BOOKS AND TELLY

 BOOKS AND TELLY

By Terry Patterson

2021

The summer holidays were always a time for adventure when I was a boy. I loved reading and of the many books I had read, Scott of the Antarctic was still my favourite. The story of Robert Falcon Scotts I’ll fated journey to reach the South Pole before his rival Roald Amundsen was a thing of legend. It stirred the heart of every Englishman with the courage of all those on that fateful journey and what they endured. If Scott had eaten the ponies donated by school children for the expedition they would have made it to the base camp which was only 11 miles from fresh supplies. Instead, they thought it immoral and not the British way to eat something that had done a job. Edgar Taff Evans perished when he fell into a crevasse and Lawrence Titus Oats who was badly frost bitten on both his hands and feet walked out into a blizzard in an effort to save the lives of the other members of the team because he knew he was holding them back. Lt Henry R. “Birdy’ Bowers, Royal Marine, and Dr Edward Wilson and Captain Scott all died of starvation and exposure to the cold.

I guess, I always wanted to be an explorer as a boy and was fascinated with where we actually came from. Spending many hours in Mr Porter’s Library in Ralphie’s, I waded through book after book on different religions, cultures, evolutionary theories, and ancient discoveries. My morbid curiosity led me to many Churches to see if the word of God was any different from the others and was it actually true or was it Charles Darwin who had it right? Even Desmond Morris had tried to explain it to us in his book The Naked Ape, and later the Human zoo. I even read a book called Chariot of the Gods by Eric Von Daniken about things that cannot be explained. Maybe a lot of people may have thought me a little weird at that time. I had very few friends because of my disability, born with was was termed as a club foot I found it difficult to make friends. I was a very shy and timid boy and I was constantly bullied during my school years. The tall stocky figure of Billy Wilson became my best friend. Billy was a good looking boy with a mop of curly hair. He lived up the street from me and his father was a shipwright. It was a good job compared to the job my father had. Like many families on the Ridges Estate Billy had several siblings. My father was a fitter at the Commercial plastics factory on Norham Road. He worked hard and played hard. My dad was never one for taking us anywhere and when he did it wasn’t long before he wanted to go home. Since the late 1950’s the industrial revolution was in full swing and factories like H O. Will’s, Formica, opened along the Coast Road. They were soon followed by Thor Tools, Hall Sections, and Dukes and Marks. Down Norham Road the plastics factory was followed by the Universal Bedding factory, Welch’s Toffee factory, The General Foam and Tecaz. The Ridges was built on the site of two neighbouring farms – The Ridges farm and the Meadow Well. Plans to build this new Estate began in 1934 but were then shelved until after the Second World War. In 1948 the first houses on Silky’s Lane were built quickly followed by houses on West Percy Road and the surrounding areas.

The houses were built initially to house the fishermen on Clive, Liddle, and Trinity Street in the heart of North Shields town centre. They were having problems with sanitation and severe dampness which brought about a cholera and tuberculosis out brake. It was then decided to build a new estate. This was where I was to spend twenty three years of my life.

After doing my paper round on Sunday I called on Billy to ask if he was going anywhere after I had been to Church. I was a member of St Peter’s Church on the Quadrant. I sang in the choir and went to confirmation classes. I was blessed with a good singing voice and was lucky enough to appear on television on two occasions. Once with Queen Victoria School Choir and the other on my own. I auditioned for “Junior Showtime’ which was a talent competition. Mr Barlow had me singing “Feed the Birds’ from the musical Mary Poppin’s. My high voice could reach the notes as good as Julie Andrews. I took the music home with me that evening to practice. Our three bedroomed house was really not big enough to house the seven of us when my youngest sister came along. Hence I had to share a bed with my older brother who complained when I had to wear these metal splints for bed. To be honest I hated wearing them. The straps had to be pulled tight to keep my feet from curling up they stopped the circulation in my feet. Whether this was the cause of my left foot from growing I will never know. All I know was the pain wearing these splints each night was unbearable.

I was standing up in my bedroom singing away when my oldest brother walked in.

“What’s that your singing?

“Feed the Birds.’

“Feed the Birds? The only birds we get around here are spuggy’s and seagulls.’

“So what? Mr Barlow wants me to sing it.’

“It’s a lasses song, everyone will call you a sissy.’

From then on my heart wasn’t in it. I didn’t want to sing the song because I couldn’t face the ridicule from the others in my school. It would only be something else they would bully me for.

It was bad enough them calling me “Patta the Spacka’ without this as well. I went to Tyne Tees Television Studio’s where they were holding the auditions. I had a pair of brown coloured corduroy shorts that my mother had tried to repair using some old curtains that were blue with gold roses on them. My tee shirt had a rip in it and I wore a pair of yellow Wellington boots. Mr Barlow had given me a basket which I had to put in some stottie cake. He asked me to break pieces off the round bread and throw it as I was singing. As we went in I was introduced to the presenter and given a number. I looked around the studio with Mr Morgan my music teacher and saw many other boys and girls getting ready to go on. One particular singer I remember well She was called Bonnie Langford and she sang a song called “Me and My Teddy Bear’ She was only about six years old whereas I was eleven. I never had a problem singing on stage having got up to sing most Saturday afternoons at the Rex Cinema. I won a box of chocolates each week and at the finish I felt guilty for actually winning. My mother would get the chocolates to eat. I would also sing for Mrs Hoult in her pork shop or butcher’s when my mam would send me. I handed the music to the gentleman at the piano who played the intro and began to sing. I walked with a limp and I felt the other’s in the room staring at me. Breaking the stottie Cake I began to throw it in all directions as I sang.

EARLY EACH DAY TO THE STEPS OF ST PAUL’S

A LITTLE OLD BIRD LADY COMES

IN HER OWN SPECIAL WAY TO THE PEOPLE SHE CALLS

COME BUY MY BUY MY BAG FULL OF CRUMBS

I never saw it, but I hit Diddy David Hamilton in the eye with a lump of bread and everyone began to laugh. When the song was over I got a round of applause and I came and sat back down. I had to wait until all the acts had finished. Then I was informed that I’d made it into next round. I had to go back the following week and sing again. Mr Barlow the Headmaster of Queen Victoria School was delighted, I wasn’t, I wanted to sing The Water is Wide by Keith Podger from The Seekers, or Blowing in the Wind by Bob Dylan. Anyway I sang another song from the musical “A Spoonful of Sugar.’ which didn’t go down well with the presenter’s, pardon the pun. However, I did get to sing with Millie Small and the Spinners in another TV programme.

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