Liverpool Tales from the Mersey Mouth - A book by John Williams

wonderful, enthralling,interesting site.keep it up john..GOOD STUFF

Hi John, I see a lot of my friends names on your guestbook and on their behalf and my own a big fat Thank You!

Was trying to find info on the Bullring and Brunell street(all I can remember is the old water tank!) where mum and dad come from and came across your sight. Have now been on here for over an hour and so thats my lunch hour gone! Still didn't find information I was looking for but this was worth the stop!

Hiya John Just discovered your site,brill stories! I try toget back to the 'pool every so often for a "top-up humour transfusion",there's not much of it about in Lancs. Have tried to find anything in your tales to do with the Bluecoat school in Wavertree pre: 1950's,when we had to wear the famous "tippet and gown",thick black stockings and a poke bonnet- and that was just the boys! Oh happy days! Keep the stories coming Brenda Cooper

Enjoyed your story. I moved around a lot in Liverpool too but not as much as you I now live in Hornchurch Essex.Please make a cassette I get starved for the sound of a lovely scouse voice even though I phone home a lot. Ilost most ofmy accent when evacuated and having to speak welsh for nearly five years and then getting a job down south in my late teens. That was fifty two years ago but my heart is still in Liverpool and I go back nearly every year. I'm looking forward to your next story. Teresa.

Always enjoy your stories ! When are you going to publish them ? Ross & Lynn

Great story. My late hubby lived in number 17 Cambridge St till 1947. He had a young brother who was set on fire by another young Boy. They had stolen a movie from a movie house and Eric stuck it down his Jerkin. The other young boy struck a match and lit the end that was hanging down. Eric lived for 9 months badly burnt and he died. What year did you live there? I Really enjoy your stories. Thank you, keep up the good work. Sylvia

I am now 53 years old but was born and bred in Liverpool near Sefton Park but left home when I was 19 years old, I hitch hiked down the East Lancs Road and ended up in London then Harrow. I do enjoy visiting Sefton Park on my rare visits to Liverpool and enjoy reliving my childhood. Thanks for your story I enjoyed reading it, sadly their is not much on the net about Sefton Park, but it is a great place. I won't bore you with my stories of sailing my toy yacht on the big lake and sledging their as well. Good luck, Peter Roberts Harrow Middlesex

after 15 years in essex i moved with my father to southport in a very short time i had started a great social life in liverpool and when he returned to london a couple of years later i chose to stay as i couldn`t imagine anywhere better,livelier or where i`d be as happy your stories bring it all back so vividly i spent some years at sea and recognised the psychopaths,drunks and patently strange people you paint so well.for a time i worked on the trim line at halewood building the capri,your story about getting ahead of the line at the bottle plant reminded me of our practice of trying to work faster than the assembly line to either get a break or at least the time to wash before going home.o work with a shanghai chinese man called kennywhose english had been learned at fords` oh fuckin` right la`and one unforgettable man who could do gymnastics on the air vent control chains whilst singing roy orbisons`i`m falling`i live in staffordshire now and have done for 22 years but many mondays i`m in liverpool wandering about and wondering where the crowd that used meet outside hendersons have gone.finally solly abrams eh?my suits in the 60`s came from the jacksons at the top of london road where my mate mick stewart used to work.`

Just brilliant John. These stories are flowing together like chapters of a novel.

Hi John, Just to let you know that a friend sent your site to me. I enjoy your editorials very much. Cheers.....Dave Lawlor a brit in Arizona, USA

Enjoyed your spin on age/pop-music I'm now 73 with 6 grandkids & the gap is a tad narrowed via Folk Songs, esp. the Liverpool Lullaby (Mucky Kid) which I wrote for _their_ parents. Got your URL from the LIV-MEM chat-group. Cheers Stan Kelly now living in California

You have entertained an old New Ferry lad, Also ex Lairds 1952-7 thanks.

John, I hate to admit this, but you've just written the story of my present day life ! nice to know we're sharing the same boat on a cruise to 'old age' :)

Great work keep it up John

You learn something new every day !! Thanks for spoiling us John with more tales, you're on a ROLL.......

Thank you John.....You never cease to amaze me. I would like to hear you on a CD or Cassette relating your tales. Your tales and your Scouse accent what could be better.

Love the stories. I've never lived in Liverpool but some of my ancestors come from there. So it's good to read and learn about where they lived and died. Pam Stoke on Trent

I really look forward to your new adventures or old, as a native Liverpudlian now living in the US, you bring so much of my home back to me...keep it up Pat

Living in Perth but part of me will always be in Liverpool. I miss the people the humour the brilliant ad libs. Nobody does it better

Stumbled upon this ite when looking for info on old pubs closing down and being turned into housing,please have a look at our site

The horse lesson is a lesson for life - and if it's yours and doesn't come back you've been doing something wrong and don't deserve a horse.

Fantastic stories from bygone days, I served my apprenticeship as a plasterer with some of the funniest characters ever. Life here in Perth is great but it will never come close to my days growing up and becoming a man in the great city of Liverpool. I miss it so sometimes, keep them stories coming yours sincerely Graham

Enjoyed reading your stories, originally I came from Cadishead, Nr.Manchester. My friend from Liverpool died recently, she would have loved your site, I was never around her that she was not talking about the good old days in Liverpool, she came over to the United States 50 years ago, she worked on the Liverpool Docks as a young woman, her name was Hilda Rosen, she would be thrilled to have her name on your guest list, anything to do with Liverpool was great with Hilda, hope to read more of your stories, cause I sure miss Hilda's.

Very funny stuff!

Bloody Great! Is the Busy Bee still there on Tongbarn?? I used to live in No25 before emigrating in 1980. Still miss the Domino sessions though. I worked for Dunlop Fabrications dept on Pimbo Estate as a Shift Supervisor, although I believe Dunlop closed down and moved to Middleton. If any of the blokes that worked there read this..Send me an email, I'll be back in the UK in May and can get in touch to have A BEER. Ed Hurley.

Thoroughly enjoyed this John. The Polish landlord sounds a bit like my friends late father, the way she describes him. They were from Upper Parli though,far cry from Skelmersdale. I'll keep you to the promise of the 'difficult mortgage tale' for later.

Love your writing/memoirs. Keep up the good work Nita from Alexandria Virginia via Edge Hill, Liverpool

Thank you for a very interesting story. Looking forward to many more. Interesting, I see someone living in Upholland has signed, have a friend named Rose from there, my niece lives close by in Newburgh. I am from near Manchester, have been in the US since 1950.

John, We've been here for over 30 years. Just managed to escape and are now residing in Upholland (Getting on a bit now so couldn't go very far). Still, I keep myself occupied and get down to Liverpool as often as I can. We've managed to find a gap in the barbed wire. Our daughter got as far as Manchester. Joking apart, Skelmersdale, apart from the last 5 years, has been O.K. Cathie

have just had the laugh I needed lovely story looking forward to more tales thank you Doreen

A great tale John. What a wonderful interesting life you have had, and it is only just beginning. Thank you so much for sharing and reminding us of how life used to be.

wonderful poem

My first venture into this site.Looks very interesting

Enjoyed your site, will return often.
I met my wife 45 years ago today by the day and date (Tuesday 4th Feb 1958) in the Locarno Dance Hall, West Derby Rd.
We had our first date two days later, Feb 6 1958 the day of the Manchester U Munich air crash.
StanO Mississauga, Canada.

I've only read a few of your pages so far, but I'll read
them all, eventually. I was aware of Liverpool not only
because of the Beatles, but also because my home town, Saint
John, New Brunswick, Canada- a sea port- was at one time
known as "The Liverpool of North America"; an industrial
seaport where many ships were built and which later suffered
economic downturn.
It appears to me that you love Liverpool at least as much as
I love Saint John, no matter how others might disdain and
denigrate it for whatever reason. I hope to get to
Merseyside some time soon; this year perhaps. I've never
been to England and it looks like I'll finally have my
chance. I hope to get to a football game as well, but I have
to decide whom to see and where to see them.
You write extremely well and I'm enjoying your pages
immensely. Please keep up the good work.
Robert

Enjoyed reading your story, brings back memories.
I used to watch Albert Stubbins from the boys pen at Anfield.
and Jackie Balmer

My last name is Masca,too.
I would like the possible hypothesis.
Please answer to masca2atzipmail.com.br
Manuel G.C.Churata Masca
University teacher in Goias ( Jatai), Brazil

Currently in Jeddah )
Another two crackin stories there John,can't
decide which is my favourite this or the Anfied one
keep it up yer know how much I enjoy readin them all.
All the best John
Trae

As one of Arthur Ballard's students, between 1955 and 1960, I thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated your story

Great site, well done to the webmaster !!!

Just finished reading the Upstarts, regarding dictators like Stalin and Hitler. Powerful reading, thank you John for your insight.