John's Stories...

[Matt]

For you, John, so we don't lose your stories in the other threads. Always brings a smile to my face reading through them, which has been much appreciated, especially in recent times

[Cornish Steve]

Can we make this a 'Dear John' section?

 

For example: John, what do you remember of your first ever visit to Goodison?

[MikeO]

Can we make this a 'Dear John' section?

 

For example: John, what do you remember of your first ever visit to Goodison?

 

Don't see any reason why not .

[StevO]

I think we need to tell John this thread is here.

[johnh]

Can we make this a 'Dear John' section?

 

For example: John, what do you remember of your first ever visit to Goodison?

 

It is really kind of Matt and all you guys to go to all this trouble. I am really grateful and honoured as I think this is a really top quality website and I am proud and privileged to be a member.

 

To answer Steve's question:

 

My first ever visit to Goodison was the first season after the war. It was Everton v Liverpool and I was 9 years old. I went with my brother and an older lad. I had never seen so many people in one place. The roads around Goodison were packed. We waited in a long queue about six or eight deep, there was lots of pushing and shoving. There was a mounted policeman controlling the crowds and he kept nudging his horse into our queue to keep everyone in order. As a child, I suffered from acute claustrophobia so was not a happy chappy being crushed up against the wall (as far as I could get away from the horse!). We should have gone in the boys pen but were on the main terrace. Being only 9 I didn't see much of the game and remember even less. I can't even remember the score!

Didn't put me off though and I hardly missed a home game from then on.

[MikeO]

 

It is really kind of Matt and all you guys to go to all this trouble. I am really grateful and honoured as I think this is a really top quality website and I am proud and privileged to be a member.

 

To answer Steve's question:

 

My first ever visit to Goodison was the first season after the war. It was Everton v Liverpool and I was 9 years old. I went with my brother and an older lad. I had never seen so many people in one place. The roads around Goodison were packed. We waited in a long queue about six or eight deep, there was lots of pushing and shoving. There was a mounted policeman controlling the crowds and he kept nudging his horse into our queue to keep everyone in order. As a child, I suffered from acute claustrophobia so was not a happy chappy being crushed up against the wall (as far as I could get away from the horse!). We should have gone in the boys pen but were on the main terrace. Being only 9 I didn't see much of the game and remember even less. I can't even remember the score!

Didn't put me off though and I hardly missed a home game from then on.

 

29th Jan 1947 John, we won 1-0, Eddie Wainwright goal . Not 100% convinced by the formation though, think it's unlikely Ted Sagar played on the wing .

 

[Matt]

I think we need to tell John this thread is here.

he knows dude. Going to move most of his stories here tonight

[johnh]

 

29th Jan 1947 John, we won 1-0, Eddie Wainwright goal . Not 100% convinced by the formation though, think it's unlikely Ted Sagar played on the wing .

 

The numbers against the players' names are correct.

[Bill]

I seen most of them, rumour was that the scorer Eddie Wainwright only had one lung, maybe john can throw some light on that, and nobby fielding must have been the most unfit footballer I ever seen. Remember Tommy Eglington (eggo) scoring five goals from the wing in one game.

[MikeO]

The numbers against the players' names are correct.

 

Absolutely, just a bit of a boo-boo by whoever did the graphic to put the 'keeper left mid.

[Matt]

I wonder what John and Bills combined "games watched" total rings in at.

 

Or their combined ages for that matter!

[Bill]

In three consecutive home games in the 50s Everton scored a total of 20 goals, think it was two sixes and an eight. Im not sure who the two sixes were against but i can remember the eight against plymouth argyle which finished 8 = 4 that adds up to a goal every eight minutes, one of the best matches i have seen.

 

I Think John would have been to those games, might have even been standing next to me, you never know do you.

[MikeO]

In three consecutive home games in the 50s Everton scored a total of 20 goals, think it was two sixes and an eight. Im not sure who the two sixes were against but i can remember the eight against plymouth argyle which finished 8 = 4 that adds up to a goal every eight minutes, one of the best matches i have seen.

 

I Think John would have been to those games, might have even been standing next to me, you never know do you.

 

Should have whipped you phone out and done a "selfie" Bill, then we'd know .

[johnh]

In three consecutive home games in the 50s Everton scored a total of 20 goals, think it was two sixes and an eight. Im not sure who the two sixes were against but i can remember the eight against plymouth argyle which finished 8 = 4 that adds up to a goal every eight minutes, one of the best matches i have seen.

 

I Think John would have been to those games, might have even been standing next to me, you never know do you.

 

Unlikely Bill, I moved to Leeds in 1951, though I do remember the goal fest via the newspapers. Didn't have a TV in those days. Dave Hickson had just started with Everton when we moved. I always regretted not seeing him play on a regular basis. Everton were always renowned for centre-forwards, there was a bit of a gap after Tommy Lawton (Jock :Dodds wasn't quite the real deal) and Dave Hickson

went a long way to fill that gap.

[MikeO]

In three consecutive home games in the 50s Everton scored a total of 20 goals, think it was two sixes and an eight. Im not sure who the two sixes were against but i can remember the eight against plymouth argyle which finished 8 = 4 that adds up to a goal every eight minutes, one of the best matches i have seen.

 

I Think John would have been to those games, might have even been standing next to me, you never know do you.

 

Not quite Bill, the first of the games that we scored six in was actually an away game at Derby; it was in 53/54 in division two, the last season we spent out of the top flight.

 

The sequence of results was...

 

6th Feb Blackburn (Home) Draw 1-1

13th Feb Derby (Away) Won 6-2

24th Feb Brentford (Home) Won 6-1

27th Feb Plymouth (Home) Won 8-4

6th Mar Swansea (Away) Won 2-0

13th Mar Rotherham (Home) Won 3-0

[Cornish Steve]

 

 

Not quite Bill, the first of the games that we scored six in was actually an away game at Derby; it was in 53/54 in division two, the last season we spent out of the top flight.

 

The sequence of results was...

 

6th Feb Blackburn (Home) Draw 1-1

13th Feb Derby (Away) Won 6-2

24th Feb Brentford (Home) Won 6-1

27th Feb Plymouth (Home) Won 8-4

6th Mar Swansea (Away) Won 2-0

13th Mar Rotherham (Home) Won 3-0

 

 

It's even more impressive that one of the games was away!

[Cornish Steve]

John: Of all the players you've had the pleasure of watching on the pitch, who would you regard as the greatest? And, for that matter, who was the most disappointing?

[johnh]

John: Of all the players you've had the pleasure of watching on the pitch, who would you regard as the greatest? And, for that matter, who was the most disappointing?

 

I am assuming you mean Everton players. My favourite (maybe not the greatest) was Tommy Jones, the centre-half in the late 1940's. There were two Tommy Jones's, Tommy G Jones (my favourite) and Tommy E Jones who took over from him. Tommy Jones was a classy player, good ball control, never panicked, always picked a good pass out of defence. I see a lot of him in John Stones except that Tommy Jones knew how to defend! I decided to play centre-half purely because of watching Tommy Jones and tried to model myself on him The most disappointing was a centre forward named Albert Juliussen who was signed with a big fanfare but was the worst centre forward I ever saw in my life. (Even worse than Kone!)

If you don't mean only Everton then the greatest I ever saw was John Charles. He could play centre-half or centre-forward. Was a giant of a man who was unbeatable in the air, had a rocket shot in both feet, had good ball control and was pretty quick for a big man.

In terms of disappointments I think its still Albert Juliussen.

[Cornish Steve]

I can just remember a famous footballer from Cornwall (a few miles away from me in Gunnislake) playing for Everton in the 1960s: Mike Trebilcock. From your recollection, John, was he a decent player?

Edited May 11, 2016 by Cornish Steve

[markjazzbassist]

I can just remember a famous footballer from Cornwall (a few miles away from me in Gunnislake) playing for Everton in the 1960s: Mike Trebilcock. From your recollection, was he a decent player?

 

what a name

[Cornish Steve]

 

what a name

 

We're a virile bunch in Cornwall.

 

Actually, I just did a Google search and found this article about him. I love his quote that ends the article.

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3488605/Sportsmail-tracks-Everton-s-1966-FA-Cup-final-hero-Mike-Trebilcock-50-years-brace-against-Sheffield-Wednesday.html

 

Here's hoping John remembers him.

Edited May 11, 2016 by Cornish Steve

[MikeO]

I can just remember a famous footballer from Cornwall (a few miles away from me in Gunnislake) playing for Everton in the 1960s: Mike Trebilcock. From your recollection, John, was he a decent player?

On Radio City tonight.

 

RADIO SHOW: Howard, Temple, Trebilcock, Unsworth and Dowell on tonight's broadcast, starting shortly on @RadioCityTalk

 

Think he moved to Oz didn't he?

[johnh]

Mike Trebilcock scored two goals in the 1966 cup final. Remember it well, Everton won the cup and England won the World Cup.

[rubecula]

And Derek Temple scored the other. Harry Catterick was seen to smile. The Owls had the game in the bag up to that fightback.

[johnh]

On Radio City tonight.

 

RADIO SHOW: Howard, Temple, Trebilcock, Unsworth and Dowell on tonight's broadcast, starting shortly on @RadioCityTalk

 

Think he moved to Oz didn't he?

Just read somewhere that Mike Trebilcock has just re-married in Devon. After his wife died he managed to trace his first ever girlfriend who he hadn't seen for 52 years. She was a widow and they got together. Didn't say whether he would be going back to Oz.

[johnh]

Can't remember if I have posted this before. Apologies if I have.

 

WE'VE COME FOR A TRIAL.

 

Our favourite uncle was Uncle Charlie, one of mother's brothers. Dad, being a musician and having his own band, used to do summer seasons in places like the Isle of Man and the Isle of Wight, so he would be away for months at a time in the summer. Even in the winter he would be playing at ballrooms throughout the north so would be away for various times. Uncle Charlie had no sons and he used to visit us regularly. He had been in the Navy during World War 1 and kept us spellbound with stories about his experiences. His stories always had a moral emphasising character building and the importance of sportsmanship. One example of his lasting influence on us was his promise that he would give us ten shillings each on our 18th birthday if we hadn't started smoking. He said that smoking and sport were incompatible. Neither me nor my brother has smoked to this day - though I rather think it was the ten bob rather than the advice that won the day! We always looked forward to his visits not least because he always gave us sixpence when he went home. One visit, when I was 13 and my brother 14, he asked us what we wanted to do when we left school. We both said 'we want to play for Everton'. He thought for a while and then he said 'If you want anything in this life you have to go out an get it, it wont drop in your lap'.

'what you should do' he continued, 'is go to Goodison Park and ask for a trial. If they say no, say that you are going to Liverpool, Everton will then call you back and offer you a trial because they will be worried about losing out to Liverpool'. The following Sunday morning me and my brother got the tram to Goodison Park. We walked round to the main entrance and found a door open. We went in and climbed up several flights of stairs until we came to a landing. There was a door and next to it a window with frosted glass and 'Enquiries' on in big gold letters. There was a bell which we pressed and waited. After a few minutes we hear footsteps and the window opened. It was a woman and she said 'waddya want'. In unison, we said 'we've come for a trial'. She looked us up and down and finally said 'wait here'. She closed the window and our excitement levels soared, we hadn't been rejected out of hand. We heard the footsteps returning, the window opened and she said 'how old are you'? We looked at each other as we hadn't expected this question. My brother added a year to his age and blurted out '15', so I added a year and said '14'. She said 'wait here' and our excitement levels went off the scale. After a few minutes she returned and said 'come back when you are 18'. We were devastated and trooped down the stairs. Half-way down we remembered Uncle Charlie's advice so we stopped and shouted 'we're going to Liverpool'. We shouted it two or three times but no one came. We were a bit disappointed in Uncle Charlie as his advice was usually sound so on his next visit we told him the story and I remember being puzzled that he laughed until the tear ran down his cheeks. Anyway, he gave us a shilling each on that visit instead of the usual sixpence.

We never did go back for our trial because at 18 we were both doing our National Service. My brother served in Germany and Hong Kong and I served in Singapore and Malaya.

 

Absolutely true story this - happy memories. (1949)

Edited September 26, 2016 by johnh

[Hafnia]

What a great thread.

[johnh]

IN LIFE,  YOU NEVER KNOW WHO YOU ARE GOING TO RUN INTO!

The firm I worked for in Leeds had their head office in Windsor. In the mid 1960's, life had taken an upturn for me. I was Accounts Manager for Leeds Depot and became responsible for two other northern depots at Newcastle and Wigan. Increased responsibility meant increased pay, so I was able to move into a new build house (albeit  end terraced) which had central heating! I was also able to buy my first, second-hand, car.  In 1968 I was instructed to travel down to Windsor for a meeting with the Managing Director and my boss the Financial Director.  Had no idea what it was about.  The MD started off talking about how computerisation was taking off and giving all sorts of examples. He then said that the company were building a state of the art computer centre at Windsor and were aiming to install the first computer in 1969/70.  He then dropped the bombshell,  'we want you to move to Windsor to be our first Computer Manager'.  Now I had never even seen a computer, didn't know what colour they were or anything. But I remember having read somewhere that you never turn down a promotion as you probably won't get another offer.  So I expressed my thanks and accepted.  I was told to arrange to move to Windsor in late 1968. As I was leaving the MD's office, I got to the door and the MD said 'John'.  I turned, and he said 'you know that if  it doesn't work out your old job won't be available'.  I suppressed a gulp and confirmed I understood.

By the summer of 1968 I had details of about a dozen houses we wanted to view. The houses were in Windsor, Old Windsor, Ascot, Bracknell, Taplow and Maidenhead.  I was allowed three days to view and my wife and two boys (5 and 8) accompanied me as we drove to Windsor.  On the third and last day, after two gruelling days, we visited Maidenhead for our final viewing. It was my first ever visit to Maidenhead and didn't know my way around.  I was driving through the centre of Maidenhead and my two boys were fighting in the back seat.  I half turned to shout at them when a guy who was stood on the pavement with a bike  suddenly, and without looking, put one foot on the pedal and scooted across the road right in front of me. Fortunately, I was only doing about 10mph and braked to a stop pretty quickly but I nudged the guy so he ended sitting on the bonnet of my car and his bike crashed to the ground. I got out to check that the guy was OK and a passer-by came and lifted his bike up.  I said to the passer-by 'he just came straight out in front of me, I didn't have a chance'.  The passer-by gave me an odd look and said 'do you know you're driving the wrong way up a one way street'?  There was a small lane fairly adjacent so I quickly reversed the car into the lane. I then apologised profusely to the owner of the bike and confirmed that he was OK and his bike was OK.  I explained that I was down from Leeds looking at houses and didn't know my way around Maidenhead.  The man was very well spoken and obviously 'Officer class'.  He told me that he had been based in Leeds during the war and asked about several places which I was able to respond to.  I then suggested that perhaps we should report the incident to the police but he said that as there was no damage there was no point.  We shook hands and he wished us luck in finding a house.  Six months later, (January 1969) we moved into our house in Maidenhead.  I had arranged with the local Newsagent to deliver our papers including the local Maidenhead Advertiser. Our first edition of the Maidenhead Advertiser arrived and there on the front page was a photo of the man I had knocked of his bike - he was Chairman of the Magistrates!

 

.

 

 

[johnh]

I was eleven in 1947.  It was Christmas Eve, the snow had been falling all day and was several inches thick. We lived in a cul-de-sac on Walton Hall Avenue, almost opposite Littlewoods Pools building. Me and my brother had decided to go to midnight Mass and we set off at about 11.30 pm.  The snow was so thick it acted as sound-proofing.  It was eerily quiet but the orange sodium street lights bathed everywhere in a magical light.  We walked up the East Lancs road to the church and on our return journey the snow seemed to be even deeper. When we got home at about 1.30 am Dad said 'go in the kitchen and have a look at the Christmas pudding'.  We went in the kitchen and in the middle of the table was a stand with a tea towel draped over it.  We removed the tea towel and there was a brand new football!  Where Dad got it from, just after the war, I never found out, no one ever saw a brand new football in those days. I remember I just stood there and cried.  That same Christmas my Nan bought me my first proper pair of football socks.  The fact that they were red and navy blue hoops and not Everton blue and white didn't bother me.  I wore them every day (and night) for about a week.  I was football daft then, everything took second place to football.  To put into perspective just how significant this was at the time, times were so hard that my brother made a pair of football shorts from an old set of white underpants. He sewed up the 'flap' and cut two strips of black material which he sewed down each side for the stripes. To buy a new pair, if you could find them, not only required scarce cash but also 'clothing coupons'. My brother was always more resourceful than me.

Where would we be without memories!

[johnh]

A NICE DAY OUT AT THE SEASIDE.

It was about 1946, the war was over.  I was 10 and my brother a year older.  Our 'gang' decided to have a day out in Formby near Liverpool.  Formby was a paradise for children.  Miles and miles of golden beaches with sand dunes and pine tree woods.  About a dozen lads made the trip, ranging in age from 10 to about 16.  Our Mum had agreed we could go, after a bit (lot) of persuasion, and we set off with our rucksack filled with sandwiches and a bottle of cream soda.

We got the bus to Orrell station and then the electric train  which ran between Liverpool and Southport.  When we got off the train at Formby there was a walk of some two or three miles to get to the beach. First, we walked down the roads flanked by large expensive and posh houses.  Then, the road was flanked by the thick fir tree woods and finally through the sand dunes to the beach.

We started off by playing 'war games' in the sand dunes and after about an hour of this we flopped down on the hot dry sand to eat our sandwiches. After we had eaten our sandwiches we decided to out to the sea (Liverpool Bay). The sea was quite far out and we had to walk several hundred yards to reach it.  No one had a swimming costume so we just paddled in the warm water (the Irish sea in summer is a lot warmer than the North sea) and caught small crabs. We had been there for about half an hour when we heard some men shouting and saw them waving their arms and beckoning us to come towards them.  We then saw that we had been cut off by the tide.  The channel between us and safety was about thirty yards wide and flowing very fast.  The older boys ordered us all to link arms and with the oldest at each end and the youngest (including me)  in the middle, we started to walk through the fast flowing water. I couldn't swim and was nervous of water, so was not best pleased.  The water came up to my waist.  We eventually reached safety and were given a good talking to by the men who explained how dangerous the tides could be.  Chastened, we returned to the sand dunes where we had to dry our clothes. After a while, we perked up and one of the older boys said that he knew a place in the pine forest where the Army trained. True to his word, he found the place.  It was a small valley.  At one end were machine gun emplacements  made out of logs.  At the other end was a mound of sand from where the soldiers fired at the targets. The older boy instructed us to dig in the loose sand with our hands.  After a while we had unearthed four or five live rounds of .303 rifle ammunition. The older boy said that he had found some on a previous trip and still had them hidden at home.  He said that when we got back to Liverpool he would get the other bullets, open them up with a hacksaw to get the gunpowder and make a bomb.  We all thought that this sounded like a sensible idea.

When we got back to Liverpool, we congregated at the brick air raid shelter and the older boys went off to get the hacksaw and the other bullets. They returned, and also brought a small tin tobacco box which was going to 'house' the bomb.  When all the bullets had been opened the gunpowder was put into the tin and a piece of tape (the fuse) was fed into the tin through a hole.  The boys had also brought some matches and they lit the tape and we all ran for our lives.  Nothing happened. It was lit again and again until we ran out of matches, but still no explosion. Finally, one of the older boys took the tin and poured the gunpowder down the nearest drain.  

Disappointed, we decided that it was time to go home for tea.  We walked in the door and our Mum said 'did you have a nice day at the seaside?' We just said 'yes'.

Some years ago when Mum was in her eighties, (like I am now!) my brother and I told her the whole story of our day out - but she refused to believe us!

[MikeO]

50 minutes ago, johnh said:

He said that when we got back to Liverpool he would get the other bullets, open them up with a hacksaw to get the gunpowder and make a bomb.  We all thought that this sounded like a sensible idea.

[Bill]

A great story John.

[markjazzbassist]

A pack of ten year olds riding the bus around town and having a day at the beach, wow!  Different era

[Matt]

4 hours ago, markjazzbassist said:

A pack of ten year olds riding the bus around town and having a day at the beach, wow!  Different era

That’s what you took from that?!  

[Bill]

Brings back some similar memories but John must have been richer than me, where he could afford lemonade with his sandwiches I had to make do with water which usually ended up with breadcrumbs at the bottom of the bottle. 

[Matt]

1 minute ago, Bill said:

Brings back some similar memories but John must have been richer than me, where he could afford lemonade with his sandwiches I had to make do with water which usually ended up with breadcrumbs at the bottom.

 

[Bill]

. 

[markjazzbassist]

3 hours ago, Matt said:

That’s what you took from that?!  

I enjoyed the overall story and narrative, it just stuck out to me the cultural difference there.  Kids were treated like adults back then, nowadays if a kid did the same (well here in the stAtes) the parents would be arrested for neglect.  

[Matt]

2 hours ago, markjazzbassist said:

I enjoyed the overall story and narrative, it just stuck out to me the cultural difference there.  Kids were treated like adults back then, nowadays if a kid did the same (well here in the stAtes) the parents would be arrested for neglect.  

Oh I got that mate. Just ignored the bullet thing completely which made me laugh 

[Cornish Steve]

10 hours ago, Matt said:

Oh I got that mate. Just ignored the bullet thing completely which made me laugh 

'How to fire a gun and take apart bullets' is taught in kindergarten class here.

[johnh]

9 hours ago, Cornish Steve said:

'How to fire a gun and take apart bullets' is taught in kindergarten class here.

Steve, probably AK47's too?

[Cornish Steve]

5 hours ago, johnh said:

Steve, probably AK47's too?

No. That's a year later in first grade.

[Palfy]

Great story John, kids with freedom and having harmless fun sounds so a dilic, even at my young age in the 60s you could go out all day and feel safe. 
All though making bombs is an extreme past time .