Stories Of London

In early 1958, I decided I wanted to get a Saturday-Job and earn some money. I needed money for going-out and for clothes that I knew my parents would not buy for me. Some of my friends had Friday night/Saturday jobs working in Supermarkets, so I thought I would do the same.

Victorian Child Labour

My first Saturday job was at Premier Supermarket (long since closed down), which was a small chain in the area. I was assigned to work in the warehouse where I was required to move boxes! I swear that I moved boxes into one spot, only to move them back again the following week. On occasion I was also asked to come into the store and help customers pack their goods during busy times in order to get the check-out lines moving faster.

The Warehouse where I worked was not as bright as this one!

If your child hates school, suggest that they get a job working in a warehouse. This job was amazingly boring! Even breaking the monotony by helping pack groceries did not help relieve the boredom of the work! The final straw for me came one Saturday afternoon when I forgot to pack a chicken and a cream cake purchased by a customer. I remember that the woman returned to the store and complained bitterly about my error to the manager! I was called to the manager’s office where I apologised profusely to the woman, but she continued to berate me. After tolerating her complaints for a while, and getting no support from the manager, I used some bad language to both of them and went to fetch my coat! A great start to my working career!

-oOo-

SURPLICES – MAIDENHEAD

J. M. W. Turner (1775-1851) – Rain, Steam, and Speed – The Great Western Railway (1844?)
It is generally believed that the train is crossing the Maidenhead Railway Bridge

Maidenhead Railway Bridge built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and completed in 1838
and officially opened in 1777

I hoped that my next effort to break into the COMMERCE was going to be more successful and more to my liking! I looked around Slough High Street and decided to try my luck at Surplices Ltd. This Company was a small chain that sold electrical goods included radios, radiograms, tape recorders, televisions, vacuum cleaners, washing machines and spin-dryers. Driers, as we know them today, were not within the budgets of the average shopper at that time. In addition, the Company had one store in Slough that sold household furniture.

I went for an interview at the Company’s Offices in Slough, and after a rather long interview, was offered a Saturday job at their branch in Maidenhead. I was overjoyed and saw myself selling all sort of goods to the public.

Maidenhead Bridge carrying road traffic

Getting to Maidenhead required the taking of either two buses: one to Slough Railway Station whereupon the need to change from a London Transport (1933-2000) bus and then board a second operated by Thames Valley Traction (1920-1972) or if I was prepared to spend a few pennies more, I could take the Express B-Bus also operated by Thames Valley Traction. This bus got me to Maidenhead faster since it had limited stops.

The B-Bus – Express from London Victoria Coach Station to Reading operated between 1934 and 1971. The Bus is a 1960 Bristol EFL6G with ECW 65-Seats Double Decker Coach Body.

However, there was one drawback to the choice of the B-Bus. Apparently, the vehicle had gained the nickname of The Puke-Shaker! The nickname was coined by students traveling between London and the University of Reading since many riders apparently suffered nausea from the jolting, juddering and jerking experienced on the journey, as the bus sped along the circuitous route through the villages of Cranford and Colnbrook and over their seven bridges found there. Fortunately, my journeys were short, a mere nine miles, and I generally got away without feeling nauseous.

-oOo-Maidenhead High Street – Now a Pedestrian Precinct
The Arrow points to where Surplices Ltd once stood

Surplices Ltd was about halfway along the High Street and was a nice wide store filled with electrical goods along with a gramophone sales department upstairs. At first my duties at the store consisted of helping the delivery man on his rounds drop off customer purchases at their homes. Another duty was to make Tea at about 11 am and 3.30 pm. In those days, the newest staff member was always asked to make a cup of tea for the rest. I actually didn’t mind doing this. Today, such a request would cause a riot no doubt!

Tea For Two Cha Cha – Tommy Dorsey (1905-1956) Orchestra Staring Warren Covington (1921-1999) Recorded in 1958 and Written by Vincent Youmans (1898-1946) & Irving Caesar (1894-1996)
for the Broadway Musical No, No Nanette (1925)

The manager of the store was a very kind and considerate man and after a while he began to ask me to do some little jobs in the shop which I was happy to do. Later he asked if I would like to start selling the goods. Again, I was happy to oblige and found that I enjoyed this. For some unknown reason I did especially well selling washing machines!!! Of all the washers available in the store, I liked the Hotpoint Countess Washing Machine better than the others (I have no idea why?!) and managed to sell a number of them. I remember telling one very nice lady that since she was not tall, this machine was a perfect height for her! Imagine telling a woman this today?! Anyway, she bought the machine and thanked me very much.

Hotpoint Countess Washing Machine

-oOo-

The regular salesmen were somewhat miffed (some would say jealous!) at my success and complained that my sales were cutting down on their Commission, which was a form of variable-pay or Remuneration for products sold. Since I was part-time staff, and under age at the time, I did not receive any Commission! As a result, I was asked to get a full-time staff member to take over once I made a sale. A couple of the salesmen always gave me a couple of bob (i.e., two or three shillings) as a thanks. Needless to say, I sought these fellows out!

-oOo-

THE ERUPTION AT BUCKS MUSIC STORE

A Sleeping Volcano about to awaken fully

After about a year at the Maidenhead branch, I was transferred to one in Slough. I was upset about this, as I liked working where I was. The staff on the whole were decent folk. I have to say that the job there was one of the best I have ever had anywhere and the manager was one of my best bosses.

I was told to report to Bucks Music Store which was a rather gloomy looking store found at the far end of Slough High Street. However two events occurred here that were to have a pronounced effect on me! They both were like the time I walked by Paul’s Record Store some years earlier!

-oOo-

The store evidently had been formed by the joining of two shops and had one huge display window filled with a number of electrical goods that were ready for sale. The location of the store was not conducive for sales, as customers had to make a special trip down to the end of the High Street. Generally record sales were poor unless the record shops further up the High Street where the larger stores were found and were out of a particular current favourite.

Top Row: Showing busy Record Departments
Bottom: This is what Bucks looked like on Weekdays

As before, I was asked to help the delivery man with his work. After that, I hung around the store doing odd jobs. I welcomed making the tea, as it gave me something to do. I was not allowed to sell although I sometimes spoke to potential customers about the products for sale …….. just to keep my hand in!

There were two other Saturday Staff in addition to me who worked in the Record Department: a fellow who once lived next door to my parents and me and a pompous arrogant girl who lived in an exclusive area of the town. Whenever the Record Department was short staffed, I was told to go and help out. This I did, and it soon became apparent to the Manageress that I was keen on the work. But once the regular staff returned, it was back to delivery, odd jobs and tea-making for me!

I recall one Saturday afternoon when the manager asked the young girl to make some tea. She being the snooty little creature that she was refused. This led to words being spoken and the manager told her to either make the tea or leave. Little Miss High-and-Mighty left! This was good news for me, as I was then transferred to the Record Department on a Full-Time/Part-Time capacity. Now the other fellow had to take turns to ride with the delivery man.

-oOo-

Old English Money

One Saturday, the Record Department was very busy. Sadly, tragedy struck because at the end of the day when the money received was checked against the actual money taken in the cash register, they did not tally! There was never any question of theft, but rather one of an inability to add and give the correct change. It was easy to make a mistake when selling several records since their cost were often variable.

The Cost of Gramophone Records in the Late 1950s & Early 1960s

The manager was annoyed and decided to give a Test to all members of the Department!!!! One needs to remember that this was a time of Old English Money and the cost of records varied from Company to Company.

Since the Cash Register was an older model, whenever someone purchased two or more records, one was required to total the purchases in one’s head. I hate to say, but the Test proved a problem for the fellow and a couple of the full-time staff. As a result, I was told that I was to be seated at the Cash Register and add-up the cost of a purchase where necessary and give the correct change, since I past the test (!). For this, I was paid extra money each week!

I found working in the Record Department to be a pleasurable experience, as I got to hear a range of different tunes and also I got to talk to lots of girls! And then one day, I heard some music which was like a Volcanic Eruption!

-oOo-

THE BEATS & THE ERUPTION

A Sleeping Volcano now awakened forming streams of flowing Lava

Bucks Music Store was never really busy except for the occasional Saturday. As a result, it attracted patrons with specialised tastes including the many Beatniks or Beats of the area, for this was the tail-end of the age of the Beatnik. Many people found these young-to-middle-aged men and women to be dirty creatures who were lazy and of no value!

The Beats were not encouraged in the shop due to their look being very different to the average patron and besides they were into Jazz – both Traditional (Dixieland) and Modern. They in turn were not without their dislikes and looked upon Rock ‘n’ Roll with a certain distain.

I quickly became the Beats’ Assistant Préféré since I did not treat them unpleasantly and allowed them to listen to a number of records beyond the normal quota allowed to customers. Besides it soon became obvious to me that they were not dirty or lazy or without education, as many of them attended Art School and a few attended Drama Schools in London.

As I said earlier, I was taken to the theatre a lot as a child, and now, at school, my interest in The Theatre had been reawakened. A group of friends and myself had joined the Drama Club at school (mainly to meet girls) and I had appeared in several plays including Pygmalion (1913), Arsenic and Old Lace (1939; where I played Mr. Witherspoon!) and My Three Angels (1952; as I had little free time due to the pressure of on-coming examinations, I took on a minor role Backstage).

Groups of Beats in Coffee Bars

The Beats liked Traditional Jazz. All l knew of Traditional Jazz at this time were memories of a friend of mine in London and his father who used to listen to Radio Hilversum on a Saturday afternoon when they played Jazz. I remember that I heard The Dutch Swing College Band play, but sadly, I was too young to appreciate this excellent Band.

The Dutch Swing College Band – Milord – Recorded in 1960

-oOo-

However, now in Bucks Music Store, I soon found myself enjoying the music that the Beats requested. After a while, although I was younger than them, they noticed that I enjoyed the music too, and they suggested that I should visit Leon’s Jazz Club in Windsor where I could hear the music live!. The Club was open every Monday and Friday evenings at The Ex-Servicemen’s Club at the bottom of Peascod Street. (I recently discovered that The Ex-Servicemen’s Club closed down in 2012.)

Site of The Jazz Club

At this time I was beginning to take school more seriously, as I had discovered that certain subjects were not as bad as I had thought and perhaps I needed to start thinking about my future since an education could be of value later in life. As a result, due to the pressure of school work, I could only get to the Jazz Club on Friday evenings. However, I still got to see and hear many great Traditional Jazz artists including Chris Barber (1930-2021), Kenny Ball (1930-2013), Ken Colyer (1928-1988) and Terry Lightfoot (1935-2013) amongst others. I also got to see and hear the remarkable Blues virtuosos, Sonny Terry (1911-1986) and Brownie McGee (1915-1996) during their British tour. Sadly, I did miss seeing Acker Bilk (1929-2014) at The Club.

Top Left: Acker Bilk; Top Right: Terry Lightfoot; Middle Row Left: Kenny Ball;
Middle Row Right: Chris Barber; Bottom: Ken Colyer

Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee
Blues is My Only Companion was the first Album that I purchased

Hooting The Blues – Sonny Terry & Brownie McGee

I saw the Beats at the Jazz Club each Friday night and they always seemed to be having a great time and always greeted me and, on occasion, even bought me a beer or two, and in doing so, broke the law! They even introduced me to Leon who in turn bought me a drink!

Chimes Blues – Chris Barber’s Jazz Band

Summer Set – Acker Bilk & His Paramount Jazz Band

-oOo-

The BBC used have a programme on the Light Programme (1945-1967), I believe, late on Monday evening called Jazz Club or something like this. Once I started going to the Jazz Club, I started to listen to the programme. It turned out to an excellent programme. It was introduced by Humphrey Lyttelton (1921-2008) who was a true Wit and had an excellent knowledge of Traditional Jazz and a pleasure to listen to. In 1956, he and his Band recorded Bad Penny Blues, which he had written, and proved successful with the public.

Humphrey Lyttelton & His Band – Bad Penny Blues

-oOo-

In 1961 Traditional Jazz became mainstream and The Latest Trend/Fashion and the Jazz Club was suddenly inundated with a multitude of people who referred to the music as, Trad Jazz or simply as Trad. They danced to the music as if it were Rock ‘n’ Roll! This was seen by the Beats (and myself) as SACRILEGE since there was a special way of dancing to Traditional Jazz, which was taught to me by one of the Beat Women, and was much more fierce and intense compared to the simplistic dance of the multitudes (call me a snob, if you will!).

The Temperance Seven – You’re Driving Me Crazy – recorded in 1961
Music and lyrics by Walter Donaldson in 1930
Arranged by Frank Skinner (1897-1968) and produced by George Martin (1916-2016)

Soon the Beats, feeling perhaps out-of-place in this changing environment, began to drift away from The Club. Once the Fad changed, the other patrons did the same having evidently found a new interest. I had also stopped going as school work became more demanding. Eventually I even had to give up my Saturday job too except for during the holidays. By the end of 1962, The Club had sadly closed down.

-oOo-

Several years later, I remember meeting by chance a Beat on Tavistock Square. I had just finished a six-hour practical examination in Organic Chemistry and he was leaving to go home. He was married now and with a baby and worked at the University of London Laboratories close by. We spoke for a few minutes and then parted company. I remember that he looked the same and appeared to have changed little, I was pleased to note!

-oOo-

I will be forever grateful to The Beats for were it not for them, I might never have discovered the incredible artists that were exponents of both Jazz, Traditional & Modern, and The Blues.

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MORE TO COME