Legend of Blitzkid

[Blitzkid]

I should have added that Longford took a whack, three of my school mates were killed in Longford just below the snooker hall, I'm sure they were on message work, they were awesome days.

When you enlisted in the Army they also gave you a demob number, first in, first out sort of thing. The demob started in June 1945, mine wasn't until April 1948. Just info you may already know.

[rebbonk]

When you enlisted in the Army they also gave you a demob number, first in, first out sort of thing. The demob started in June 1945, mine wasn't until April 1948. Just info you may already know.

I wasn't aware of that, Blitzkid. Thank you

[Blitzkid]

Yes the demob was to allow for thousands of men not to return to civvy street at one time, each had to be supplied with suit, shoes, ration books etc. not enough ships to bring them all in one go from the far east, so they organized a type of shuttle service, large troopships brought men from the far East to port said Egypt, unloaded they then could return for more, smaller ships then transported them to southern France, here the French railways and British food depots transported them to N France ferry points, this was called the LIAP route, only ran to 1946. I used it as it returned to S France, but it it also carried German prisoners of war, displaced person's and the like.
To me this was the holiday of a lifetime, once we got through Paris, the countryside the Mountains of the south, the glimpse of the blue sea of the MED, and the sail down the coast of Italy, always in sight, on a battered old barge ( about twenty of us was the over spill of a troopship) was My idea of a great holiday. I returned on a troopship that never came up to that journey.

[Blitzkid]

Dutchman, hope I'm not bothering you to much, but you know so much, that tram photo fascinates me, the old bonnets, just like my gran, the people like my childhood. But Dutchman, Iv'e been thinking if you can shed any light on 51 Smithfield street, If you have any way of photo's, reports, anything at all, I watched it as a child being built and 50 being altered, in 1934 to the glass bay window, but there is nothing since, except those adverts in the precinct. if it's to much trouble don't bother, it's just one of those that irritates one. Thank's anyway for your troubles I cause, Regards Kaga,

[dutchman]

Dutchman, hope I'm not bothering you to much, but you know so much, that tram photo fascinates me, the old bonnets, just like my gran, the people like my childhood. But Dutchman, Iv'e been thinking if you can shed any light on 51 Smithfield street, If you have any way of photo's, reports, anything at all, I watched it as a child being built and 50 being altered, in 1934 to the glass bay window, but there is nothing since, except those adverts in the precinct. if it's to much trouble don't bother, it's just one of those that irritates one. Thank's anyway for your troubles I cause, Regards Kaga,

I have nothing specific I'm afraid.

[Blitzkid]

Yes that's that I find. It was open for six years and know one knows what it looked like, what it did, bar sell beer? Yet I know it was rowdy, many fights outside it. The most popular pub in Coventry for six years and nothing after six years.

[Blitzkid]

Dutchman – It is strange that it as taken all this time to talk of the race gangs of B’Ham Peaky Blinders 20s/30s era and the SOE/ SAS 40s era. In the 20s/30s era the daily papers were full of their actions and I read them all. The 40’s, SOE trained me. I know all about them and I know a little about the B’ham gang. A few were in the Army but when the war finished, their sons were of the same breed and much was started again. A little story.

A boy I knew at six-seven year olds was caught stealing from coat-pockets in the cloak-room, I sat at a desk with him and his pretty sister, after a few months the family were forced to move. About 15 years later, I met him at Newbury races, we chatted for a short time, (I was new to the gambling) then He asked me for money. He had been told a ‘cert’, I lent him ten pounds.

Then I thought about it for some time so asked a friend detective from Foleshill station, he warned me severly, he was a theif and a con man, and now in Brixton prison, and I was fuming.

'Bout a year later I was visiting my grandparents, then went to the local Pub and I saw him come from the pub to the toilets. A dark night, I asked for my money back, he started making excuses. I slammed him against the wall, put my thumb in his eye and pressed, he squealed, said he had no money. I pressed harder, I’’ll talk, I ‘ll talk, I can get your money back, Lythalls Lane track, trap one next week. I put my my thumb, and he squealed no, for god sake no they’ll cut me up if they find out, please don’t tell anyone and don’t back high, give me a break, it’s the east end mob, they’ll cut me to ribbons, and so will I if I don’t get my money.

On the night he said, I got in early and backed at a short price, the price dropped to evens then odds on, then even deeper, there was a great lot of money on trap one. The traps opened and trap one flew out the rest were slipping and sliding all over the place, it was a fix. The crowd booed and hollered, waited for a stewards announcement, but nothing came. We got paid out and the bookies went mad. I left with a lot more than my ten, I had told no one, so nothing would come back on him.

I never saw him again.

About a year later, I’m walking in the high street and a beautiful girl crossed the road and swung her handbag at me, it missed and then saw her features and thought I knew who she was? Whoa, I grabbed her wrists, "What’s this about?" She was very angry, you tried to blind my brother, I said calm down were making a scene, "You're talking about Les? Let’s go for coffee and tell me." My God she was gorgeous! We went for a coffee and suddenly she said "Oh God is it one of his lies again?" She told me her husband had been killed in the war. Well after a few minutes we landed up in my flat, and talked of our lives, and the past.

Her brother did die in mysterious ways, about five years later.

[Blitzkid]

THE CITY OF COVENTRY was the most excitable place to live in the 1920s-30s. There were vehicles called Trams that ran through lines along the cobbled streets mixing with horse drawn carts. The years spent there as a small child werethe Happiest of my life, surrounded with love and warmth, the economy kept from me for a time.

With newspapers showing gang-warfare at racing tracks and in the streets of London, Coventry seemed a quiet place, but Buildings and churches of historical times, I found it exciting. My family had books on the great war (my father had taken part) and books by T.E. Lawrence, D.H. Lawrence. I was fascinated by tales of the desert and so forth. I became an avid reader. By the time I was six the Germans became a threat and aerial-bombing more so, and watching the newsreels of Spain and Poland, the old soldiers seemed to know what was expected.

In 1937 we became more aware as soldiers were billeted with us to build Gun-sites. From then on a distinct Malaise hung in the air and my days as a child running wild in the fields have left a memory of sheer bliss.

The youth of the Country disappeared into the forces, teachers enlisted, evacuation, newspapers were Censored, blackouts began, 7500 thousand pets put down in one week Nov 1939. France had declared war on Germany, Britain followed after Sept 1939.

[dutchman]

THE CITY OF COVENTRY was the most excitable place to live in the 1920s-30s.

I felt exactly the same growing up here in the 50s-60s.

My only regret is that I didn't get to see a lot more before it was destroyed by the city council.

[Blitzkid]

Not the engineers section, but that damned guy Gibson that wanted the modern precinct and not Medieval Coventry.