| |
NAVIGATION
|
|
|
|
A FEW TALES TO TELL ABOUT MY LIFE.
|
 I WAS BORN ONE OF A TWIN IN THE WAR RAVAGED CITY OF MANCHESTER ON THE 13TH JUNE 1944. AT 2.35PM ON THAT DAY ,A V1 BOMB HIT THE CENTRE OF MANCHESTER CAUSING MANY DEATHS,AN ONIMOUS OMEN OF MY TURBULENT LIFE TO COME?MY TWIN WAS NAMED WILLIAM HENRY EDGE AFTER MY FATHER AND I WAS NAMED DAVID AFTER MY MATERNAL GRANDFATHER.
I HAD 2 ELDER SISTERS,PAULINE 5YRS OLDER AND ANN 3 YRS OLDER.
IT WAS ONLY RECENTLY THAT I LEARNT THAT WE WERE BORN OUT OF WEDLOCK AS IT WAS THEN DESCRIBED AND MY PARENTS DIDNT MARRY TILL SOME FEW YEARS LATER.
THEY HAD ANOTHER DAUGHTER SUSAN SOME 3 YEARS AFTER WE WERE BORN,MUM BEING AGED 45!! |
|
|
BILL EDGE AND HIS BOYS.1945 -1959.
|
 DADS BAND WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL AND INDEED THE PALAIS BECAME THE IN PLACE IN THE NORTH OF ENGLAND FOR THE THEN VERY POPULAR DANCE COMPETITIONS THAT WERE LATER TO BECOME *COME DANCING * ON NATIONAL TELEVISION.
I REMEMBER SO WELL MY TWIN AND I, AND OTHER LOCAL LADS LAYING PRONE ON THE ROOF OF A LOCAL GARAGE AS WE WATCHED IN AWE, ALL THE LADIES IN THIER FANCY DANCE FROCKS ,AND THE MEN IN THIER BLACK SUITS AND VERY SHINY SHOES,AS THEY ESCORTED THIER PARTNERS TO THE DANCE.AND THE TIMES WE GIGGLED AS THEY SOMETIMES STOPPED FOR A QUICK CUDDLE BEFORE THEY ENTERED THE DREAM WORLD OF MUSIC AND DANCE THAT WAS TO BE THIERS FOR A FEW WONDROUS HOURS.
LIKE ALL MUSICIANS MY FATHER ENJOYED HIS PINT,AS DID THE REST OF HIS BAND.THE PALAIS IN THOSE DAYS WAS NOT LICENSED TO SELL ALCOHOL,THE REASON BEING THAT IT WAS A POPULAR PLACE FOR SOLDIERS TO VISIT AND THE CITY COUNCIL HAD IN THIER WISDOM HAD BANNED DRINK BEING SOLD IN PLACES OF ENTERTAINMENT FREQUENTED BY HM FORCES AND INDEED BY THE YANKIE FORCES TOO.CRAZY BUT TRUE!!SO IT WAS GINGER BEER AND THE LIKE FOR THEM ALL.
SO WHEN THE INTERVAL CAME THERE WAS ALWAYS A MAD RUSH TO THE NEAREST PUB FOR A QUICK PINT OR TWO,MY FATHER AND HIS 14 FELLOW MUSICIANS BEING ALWAYS HEAD OF THE QUEUE.THE SIGHT OF THEM HALF WALKING ,HALF RUNNING TO THE MIDWAY PUB WAS LIKE A SCENE FROM A WILDLIFE FILM OF PENGUINS WADDLING OF TO THE SEA!!BY PRIOR ARRANGEMENT 30 PINTS OF BEER WERE PILED ON THE BAR READY FOR THIER THIRSTY PALATES.THEY HAD 3/4 OF AN HOUR INTERVAL SO IF THEY MANAGED TO SUP THIER BEER FAST ENOUGH THEY HAD TIME FOR ANOTHER QUICKIE BEFORE THEY RETURNED TO THE STAGE.THEY BECAME QUITE EXPERTS AT THIS AND INDEED ON PAY DAYS A TIPPLE OF SCOTCH WAS ALSO HASTILY THROWN DOWN.
THE MUSIC AFTER THE INTERVAL ALWAYS SEEMED SOMEWHAT LIVELIER IT HAS BEEN NOTED!
AFTER THE LAST DANCE AND THE PATRONS MADE THIER WEARY BUT HAPPY WAY HOME,THE BAND WOUL DRETURN TO THE PUB VIA THE BACK DOOR,TO HAVE A SIMILAR AMOUNT OF ALE BEFORE THEY DEPARTED FOR HOME!
ONE OF MY FATHERS TRUMPET PLAYERS,A CHAP KNOWN AS WINGY (BECAUSE HE ONLY HAD ONE ARM) FELL OF HIS MOTORISED BICYCLE ON HIS WAY HOME ONE NIGHT,BREAKING HIS ONLY GOOD ARM,LEAVING DAD WITHOUT A SECOND TRUMPET!1 HE WAS NOT A HAPPY MAN I CAN TELL YOU. |
|
|
BILL EDGE TEACHER OF TRUMPET
|
 (Small).jpg) DAD WAS A BRILLIANT TEACHER OF HIS INSTRUMENT.INDEED EDDIE CALVERT OF *OH MEIN PAPA* FAME AND NUMEROUS OTHER HITS, WAS A ONE TIME PUPIL OF MY DADS.MY FATHER WAS BEST MAN AT AT LEAST ONE OF HIS 7 MARRIAGES.HE HAD TAUGHT MANY YOUNG AND UP AND COMING TRUMPET PLAYERS OVER THE YEARS.
I WAS PROBABLY HIS ONE AND ONLY FAILURE MUCH TO HIS DISGUST.IN HIS EYES I WAS THE ONE WHO WAS GOING TO TAKE OVER FROM HIM AS A FUTURE GREAT TRUMPETER,BUT THIS WAS NOT TO BE.HE HAD ABSOLOUTLEY NO PATIENCE WITH ME AS WE PRACTISED.IF I GOT A NOTE WRONG HE GAVE ME HELL.I HAD HAD A MASTOID OPERATION AS A CHILD AND THIS HAD LEFT ME WITH A BADLY PERFORATED EARDRUM WHICH EFFECTED MY BLOWING.ONE DAY OUT OF SHEER FRUSTRATION I STOPPED PLAYING THE PIECE DAD HAD GIVEN ME TO LEARN AND REFUSED FLATLY TO GO ANY FURTHER.HE SHOUTED AT ME TO CARRY ON AND I RELUCTANTLY RAISED THE MOUTHPEICE TO MY LIPS WHEN HE STRUCK THE TRUMPET BELL A BLOW WHICH SO SEVERLEY CUT MY INNER LIP THAT I COULDNT PLAY ANYWAY.MY CAREER AS A TRUMPET PLAYER WAS OVER THANK GOD.DAD HAD GIVEN UP ON ME... |
|
|
MY EARLY CHILDHOOD.
|
 THE THING I SEEM TO REMEMBER MOST ABOUT MY EARLY CHILDHOOD WAS OF ALWAYS BEING COLD!!REMEMBER EVEN UP TILL 1955 COAL AND MOST OTHER FUELS WERE RATIONED.EVEN ELECTRICITY WAS NOT ALWAYS GUARANTEED,AND MANY A NIGHT WAS SPENT IN THE DARK BECAUSE OF THE CUTS.MUM AND DAD HAD BOUGHT A LITTLE BAKERS AND CONFECTIONERS SOMETIME IN THE EARLY 50S, SO THOUGH NEVER EVER GOING HUNGRY,WE ALWAYS SEEMED POOR.OUR NEIGHBORS THOUGH WERE OF THE OPINION THAT WE WERE WELL OFF.
WE LIVED IN A BIG HOUSE BY LOCAL STANDARDS AS MOST OF THE HOUSES BEHIND US WERE TYPICAL NORTHERN TERRACES.THE STREETS WERE ALL GASLIT WHICH ALWAYS LENT AN EIRIE SORT OF ATMOSPHERE TO THE STREET AFTER DARK.THE WINTERS ALWAYS SEEMED SO LONG TO US KIDS,BECAUSE SOON AS NIGHTFALL CAME WE WERE SHOUTED AT TO"GET IN THE HOUSE ,THERES BOGEY MEN ABOUT" AND OFF WE WOULD RUN ,TERRIFIED OF THOSE SO CALLED BOGEY MEN.THE LAST WEEK IN OCTOBER UP UNTIL NOVEMBER THE 5TH WAS ALWAYS EXCITING.WE FORMED GANGS TO GO IN SEARCH OF ANYTHING THAT WOULD BURN READY FOR BONFIRE NIGHT.WE WOULD BLACKEN OUR ALREADY DIRTY FACES ,LIKE SOLDIERS IN WARTIME,SO WE WOULDNT BE SEEN BY OTHER GANGS AS WE TRIED TO STEAL THIER CACHE OF WOOD AND WHATEVER FOR OUR OWN USE.IT COULD GET QUITE ROUGH AT TIMES ,WITH STONES BEING THROWN AT OUR ENEMIES. |
|
©<
Create a
free website at Webs.com
|  |
|
