With the Youth Club in wartime
THE fine photograph above was recently discovered in the Bugle collection, along with some warm memories of a youth spent at the tail end of the war.
Both were sent to us by reader Ron Griffin of Cookley near Kidderminster almost twenty years ago, and for some reason were never published.
Ron and friends were members of the YMCA and YWCA in his native Smethwick, and found the club a wonderful relief from the restrictive life they’d been forced to lead in the early part of the war as the threat of air raids kept them indoors. Ron wrote: “The Youth Centre in Corbett Street was the first joint YM-YWCA of its kind, and a God-send after the first two years of war.
“Young peole like myself, after finishing work, were confined to house and cellar during the bombing. Cinemas and dance halls, and evening classes, were all temporarily closed.
Plays
“At 16 all young people had to register for some kind of youth activity, eg: Army or Air Force Cadets, Boys Brigade, etc. I was interested in amateur film making at the time, and having seen several productions of plays in the park at Lightwoods, was fascinated by drama and acting.
“My brother advised me to join the Youth Club in Corbett Street as he’d seen in the local paper, the Smethwick Telephone, that they had a thriving drama group.
“Although I had never been in a play, I was welcomed with open arms by the Club Leader,
Vernon Howe. There was a shortage of male actors due to the call up, and I was given a small part immediately as the production of Tons of Money was to be stage in less than two weeks.
“I discovered that I was a quick study and got the part off within a few days. The play was a success and although mine was a small part, I got a commendation in the local press. This was eventually to lead to bigger parts and tours around Birmingham, in aid of the various war charities.
Camping
“I also joined other activities in the club including weekend camping at a site near Kinver. Though a long cycle ride from Smethwick (there were no buses then) I found the air and exercise invigorating.
“One exciting venture was a weekend visit to London to attend the Albert Hall. Ten of us represented our club for the presentation of ‘purses’ to YMCA/YWCA organisation, by HRH Princess Elizabeth.
“The train fare from Birmingham, one pound, sounds cheap today, though it wasn’t so, considering that the average weekly wage for young people at that time was around two pounds ten shillings.
“We arrived in a gloomy, misty London on Saturday November 31st, 1945. The war had ended in Europe earlier that year, in May, but London still showed its scars of war, with many of the bombed out sites awaiting a time when money and labour would be available for rebuilding.
“All the same, we found our first visit to the great city very exciting. We had booked in at a Youth Hostel, a Georgian house with bare rooms and very basic furniture. There were several two-tier iron beds to each room, with a mattress and single blanket each. It cost three shillings a night including breakfast, but certain chores had to be done by the guests, as there were no cleaning or waiting staff.
Rubble
“We spent the rest of the first afternoon roaming the West End and visiting famous buildings, such as St Paul’s Cathedral, rising proud above the bombed out rubble. We then went on to Westminster Abbey and ‘Big Ben’, which strangely looked much smaller than I had expected.
“We strolled into St James’s Park to see swans and ducks on the lookout for food. Buckingham Palace was a disappointment to us, for that too appeared grimy, and had most of its windows still boarded up.”
Pictured above, at Kinver camp in May 1945, are Ron Griffin on the left hand end of the middle row, and others including Dorothy Henoway, Hazel Davis, Olive Smith, Stan Pearce, Ted Beardall, Les Harris, Norman Price, Vernon Howe (Club Leader), Beryl Thomas, Auria Wassall, Olive Green, Maye Lavell, Joe Perry and George Perry.
Part Two of Ron Griffin’s Youth Club memories will follow in next week’s edition.