Happy New Year.

Happy New Year Cuckooites,I hope it is kind and full of good health,happiness and lot's of wealth and riches.

Tommy and Sue.

Cuckoo Juniors,located in Brants Walk.

Christmas Greetings from the Cuckoo estate

Pantomine(Do you remember)

Just to wish you all Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I am up to my eyes in Pantomime do any of you "beyond the Brent abroadies" remember panto Oh yes you do Oh no you don't. Every year our village put on a Panto this year we are doing Aladdin. My daughter and one of my granddaughters are in it  my youngest son is playing the dame ( Widow Twankey) and I am directing it. Quite a family affair lol. I remember as a child going to Chiswick Empire to see the Pantomime does any one else? I hope all of you have a great Christmas day with your families.Lots of love to all you cuckooites  Sally (Ware) Weston xxxxx

The Dog's Dinner

The Dog's Dinner

 

I just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy and healthy New Year to all.

Also remember you don't have to dress up like a Dog's Dinner to attend the 2008 Cuckooite's Reunion...you can just come as you are.

But don't dilly dally! Order your tickets now and guarantee your seat at the Cuckooites reunion dinner table and enjoy the company of old friends and share memories or shaggy dog tales of the Cuckoo Estate. I trust the Cuckooite menu will be more to your taste and you enjoy woofing it down and a few drinks to go with it.

Hope you enjoy this cartoon as much as I did drawing it.

 

Cheers everyone JohnB, from Beyond The Brent, 2007.

 

(Battersea Dogs Home illustration for The Daily Mirror, December 1976 by JohnB)

 

 

The Dog's home Battersea

Fw: Website menu change

 

Hi everyone,

if you have visited the website in the last couple of days you will see a format change on the menu listed on the right hand side of the Posts. Now you will see a drop down menu for the current month with all the posts for the current month.You can now go to any posted article just by clicking on your choice and it will also give you the comments that have been posted.If you choose to add a comment just scroll to the top and you will find a link that states Post a comment.left click with your mouse and it will take you to that page that allows you to add the comment.Hope this does not confuse you ,and it will be easier to find what you are looking for.

Any questions contact me and I will help in anyway I can.

 

Thanks editor@cuckooites.org

HogsToday should read

 L to R Back row: Dot Prior, Pat Gadston, Jean Russell, Jackie Rumble, Maggie Ansell, Betty Grant, Jeanne Palmer, Edna Bailey,
 L to R Seated:    Pat Hodgson, Val Eaton, Eunice Allen, Val Bailey

Hogs Today. L to R Back row: Dot Prior, Pat Gadston, Jean Russell, Jackie Rumble, Maggie Ansell, Betty Grant, Jeanne Palmer, Edna Bailey,

Henry Morrison (May he rest in peace)

With all the talk about Bush,Blair and now Brown.There has not been one word in the press or T.V.news about the death of Henry Morrison who died peacefully in his sleep this week at the grand old age107.I can hear you saying who is Henry Morrison.Well he was a composer that wrote many well known tunes,always under a none de plume.

Probably this is the reason he was not well known.Never-the less he wrote one of the best known songs in the English language and that being the Okie Cokie.Almost everyone knows that tune and has great fun dancing to it.But no, not one word about him in the press,and his family is very upset.Even more so that when the undertakers went to the house with a coffin to take him away to the funeral parlor.Everything was going okay until they put his left leg in ,then it went all crazy.Happy holidays Jim.

Knees up mother Brown

KNEES UP MOTHER BROWN!

 

Knees up Mother Brown!

Knees up Mother Brown!

Under the table you must go

Ee-i-ee-i-ee-i-oh!

If I catch you bending,

I'll saw your legs right off,

Knees up! Knees Up!

Don't get the breeze up,

Knees up Mother Brown!

Oh My! What a rotten song!

What a rotten song!

Oh, What a rotten song!

Oh My! What a rotten song!

What a rotten singer too!

Knees up Mother Brown!

Knees up Mother Brown!

Under the table you must go

Ee-i-ee-i-ee-i-oh!

If I catch you bending,

I'll saw your legs right off,

Knees up! Knees Up!

Don't get the breeze up,

Knees - up - Mother - Brown!

Ow's yer farver? All right!

 

If you all want a good old fashioned knees-up

better order your tickets for the

2008 Cuckooite Reunion soon!

Time is running out!!!

Fw: Our Website

Under comments tell us what you think of our website,tell us what you think we can do to improve it.Tell us if you like the format,ease of adding comments,contacting the editor.Tell us if we are giving you what you want.We are listening to your suggestions and want to make this the best possible Website for our group as possible.We are growing very big and do not want to forgot what we did to get us here.So here is your chance to sound off I want to know your thoughts.

 

Thanks Tommy your Editor.

Tommy on the right and Jim Smith,Dewhurst Butchers,Greenford Avenue ,1961

Val Bailey 1957 15 years old

C G B left to right1 Val Bailey2?3 Betty Grant4Jean Russell5?6Midge?&Ethel Walker

Maggie Ansell,Jean Russel and Dot Pryer hitching a lift 1957 bus strike

Val Bailey and Pat Gadston,entertaining at the Park hotel 1960

Hanwell Old Girls (Hogs), L to R: Val Bailey, Maggie Ansell, Eunice Allen, Pat Gadston, Betty Grant, 1959

December Newsletter

Hi Everyone where ever you are,

Another Christmas season rolls around,at our age that means we are a year older,I hit the big 70 this month,and it is so hard for me to believe I will be seventy,time sure flies the older we get.

Sue and I returned this week from a fabulous vacation to Central America,Panama canal and the Bahamas,weather was fabulous and the cruise ship crew treated us like royalty,24 hour room service and the food was just scrumptious.      Sorry to say when we came home to Seattle and the Northwest we found our state had been hit by the worst storm for fifty years.

We had over seven inches of rain in one day causing many deaths widespread flooding and thousands of folks being evacuated from their homes.Thankfully I am glad to say our family survived this disaster with no damage to our homes.I am sorry for all the folks around us who will suffer thru a bleak holiday season my heart goes out to them and can only hope help will come quickly to soften their losses.

People ask me why I am so passionate about what I do with this group and why I keep trying to make it grow.I believe we came from a place where we all shared something in common .I know others have told me they share this common ground,believe and enjoy in what we are doing.Others may find we are over bearing and find it all a little tedious.We have always given folks the opportunity to opt out of our group by simply emailing me and letting me know your wishes.We do not want you if you are not interested in what we are doing.

Reunion update ,as of now we are ahead of where we where 3 years ago in registrations,but we have a

little way to go to be sure we have another successful event.Those out there who are planning on attending please get those registrations in ,We will see how close we are on January 1st and determine what we will do next.If you are attending please let your friends know about the reunion and tell them to send in their registrations.Remember all money's we have received will be refunded in full if we have to cancel.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season with your love ones and 2008 is kind to you all in health,love and happiness.

All the very best Tommy.

Hanwell old girls

HOGS STORY

THE

(Hanwell Old Girls)

PICKING UP THE THREADS

 

I was born on 6th November 1941 and lived with my parents, my sister Edna and my brother Ken, at 4 Hillyard Road on the Cuckoo Estate. My earliest playmate was Val Eaton who lived at No 23 and we have been told that we were christened together at St. Christopher's Church. I have my christening certificate that dates the event as 23rd Nov 1941. Val and I were inseparable in our early years. We went together at the age of five, to our first school, which was Cuckoo Infants in Laurie Road, and here we met for the first time Margaret Ansell, Eunice Allen and Pat Hodgson. I can't really remember Eunice and Pat at this stage but I definitely remember Marg. Our next school was Cuckoo Juniors in Kennedy Road and we were all put in Mrs Evans's class. It was while we were at this school that the name changed to its current one, Brentside.

Memories of Brentside that I can recall are:

Maypole dancing on the grass in the middle quadrangle

Italic writing

Marg and I being chosen to catalogue something or other - was it paintings?

Relay races

A Crab-apple tree in the playground

Netball

A party at Miss Waite's house at Ealing Common

 

Can anyone add more?

 

Some time during this period, at roughly the age of eight, Val and I were in a musical production of Sleeping Beauty, which was in the Church Hall and produced by Mrs Russell (the vicar's wife). I can't remember if this was through the CGB or not, but Jean Russell tells me that she was also in it. Can anyone else remember? Val and I played the part of cheeky pageboys to the King and had to cartwheel and somersault around the stage. We also doubled up as fairies and I remember that I was Fairy Speedwell dressed in blue. We had to dance to the classical number, "Waltz of the flowers" by Tchaikovsky, only I did not know that then! We certainly were in the CGB by about 1950/51 but it is hard to pin the year down exactly. CGB is where I met Pat Gadston, Betty Grant, Jackie Rumble, and Jean Russell and of course, also there was Val, Margaret, Eunice and Pat H. Why did I not know the other girls before? Well I know that Pat G went to Hobbayne School and I know that Jackie and Jean are about 18 months older than me but Betty?  Enlighten me, Bet!

When we first went to CGB it was Father Russell that was the vicar. He eventually moved to a church in Ruislip and Marg and I used to cycle over there to see him. Following him came Father Walker (Willy). Did any of us ever really like him?

 

CGB was great! We used to have drill and band practice so that we could all march around the streets once a month on a Sunday after church. I played the drums and I think Pat and Marg did too, Jean and Jackie played the flute. That's as much as my memory goes on the band at the moment and the fact that it was Len Weedon that taught us. We also did a lot of gym, such as vaulting over the horse and mat work. Remember all the displays that we used to put on? Some of the older girls were Jean Hillier, Doreen Cullers, Brenda Cuthbert, Joan and Marjorie Scott.

 

Memories from this period are:

Eunice turned into "Boone". Our new nickname for her.

Val reminded me that we ganged up on a girl called Christine that we didn't like, tied her to a chair in the back room and shut the door on her. Were we really that horrible, Val?

Pat remembers how we used to tap tunes on the toilet and cloakroom doors! Can anyone remember going down to Pat's on a Sunday after church and going with her dad to some club, I think on the golf course?

Come on Marg, what can you remember?

 

What halcyon days!

 

1952 the king died and we were all very sombre, then the next year Queen Elizabeth was crowned and Edmund Hillary conquered Mount Everest. I remember having to write essays about this, which is why the dates stick in my memory.

 

At some point we joined forces with the Lads in the CLB and of course that is where some of the romances started. This is where Pat met Mickey Frolich.

We eventually all went to camp on the Isle of Wight several times although some of you didn't go for some reason or other. I can still see the farm in my mind's eye just outside Yarmouth. The taps where we used to get our water from in billy cans, the slop hole that was dug out, the smelly chemical toilets, the perpetual wasps that hung about, those tents where we slept on the hard ground with just groundsheets, kit bags for pillows and blankets pinned to make sleeping bags. It was certainly REAL camping. Anyone remember fatigues? Inevitably we got up to mischief. Jackie, Jean, Pat and I shared a tent and spent half the night creeping around outside. I think one night we walked into Yarmouth! Another night we met the lads from West Ealing CLB in the next camp -  and so on. Ask Pat about the cows in the fields!

 

I think by this time we must have gone to our secondary schools. Marg and I went to Drayton Manor and the rest went to St Anne's and nobody would talk to us for a while but it didn't take long for us all to get back on normal terms.

I remember meeting DOT PRIOR who lived in Westcott Crescent, just a few doors down from Marg's. It was also at St Anne's that Jean, Jackie and Dot met JEANNE PALMER, although I did not meet Jeanne until later. I presume that we had all left CGB but what happened? Did it close down?

 

This was now our growing up years, - our adolescence. We discovered boys!

 

Marg, Jean, Jackie and I used to cycle over to Elthorne Park where a particular crowd of lads used to hang out. Richard Davies, Ken "Duke" Welland, Doug Hodge, Leslie (Ginger) Davis. -  Help? What other names? Soon after this we went to the Leeland Road Youth Club rubbing shoulders with the infamous Jimmy Wilkinson and crowd, but we were only there for a short spell as it was too rough for nice girls like us!

 

Marg, Jean and I then progressed to the YWCA Youth Club at the Blue Triangle in Ealing Broadway, a much nicer club altogether. I can remember calling for Marg and we used to put lipstick and high heel shoes on (bought at a jumble sale), before setting off to catch the 211 bus. We became part of the YWCA crowd and would meet on Sunday afternoons at the ABC or Lyons teashops and then go to the pictures, taking up the whole of the two back rows at the Forum.  The year by now must have been about 1957. Bill Haley had exploded upon us bringing rock and roll and teddy boys, however, Marg and I were staunch Johnnie Ray fans and didn't let go for a long time. We wore shirts back to front that we had embroidered with his songs and  "I love you Johnnie" all over them.

 

Then Marg and I got Saturday jobs. Marg worked in Jox Box café and I worked in Hillside Library selling sweets and fags. Say no more! I then went on to work for the Co-op in Acton working in the soft furnishing department. Somewhere along the line, Dot and Jeanne joined the youth club and this is where I first met Jeanne. We had also been introduced to the demon drink by this time and although we were all under age, The Royal Oak next to John Sanders became the Sunday evening venue after the pictures. I remember Jean and I venturing to drink gin and orange but Marg didn't really enjoy alcohol although she put on a brave face at the time. Vodka was introduced to the country about this time and we tried that with lime and it became our drink. (Vodka is still my tipple, only these days with tonic water, ice and lemon).

 

I used to go on holiday with my parents to Sandown on the Isle of Wight and I can remember Val coming with us once when we were kids and then a lot later, Jean and Marg came. Jean had a real crush on the deck chair attendant and after we got home used to drool about him. We decided to go back there on our own and believe it or not, we slept in a beach hut for a week. Naturally our parents had no idea about this thinking we were staying in a guest house and I wonder now how we got away with it, but we did. I can't think how old we were – I'd say about 16?

 

Jean and Jackie left school and both went into hairdressing. Jean worked for the Powder Box in Ealing Broadway and Jackie worked for Gregorys in Northfield Avenue. At seventeen, Marg and I left school too, Marg worked for Barclays Bank in the city and I worked for Ottways in Northfield Ave. I used to meet Jackie every lunch-time and I think by this time she had met and was going out with Frank Smart whom she eventually married.

 

Now that we had left school and Saturdays were once again free, Val, Boone, Pat G, Pat H, Betty, Marg and I joined The Trojans Netball Club, whose home base was at Drayton Manor. We became the under 18 champions and were a side to be reckoned with in those days. Also playing for Trojans but in the senior team was Joan Scott and Brenda Cuthbert from our CGB days. As we got older we became the senior team ourselves and were well known in the borough. We stayed playing together more or less up until the time we were all married.

 

Back at the YWCA a number of romances had been blossoming. I had started going out with Pete Morris and got engaged to him on my seventeenth birthday. Marg was going steady with Tony Gardner, Jeanne and Mike Kirby had become an item and Dot was going with Mike King. Jean had beaten the lot of us and had married Tony Denton. Pat was still going with Mick (that had continued from CGB days) and I think Val, Boone and Betty were still playing the field.

 

Marg and Tony, Pete and I all went off to Hemsby one year for a holiday, staying at Maddiesons holiday camp for one week and the second week we decided to head for the south coast, using the car as our sleeping place. We made it to Ipswich or was it Colchester, when the car (an old banger) broke down. I have a vague memory of us all sitting in it outside a broker's yard, waiting for the place to open, whilst a violent thunderstorm was raging about us! After obtaining the part needed, we continued on our way and made it to Hastings where we spent the night in the caves. All I can remember is how cold it was! By this time, thoroughly miserable, we went to Eastbourne and then halfway up Beachey Head, guess what? The back axle on the car went! This time we had to abandon the car and set off on foot. I presume we caught a train from somewhere and we ended up in Bournemouth, at the home of Pete's married cousin. His wife took one look at us all and ordered baths all round!

 

We also started to play cards, that is Brag, gambling for money, mostly pennies but occasionally some silver, or snow as we called it. There were six of us (Pat and Mick with us now) and we used to go to either Marg's house or Pat's house. Afterwards we would have a supper of sandwiches, pickled onions and a hot drink.

 

Marg and Pat went away to work in a holiday camp for the summer and then Pete went in the army for his National Service. I am sorry to say that after nearly a year I sent him a "Dear John" and broke it off. Oh well, it could not have been real love. Inevitably, I saw less of Marg as Tony and Pete were mates and things were awkward from then on. Pete eventually married Pat Harris who lived on the estate.

 

Meanwhile we still all saw each other at netball and we had also started going to the Park Hotel once a week together. This is where Pat and I used to do our party piece and get up and sing on the mike. What a range of songs we had, all mostly rude but never that bad. Alouette was the main one and we always ended with all the girls joining in and dancing "Salome".

 

Val and I had always continued to see each other although she did not join the youth club with us. We still went to each other's houses to play our records and talk and I used to meet her once a week after work. She worked at Car Marts and I would get on the 97 bus from Ottways and meet her in Ealing. Sometimes we would go to the pictures and sometimes have a meal out. That was an adventure in those days.

 

Somewhere around this time, about 1960, I introduced Boone to a young man that I worked with at Ottways, whose name was Colin Eason. I didn't dream that she would end up marrying him! I believe Betty had also started courting her Gordon.

 

Val and I started going to the Hammersmith Palais on a Wednesday evening and we used to catch the last train home to Hanwell and walk home from there. We once got stopped by a policeman on a Noddy bike, who wanted to know what two young girls were doing out on their own late at night. Mind you, we were about nineteen years old by his time! It was at the Palais that I met Rick Hayes, my future husband, who was on leave from the RAF at the time. We started courting but before things became too serious, Val and I went on a holiday to St.Ives in Cornwall. Not long after this, Val met Tom McAndrew her future husband.

 

Rick and I got married in 1962 and I remember keeping up tradition and having my hen night at The Park Hotel. It was also my 21st birthday on the same night. Tom was our best man and afterwards he helped us to move to Warwickshire where Rick was stationed and this seemed to be the point where I started to lose contact with you all. That is except for Pat!  Rick and I had moved back to Hanwell to live with my parents about a year later and we used to go out with Pat & Mick even going on holiday to  - guess where? Good old St.Ives again, but this time a camping holiday.

 

Trojans netball team had by now folded up but one evening in The Park Hotel a few girls got together and decided to start another team. This one was called Park Netball Club and only Pat and I were there from the original team, but we did have two others from old that joined us, Joan Scott and Brenda Cuthbert. This team continued for a long time, new players coming in continuously but always there was Pat and I, even through pregnancies! Pat had Tracey, I had Neil, then Pat had Joanna and the kids were dragged around to every match with us. A little later Pat had Steven. I finally stopped playing after I had a hysterectomy in 1981 at the age of forty. I don't know how much longer Pat continued for.

 

Meanwhile, my marriage had ended in divorce in 1968 but in 1976 I met Ron Brooks, a widower with two young sons, and we were married in 1979 and I can honestly say that that was the best thing that had ever happened to me, apart from having Neil of course.

 

By a strange quirk, my eldest step-son Gary had become firm friends with a young man called Andrew Kirby. Recognise the name? Yes it was Jeanne's son only we did not connect until we met at a party a few years ago.

 

So the years have rolled on, we are all pensioners or about to be pensioners and most of us are grand-parents. Three marriages have ended in divorce, one of us is a widow but six  are still married. I think that's a pretty good record don't you? Inevitably, nostalgia creeps in but I am so glad that we have all met again. At least we are all still here, despite one or two of us having had health scares. Here's to the HOGS and long may we go on together now that we have found each other again! 

 

October 2001

 

 

Since the above was written in 2001 my life has turned upside down again. Sadly, my dear husband Ron died of lung cancer in December 2002. It has taken me a while to start living life to the full again but I have had the support not only from my own family but from my many friends and most comforting of all, -The Hogs. Four of us went to Paris for a few days in 2004, the others leaving their husbands to cope on their own, and wow! – what a good few days that was. The cuckoo estate is where I formed my early friendships and they have certainly endured. Long live all Cuckooites,

 

Val Brooks (Bailey) lived at 4 Hillyard Rd

 

Edna Robinson (Bailey lived at 4 Hillyard Rd

 

Margaret Gardener (Ansell) lived at 45 Westcott Crescent

 

Eunice Eason (Allen) lived on Browning Ave

 

Val McAndrew (Eaton) lived at 23 Hillyard Rd

 

Jean Denton (Russell) lived on Benham Rd

 

Jackie Smart (Rumble) lived on Templeman Rd

 

Dot King (Prior) lived in Westcott Crescent

 

Pat Frolich (Gadston) lived at 105, Mayfield Gdns

 

Jeanne Kirby (Palmer) lived "over the hill"

 

Betty  Morris (Grant) lived on Greenford Ave

 

Pat Marsh (Hodgson) lived on either Harp, Templeman or Browning

December bulletin board

Here we go again,this months bulletin board is open to all your thoughts and communications ,have fun with it and keep those lines of communications open looking forward to reading all your comments. Tommy

Why would they want to do that?

Hi! everybody. Something changed without notice from google yesterday which I feel is a poor deal. When you wanted to make a comment, you had the option of clicking (google/blogger), (other),or (anonymous) before publishing you comment. Now for a reason known only to them google has changed the( other )button, and in its place is one called (nickname.) Initially it did cause some confusion but I think it is O.K. now. So in future, or at least untill Tommy returns, please use the nickname button excactly as you used the (other) button. Just click on it add your name then publish.Jim.