be apart of me I miss the friends I had and my family.i know I didn't live there long but I remember going to Farley hill to see my nan and I remember Ashcroft high school which I loved I loved how u could just walk anywhere and we'd just play and the nearest countryside to us as I remember was cockaknow (not sure how that's spelt) and me and my Friend at the time Donna McCloud went for a walk and ended up in a place called Lilly's bottom,we couldn't stop laughing,as u do when your young I also lived in tower rd heartlane Luton which I later found out my dad use to live there when he was young and just next door how strange still I will always have my memories but I only wish I was still there my sername is Gregory so if anyone is still there that's Gregory I'd love to know what it's like to still live there or anyone that still lives there I'd love to hear something about how Luton is today.
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Ian Kirby commented
For about 6 wks prior to joining the navy in 1963, I worked at the Fyffes banana warehouse in Williamson St. It paid about 3 quid a week (and all u cud eat). Still, a handy easygoing fill-in job for a naive halfwit 15yr old about to take the queens shilling and sea the world. The bananas arr from the West Indies on the stems and were hung in the firms hot rooms to ripen, B4 being cut and boxed 4 sale. I never got to use the sharp knives, but I WAS trusted with the (seemingly) less perilous job of sticking a fyffes label on each hand of bana. I recall being quite chuffed at the two handed speed in which l was performing this duty. However, the foreman (who ironically happened to be an ex R.N. Petty Officer), on seeing me licking the labels burst my bubble when he said, ''if u keep doing that ur mouth's gonna taste like a Shanghai ...erm outhouse''! As intended, this (albeit implausable) anology immediately prompted me to use the wet sponge provided. Alas, (along with the resulting slowdown in production), Shanghai, as an exotic city, took an Acapulco like dive on my bucket list. All sorts of huge, wierd and wonderful insects used to stow away in the bunches. Naturally, l'd take the bugliest specimens home to show off. Reactions ranged from wonderous awe to backpedalling fear. Fear was always good, so suspecting an elder brothers girlfriend mite be an interesting case study, l cornered her with a particularily sinister looking tarantula. The scream that reverberated around the neighbourhood was gratifying to hear, but it was when she kept trying to climb up the wall that l knew l'd struck the Mother lode... 24 carat ARACHNOPHOBIA! Eureka!!!