CONTENTS:

Introduction | In the Beginning... | Fleetwood | Cleethorpes | Wilson Street Days  
Elliston Street Secondary Modern School | A Pop Career? | Marjorie Elizabeth Robinson | Our First House

Wilson Street Days

Also living at 15 Wilson Street when I arrived were two uncles, Peter and David, my brother Frank, Auntie Vivian's 3 children, Paul, Tina and Gerard and a huge mongrel (a cross between an alsation and a boxer) called 'Bilko' after the Phil Silvers TV character. Bilko was the scourge of all the bitches in a 5 mile radius and could clear an 8 foot wall with ease! He had a soft side and would fetch the paper from the front door and bring it back to you if you asked him to - I thought that was really cool. It was something of a culture shock to find myself living among young people with 'modern' outlooks and a TV!

I spent the summer of 1960 getting to know my new family and exploring the seafront at Cleethorpes. It seemed that everyone in Britain came to Cleethorpes for their holidays in the 60s and the 'eckies' and 'charrers' (excursion trains and charabangs/buses) just seemed to keep pouring more and more people onto the seafront. It was difficult to ride a bike along the road at the North Promenade as it was just so full with holidaymakers. I think many were Yorkshire miners who came during the various 'pit holidays'. My brother Frank kept his eye on me until I'd made friends of my own and it was great to have a big brother around. Uncle Peter and David were also like older brothers. 

Uncle Peter sadly died on 29 June 2002 after a battle with cancer. Peter was good to his family and friends and gave several of the nephews and nieces jobs in his various businesses. I worked for him at the Salamandar Coffee Bar in Grimsby Road, Cleethorpes, in the mid 60s doing chores like washing up and serving expresso coffee. I loved Pete and I've put his obituary here as a reminder of his life for all those people who were privileged to have known him. He was the owner of Gullivers Nightclub in Grimsby, a club which was, and still is, popular with many local people. His funeral took place at the Grimsby Crematorium which was packed with his family and friends. 

Pam and Don lived just behind us in Oliver Street and Pam often popped in to 15 Wilson Street. Grandma worked part-time at Samuel's, a sea-side bazaar selling all sorts of stuff from buckets and spades to cheap ornaments for the trippers to take back home. Grandma had lost her husband Frank in World War II when the trawler he was skipper of was torpedoed in the Irish Sea. She was a tiny woman, just over 5 feet, but an absolute tower of strength - but then she had to be to look after all of us lot!