I REMEMBER ... an incident which happened about 75 years ago. I am writing this on my 84th birthday.

It was a lovely summer’s day during the school holidays and along with our two brothers, my older sister and I had erected a tent in our back yard. We had invited a few of our playmates to join us and we were having fun.

One of our little friends spotted Gypsy Lena coming up the lane and, childlike, he called her name and possibly said something cheeky. Now Gypsy Lena was the local character who sold her wares door to door and this did not please her ... she came charging up the lane, arms and fists flying and shouting. Children ran in every direction, some through the back door and out through the front door, some under the beds and even into the toilet.

Mother must have been horrified, nay terrified when Gypsy hammered on her door and lectured her in very strong language, how to bring up well mannered children.

Eventually mum chased all the children out and sent them home, and I don’t ever remember being allowed to bring friends to play within our “gates” again.

I wonder if any of our “playmates” are still living and if they too remember.

Mrs Kathleen Stevenson

Huddersfield.

A place of solitude and peace

I TOTALLY agree with Philip Charlesworth, why should the Thandi brothers be involved (Mailbag February 27), haven’t they caused enough disruption. I too feel very strongly that Castle Hill should be left alone.

Castle Hill is a place for solitude and peace, let it remain so.

Concerned

Mount

Soup without the soup

WITH reference to your recent correspondence on ‘pobs’, it reminded me of one of my mum’s tales.

Mum was an Essex girl, born and bred in Dover Court, Harwich, Essex, daughter of a tailor and school teacher, one of eight and of seven surviving children.

Prior to the marriage, my Gran was a school teacher. On her marriage that had to go. My grandfather died of cancer aged 42 leaving Gran with seven children and no means of support apart from the meagre widow’s pension. She couldn’t return to teaching, since, though widowed, she had been married. The widow’s pension was ten shillings a week (and she had a mortgage to pay) and five shillings for every child.

She took in washing with one cold tap, a copper and a mangle and fed the family as best she could.

One meal was known as “Single Sue” not milk, but water: “Single Sue” was broken up bread soaked in boiling water and flavoured with a knob of butter or dripping plus lots of salt and pepper: a kind of soup without the soup. It makes you think doesn’t it, in these days of cheap food everywhere?

J W Kleiner

Outlane

Memorable milestone

WHEN cycling on Lindley Moor Road recently, I observed a milestone which read 16½ miles to Rochdale. It was made by Brayshey and Booth the Liversedge stone masons. I’ve not seen any other sightings of one on my travels and I would be interested to know if there are any others that readers have observed.

Colin Vause

Marsh