Civvy Street once more

The Diaries of Russell James Sparrow 1908 to 1991

evidence being driven by small boys to the music of their bells and the bells of the many churches in the town. I noticed that at the bus stops most of the passengers crossed themselves before going aboard and after seeing the way the buses were driven and what they carried inside and hanging outside I can understand why! We made base O.K. next day and in the afternoon did a trip to Holland.

Next day we were sent to Albert Lodge in London for Yellow Fever injections and we knew what that meant! Tokyo here we come! But it was not to be because after another trip to Holland and a few glider tows Norman the skipper and I were discharged so although it was another month before the final act we didn’t do any more flying. I had a few days leave plus 2 separate Saturdays in Town with Johnnie Bloom and his sister before the great experience of getting demobbed commenced, days of it - Doctor, Dentist, C.O. etc. a night in the Great Eastern Hotel on Liverpool Street and then on to Uxbridge to complete the deal before going on to collect our civvies suits etc. I eventually arrived home at 18.45 on 30.11.45 to a lovely welcome. A civilian once again and behind me some experiences I shall never forget.

I was soon back in harness commencing work on 3.12.45 and from then on it was all go, picking up the threads of business, going back into the B.B. and choir, renewing activity in the Masons and the Horticultural Society, and being elected to serve on the Parish Council.

1946

In the summer we all went to Chirk for a holiday. Jean had returned to the Ipswich High School for Girls when we returned from Scotland and Mick had gone to Bosmere Primary (the Need-

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The Diaries of Russell James Sparrow 1908 to 1991

ham Primary school had been bombed) where he stayed until in 1948 he went to Brandeston Hall where he became captain of Rugby and school captain before going on to Framlingham College. Jean had been doing very well on the piano and had signalled her future intentions by joining the local Red Cross Society under Mrs Fleetwood (who would play the organ for Jean’s wedding in 1957) at Creeting St Mary. I was appointed as Needham representative on the County Parish Council’s association and round about this time the needs for a Playing Field in Needham were being discussed and public meetings held and as the ‘Mayor’ I was in the chair for these meetings, some of which became very fiery with personalities becoming involved. However it was decided to soldier on and form a Playing Field Committee with yours truly as chairman.

The Parish Council became members of the Playing Fields Association and Frank Morris and I were appointed as representatives and attended several meetings in London with Prince Phillip in the chair. Doff became active again in the church and the W.I.. League football was resumed and Mick and I gave our vocal support to Ipswich Town. We had several outings to the cinema, Ipswich and Stow, the Hippo for pantomimes and the Art’s Theatre and frequent interchange visits with the Whiteheads.

1947

Clifford and Eunice were married at Stowmarket Parish Church on Easter Saturday, Jean was a bridesmaid and I was best man. I think it will be clearer to anyone who is interested enough to read this if I chronicle events as they happened, more or less anyway. One non-flying experience that I shall never forget happened when we 55

The Diaries of Russell James Sparrow 1908 to 1991

were preparing for a carnival or Flower Show. As often happened on these occasions, and as secretary of one and Chairman of the other I would take our lorry out in the morning of the event and collect odd bits and pieces that had been overlooked. Mick had come along to lend a hand and was riding in the back of the lorry. We were on our way to Creeting and going down Hawk’s Mill Street and were nearly up to the railway bridge when providence stepped in and told me to stop and check to see that Mick had got his head down to clear the bridge – he hadn’t! He was standing up leaning against the back of the cab with his back to the bridge and if we had not stopped when we did it is pretty certain that at the speed we were travelling he would have been a goner with a fractured skull.

This same year we all went to a panto at the Hippodrome, Mick and I went to the Police Sports at Portman Road. Doff and I went to London to a Parish Councils Association Meeting taking the Morris with us and spending a night or two in Banstead. I was now taking charge of the annual B.B. visit to the Albert Hall display put on by the London battalion plus visiting companies of the U.K. This for us was a 2 day event in early May organised by the Mid.Suffolk battalion. We left Stowmarket by an early morning train, visiting St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Mint, and on one occasion by invitation of Edgar (later Lord) Granville, the Houses of Parliament, the Zoo, Madame Tussauds etc. etc. walking every where and completing the first day at the evening performance at the Albert Hall. After the show we proceeded to a church hall near King’s Cross Station where we slept on the floor in blankets provided by the good folk of the church. We rose very early next morning and did a tour of Smithfield Market before returning to the hall for a boiled egg breakfast, we had taken the eggs with us and carried them between us around town the previous day. We then made our way to Trafalgar Square, Whitehall, Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey before catching the train home in the afternoon, by which time we were flaked out! This

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The Diaries of Russell James Sparrow 1908 to 1991

was the pre-war programme and it started again for about three years after the war and then ceased as a battalion outing. We did go up several times as a company in our Bedford van!

And once in 1963 we hired a Dormobile from Coddenham arriving back in Needham at 2.30 a.m. the next morning with the vehicle still to go back to Coddenham and who do you think was the driver? The last visit was in 1966 again in our Bedford.

1949

This was a year of sadness and gladness. Auntie Emmie died suddenly at a bus stop in Chirk in February and Doff, Ciss, John and I went to the funeral. I put my foot on the first rung of the local government ladder when I topped the polls in the Parish Council elections and was made Chairman. After a lot of meetings and pretty careful planning, and plenty of doubts as to the outcome I can tell you that the first Carnival week took place at Whitsun and was an enormous success. We went to Chirk for our holiday, Mick and I went to see Les Savold box in Ipswich and I went to the Motor and Radio shows in London. John and Brenda were married in Needham and Jean was a bridesmaid, Marie and Colin were married at Burgh Heath in October. The year ended on a sad note with the death of Grandad Offord in December.

1950

Grandad Sparrow was elected President of the Ipswich and District Builder’s Federation. We watched Mick playing rugby for Brandeston v. Ipswich School on the Valley Road. Jean went to Birmingham in April to commence her training at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Graham (Offord) sang the tenor solo in the Messiah at Ipswich and the year ended with the death of Uncle Ted in Westhorpe.

1951

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The Diaries of Russell James Sparrow 1908 to 1991

We saw a lot of Birmingham this year starting with a weekend in February when we saw ‘Gays the Word’ with Cicely Courtnedge. Jean was taken seriously ill at the Q.E. and we went up for weekends in March and April and stayed with the Robinsons. Mick developed Mumps after the April trip. We collected Jean and brought her home for sick leave on May 24th.

I had tea with Group-Captain Viscount Acheson at Wattisham to discuss the carnival and played cricket for the fathers of Brandeston. We had our holiday that year in Weymouth staying with Nellie and George (wartime lodgers) and finished at Banstead on our way home. Mick and I saw a memorable cricket match, England v. South Africa at the Oval and we also went to the South Bank Exhibition. Jean went back to Q.E. on Sept. 1st and I was Godfather at Philip’s christening on 21st October. We finished the year in that city having tea with Stella, visiting Jean and going to the service at St. Martins in the Bullring on 23rd Dec. returning home for Christmas on the 24th.

1952

King George V1 died rather suddenly on Feb. 6th and our present Queen and Prince Philip had to return home from a Safari holiday. We had some rough weather on March 30th when I was supposed to collect a student Minister from Wattisfield. The snow was so heavy that I couldn’t get through although the road was cleared later in the day. Mick went to Fingringhoe to camp with the College cadets and we had an afternoon with him in Colchester. Jean went to Switzerland for a holiday with Kath.

A coach trip to London was arranged on Dec. 6th to see Arsenal play football at Highbury. As we approached London fog became so bad that traffic slowed down and we didn’t get to Highbury until

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The Diaries of Russell James Sparrow 1908 to 1991

just before kick-off time only to find that the match had been cancelled. What to do now? We found somewhere to park the coach and made for the nearest cinema, but we didn’t see much of the proceedings there because the fog had penetrated the cinema and obliterated the screen. So out we came into a real ‘peasouper’ and after a struggle and keeping close together we found the coach and set off for Harringay Ice Rink. We were admitted to the arena, saw some ice hockey until about a third of the way through the programme the fog became so intense that the whole thing was abandoned. When we got outside it was impossible and unbelievable – you could not see your hand in front of your face. It would have been impossible to move the coach and the weatherman had reported over the coach radio that London’s worst fog ever would persist over night and advised everybody to stay put. We found a café fairly close by and made our way there and back led by a local and holding on to each other’s coattails. I found a ‘phone box and rang Needham police, gave them the details of the members of our party and asked them to inform all the relatives they could especially the parents of the boys. It transpired that they did this very well. In the meantime we settled down for the night in the coach with Gordon periodically revving up the engine to give us a bit of warmth.

On the Sunday morning the fog had lifted enough by 1 o’clock for us to get on our way and we made it to Needham by about 2.30 p.m., weary, dirty and quite a few upset tummies. That fog caused a lot of deaths to people with weak chests as well as a large number of accidents and was the reason for enforcing the burning of only smokeless fuel. A day to remember! 4000 people died as a result of this fog!

1953

Uncle Fred died and Dad and I attended the funeral on Feb.23rd. Severe flooding on the East Coast, north Suffolk and Norfolk, caus-

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The Diaries of Russell James Sparrow 1908 to 1991

ing much damage and considerable loss of life, especially at Felixstowe. Queen Elizabeth II was crowned on a very wet day, June 2nd. We entertained Mrs Elizabeth Wyatt from Needham, Mass., U.S.A. who had come to this country for the coronation and to participate in our carnival celebrations. She stayed with us for 2 nights. Jean and Mick came home at various times, sometimes with friends. Mick had a taste of real work when he helped with the painting of Offton School and other jobs during his school holidays. We had a holiday at the Y.M.C.A. at Eastbourne and returned via Brighton and met the annual London to Brighton walk en route. Mother and Dad celebrated their Golden wedding anniversary on 16th Aug. with a family lunch at The Limes and on to Felixstowe for tea at their beloved Millars. The day before that William Abblitt Nunn, Clifford, Mick and I motored to Kennington Oval for the last test against Australia. The year finished with Mick’s confirmation service and Christmas in Birmingham when we stayed with Mrs Dixon. We went to Q.E. for carols on the wards, had a party in Jean’s room and then on to a midnight service in Harborne. On Christmas Day I collected Jean and Harriet from the hospital for the evening returning them at 11.30. On Boxing Day went to see Wolverhampton Wanderers beat Aston Villa 2-1 at Villa Park.

1954

We had severe frosts and lots of snow in January. In the same month the B.B. had a more successful outing to London taking in Arsenal v. Sunderland, 1-4, and Jack Hylton’s circus at Olympia. I saw the All Blacks play at Ipswich on March 3rd. Kath and Mrs Dixon spent a weekend with us during the month. Jean finished at Q.E. 4 years after she had started. She had an operation on her eye to correct a congenital ‘squint’ and then came home. She got a nursing job at Onehouse Hospital (an old workhouse) which she said was a real eye-opener. It was only for a few weeks until she started at the Central Middlesex Hospital with Joyce to do 1st Part midwifery.

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The Diaries of Russell James Sparrow 1908 to 1991

We spent Christmas in London staying at ‘The House of Rest’ (owned by the church) in St. John’s Wood next to Lord’s cricket ground. We met Jean in Trafalgar Square on Christmas Eve to sing carols round the huge Christmas tree, an annual gift from the people of Norway to thank the people of Britain for sheltering their Royal family during the war. On Christmas morning we attended service at Westminster Chapel and had tea with Jean and Joyce in Acton. On 26th we went to morning service at a church on Hampstead Heath, had tea with Jean and toured the hospital. Boxing day was spent with the Crookes and Harold, Mick and I went to Stamford Bridge to watch Chelsea play Arsenal, 1-1, in front of a crowd of 67,000. The year ended with severe gales.

1955

Again severe frosts at the beginning of the year. London newspapers were published on April 21st after a month’s strike. Jean had started at the London Hospital at the beginning of April. Mick joined the Royal Sussex Regiment and went to Chichester on June 8th. Jean came home regularly and on July 15th she brought home a certain Colin Keen, a young man we were to see a lot more of. Mick came home on leave before going on to Canterbury. In August we all went to Christine and Tony’s wedding at Burgh Heath and on Sunday the 21st took Mick back to Canterbury.

We had our holiday in Torquay at the Y.M., Colin joined us for one night and then I took him to the station where later on I picked up Jill (Whitehead) who then spent the rest of the week with us. Our Silver Wedding Anniversary was on Nov. 15th and we had tea at Footman’s! Mick had one or two short spells of leave before his posting to Germany on Nov.22nd. Jean came home for Christmas.

1956

Like the previous years we started with rough weather, lots of snow and severe frosts. We were very happy to announce Jean and

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The Diaries of Russell James Sparrow 1908 to 1991

Colin’s engagement on Feb.19th. Mick came home from Germany in April. On Sunday June 3rd all the Sparrows met all the Keens in London and Colin took us all to supper at Schmidts on Soho. On 5th July Mick went to Korea. On 21st July we

Schmidt’s, Charlotte Street went to Clapton to open Jean’s flat where we stayed for one night (with the mice).We had another night with Jean on 18th August en route to Innsbruck where we had a good week but a very rough crossing on our way home. The flat in Clapton was fast becoming a staging post for us. On 26th October we stayed there again before proceeding to Southsea for a weekend with Colin’s Mum and Dad.

A great time for Needham when Wilfred and Mabel Pickles brought their ‘Have-a-Go’ show there and yours truly was one of the selected contestants. Quite a lively evening finishing at the Lime’s Hotel. We went to Clapton for the week at Christmas and due to petrol rationing had to travel by Bedford van containing wallpaper, bricks etc. to make the journey authentic. Parking was a problem but this was over come by using the grounds of the nearby R.C.Church for the first two nights and then transferring our custom to the Chest Hospital. Jean and Colin took us to the morning service in the Royal Chapel, Tower of London and later Colin took me for a swim in the pool at the London Hospital. We went with Jean to the carol service in Trafalgar Square on Christmas Eve and on Christmas morning had drinks with Jean’s landlord, Mr. and Mrs Cohen. I also went to White Hart Lane and saw Spurs beat Bolton 4-0.

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