Ted always had wry smile and tale to tell
THE end of last year saw the loss of a type of man society can ill afford to lose.
Ted Orton of Earl Shilton was a character with an ever ready wry smile and a tale to tell.
I made his acquaintance through the former Dog and Gun Walking Club whose forays often provided material for his yarns, the best known of which is his story of the origin of The Oak and Ash between Earl Shilton and Peckleton, a romance worthy of Mills & Boon and so credible many believed it to be true.
Another was the one spun prompted by a walk through Osbaston, at that time the home village of the Honourable Jonathan Guinness. Ted tried to convince fellow members that the brook there was the source of the water for the peer’s family’s famous stout but on that occasion few if any were taken in.
Ted was also the originator of the club’s annual treasure hunt walks around the local area which I was proud to take over after some years gap, retaining some of the cryptic clues but the difference between us was that the answer in his version was not always immediately visible on the route but could be seen on the horizon!
He brightened up every company he was in and will be sadly missed at the Conny Club and Kingscroft Bowling Club where he played for many years. I send my condolences to his family.
Sales slogans
The best response I have had to any item in this column came to the one about advertising jingles, many for products no longer available.
One that I was not sure about was Victory V lozenges but Carl Armstrong proved you can still get them by presenting me with a packet at one of the haunts we both frequent.
Sylvia Stokes of Burbage answered one of the questions I posed by emailing to say it was “I’ll risk it for a Swisskit”.
She added: “I used to buy the muesli bars in the early 70s when they were four pence each. I remember the advert, just Googled it and found that on Youtube they have classic British adverts from the 1970s…They brought back lots of memories when I watched them.”
John Lewis got in touch to say he thought the Finn shoes one was “fine shoes that kiddies (rather than children) love to wear.”
No one got the short lived bar that Cadbury’s brought out to rival Mars which was called Aztec.
Gelatier gone
David Abbott emailed to tell me of the apparent passing, reported on social media, of one of his classmates who might also be remembered by others.
Mick Twigger of Burbage was a popular ice cream man, especially around some estates in Nuneaton but who also had a stand on Castle Street near Church Walk where David often spoke to him.
They were in the same class at Westfield along with Mick’s twin brother Brian, also known as Willy, who died some years ago whilst on holiday in the Caribbean.
David recalls: “I used to go train spotting with them and both also went to the (Tom Towers) Boys Club when they lived on Radmore Road.