BRFC - The Nostalgia Thread

[Gav]

Tommy Briggs for some of the older posters, with the Blackburn badge on his blazer. 

[Gav]

Anyone who arrived at Blackburn station or left on route to away games will have come across this:

[Gav]

This is a superb picture, we may have seen it in this thread, but well worth seeing it again.

Someone has suggested the reason for the walking masses:

At 1:00pm on Saturday 2nd November 1946, tram and bus crews of Blackburn Corporation went on strike, which meant everyone had to walk to Ewood that afternoon to watch the Rovers play Liverpool

Edited January 22, 2021 by Gav

[Gav]

I know its a football thread but imagine watching Rovers in the afternoon and nipping to King Georges in the evening to watch these newcomers! 

Edited January 22, 2021 by Gav

[Gav]

Mick Mcgrath scoring in FA Cup 6th Round at burnley

 

 

 

[Gav]

Ken Pilling landlord of The Merchants Hotel -  One for the older posters

[Gav]

Proper pant creases.

[Gav]

Fans queueing on Bridge Street off to Ewood

[DeeCee]

2 hours ago, Gav said:

Ken Pilling landlord of The Merchants Hotel -  One for the older posters

Looks like that's Pearl in the black top lol

[Roving Mick]

11 hours ago, Gav said:

Ken Pilling landlord of The Merchants Hotel -  One for the older posters

I went to his funeral in the cathedral.  It was packed out, every rogue in Blackburn must have been there.  Ken had probably barred half the congregation.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

12 hours ago, Gav said:

Proper pant creases.

Dougie, Mick McGrath, Eddie Thomas ( 12th man ),Ronnie, Dave Whelan, Peter Dobing, John Bray, Ally Mac, Harry Leyland, Matt Woods, Louie Bimpson, Derek Dougan.

 

[Gav]

1 hour ago, Roving Mick said:

I went to his funeral in the cathedral.  It was packed out, every rogue in Blackburn must have been there.  Ken had probably barred half the congregation.

Was Ken in the special forces, army or something like that Mick?

Or is that an urban legend, spread so you didn't mess about in his pub!

[Roving Mick]

11 minutes ago, Gav said:

Was Ken in the special forces, army or something like that Mick?

Or is that an urban legend, spread so you didn't mess about in his pub!

I think he'd been a military policeman.  But he was a big lad anyway.  I remember him being landlord of the Adelphi briefly and refusing to let these Geordies in when Rovers played Newcastle many years ago.  They didn't argue, went for a pint elsewhere.

[philipl]

13 hours ago, Gav said:

Fans queueing on Bridge Street off to Ewood

The bus on the left is Darwen Corporation number 17, the Crossley Regent which is pictured earlier in the thread- it was the only one with that arrangement of rear windows in case you think I have amazing eye sight.

The reason why nobody could place the location of the photo is it still exists and was probably on its way to a rally somewhere.

Two Darwen Corporation buses survive and four Blackburn Corporation buses are in preservation also. If the bus on the left is number 133, that is one of them.

 

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Ken was a real character sadly missing from the Town's now near non existent nightlife.

He owned 'Crackers' bar in the town...fantastic Acid house scene upstairs in the early 90's!

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

8 minutes ago, philipl said:

The bus on the left is Darwen Corporation number 17, the Crossley Regent which is pictured earlier in the thread- it was the only one with that arrangement of rear windows in case you think I have amazing eye sight.

The reason why nobody could place the location of the photo is it still exists and was probably on its way to a rally somewhere.

Two Darwen Corporation buses survive and four Blackburn Corporation buses are in preservation also. If the bus on the left is number 133, that is one of them.

 

I usually walked up to the ground when I got off the Rochdale bus at the Boulevard but now and and again I got that bus.  If I was late or it was raining.As soon as it filled up it set off and it was replaced by another bus. The fee was a a standard fee, 3d seems to ring a bell. 

I'd gone early one day and I remember waiting by the bus stop near the ground for autographs and Keith Newton, Mike England and Fred Pickering all jumped off the bus and signed my book as they walked to the ground

I remember reading that Roger Byrne who was the Man Utd captain and England full back at the time getting on a similar football special in central Manchester. It was only 5 standing downstairs then and he was the sixth. The conductor told him he had to get off and wait for the next bus, so he did.

[Elvis Biro]

On 22/01/2021 at 21:45, Gav said:

Anyone who arrived at Blackburn station or left on route to away games will have come across this:

I briefly worked on Blackburn station back in the early seventies and on one particular shift one of my jobs was to wash down that display case. Also used to wind up that big clock on the right.

Thanks for the memories!

Edited January 24, 2021 by Elvis Biro
Correction

[Ianrally]

Thanks to Gav for the nostalgic pics. Brought back lots of happy memories although I’m not quite old enough to have had the jab yet. A couple of weeks yet. This is just the best thread on here. 

[bazza]

On 22/01/2021 at 21:50, Gav said:

I know its a football thread but imagine watching Rovers in the afternoon and nipping to King Georges in the evening to watch these newcomers! 

Now then......  I don't know what year it was (either 1963 or 64) we went to King George's Hall to watch Roy Orbison.

The first half of the show we were entertained by several groups who were in the charts. Freddie and the Dreamers, Brian Poole and the Tremeloes, The Searchers and another two or three who I cannot remember. No sign of The Beatles or The Rolling Stones. We were rocking with these, being very noisy and thoroughly enjoying it.

After the interval Roy Orbison was announced. The curtains drew back and there he was in the middle of the stage in front of a microphone wearing his dark glasses and holding a guitar. Two girls stood at another microphone to our left. There may have been another two at another microphone further left. And there were others from his backing group to our right all well spaced out. The whole theatre was in deathly silence. You could have heard a pin drop.

Then he started. Wow! The sound that came from that stage was exactly like what we heard on the records. How they did it I don't know. And we were transfixed.

In Dreams, Falling, Crying, Blue Bayou, Only the Lonely, Running Scared and Dream Baby.

Believe me, it was well worth paying 8 and 6 to see such talent. Quite a lot at the time but still less than ten bob.

Thanks for resurrecting the memories, Gav.

 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

9 hours ago, bazza said:

Now then......  I don't know what year it was (either 1963 or 64) we went to King George's Hall to watch Roy Orbison.

The first half of the show we were entertained by several groups who were in the charts. Freddie and the Dreamers, Brian Poole and the Tremeloes, The Searchers and another two or three who I cannot remember. No sign of The Beatles or The Rolling Stones. We were rocking with these, being very noisy and thoroughly enjoying it.

After the interval Roy Orbison was announced. The curtains drew back and there he was in the middle of the stage in front of a microphone wearing his dark glasses and holding a guitar. Two girls stood at another microphone to our left. There may have been another two at another microphone further left. And there were others from his backing group to our right all well spaced out. The whole theatre was in deathly silence. You could have heard a pin drop.

Then he started. Wow! The sound that came from that stage was exactly like what we heard on the records. How they did it I don't know. And we were transfixed.

In Dreams, Falling, Crying, Blue Bayou, Only the Lonely, Running Scared and Dream Baby.

Believe me, it was well worth paying 8 and 6 to see such talent. Quite a lot at the time but still less than ten bob.

Thanks for resurrecting the memories, Gav.

 

Yes he was a unique performer. You don't get Roy Orbison tribute bands because it's not easy to equal his singing. 

I remember seeing the Four Pennies and they did a great version of " Running Scared ". I was there that day they played " live " on the pitch at Ewood.

[Gav]

10 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Yes he was a unique performer. You don't get Roy Orbison tribute bands because it's not easy to equal his singing. 

I remember seeing the Four Pennies and they did a great version of " Running Scared ". I was there that day they played " live " on the pitch at Ewood.

Not a great picture, but I think I can see you Tyrone, sat on the running track with a spam sandwich 👍

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

10 hours ago, Gav said:

Not a great picture, but I think I can see you Tyrone, sat on the running track with a spam sandwich 👍

I am actually on that photo along with my girlfriend of the time. I've got a much better, bigger,  glossy version of the photo so I spotted the the two of us. If you look to where that pole is in the centre of the picture, right at the top, next to the pole there's a bloke in light coloured trousers. Look just to the left in the photo and there's a couple stood close together in dark clothes roughly in line with the guys feet. That's me and Janet.

The game is against Aston Villa 2nd of January 1965. We won in a canter 5-1 in front of a crowd of 18,292 on what as the game went on became a tricky, icy pitch. We were unstoppable in really difficult conditions under foot.

For those interested the team that day was 

Else

Newton, Joyce

Clayton, England, McGrath 

Ferguson, McEvoy, Byrom, Douglas, Harrison.

Scorers - Byrom 3, McEvoy 2

Gordon Lee played left back for Villa according to the programme I have. Villa were really bad, I think they went down that season.

Edited January 24, 2021 by Tyrone Shoelaces

[Riversider28]

21 minutes ago, Gav said:

Not a great picture, but I think I can see you Tyrone, sat on the running track with a spam sandwich 👍

I was on the Riverside that afternoon, more towards the Blackburn End. As I mentioned in a previous post, when the Four Pennies were in the charts everyone at school was suddenly related to one of them. I was no exception, trying to impress a girl I fancied. It didn’t work. 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

10 hours ago, bazza said:

Now then......  I don't know what year it was (either 1963 or 64) we went to King George's Hall to watch Roy Orbison.

The first half of the show we were entertained by several groups who were in the charts. Freddie and the Dreamers, Brian Poole and the Tremeloes, The Searchers and another two or three who I cannot remember. No sign of The Beatles or The Rolling Stones. We were rocking with these, being very noisy and thoroughly enjoying it.

After the interval Roy Orbison was announced. The curtains drew back and there he was in the middle of the stage in front of a microphone wearing his dark glasses and holding a guitar. Two girls stood at another microphone to our left. There may have been another two at another microphone further left. And there were others from his backing group to our right all well spaced out. The whole theatre was in deathly silence. You could have heard a pin drop.

Then he started. Wow! The sound that came from that stage was exactly like what we heard on the records. How they did it I don't know. And we were transfixed.

In Dreams, Falling, Crying, Blue Bayou, Only the Lonely, Running Scared and Dream Baby.

Believe me, it was well worth paying 8 and 6 to see such talent. Quite a lot at the time but still less than ten bob.

Thanks for resurrecting the memories, Gav.

 

You must be thinking of another show. The one that the ticket is for was in 1963. The acts were obviously The Beatles and Roy Orbison, plus Gerry and the Pacemakers, Louise Cordet, and a few other lesser acts. The Beatles set list that night - 

Some Other Guy,

Do You Want To Know A Secret,

Love Me Do,

From Me To You,

Please, Please Me,

I Saw Her Standing There,

Twist And Shout.

  

[rigger]

I saw Blondie at King Georges Hall in the mid 70's. Debbie Harry wore a bin liner.