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Born at Silverton Crescent, (off Tenby Road), Moseley, Birmingham Delia Alexander reminisces about schoolday memories of the 1940s.
We used Sparkill Swimming Baths, Sparkhill, (on the main Stratford Road). I'm not sure whether it's there now or not. I attended the English Martyrs infant and junior school, rebuilt, as I recall the original one was bombed during the war. For us little ones this meant that on our first day at school having to share a school temporarily at Conway Road, Sparkhill, but that's another story!!
In the summer of the late forties we went swimming every day in the six weeks holidays from school. Our local swimming baths had just introduced 'mixed bathing' which meant male and female 1-hour sessions for l penny. Us kids thought it was great! Practically the whole of our council estate attended. This meant a free for all jumping in over and across each other. Two, three, four to a cubicle (where we changed into our bathers) who cared! All we were interested in was getting in the water.
The Attendant (God help him/her) rang a school-type bell denoting the end of the Session. More jumping and a last chance to get to the top diving board and jump in!
Then it was walking home time and the race began to see who could get there first, to the nearest fish and chip shop to spend our bus fare (tuppence) on chips; I don't think that shop ever sold any fish. We liked looking at though in its little glass window while waiting for more chips to be put in the hot pan of fat. It didn't half make a splatter!
Back home to Mom! More towels for her to get dried. Hair still damp. Then back to our daydreaming of the day's events at the 'swimmers' and what new things we could try tomorrow!
Delia now lives in Canada with her husband Bernard.
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