War Baby ......... stories by Eddy Newport no 38

Another in the series from Eddy

My friend Steve Searl had met his future wife Hilary and was interested in getting some money saved up.

Embassy Ballroom, Welling

He had taken a job on a Sunday in London checking football pools coupons for Zetters. I said I would like to get involved and he told me what to do to get an interview.

It involved taking a test I went to Farringdon Street in London and took the test and passed. Steve and I would meet up and go on the train for the day's work. We worked from 9:30 to 4:30 and were paid £3 for the work. Home and out again to the Royal Mortar for the evening's gig.

I was doing three jobs all at the same time, OPC, Royal Mortar pub and Zetters. With nothing to actually spend money on I just put in into my Post Office savings bank. I was saving £10 to £15 per week. Very soon I would be able to afford a small van. I had accumulated about £500 enough to buy one brand new.

The only night I got off was a Tuesday my night of rest, I was so knackered I just went to bed.
One night I decided to go out with a group of lads who were going to the Embassy Ballroom in Welling to see a dance band and a rock group.

This was about six months after Janet and I had split up. I enjoyed the band and on the way home one of the lads said to me “Were you engaged to Janet Paice?” I asked why. Then he said, “I took her out a few weeks ago and we had a drink together”. 

For some reason, I was furious that this guy actually went out with my ex-girlfriend. Inside I was angry. I felt I wanted to hit this guy. It bothered me a lot and I started to wonder just what Janet was doing now. I could not get her out of my mind and I realised I cared more about her than I realised. I had sleepless nights worrying about what to do about getting back together again.

I devised a plan and it involved going to see her aunt Jean and uncle Eric in Eltham. I just happened to pop in on the off chance to see if they were OK. They made me very welcome and I found out that Janet visited them every week on a certain day. I said I would see them in a fortnight, thinking if Jan was to see them next week they would tell her I would be there the following week. This would be a sign that she was interested in me.

I decided to ask Sean (manager of the Mortar pub) if I could cut down on the number of nights I did and he got a guy in who would use my drum kit and I worked four nights with Saturday night off. No Zetters pools checking during the summer months, my Sundays were free again.

My cunning plan worked. I went to Jean and Eric's at the appointed time and low and behold Janet was there. We talked to each other via J and E, both telling of what we have been up to. Janet had changed her job and now worked in Tooley Street London wine importers. The evening went off with a little apprehension and finally, Janet said she wanted to go home.

With as much as a casual air, I could muster I ask if she would like me to take her home. Her answer was just as casual “If you like” she said. Saying our goodbyes to J and E we went and when we got to her home. I was invited in..

When I left and as Jan said good night at the door we fell into each others arms and declared our love for each other and agreed to try again to carry on with our relationship. Only, this time, we were going to have much more of a social life together. We both had missed each other and were glad to be back again.  The wedding was on again.I never did get my van.

© Eddy Newport 2017

Pictures; courtesy of Eddy Newport

War Baby ......... stories by Eddy Newport no 37

Another in the series from Eddy

The evenings went well and everybody had a good time. Nothing lasts and soon after Janet gave me the big elbow we were sacked. It was decided by the committee that they wanted to change the band. So no girlfriend and no band job, life was getting a bit depressing for me.

Soon after that, the job at the club finished I was on the lookout for another gig. I heard that a pub in Woolwich was looking for a drummer to play with a lady pianist called May the pub was The Royal Mortar.

This pub was rough and one of the famous three pubs in Beresford Square in Woolwich, (see photo) the others being The Royal Ordnance and the Salutation.

Beresford Square

My ambition now was to learn to drive and get myself some transport to carry my drum kit and get more work. I went for the job and found out it was playing for six nights a week with Tuesday night off. I accepted it and got £1 per night. As my wages with OPC were then £6 per week I had doubled my income.

The pub was managed by an Irish man called Sean and his wife Mary and a lot of children. The pubs in the Square were rough area and not for the faint hearted. Woolwich was the home of the Royal Artillery and of course, lots of soldiers were out on the town having fun. Much of the seedier side of Woolwich life was to be seen in these three pubs. I was completely naive to what was going on around me and I just smiled at everybody and played my drums.

This is Beresford Square, in Woolwich. The Royal Mortar is on the corner, the right of the photo (now demolished). The Royal Ordnance pub is on the other corner behind the market stalls. The road from the square is the Plumstead Road. On the left is the Royal Arsenal Factory gate.

Sean was prepared for trouble and if it started he would get involved and eject any trouble maker who tried to start a fight. He had a scar on his face when one time he came off the worst of the argument. It was rough to say the least. You would not want to take you wife or mother there for a social drink. Also, there were some woman soldiers WRAC’s as they were called. They are stationed at the Woolwich barracks as well as the men. These girls would frequent the Mortar and this, in turn, attracted the men

May the pianist

May, the pianist, she was an accomplished player and had a vast knowledge of tunes. She once told me she used to play for the silent film shows.

During the week, she and I would churn out tunes and on the weekends we had a singer/guitarist who would enhances the evening with some more modern songs. If a member of the audiences wanted to sing they were made welcome. Dad got my kit to the pub and once set up it stayed on the stage with a blanket over it for protection when not in use. I settled down to the six nights a week. I even played there on Christmas night the first year.

I was, during the day working at OPC and in the evening at the Royal Mortar. Tim now had a motorbike and I wanted one. Dad looked around and found a BSA C11 250cc side valve with a fixed rear suspension. Some months earlier I took some driving lessons in a car; I took the test and failed. One hour a week for 14 weeks was not enough experience to have prior to taking the test. I felt confident with the motorbike and was using it to go to work on. Owning a bike did make me lazy and once I had the taste for powered transport there was no going back to the cycle.

Tim suggested that I ought to have some lessons in reading drum music, which I thought was a good idea. I found a teacher who lived in Catford and as OPC shut down Friday afternoons I booked up lessons for that time.

Me on drums at the Royal Mortar

I rode over on my motorbike and had my first lesson. I was surprised to find he did not have a drum kit set up in his house. We practiced on a drum pad, a thick piece of rubber that was a lot quieter than a drum kit. I had lessons from him for about six months and he started me off in studying drumming techniques and reading percussion music parts.

All this was to come in useful in the future. The teacher was Bob Wilkinson and he played in the Ted Taylor Four group who had a minor hit with a tune called ‘M1’. This came out at the same time as the M1 motorway was opened.

He had played with a famous band directed by Frank Weir who played on the radio. He was gigging with the TTF and giving music lessons during the day time. He was planning to go to America and try his luck in playing in bands over there. The lessons were to pay for the trip for him and his family.

This is Beresford Square, in Woolwich. The Royal Mortar is on the corner, the right of the photo (now demolished). The Royal Ordnance pub is on the other corner behind the market stalls. The road from the square is the Plumstead Road. On the left is the Royal Arsenal Factory gate.

May, the pianist at The Royal Mortar, who did nothing for my time keeping.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfuGpnE5_dM this refers to the  Ted Taylor Four on Youtube


© Eddy Newport 2017

Pictures; courtesy of Eddy Newport

War Baby ......... stories by Eddy Newport no 36 Responsibilities start to take its toll, and a lesson learned

Another in the series from Eddy

I was about halfway through my apprenticeship and had settled to the thought that I wanted to be a draughtsman in the electro and mechanical field and make it my career.

I was doing well at the one-day school release and was passing the necessary exams. This would take me beyond the end of my apprenticeship.

By this time, I had proposed to Janet, and she said yes. The ring I bought made it official. Janet had moved on from OPC and started a new job at the Westminster Bank in Greenwich. She was working as an accounting machine operator at OPC and had now got herself a job doing the same thing in the bank. My mum and dad thought a lot of Janet and were happy that we had become engaged. Saving became the thing to do.

I got a drumming job at the Rochester Way Social Club with a pianist, Len and I worked both Saturday and Sunday evenings. The money would be banked and the savings started to grow. I did not know it then but I was heading for a lot of trouble. Janet and I were settling to a pattern of life which suited me but not for Janet.

Every Saturday, Jan would come to my place we would go out together and then go back and have tea. Come the evening I would walk Jan to the bus stop see her on the bus and go to the club to play the drums.

On Sunday, I would go over to Jan’s see her and visit a relation of Jan’s catch the bus back to the club for the Sunday gig. Janet and I started to row, I could not get an evening off and the truth be known I did not want to take time off.

My thoughts were, if we want to marry we must save, and I was in a position to save so why not do it. This went along until after a huge row I was told it was over and Jan got on the bus and went home. I got a letter soon after that calling off the engagement and if I wanted the ring I know where to go to get it back. I wrote back saying it was just as well we broke up

That was it, I was free at last of all the aggro that I had from Janet. Half of me was relieved and the other half was missing her. I commiserated with my friends Steve Searl, Tim Leonard and Ron Hawes all got the hard-done-by story from me. In time, I was to realise just how selfish I was during that time. I thought I was doing “The Right Thing”.

I had no appreciation of what Janet wanted out of our relationship and thinking back I now know. Janet was a young woman and we should have been having a good time. Of course no girl wants to be packed off back to her home on a Saturday; she wanted to be out enjoying herself.

I was having a ball playing in the club doing just what I wanted to do, and getting paid for it. I was using the excuse of saving to justify my wish to carry on playing. I did not see it then but I had become very selfish.

We had been together for about two years by then.

During the time I was at the RWSC, I joined up as a member. It seemed a good idea as the drinks were cheaper and it was the closest drinking hole near to my home. I got dad to join too and it soon became a big part of my family’s social life.

The club was very popular around the area and was very busy at the weekends. Bingo being played in the hall on the first floor, downstairs had the main bar area that led to a big hall at the back with another bar and a small stage. I could leave my drum kit there all week and do not have the bother of taking it home after the gigs. A perfect set up. We played for dancers and after the interval, a host of singers came up and did their special songs and claimed a bit of fame for five minutes. Some were good and others were not so good.

© Eddy Newport 2017

Pictures; courtesy of Eddy Newport

War Baby ......... stories by Eddy Newport no 36........

Another in the series from Eddy

My apprenticeship with OPC was going along as expected. I was getting experience in various factory departments and a couple of things happened to me that became very memorable. I had to spend a period of time in the electrical test department.

This involved in testing the solenoids to see if they would perform to specification. As a solenoid had to move through a distance and pull a switch we had to mount it up on a jig and fix weights to the plunger end via pulleys and connect the coil terminals to an electrical supply. Switching on the solenoid would pull the weight correctly and pass its test.

We were supposed to switch off the mains before disconnecting it from the coil, but you could do them quicker if you just held only one wire at a time, and as we were standing on rubber mats we would not get an electrical shock provided you did not touch the actual live wire.

Well, I got too clever with this skill and managed to connect myself up to about 350 volts AC and the shock that went through my body sent me back towards a fire escape hitting the handles the doors burst opened, and I ended up outside the doors onto the fire escape itself. I was very lucky not to have been killed. My colleague’s thought it was very funny and I did feel stupid having put myself in this situation. I recovered and carried on testing the solenoids.

Only, this time, I had very serious respect for the power of electricity. All this was a long time before health and safety standard regulations were brought in to safeguard idiots like me killing themselves.

The other incident happened whilst I was working in the coil winding shop. All the winding machines were driven by a common electric motor and the speed was controlled by a foot treadle, by pushing it further down the faster the machine would work and more coils could be produced.

I had a go on a machine and was basically experimenting with it to see what it was capable of doing. I ran it up to a fast speed and the wire broke and something went into by eye. It was very painful and I went to see the works medical sister and she said I must go and visit the local hospital for them to see it. I had a piece of copper wire embedded in the centre of my eye and she was not going to remove it on her own. I saw a doctor who put some painkilling drops in the eye and removed the wire. I was then told that I ought to go to the London Moorefield’s eye hospital for a specialist to see it as it had damaged the pupil. So I reported back to work and with my eye covered up I took myself off to London.

I finally got there and the specialist said he would like me to stay in the hospital for a few days for observation. I was in a ward with two other people and later on that evening I had an injection of penicillin into the eye to guard against infection.

That was very painful. By this time mum and dad had been told that their son was in a London hospital and came to visit me. I was in the hospital for four days and on Saturday Tim brought his new girlfriend to see me.

Her name was Maureen she was a lovely person and had a wonderful personality I think I fell in love with her myself. Tim was well smitten with Bunny as she was more commonly called. She lived in New Eltham. I was very pleased Tim had made the effort to come all that way to see me.

My eye was Ok and no lasting damage was done to it. I eventually came home and work carried on as usual. Later on Gillian, myself with Bunny and Tim went on a trip to London and went on a river boat from Greenwich to Westminster. This was just before I got the big elbow from Gillian.

I eventually got into the offices of OPC and spent some time with the Work Study Department. This was run by a two guys Doug Large and Gerry Greer who were in their late thirties. Their job was to set a piece work rate for the various assembly tasks in the factory and the operator would use this rate to do the job and earn extra money assembling them quicker than the rate given. If a rate was given as 50 per hour and she did 100 per hour she was, in fact, doubling her money.

So if she could fool the time and motion into believing she was doing the job as efficiently as she could but in fact by going slower she could get a better rate. So with a clipboard and two stopwatches attached to it, I went off to time a lady who was doing a job that needed a new rate set on it. She saw me coming and I was completely fooled by her and she got a very good rate so good that it had to be done again by Gerry. I was with this department for six months.

Janet and Jean at camber 1960

I then moved onto the Planning Department for another six months and was designing gadgets and jigs to assist in the making of products. I eventually got into the Drawing Office and this was for me. A clean environment, later starting time in the morning, wearing a smart suit and getting closer to a classier type of girl.

You have read the story of my marriage to Janet Paice, this is how we meet.

Tim and I would have our dinner in the canteen and on occasions two girls from the offices would come in for something to eat.

Their names were Janet Paice and Christine,? Both were attractive and Tim suggested I should ask one of them for a date. I wasn’t too sure about that, as I was not having a lot of success with girls.

I would date a girl take her to a dance, then I would chat up the drummer discuss drums and take the girl home, I could not work out why they did not want to go out with me again. I think I was missing the point.

Music and drums were becoming an obsession, and I must have become a bit of a bore to anyone who was not interested in music or drums. I would go out of my way to speak to, and if I had the chance, to actually asked the drummer for a sit in on his kit. Very often I did and gained a lot of experience from doing this. But
I had no consideration or understanding of the poor girl who I had brought to the dance or what she thought of my antics. It’s no wonder she gave me up as a lost cause.

However, I did pluck up the courage one day,  as Janet and I passed in the corridor. I asked her if she liked jazz, and she said she did, I then asked her if she would like to come with me to my jazz club in Woolwich to see a jazz band. As another work colleague Jean and her boyfriend Alan were going as well, she agreed to go with me. I said I would pick her up at her house. She lived  in a flat in Plumstead. I went over on my bike and leaving it in a store room on the ground floor we went off on our date.

Janet and I had a good time listening and dancing to a top jazz band it may have been Acker Bilk’s band I can’t remember. I took her home and was invited in for a cup of tea. I met her family. A little kiss and cuddle outside the store room and I then cycled home, I was very happy to have found a new girlfriend. She agreed to go steady with me and we started to go out in a foursome with Bunny and Tim. We became very firm friends and went on many trips and excursions together.

One time Jean and Alan took Janet and me to Camber Sands in Sussex in his Austin convertible sports car. This was on a beautiful sunny summers day and driving along with the top down with the wind blowing in you face it was a fantastic experience driving along the A20 past Maidstone, past Ashford across the marches at Appledore and Romney.

We got to Camber and took a few photos had a picnic and drove home again an unforgettable journey for one who had only been used to trips to Seasalter on the back of dad’s motorbike and sidecar, this was the only way to travel I loved it. Sunday evenings were at the Jazz club and everything in the garden was rosy and my cup of good fortune was full to the top.

© Eddy Newport 2017

Pictures; courtesy of  Eddy Newport

War Baby ......... stories by Eddy Newport no 35............

Another in the series from Eddy

I had a tremendous boost to my ego and confidence soon after that. John and Dick the guitar and bass player with the Vampires group had a wedding gig to do in a pub, and they needed a drummer. Ron was unavailable and so I was asked to do it.

As I had suffered some verbal abuse from John, I was more than little nervous about doing the gig. However, I did the gig and earned the praise and respect from them.

I had finally won them over. It was not long after that they joined Brian Epstein and went fully professional and toured with the Beatles.

They became the chosen band to back most of the visiting American rock stars like Brenda Lee, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard and Gene Vincent.

There finest hour was warming up the audience in the Shea Stadium in America on a famous Beatles tour there. The Beatles went on and took British rock and roll music to a dominating force in the 1960’s.

My apprenticeship with OPC was going along as expected. I was getting experience in various factory departments and a couple of things happened to me that became very memorable. I had to spend a period of time in the electrical test department. This involved in testing the solenoids to see if they would perform to specification.

As a solenoid had to move through a distance and pull a switch we had to mount it up on a jig and fix weights to the plunger end via pulleys and connect the coil terminals to an electrical supply. Switching on the solenoid would pull the weight correctly and pass its test. We were supposed to switch off the mains before disconnecting it from the coil, but you could do them quicker if you just held only one wire at a time, and as we were standing on rubber mats we would not get an electrical shock provided you did not touch the actual live wire.

Well, I got too clever with this skill and managed to connect myself up to about 350 volts AC and the shock that went through my body sent me back towards a fire escape hitting the handles the doors burst opened, and I ended up outside the doors onto the fire escape itself. I was very lucky not to have been killed. My colleague’s thought it was very funny and I did feel stupid having put myself in this situation. I recovered and carried on testing the solenoids. Only, this time, I had very serious respect for the power of electricity. All this was a long time before health and standards regulations were brought in to safeguard idiots like me ending up killing himself.

The other incident happened whilst I was working in the coil winding shop. All the winding machines were driven by a common electric motor and the speed was controlled by a foot treadle, by pushing it further down the faster the machine would work and more coils could be produced.

I had a go on a machine and was basically experimenting with it to see what it was capable of doing. I ran it up to a fast speed and the wire broke and something went into by eye. It was very painful and I went to see the works medical sister and she said I must go and visit the local hospital for them to see it. I had a piece of copper wire embedded in the centre of my eye and she was not going to remove it on her own.

I saw a doctor who put some painkilling drops in the eye and removed the wire. I was then told that I ought to go to the London Moorefield’s eye hospital for a specialist to see it as it had damaged the pupil. So I reported back to work and with my eye covered up I took myself off to London.

I finally got there and the specialist said he would like me to stay in the hospital for a few days for observation. I was in a ward with two other people and later on that evening I had an injection of penicillin into the eye to guard against infection. That was very painful.

By this time mum and dad had been told that their son was in a London hospital and came to visit me. I was in the hospital for four days and on Saturday Tim brought his new girlfriend to see me.

Her name was Maureen she was a lovely person and had a wonderful personality I think I fell in love with her myself. Tim was well smitten with Bunny as she was more commonly called.

She lived in New Eltham. I was very pleased Tim had made the effort to come all that way to see me. I eventually came home and work carried on as usual. Later on Gillian and I with Bunny and Tim went on a trip to London and went on a river boat from Greenwich to Westminster. This was just before I got the big elbow from Gillian.


© Eddy Newport 2017

Pictures; courtesy of  Eddy Newport

War Baby ......... stories by Eddy Newport no 34 .............. the party

Yesterday Eddy wrote about playing in the band and this is the continuatio pf the story adapted from  his book, History of a War Baby.

Tony Unc at the Flyn's party

Tony (Unc) the piano player left the band too and Ron went into a pub in Woolwich called the Queen Arms in Burrage Road and joined a pub pianist and worked every weekend. Tony asked me to join him in playing in and around pubs in Woolwich.

I was very flattered with this and for a time, we played together doing his rock and roll music. We were booked to play by a family called Flynn.

This family had notoriety at the time, especially with the police. This family took us under their wing and we played at various parties in pubs around the area.

We would play for drinks and during the evening they would pass a pint glass around to put money in and we did very well out of these takings. Getting the kit to the gigs was often left to my dad and his motorbike and sidecar. I gained a lot of experience and confidence in doing these gigs. With the proceeds, I added to my drum kit a couple of tom-toms.

Soon after that, I was to do my last gig with Tony. Once more we were booked to play at a Flynn’s party and an extension was applied for from the council for the pub to be open until midnight. The local police objected, the party went on and had to finish when the pub closed at 10:30 pm.

Tony and I played our usual stuff. This party was to celebrate the coming home of a member of the Flynn’s family from prison. I found out much later on that there were special guests at that party the Cray twins Ronnie and Reggie.

Unknown to the public then, but, later on, they were to become famous in a murder trial. I did not know that at the time. We were told we were on to a good fee for the evening and at the end of the gig we asked to go back to the family house and get the money, as the guy who was to pay us did not have any cash on him.

Tony and I went and hung around the house for a bit and Tony said he had been paid but not in full he paid me some money. He said he had to pick up the rest the following day. He would meet me in a pub in Woolwich and pay me what he owed me.

I went to the pub and to my disappointment Tony did not show up. I found later he had got a place in a university and was leaving the area to go and get a degree. I never saw him again.

Many years later I went to Woolwich whilst on a working trip and met, by chance, a member of the Flynn family in a pub.

He remembered the party and he told me about the Cray brothers being there and he said he paid Tony £10 for the evening gig; I only got paid £1, so Tony still owes me £4, a lot on money in 1958.

© Eddy Newport 2017

Pictures;  Tony (nickname Unc.) at the Flynn’s party where the Cray twins were guests. Tony did me out of £4 and I never saw him again. (Note the primitive amplifier on the piano) courtesy of  Eddy Newport

War Baby ......... stories by Eddy Newport no 33 .............. a confrontation

Another in the series by Eddy Newport taken from his book, History of a War Baby.

The Vampires Rock Band was doing gigs at various places locally and I when I could, I would go and help Ron carry his kit into the venues.

The Band tried set up a rock and roll club in a Woolwich pub where they rehearsed. I would go and take the money at the door. It was not a successful venture. It was very good for rehearsing the band.

I would pester Ron to let me have a sit in and play with the band. I would have to put up with a lot of abuse from the other members of the band, especially the guitar player John Gillard. He did not like me at all. He thought I was a pest and I got no encouragement from him.

He was, in fact, a bully and gave me a hard time and tried to discourage me. I was getting a little bit pissed off with his attitude towards me and it eventually came to a head one evening when a couple of seamen came into the pub to listen to the band, and as they were the only ones there I got into their company.

They were flush with money and they bought me a lot to drink and I got drunk. John got very jealous at this and started to bully me when Ron let me have my usual go on his kit. He started to make nasty remarks about my playing and I lost my temper and told him to shut it up. He said what am I going to do about it and I said I would hit him.

As he was about six foot tall and weighed about fifteen stone and me only weighing eleven stone and five foot six inches tall, my remarks were a little foolhardy to say the least. However he asked me to repeat my remarks and I did. He got off the stage removed his guitar and came up to hit me. I was ready for him and as he came nearer to me I let go with a punch and hit him with all my might in his chest.

We were about to set about each other when Dick Thomas, who was even bigger than John, stepped in and putting his fist in front of my face told me to stop it and go and sit down. By this time, I was very angry and ready to punch John’s lights out. I realise now that Dick had intervened to save me from a beating I would have certainly got from John.

I went over to my new found friends who bought me another drink and said if I wanted to they would get him outside and smash his guitar and do him over. I did not want that to happen and I said if anyone would do it, it would be me.

I went home that evening in a state of anxiety and wondering what would happen the next time John and I met up again. My fears were unfounded as John was to treat me with a new found respect and I had no more funny remarks from him. I learnt that it can be profitable to stand up for oneself, confront the bully and win the case, although I had to be pissed to do it.

Ron and the band were soon to break up and John, Dick and Alan went on to become professional musicians and joined a new group “Sounds Incorporated” with another sax, drummer and a keyboard player.

They were formed in 1961 in Kent. They initially made their reputation backing-up visiting American singers such as Little Richard, Brenda Lee and Gene Vincent.

A widely respected band, they were one of the groups signed by Brian Epstein, and they cropped up everywhere in the mid-sixties, touring with the Beatles in America and recording in their own right, working as session men, and backing-up solo singers on nationwide tours. All this was for the future.

© Eddy Newport 2017

Pictures; courtesy of  Eddy Newport

War Baby ......... stories by Eddy Newport no 32 .............. my first gig

Another in the series by Eddy Newport taken from his book, History of a War Baby.

I was still rehearsing with the skiffle group and we had moved to the canteen of OPC one evening a week.

One night a delegation of managers from OPC came to see us and asked us if we could be booked to play at the forthcoming annual dinner and dance to be held at the Welcome Inn pub Eltham.

We did not have a name and had no idea as to how much to charge. We convened a quick meeting and decided to charge them the sum of £2 for the whole group. We were to play during the interval when the dance band was off having their break.

I went to the evening meal as a member of staff and the other group members showed up at the appointed time. We decided to call ourselves “The Ramblers Skiffle Group” and the name were printed in the menu leaflet as the cabaret for the evening.

All this was a bit scary as we only had about four tunes we could actually play reasonably well. We rehearsed but had no idea how to present ourselves on stage. We were very apprehensive and as the time approached for us to go on, the dance band drummer asked me if I would like to set my one and only drum with his kit and for the first time in my life, I was behind a full drum kit.

Steve Searl had his tea chest bass and Ron Devlin and Bob Taylor playing guitars had to do their stuff. We made a fatal error and started with our best number first and by the time we got to our last number we were struggling badly.

However we made it to the end of our show and to a mild appreciation from the audience, we took our bows and got off. The big payoff moment came when we got paid 10 shillings each (50pence). My first paid gig and I decided I must get a bass drum and a high hat to go with what I already had to make up a proper drum kit.

I managed to get dad to take me to a musical shop Len Styles in Catford where I selected a second-hand bass drum a new Premier hi-hat stand and a bass drum pedal. Ron Hawes sold me a pair of cymbals I could use as a hi-hat.

These are the cymbals that are worked by the left foot and make a clicking sound that is played on the off beat.

Now I was all set up to play a proper drum kit. I still needed some tom-toms to go with it but I had the basics to start with. Later on, a new member joined our group and we had progressed to playing more rock and roll. At that time a hit song that was topping the charts was Cliff Richard with his song “Move It” and we would try and play our version of it.

The new guy (I have forgotten his name) had an electric guitar and an amplifier which gave the group a bigger sound. Soon all the guitars had a pickup attached to the guitars and amplifiers were bought and guitar playing became a serious thing.

Ron and Bob dropped out and I carried on with some other guys. I got involved with a rehearsal group in Welling and as I did not have any transport. I loaded my kit onto Geoffrey’s old pushchair and took it to Kidbrooke station and put it into the guards van and got off at Welling station.

Pushing it to the group member’s house, playing in his front room and going home the way I came.

All this was a good experience for me and I could call myself a drummer. At one time I got my drum kit with the help of dad’s motorbike and sidecar to Tim’s house we played a primitive form of jazz in his garage. Nothing was coming together as a proper band and we were not doing any paid gigs, but the experience was very valuable.

© Eddy Newport 2017

Pictures; courtesy of  Eddy Newport

War Baby ......... stories by Eddy Newport no 31 ........... my first girlfriend,

Another in the series by Eddy Newport taken from his book, History of a War Baby.

Well Hall Odeon

Steve Searl and I would go to the Lido in Charlton Park on hot sunny weekends, sunning ourselves and chatting up girls.

One weekend a lady I knew who worked at Olive Pell’s (I can’t remember her first name she was Mrs Taylor) came to the lido for a swim and she had her daughter with her. Her name was Gillian. A very pretty girl and I took a fancy to her.

So I plucked up courage and asked her for a date to go to the pictures and with the approval of her mother she agreed to go. I met Gillian at the Odeon cinema in Well Hall that night.

She was waiting outside for me. We went in, saw the film, and I came out with my first girlfriend.

I took her home and arranged to see her again. I was in love for the very first time. Gillian and I started to see a lot of each other. Her mother encouraged me to visit her and stay for dinners on a Sunday and to my delight, her cooking was far superior to my mother's cooking I just loved her Sunday roasts.

Gillian liked music and during the week, we went to a pub in Mottingham known as The Dutch House where they had a jazz band playing. This band was lead by Owen Brice trumpeter and played a relaxed style of Traditional jazz that became known as Mainstream jazz. Gillian and I would go there and listen to the band and make a few drinks last the whole evening.

Later on, prior to going home we would go for a walk and have a little kissing and cuddling session, all this was very romantic. I never wanted this relationship to end.

Gillian’s elder sister Susan, was married to a drummer. His name was Ron Hawes and he worked in a butcher’s shop in Plumstead, they lived in the basement flat of the house where Gill lived with her mother and father in Herbert Rd Plumstead.

The Montague Arms

Ron was playing with a rock band in a pub in New Cross called The Montague Arms. Gillian and I went over by bus to New Cross the hear the band play.

They called themselves The Vampires. This band had a lead guitar John Gillard, bass player Dick Thomas tenor sax player Alan Holmes and a guy called Tony (Unc) who sang and played the piano. The music they played was current pop and performed Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Fats Domino and Jerry Lee Lewis hits.

I was very impressed with the band and loved their music. I became a dedicated fan of Ron and his drums and in retrospect, this man made the biggest influence on me in my life as far as becoming a drummer was concerned. Ron regarded himself to be “Cool”.

He adapted a much laid back attitude to life and the only important thing was his music. He was into modern jazz and liked to listen to Dave Brubeck, Dizzy Gillespie, Mills Davis, Charlie Parker, and big bands like Duke Ellington and Count Basie. He had fixed up a primitive form of quadraphonic sound by wiring four speakers to a record player and mounting them one in each corner of the room. A visit to Ron’s would involve in drinking beer and enjoying some jazz music. I was by this time rehearsing with the skiffle group and

Dad

I was still pretending my banjo was a drum. Ron had bought himself a new snare drum and asks me if I wanted to buy his old one and a cymbal. I jumped at the chance and took it on the next rehearsal.

My relationship with Gillian was coming to an end and I blamed my dad for it. I thought I was in love with Gillian and eventually took her home to meet my family. Dad looked at Gillian as his future daughter in law and the poor girl, only just sixteen put off any future relationship with me. So I got the big elbow.

At the time, I was devastated and very depressed. Not only had I lost my girlfriend but I thought I was going to lose my friendship with Ron and his musical mates. Ron said I could still go and see the rock band if I wanted to. I became an unofficial roadie for the band and followed them around on their gigs.

Location Eltham

© Eddy Newport 2017

Painting; The Well Odeon 2014 and The Montague Arms, © 2011 Peter Topping

Web: www.paintingsfrompictures.co.uk

Pictures;  courtesy of  Eddy Newport

War Baby ......... stories by Eddy Newport no 30 .............. Muffin the Mule, Oxleas Woods and a model sailing boat

Another in the series by Eddy Newport taken from his book, History of a War Baby.

The Woods, 1976

I had many fights with my brother Dave.

I would tease him until he lost his temper and chase me round the bungalow with a stick trying to hit me with it.

I defended myself with a dustbin lid. Soon my jealousy was to hold no bounds. David’s friend Olive (our neighbour) parents bought a brand new television set and David was invited in to see it.

A television circa 1950s

TV had just started to become popular. That expense was far too much for our family. I did get in once or twice to see it, but not as regular as David. He watched the children’s hour with Muffin the Mule, Hank the cowboy and other visual delights on children’s hour, all this was excluded from me.

The feeling of the unjustness of it all on a 12-year-old, was too much, and I would tease and fight with David even more. As I was bigger I always got the better of the hassles. My mum said to me “One day David will beat you and then you will be sorry” how true that statement was to be. I guess I got what I deserve. We are very close now.

At the bottom of our  garden was a large fence, the other side of it was a Government Training Centre. An establishment set up by the government to help men after the war to get some qualifications to acquire skilled jobs like plumbing carpenters, electricians, gas fitters and hairdressing.

The later being the most popular with the local establishment. Volunteers were asked to be victims to the trainees for practicing their hair cutting skills. On Saturdays, the children were allowed in to have their haircuts. We would queue up at the gate and then taken through to the large room with all the prospective barbers would be waiting. Depending on who you got, and how much experience he had, you either had a good or bad hair cut. All this was for free so our parents did not worry, too much, as to how their kids looked like when they came home.

Blackheath looking out towards the Common 1976

I remember one Christmas when I was given a model sailing yacht as a present which I was very keen to try out. The nearest pond was the Prince of Wales Pond in Blackheath near the pub of the same name. This pond was very popular with small boating enthusiasts who would bring all types to sail.

Model tug boats, jet propelled boats, all sorts The jets were very exciting to watch as these were set up tethered up to a post set in the middle of the pond, the boat would be set off under a jet propelled engine and go round and round at incredible speed until it stopped, crashed or in some cases flew off its cable and ended up going over the grass beside the pond.

Sometimes a sailing boat would get in its way with the end resulting in damaged boats and a few cross words. I would not let dad rest until he took me to the pond to sail my new boat. She looked magnificent when the wind filled her sails and she took off over the pond. I was very proud of that boat.

Our social life was taken up with visits to Kennington to visit Nanny Hicks or Dulwich to visit our Nan and Granddad Newport. Other occasions were spent in visiting aunts, uncles and cousins.Special times were had when cousins Brian, Freddie and Doreen came to visit us. They lost their dad to illness (Uncle Fred) and came down with Aunt Jennie. They loved visiting us what was to them “the country” There were several wooded areas around and we would go off and explore them. I was to tag along with the two boys and I loved it. Close by in Birdbrook Road lived uncle’s Fred’s brother and his two children Vera and Alan and so they had to pop in to see them whilst they were visiting us. A case of two relations visited, for the price of one journey.

Those Woods again

On hot days we would go up Board Walk, which was about two miles long, to visit Oxleas, Jack and Castle Woods at Shooters Hill.

We would pack a picnic and off we go. These woods is an ancient forest and were famous for the hiding place of the notorious highwayman Dick Turpin, who robbed coaches going up the hill as they slowed down.

Shooter Hill was part of the Roman road Watling Street and the main road to Canterbury and Dover. In the middle of Castle woods was an old folly that looked like a castle tower.

The top of the tower could be seen poking out above the canopy of the woods. This had been converted into a café and for a few pence, one could go up the tower and see the view of London and Kent from its top. This was the climax of our day out.The long walk home back along Broad Walk was an effort and when we got home we were ready for our beds exhausted but happy

Dad

Dad about this time enrolled me in the Cub Scouts. The scout hall was adjacent to the church of St James’s in Kidbrooke Park Road. St James’s church had a very tall spire but was bombed during the war and was just a shell of a building.


Next door was a prefabricated building which was used for the services.

Mum had Geoffrey christened there and once we reached a suitable age David and I were sent off to the Sunday school.

What I remember of my time in the cubs was good. I enjoyed the games and I was taught a lot of necessary things to get a badge to sew onto my green jerseys.

Eddy

I managed to become a sixer which meant I had two silver stars on my cap. I felt confident and important and good about myself.

That was until I went up into the scouts proper and I could not handle the bullying and complexity of what I had to learn there so I left and that was the end of my scouting days.

Soon I was to gain my real freedom, dad got me a bike. Unfortunately, it was a smaller one than my friends had, and a little bit disappointed that it was a ladies bike without a crossbar.

It did, however, give me the freedom to roam wherever I wanted to go. Now I could explore my local area and I was off.

My friends and I went all over the area. All about us was trees to climb, fields to play in and streams to build dams in. A wonderful life at that time, not a care or a worry in the world just a boy having fun.

© Eddy Newport 2017

Pictures;the Woods, the 1950s television and Blackheath from the collection of Andrew Simpson and remaining pictures courtesy of  Eddy Newport

War Baby ......... stories by Eddy Newport no 29 .........

Another in the series by Eddy Newport taken from his book, History of a War Baby.

My favourite trips out were to the East Street market with Mum and Nan to do the shopping.

As a special treat, there were market stalls selling hot chestnuts and hot black current juice and the delight of sipping this delicious concoction to me was pure heaven. That was something to look forward to.

Nan visited the market often and was known by a lot of people so she was always stopping to chat with somebody.

There was a time when I got lost. I was a child who had an independent spirit and hated holding on to hands. So it was no surprise that I became detached from the family group.

I must have been about four years old. I guess I knew I was lost because I went up to a policeman and told him so. I was asked if I knew where I lived I did but could not relate the actual address so I told the policeman I could take him to it.

He persuaded a market trader to give me a present of some cigarette cards. We took off in the homeward direction. Once out of the market area we came across Mum and Nan looking for me. So all was well, but I was chastised for getting lost.

My brother David was now a permanent feature in my life. For four years I had the fullest of attention from my mother and grandmother and now I had some competition. I hate to say this, but I resented my brother whose attention he was taking from mum and nanny was less that what I was getting.

So a feeling of resentment took me over and I would not involve myself with him.

Today as I look back I feel bad that I should have felt like that but it is the truth. As he got older I would torment and tease David until he lost his temper until he got into trouble, but more likely I got into trouble for upsetting the baby.

David was just too far away from me in age to be a pal and our growing up was not a shared experience. Now, years later I love my brother and regret the time missed when we could have been closer. I was always doing my own thing and David his.

A magic moment was when “Jack’s”, a local ice cream man, would come by selling cornets and wafers. It was kept in large tubs with a big brass handles. The taste of his ice cream is a treasured memory. He had a highly decorated push cart with tubs kept cold with dry ice they looked as they were smoking.

He also sold toffee apples. I remember I got a head slapping from uncle Jim when he was taking me somewhere and I spotted Jack’s cart in the distance and shouted out I wanted an ice cream. Uncle was not having any of that and ignored my request to which I shouted louder only to get a thick ear for my trouble. I think he did not like me as I guess I was a spoilt child. I did not tell my mum about this. After that, I held a certain respect for Uncle Jim.

So now our family was four or five if we included Nan.

Nan’s son James (Uncle Jim) Hicks did not join the army. He spent the war as a civilian working in a factory making parts for the war effort. He had been courting a local girl who was drafted into the land army her name was Barbara.

She was a big girl with ginger hair and a quick wit and a fantastic sense of humour. They got married about the time Mum was expecting David and soon after announced that Aunt Barbara was expecting a baby.

They had a boy and named him Barry. He became a play pal for David and they grew up best of friends
A social gathering was often spent at Nanny and Granddad Newport’s home in Oakhurst Grove in East Dulwich. As the Newport’s clan were gaining maturity the boys were getting married and joining the army.

Uncle David (dad’s elder brother) was doing war work in a factory by this time he had married Aunt Rose (King). George married Ellen Nolan Aunt Nell. He joined up and went to war in Africa.

Arthur also joined the army and became a dog handler. Freddy stayed at home and was not able to join up as he was declared unfit for service. Aunt Ginny had married Fredrick Raeburn. Aunt Rose had married Walter Hobbs. The unmarried girls Ivy and Doris later joined the Women’s Royal Army Corps WRAC’s.

Oakhurst Grove was a big terraced house which was divided up into three flats the ground floor housing Aunt Ginny and her husband Fred and their three children Doreen,

Brian and Freddie. Freddie was about my age and I looked forward to seeing him, as he was always up to something exciting and was fun to be with. The first floor lived Nan, Granddad and Uncle Fred and the top floor lived Aunt Rose with her husband Wally.

They had a boy called Bruce. Later on, they had a girl Jennifer. Other social occasions were spent at Nanny Hicks flat with Uncle Jim and Auntie Barbara. Not as interesting as going to Oakhurst Grove. Christmas time was something special. All the family just had to be there even my other Nanny Hicks.

Nanny and Granddad Newport were there to watch over the evening. Us kids would be playing hide and seek down in granddad’s cellar and garden shed. The older generations would do their party pieces to entertain everybody else. My dad was playing the piano. The two-star performers were Uncle Arthur and Uncle George. They would dress up as vicars and do a hilarious comedy routine that had everyone in fits of laughter.

To me, the main event was when we all had to be on our best behaviour when Father Christmas came to visit us and distribute the presents. We all had to keep very quiet and wait for the knock on the door. Soon a loud knock could be heard and in came Father Christmas with a big sack over his shoulder bursting with presents. This was the real thing to a six-year-old.

We all got our presents and after FC had a mince pie and a glass of something he went out the door on his way. These were wonderful memories of a Christmas gone by. It got blown away the following year when FC came in only, this time, he had over his shoulder a pillow and not a proper sack and a beard that looked like cotton wool. Something fishy was going on here, I thought, and I soon realised Farther Christmas was one of my uncles, dressed up.

To me, the Christmas bubble had been burst never to be the same again. Some time later I found out that the original FC was Granddad Newport he was the best FC of all.

This photo was taken in 1945 minus the men still serving overseas. Left to right:-

Uncle David, Aunt Doris holding Cousin Pat, at the back Aunt Nell married to Uncle George (not in photo), and Cousin Doreen with hair bow, behind her is Aunt Rose with Edie (Mother) holding brother David, at the back uncle Fred standing next to Granddad David Newport, at the back standing is Uncle Fred Reaburn married to Aunt Ginny standing on his left. Centre is Nanny Jane Newport holding Cousin Bruce son of Rose and Wally Hobbs (not in photo). Centre right is Aunt Rose married to Uncle David holding cousin Brian, Aunt Ivy is standing with back to the piano. Two boys sitting in front are left, Cousin Freddie and I am next to him. Note photo on the piano is my dad Ted. (Not in photo)
Quite a bit to sort out.


© Eddy Newport 2017

Pictures; from the collection of Eddy Newport

War Baby ......... stories by Eddy Newport no 28 .........

Another in the series by Eddy Newport taken from his book, History of a War Baby, Eddy prefaced the next two stories with the comment that “I am afraid my blogs are not in any chronological order”  which is fine by me.

1940-1944 are years I have few memories. These was spent running to air raid shelters when a bomb scare was on, and carrying out the day to day business as best as the population can.

On 4th November 1944 my brother David was born in Woking Surrey as by this time the capital was under threat from Hitler’s V1 and V2 rockets. And once more pregnant mothers were encouraged to be evacuated to a safer place.

Dad and the army were on the move again and grandmother (Sara) wanted mother and me to be closer to her home and so rented accommodation was found at number 9 Braganza Street, Kennington, South London.

Kennington tube station was about 50 yards from the house. No 9 was in a row of terraced house and built on three levels. We moved into the middle flat. What I remember that at the back were a kitchen and scullery.

There was a bedroom with a window looking to the back of the house, and at the front, a living room overlooking the street and next to that was a small bedroom (mine).

In the front living room was dad’s prize procession a baby upright piano bought for around £35 from a music shop called Barnes in Oxford Street London. This piano was to be part of our lives for the next forty years.

This was a wedding present that they bought themselves using mum’s inheritance from her granddad.

The group photo was taken in Oakhurst Grove.  Note there are ny husband in thes photo as they are all overseas. Note the photo on the piano it is of my dad Ted.

Across the road was Gaza Street leading to the primary school and a bomb site. Nan’s flat was about a five minutes walk away.

There was a pub with a yard next to it and Kennington Park was about ten minutes away. Bombs falling and wartime disruption did not affect me in any way.

Of course, I vaguely remember being woken up in the night by the sirens going off, and being wrapped in a bed quilt and carried to the underground station or a Morrison shelter in case a bomb fell on our house, it never did.

For years, I used to have vivid dreams about tube trains sucking me into the tunnel and falling onto the railway line. I had a fear of going on the tube right up to the time I started work in London and had to travel on it. Trips out were very often to the park or to nanny visit.

Sometimes I would go out on my own with a friend or two and make our way to the park. The park was locked up at 7 o’clock and one day I got locked in. I became panicky when I could not get out through the gates. By this time mum had come to find me and with her outside and me inside wondering what to do.

However I decided that I was not going to stay in the park anymore I climbed over the gate much to the horror of the mother but glad I made it out.

I was always wondering off to explore the bomb sites. At one time on a long summer evening I decided to go home from the bomb site it must have been about 10 o’ clock. Father was on leave at the time and in I went only to find out that dad and mum had called the police and reported me missing.

1945 after the war had ended. I was taken to the top of our street at the junction of Kennington Park Road to see the victory parade go by. Military bands, marching soldiers, tanks, navy personnel, big guns and still more bands. The climax of this was to see Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery with his famous berry standing up in the back of his jeep waving to the crowd. A historical moment which at the time was lost on me, but later on in life I realised its importance to Londoners as the crowds were huge.

© Eddy Newport 2017

Pictures; from the collection of Eddy Newport

War Baby ......... stories by Eddy Newport no 27 .... 1956

1956 was the year I started at OPC and my social life was running much as before. 

Chris Barber and band, 1957

Steve Searl, Ron Devlin and Bob Taylor had secured apprenticeships in various firms and we still kept in touch with each other.

Bob and Ron had bought guitars and were trying to learn to play them. Skiffle had become very popular by then due to a hit song by Lonnie Donegan whose “Rock Island Line” had become a number one bestseller and was topping  the charts.

Lonnie Donegan was the banjo player of a traditional jazz band run by Chris Barber.

They produced an LP with a number of regular jazz tunes and had some space to add more music, so the story goes, Lonnie who sang American folk and blues songs with the band, had the chance to record a few fillers to go onto the LP.

During a break in recording Lonnie played guitar Chris played bass and a friend of the band was jazz singer Beryl Bryden who happened to have a washboard with her (this was played with thimbles on fingers running up and down on the serrated surface of the washboard thus producing the rhythm) and they recorded two songs “Rock Island Line” and “John Henry”.

This LP (long player) became a hit and it was soon realised that Lonnie’s tunes were the most popular. These two songs were released as a single and shot Lonnie Donegan to fame and fortune in his own right. The effect it had on a my generation of boys and girls who had been brought up on a diet of full band arrangements, ballad singers  and boring dance music was immense .

Rock and Roll had given us own musical identification and Skiffle was to give us the ability to be able to get involved ourselves and have a go at playing it.

Skiffle groups were being formed all over the country. All you had to do was learn three chords on a guitar and be able to sing in tune and if all the group members joined in a passable sound was produced. One problem that had to be overcome was the need for a bass. This was solved by getting a large tea chest which was a plywood square box about two foot by two foot, drilling a hole in the middle of one of its sides and with a stout piece of string secured in the hole and the other end to the end of a broom handle a reasonable note could be obtained.

You had to put one foot on the top of the chest and with one hand keeping the string taut by pulling back the broom handle and plucking the string a bass note was produced. Of course, a washboard was an essential part of the sound too. Washboard were hard to find as washing machines were becoming used more in homes and the old fashioned washboard was being thrown out with the rubbish.

my first drum kit

It was suggested that I would play the washboard (if I could find one) and Steve could play the tea chest bass. I did find one but it was made of glass and not suitable. However, I did manage to get an old banjo. I took off all the strings and with a pair of drum brushes; I produced a passable rhythm by tapping the banjo skin.

We would all meet at Bob’s house and in his bedroom; we would attempt to play some skiffle music.
Tim Leonard and I were becoming firm friends and I meet up with him in the evening and weekends. He lived with his mum, dad and sister.

His sister had been the head girl at the Gordon School. Tim also had a love of music and liked modern jazz. He was taking lessons on the clarinet and the tenor saxophone.

He liked to listen to Ronnie Scott, Tubby Hayes, and American sax players such as Zoot Sims and Stan Getz. I was not too enthused about this style of music, as I was more into the traditional style as played by Louis Armstrong and Chris Barber. Cont:-

Another in the series by Eddy Newport taken from his book, History of a War Baby.

© Eddy Newport 2017

Pictures; Chris Barber;(trombone); Monty Sunshine (klarinet); Eddie Smith (banjo); Dick Smith (bas); Ron Bowden (drums); Ottilie Patterson (zang), 1957, Joop van Bilsen (ANEFO)from GaHetNa (Nationaal Archief NL, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license and others from the collection of Eddy Newport

War Baby ......... stories by Eddy Newport no 26 ....

Another in the series by Eddy Newport taken from his book, History of a War Baby.

Ted went to war, in the same way, as his dad David went to war in 1914. This was to set up a line of defence with trenches to stop the enemy advancing.

The history of the war is well documented and I am no historian. Ted’s involvement was that his regiment got as far as Belgium before it was realised that the foe was far better equipped that the British forces were.  Ted did get to dig his field hospital.

As he was getting ready for action and his platoon were doing their stuff, when the order came down to abandon everything and get back to the coast and head for Dunkirk as soon as possible.

He and his men were responsible for some wounded and they had to be stretchered back over a canal bridge as quickly as they can, as they were going to blow it up.

Dad said in later life that an officer was decorated with a gallantry medal as being the last soldier to defend this bridge and being the last one back over it. Dad always maintained he and his group were, in fact, the last ones over that bridge.

So the rush back to the coast began and the army was in disarray with many units breaking up. Ted and his men were on their own. His wounded were taken off by trucks or ambulances but the poor old foot soldier had to make do with what he could find.

It was at this time that Ted fired a gun in anger. The story goes that an officer commandeered Ted and his men. He gave him the order to use an anti-tank rifle and to take up a position at a corner of a street and then wait for a German tank to poke its nose round the corner.

Ted’s job was to fire around at it to make it stop and hold it up for a few minutes to delay the advance. The effect on the tank with this weapon was like firing a pea shooter at a brick wall but it seemed to work. I asked dad what he did next. He said he took out the bolt, through away the gun and ran like bloody hell.


Another incident happened on the way back to Dunkirk. He and his men were running across a field and he came under mortar fire. Ted’s running for cover managed to lose his glasses and he stopped to try and find them. His mate Geoff Burchill asked what the hell are you doing and told him in no uncertain way to get a move on.

Ted had a spare pair in his pack, but it did not occur to him at the time.  On another occasion, he was approached by a French man who having seen Ted’s medical badges on his uniform asked to go to his farm house and his wife was in the late stages of childbirth. Ted did not have any experience of this but got things going with hot water and was about to do his best when a medical officer arrived and took over and told

Ted to get back with his men and keep going back to the coast. He always wanted to know what the lady had but never found out.

Ducking and diving into ditches to avoid the German air force that were doing their best to destroy them.


They managed to find Dunkirk beaches at last. He then joined the queues to the boats that were waiting to take them back to England.

At last, he managed to get on board a navy ship. Stripping himself of all his packs and making himself comfortable on the deck, he prepared for the journey home. When a German bomber came over and dropped a bomb straight down the funnel and exploded. The next thing Ted knew was he was in the water and trying to swim for his life. Ted was not a good swimmer and the fact he was not weighted down with his packs saved his life.

Dad said he did not know how long he was in the water but a French man grabbed him and got him to the beach. I ask dad about this incident and questioned him what he did next. Can you imagine, Ted was soaking wet with no pack or equipment.

He said he looked around and found a lorry with some uniforms in and put on a dry uniform. He later found a helmet and rifle from a dead soldier. Having kitted himself out, he once more joined the queue back to the boats. Queuing was a dangerous business as German planes were bombing and shooting up the beaches. On one occasion instead of running to the sand dunes for cover he just lay down where he was and a bomb exploded close to him.

Unharmed he got up and looked about him and realised he was on his own, so he ran as fast as he could and gained some extra yards on the queue. Eventually, he got on a smaller boat and finally got back to Dover absolutely knackered, he got onto a train going to London and once on board he fell asleep. Later he awoke to find the train had passed through London and was well on its way Cardiff. Finding himself alone he later found that the train had stopped at the Elephant and Castle and all the London soldiers got off.

No one woke Ted up and he was very upset that the train had stopped only a stones through from his home.

He could have gone home to his own bed and family.
 Eddy Newport ages one year 1941.

© Eddy Newport 2017

Pictures; from the collection of Eddy Newport

War Baby ......... stories by Eddy Newport no 25 ....

Another in the series by Eddy Newport taken from his book, History of a War Baby.

Edie and Ted

What was I doing when all this was going, well I getting myself ready to make an entry into a war-torn world of uncertainty and confusion? Edie was expecting her first child.

Later, Hitler’s  planes started bombing London and things became very unhealthy indeed. Ted had by now moved with his regiment to Yorkshire so the army could get ready for the expected invasion of England.

Summer 1940 turned to autumn and then winter, and by this time the bombs were dropping on London in a greater intensity.

The evacuation of children and expectant mothers was underway. Grandmother Sara and her son Jim stayed in London as he was doing important factory work for the war effort.

It was decided to send Edie to Yorkshire for her confinement and to be closer to Ted.

It was November 1940. Edie 21 years old, and on her own travelled to Doncaster, hopefully, to meet Ted who would deliver her to a house in Rossington to stay with a friend’s dad he had made since he had been posted there. Ted in the meantime was out with the army on a training excise and he ask his C.O. if he could get away to meet his wife.

Unfortunately, he could not get permission, and poor Edie just had to wait at Doncaster station for over three hours before she was picked up.  She, at last, got to her destination and Ted got a telling off from the host family for not letting them know that he was unable to pick her up, as they could have made some arrangements of their own.

Eddy aged 1

On the 15th December 1940, a London boy was born a Yorkshire lad at 60 Holmes Carr Road New Rossington in the parish of Bawtry and Tickhill. I have no memory of this place. I did go back and had a look at the house many years later.

 Rossington is a mining village and just about everybody who lived there worked at the mine. Outside the village stands a beautiful church St Michaels. There I was christened Edward James Newport. Edie had a traumatic time with me. I would not stop crying and drove everybody mad. I was told I was nearly smothered to shut me up.

Edie was in a strange house with people she did not know. She had never been away from her mum and brother in all her life before and with a new baby.

It’s no wonder she was in a stressful state. The baby was reflecting his mother stress. However the bombing subsided in London and Sara was missing her daughter and grandson and wanted them to come back to London.

Eddie at 16

It worked out fine as dad was posted to Dartford and they found a maisonette in Burnham Close Dartford and moved there.  Dad was stationed there with access to his married quarters.

 Edie and Ted made friends with a man called Sid Goff and he had a son and daughter Wally and Celia.

Celia would push me around in my pram.

Wally was 14 and lodged with Ted and Edie until he was 16 then he went into the merchant navy.

The sergeant’s mess in Dartford had many social occasions and at times, he would get on the piano and play for the evening.

One night a soldier came over and said he could play the saxophone and he sent him home on leave to get it.

Ted

Also, a drummer and trumpet player joined the embryo band.  Very soon they were booked to play at functions making music for dances. I asked dad if he was earning any money doing this he said they did it for fun; and free drinks.

Ted, as I have said before was never a reader of music and his limitations were felt by the band in reading arrangements and introducing new tunes.

Then one night after new recruits arrived. A private said to Ted could he have a go at the piano. Ted said, “If you can play it better than me you can have the job”.

It turned out that the private was a professional musician and played with a named London big band.  The relief from the rest of the other musicians must have been fantastic. From then on Ted just fronted the band singing songs announcing the dances and managing the bookings. His star performances of “Old Farther Thames” and “The Fishermen of England” were a hit.

© Eddy Newport 2017

Pictures; from the collection of Eddy Newport