Part 3 - Round at his Mates

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Both my parents, in those early days, worked for Cadburys.

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Cadburys - From Bournville Lane.

Before I was born, my mother worked, I believe in the export office and my father,

after a spell with George Masons, the grocery chain,

went to work at Cadburys and was simply classified as a ’Confectioner’.

I have no other information on what he actually did in his first years there,

other than this rather broad description.

So, basically, he made chocolates!

They didn’t actually meet each other from being at the same place of work,

although Cadburys were well known for providing excellent social facilities

(clubs and dances etc).

My father told me that he was a good friend of Stan,

my mother’s younger, and only brother,

and that he spent many hours ‘round at his mates house‘, in Linden Road.

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Dad, Nan and Stan dressed up for something?

Dad then lived a couple of hundred yards away, just round the corner in Maryvale Road. His father, (my grandfather) was a chemist and had a shop in Stirchley, but I will leave that story for another day.

So, my Dad got to know my mother, simply from calling in at Linden Road, probably before going off to the jazz club. Mom would not have gone with them, as she played the violin (and cello) and she told me herself, that “all this jazz was not her cup of tea.” She would not of course, of heard of Stephane Grappelli.

So these two young fellows were the best of pals, and judging by these next pictures, (taken either by my gran, or more likely, my mother) were obviously, good for a ‘bit of larking about’.

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A pair of 'posers'!

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Dad on the left, Stan on the right.

The story told to me by my dad was that:-

He and mom were sitting on the sofa listening to their gramophone,

when there was a huge flash of lightning, and my mom, being terrified of thunder storms, cuddled up close to dad!

The rest is history!

Enough! Enough, I hear.

OK, I’ll save a couple of the ‘ubiquitous’ Wedding photos for another day.

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