Nostalgia

In the embers

BY the flickering light of a fading fire,We sit and dream of an old desire.

Though we know not why, there is something then That fetches the old things back again.

And gazing deep in the dying flames We think of faces, remember names.

No land is far in the firelight’s glow, and it isn’t so long to the long ago.

There are nights we knew that have slipped away,


Like a starlit sky at the dawn of day.

There are days we knew that have westward passed
For not even the day itself can last.

We think our days and nights are done,
With the morning star, and the evening sun,

But when we sit in the firelight here The past returns, and the loved comes near.

There are things we know that we thought forgot,
For the mind forgets, but the heart does not.

We shall often sit by the fire like this,
We shall hear a voice, and shall feel a kiss,

We leave old homes, and we lose old friends,We have a joy, and it seems to end.

But they all come back when the new things tire.
By the flickering light of a fading fire.

author unknown published by Grace

The Old Lamplighter

THE OLD LAMPLIGHTER.
He made the night a little brighter
Wherever he would go
The old lamplighter
Of long, long ago
His snowy hair was so much whiter
Beneath the candle glow
The old lamplighter
Of long, long ago

You'd hear the patter of his feet
As he came toddling down the street
His smile would cheer a lonely heart you see
If there were sweethearts in the park
He'd pass a lamp and leave it dark
Remembering the days that used to be
For he recalled when things were new
He loved someone who loved him too
Who walks with him alone in memories

He made the night a little brighter
Wherever he would go
The old lamplighter
Of long, long ago
His snowy hair was so much whiter
Beneath the candle glow
The old lamplighter
Of long, long ago

Now if you look up in the sky
You'll understand the reason why
The little stars at night are all aglow
He turns them on when night is near
He turns them off when dawn is here
The little man who left so long ago
He made the night a little brighter
Wherever he would go
The old lamplighter of long, long ago

Ancestors

Your tombstone stands among the rest
Neglected and alone.
The name and date are chiseled out
On polished, marbled stone.
It reaches out to all who care
It is too late to mourn.
You did not know that I exist.
You died and I was born.
Yet each of us are cells of you
In flesh, in blood, in bone.
Our blood contracts and beats a pulse
Entirely not our own.
Dear Ancestor,
the place you filled
One hundred years ago
Spreads out among the ones you left
Who would have loved you so.
I wonder if you lived and loved,
I wonder if you knew
That someday I would find this spot,
And come to visit you.
Author-Unknown

The Old Ways

SING me a song of the Old Ways
Tell me a tale of the Past
Of the time when England was Mighty
And everyone thought it would last
When men raised their hats to the Ladies
And Ladies wore Dresses and Skirts
And Children respected their Elders
Or received a sharp tap where it hurts.

When Lovers were pleased to get married
And made do with the little they had
Kept out of debt and were Happy
And the young ones knew their own Dad
When Parents showed by example
The ways and the means to get by
Through Hard work and Honest endeavour
And today, those rules still apply.

Tell me the tale of the Schoolroom
When Teachers were strict and upright
Where discipline ruled and we knew it
But we all learned to read and to write
Where they taught us the value of friendship
And to get stuck-in with a grin
An Esprit de Corps that was solid
Working together to win.

We listened and learned when they told us
That nothing was gained by the cheat
Played hard by the Rules and triumphed
And stood on our own two feet.
So Sing me a song of the Old Ways
Of Pride in the land of our Birth
And tell the World of this England
The finest place on God’s Earth.

Street Memories

I took a stroll down memory lane
And went to see our street again.
Where once stood houses in days of yore
With lighted windows and open door,
And street lamps glowed on a foggy night
As children played games beneath their light.

Where a bloke was lucky to have a job,
And suits were pawned for a couple of bob.
The women in shawls who every night
Would sit and chat ‘neath the street lamps’ light,
And boast of their kids, their Tommies and Janes,
Who’d be running around and playing their games

Of kicky-tin, spies and blind man’s bluff,
On pavements uneven and stones that were rough.
The games of football played in the dark,
That would have done credit to Ayresome Park,
Whilst the older boys and a junior miss
Chased each other to catch a kiss.

Though times were bad and work was scarce,
Without good neighbours it could have been worse.
There was always a loan of a couple of bob,
When the man of the family hadn’t a job,
Or a helping hand when someone was ill
And you couldn’t pay the ‘tick’ shop bill.

Though times were hard, with friends so true,
The skies that were grey soon turned blue.
But like the gang on the corner
Who sang “Heart Of My Heart”,
There came a time when we had to part.

And though we are scattered in towns far and near,
We occasionally meet and over a beer
We talk of our childhood, the bitter, the sweet,
And re-live the memories
Of our old street . . .
Anon

Kindly contributed by Don Burleraux

Identity card 1940

This identity card belonged to Charles Fiddler of Coatham road delails of this card can be seen on (Coatham) .

King George V

A memorium card from 1936
on the The death of the King

contributed by Wendy Hall

Rationing

A ration book



and a book of clothing
coupons dated 1947-8

My chum

My father

Nicky

Even Nicky loved living at the seaside and went swimming every day after his tit bits from his friends on the caravan site'

June 1892

From a (Parish Magazine For Redcar & Coatham this is a copy of the back page.Warrenby June 1892) contributed by Dick Fawcett

You Have Made It

According to today's regulators and bureaucrats, those of us who were kids in the 40's, 50's, 60's, and 70's
probably shouldn't have survived.

Our baby cribs were covered with bright coloured lead-based paint.
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets, and when we rode
our bikes, we had no helmets. Not to mention the risks we took hitchhiking.

As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags.

Riding in the back of a pickup truck on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. Horrors!

We ate cupcakes, bread and butter, and drank pop
with sugar in it, but we were never overweight because we were always outside playing.

We drank from the same bottle, and no one actually died from this.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of
scraps and then rode down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the street lights came on.

No one was able to reach us all day. No cell phones. Unthinkable!

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo 64, X-Boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, video tape movies, surround sound, personal cell phones,
personal computers, or Internet chat rooms. We had friends! We went outside and found them.

We played dodge ball, and sometimes, the ball would really hurt.

We fell out of trees, got cut and broke bones and teeth, and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.
They were accidents. No one was to blame but us.
Remember accidents?

We had fights and punched each other and got black and blue and learned to get over it.

We made up games with sticks and tennis balls and ate worms, and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes, nor did the worms live inside us forever.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's home and knocked on the door, or rang the bell or just walked in and talked to them.

Little League and cheerleaders had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment.

Some students weren't as smart as others, so they failed a grade and were held back to repeat the same grade. Horrors!

Tests were not adjusted for any reason.

Our actions were our own. Consequences were expected.
The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke a law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law.
Imagine that!

This generation has produced some of the best
risk-takers and problem solvers and inventors, ever.

The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all.

And you're one of them! Congratulations.

Please pass this on to others who have had the luck to grow up as kids and had fun doing it!

You Have Made it

Bless This House

Bless this house O Lord we pray;Make it safe by night and day;
Bless these walls so firm and stout,Keeping want and trouble out:
Bless the roof and chimneys tall, Let thy peace lie over all;
Bless this door, that it may prove ever open to joy and love.

Bless these windows shining bright, Letting in God's heav'nly light;
Bless the hearth a'blazing there, with smoke ascending like a prayer;
Bless the folk who dwell within, keep them pure and free from sin;
Bless us all that we may be Fit O Lord to dwell with thee;
Bless us all that one day we May dwell O Lord with thee.