Patsy and I (Warts and All).

[colpatben]

"Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin".

From Listen with Mother. BBC Home Service

My Patsy’s earliest memory, her one and only gripe was that when she sat down to listen on 6 February 1952 the BBC was playing nothing but solemn music all day and she didn’t understand why (this was the day that George VI passes away), but what does a four and a half year old little girl understand of such things?

This is to be the start of our own thread. A Biography, Journal and eventually a Diary.

I was born in 1946 and Patsy in 1947, both of us ‘Post War babies’ who were to become single children bought up by our mothers only. Yes, our fathers were destined to leave our mothers when we were each about 5 years old.

Patsy was born in Hastings East Sussex.

I was borne in Paddington West London.

Patsy and her mum moved up to East London when she was five, and soon after was to move to NW6.

I was to remain in W11 for most of my early years until leaving school.

When we both passed our 11 plus we went to single sex Grammar Schools in Hammersmith W12. Hers in Scrubs Lane and mine in Du Cane Road, Our Playgrounds shared a common boundary.

I think you may guess what happened next!

Colin.

PS. I expect that as this story progresses both of us will be identified and our names will become known.

I appreciate that it is advised by this forum to maintain anonymity.

We have no children nor living relatives and all of our friends and old work colleagues know of our current situation so we are happy to proceed on that basis.

If however our Forum friends or moderators think that this may be an issue then I will either cut out some of my intended posts or this may be the shortest Thread ever!


Colin

 

[Neveradullday!]

Thanks for starting this, Colin. I'm hooked already - can't wait for further instalments.

 

[Jessie5]

I’m loving the photos and look forward to hearing more about you and Patsy.

 

[colpatben]

I have put in this photo of Patsy at about 8 Years of age with her mum, I think it is so nice and we love her chubby cheeks. Isn’t her mum elegant?

My next part is about our early teens

Although we used the same bus route to and from school (No.7) Which stopped outside my house I had never noticed this girl on the bus.

We met at a youth club close to Shepherds Bush when we were 13 and it was only then that I learned that she had been aware of me, particularly when I was getting off the bus outside my home where there was a wall to the garden, and instead of going to the gate I would vault over the wall into the garden. (Oh to be young again).

We started dating, doing all those things that young teens did in the late ‘50s, Dancing (Hammersmith Palais) Cinema (Gaumont State in Kilburn, Odeon, Westbourne Grove). Kisses and cuddles, but nothing more.

I had Saturday job in a wet fish shop in Portobello Road. Open fronted with the fish on open display on ice! In the winter it was as cold as charity. Live eels in an open tray, you had to grab them behind the head and cut them into inch long pieces still wriggling, weigh and wrap for the customers.

Patsy's Saturday job was in Woolies (Woolworth) in Kilburn High Road. She was on the hardware counter, key cutting, selling loose nails and screws etc.

It seemed were inseparable. I took her home to meet my Mum, who took to her immediately.

She was always a little cautious when I was taking her home to where she lived and we would sit in a little park that was opposite the house where her mum had a flat and we would kiss goodnight, but I was never invited in.

Colin.

 

[SeaSwallow]

What a beautiful photograph. As you said, Patsy's mum is so elegant.

 

[Agzy]

Love the way you write @colpatben and look forward to more

 

[colpatben]

The reason I mentioned the wet fish shop was that the general banter behind the counter was carried out in Back Slang, so I became quite proficient.
Girls at that time were also talking in that way, believing that no one other than their immediate friends could decifer what they were saying!!
V wrong, a secret well kept was understandable.

Colin

 

[nitram]

My username and yob are the extent of my Back Slang proficiency, there may be others I don't recognise.

 

[sdmhred]

Loving this history Colin! What a fabulous idea - I do so enjoy reading about our loved ones with d before the dreaded disease made its mark.

Young love at 13 and clearly still in love too! Amazing

 

[colpatben]

I have found that after only three posts on this Thread that as I am discussing the content with My Patsy over the dinner table, these early memories are pretty good. So this may prove to be a way of keeping track of her Alzheimer’s progression.

I don’t know about you but when you have a crush on someone their name never goes out of your head, the name Pat was written over the cover of my General work exercise book at school (but never on my Maths, English Language, English Literature or Latin exercise books).

I even added my Surname it looked perfect to me.

My mates ribbed me something shocking to the extent that the would TAP (meaning PAT) on their desk. There you go @nitram the back slang coming in.

We have reached the point at which I met her her Mum. Although it seemed that she liked me there was a little ‘Coldness’.

I learned many years later that this was due to her absolute fear of me being nearly a year older than Patsy and hormones running rampant that there high risk of a teenage pregnancy. With Patsy having a very quick and brilliant mind she did not want life ruined for her daughter.

My home was a prefab built on a disused WWII temporary water storage tank (for the Blitz). Eventually my mum was given a council house on a new London overspill estate in Slough, and she moved there when I was 15, and I was lodged with my Grand parents in NW10 so that I could remain at my Grammar school.

Somehow because of circumstances of Patsy’s mums concerns and my new temporary home we became less intense and our academic studies took over as we were both striving for our separate futures.

However as I approached my O Level examinations, my mother decided that I would be unable to continue to A levels and then possibly Uni and I had to get a job!

She arranged in interview with a company on the Slough industrial estate (in which I had no say), and my future in London was lost. No more Patsy…..

Patsy, also because of her Mums own financial constrains, was unable to fulfil her dream of A Levels and ultimately University.

Early School Photo

What a difference a couple of years makes

Neither of us recognise recognise this beach (or the chap) but certainly not our SE coast pebble beach.
Anyone know this Peir?

What about the knotted hankie head gear? I expect some younger readers will think they were a myth!

Bye for now.

nolic

 

[Jessie5]

I’ve just enjoyed catching up on your story. I’m totally gripped. Love Patsy’s transformation from little girl to fashionable young lady, I love her hair. I’m glad she’s enjoying reminiscing with you as you write.

 

[sdmhred]

what a stunner is our Patsy! Isn’t it great that you can write these posts together in a way. I’d love it if we all told the stories of our loved ones.

No wonder nolic was hooked! I’d never heard of back slang before so I’ve read up just now…..would you know back slang if you could do rhyming slang? I know you do both Colin!

What an education in more ways than one is this site. Thank you!

 

[colpatben]

I’ve just enjoyed catching up on your story. I’m totally gripped. Love Patsy’s transformation from little girl to fashionable young lady, I love her hair. I’m glad she’s enjoying reminiscing with you as you write.

We figure this is Patsy and a longtime friend in their mid teens.

Dressed well for washing up, a bit posed we would think.
The Ascot is a period piece, along with the crockery protector in the cold tap.

Different hair styles for curly and straight hai.r

Colin.

 

[Grannie G]

I like your style of writing `nolic`

I also had a Saturday job at Woolworths in Manchester Picadilly. I was on the haberdashery counter and the customers kept messing up all the reels of cotton thread and it was my job to keep them in colour shade order.

It must have stuck with me. I am a perpetual cupboard tidier now.

 

[Jessie5]

Very well dressed for the washing up. It makes me think of Christmas when I was a kid and me and my sister washed up (no dishwasher) after lunch singing to the radio!

 

[colpatben]

Post #13 is out of chronological order but probably not too far, in the same era anyway.

No one mentioned that Patsy’s friend was wearing an engagement ring and doing the washing up, this is what lead to us suggesting this was possibly posed.

Anyway as I intimated in post #10, Patsy and I were being parted by geography and our respective mothers’ needs.

A few weeks before I was to leave school my mother had arranged an interview for me at a company on the then growing Slough Industrial estate. So the phrase of ‘You’ve got to get a job’ was to become a reality. I left school in July 1963 and by the September I was an Indentured craft apprentice (That sounds quite medieval, don’t it).

Patsy was out of school and into an office job in Paddington.

These pictures are from a collection stored in a plastic wallet that we came across. As the backs of these photos all bear the same date stamp of Aug 1963 we speculated it was a ‘Mum & Daughter’ time time in the lull between school and work.

Also in the same wallet was this photo, no date stamp nor clue as to where this building is. Does anyone know?

Colin.

 

[nitram]

Also in the same wallet was this photo, no date stamp nor clue as to where this building is. Does anyone know?

Take your pick

Not really much choice!

 

[colpatben]

Take your pick

Not really much choice!

Thank you, never knew about that website.
What a mine of information this will uncover. I am going to try it tomorrow to identify the pier in post #10

Unless someone will save me the trouble.

Colin

 

[nitram]

Thank you, never knew about that website.
What a mine of information this will uncover. I am going to try it tomorrow to identify the pier in post #10

Unless someone will save me the trouble.

Colin

You will have edit to remove Patsy else google will concentrate on her.

I'll right click on image to get dropdown and show you

Result

 

[sdmhred]

What a pair of glamorous sunbathing ladies - I bet they turned a few eyes!

It must have been hard work being single mum’s in those days. All credit to both of them. Patsy’s mum looks like she took great pride in herself and her daughter - I can imagine she had her own stories to tell too.

I do love reading all this stuff. Thanks for sharing Colin.