Liverpool Tales from the Mersey Mouth - A book by John Williams
"This is a wonderful collection of writings by
John Williams. While it isn't specifically about the Beatles,
they are clearly a part of the story, along with the very fiber
and fabric of the city that influenced him and them as well.
The pieces are short, well written and filled with a delicious
sense of humor that shines in the titles as well as the essays."
Jan Perry, Cincinnati Post
"John Williams writes in the language of Liverpool,
a Scouse scribe who brings to life the people and places, inner
thoughts and outer images, the vigour and vitality and essentially,
the iron humour of a unique city."
Bill Harry, founder of Mersey Beat
came upon your website as a result of my Dad's
curiosity as to what the "Third Order of Carmelite Nuns" meant.
thank you for sharing the beauty of Our Lord through poetry.
God Bless you.
Only just found the site. It's really great
I was at L'pool Wireless College 1939/40 - it was great. Also
in L'pool for 4 days of May blitz 1941 - Not so great !!
I am researching my Family tree & have
found that a descendent of mine James Kewin used to THE vines
in liverpool but when i am not sure can you help me
A simple and (from what I know) appropriate
summation.
It is said (especially in my field of study
- engineering), that the pioneers are the ones with the arrows
in their backs. Red Foxx, Richard Prior, George Carlin, Robin
Williams, all owe the slightly easier road to that pioneer.
A response is not necessary, but you were at
the top of the google list when "Lennie Bruce" is typed. I
learned today that the mayor of New York just pardoned Lennie
on obcenity charges that he had been convicted of a few years
before my birth.
May I thank you for many hours of fun, reading
your wonderful anecdotes and stories. As an ex sailor I have
enjoyed the company of many 'scousers' and spent many a happy
day in your wonderful city. Best regards Alan
Have only just found your site - WONDERFUL,
lots of nostalgia from my working days in Tithebarn Street
- happy days at lunchtimes at the Cavern, carry on with the
excellent work for us patriots - again many many thanks and
greeting to everyone.
After spending ages sorting through a stack
of rubbish bags in the search for a docket i had 'accidentally'
thrown out, your story certainly struck home.we actually have
quite a good re-cycling and rubbish system here in nz.we keep
glass,plastic,paper,tins and cardboard in seperate containers
and come rubbish day they are all collected and taken away
seperately.once a year we have what is called inorganic collection.we
can put out on the road any unwanted items as long as they
are not dangerous and that too is collected after it has been
well sifted through by passersby.it seems to be quite a good
system as one mans rubbish can most certainly be anothers treasure.some
collect tvs,others metal,others tyres and so on.we did well
one year and found golf clubs,a vaccuum cleaner and a bbq!all
outside one house.i am always amused at the houses where there
is just one empty paint tin or a plastic plant pot.it's as
if they have had to try so hard to please the collectors and
just had to find something!we never have that problem.our rubbish
usually consists of things like useless vaccuum cleaners and
golf clubs that are definitely not an asset to any would be
tiger woods!any further news with the book John?love Kay
Again, a marvelous light hearted approach
to something that we can
all relate to. I haven't laughed so much in
ages when I read how you baited Dr. Diarrhrea. I have been
tempted myself to reply to the 'enlarge your *****(something
I wasn't born with). Not to mention the amount of platinum
credit cards I'm offered, and Green cards. Thanks for the laugh
'Crowbar' Williams :)
John, you have just given me such a laugh
as I have always wanted to reply to these scam letters and
play a joke on them like you did. As always great stuff, keep
on writing. All the best. Joan
I live in north carolina now, but like just
about every other ex-patriate I really miss home. I was there
in 2000, and will return in 2004 (I hope). I have sent your
addy to a friend of mine in leicester whose best friend while
in the para's was a scouser and they are still in touch, he'll
love it. he was the one who said I have a sense of humor like
a scouser so all I can say is "it must be good" great to hear
from you, keep up the good work..
i actually come from hove, in sussex, however,
being a scouse you probably don't know about that area of the
world. i do like your sense of humor and feel akin to most
scouses 'cos i have a weird sense of humor too. ( i spell with
an american accent, but still talk with an english one).
wonderful I really enjoyed it, especially
the bit about the scouse "stars"
Have you seen the wonderful spoof photos of a plane at the
airport up on bricks, and n office chair on bricks - relating
to Liverpool I am actually a woolly back from St helens, but
really love Liverpool and its people!! Liz
Julian from United Kingdom
wrote on December 10. 2003, 01:03:
E-mail: upb
at ofir.dk
I remember the wine bar Kirklands from the
mid 70's. It was a great place. I've lived in Denmark for 20
years now, but some reminiscenses of Ireland strike a chord
also.
Just found your site. Having grown up in Liverpool
you can imagine the joy I had reading it. As a kid with a family
the size of a soccer team. Just how poor we lived. Still life
was turned around on our arrival in Canada. However I will
NEVER for get where I came from. God bless all Scousers.AND
YOU TO JOHN
Loved the history of your DIY frolics, a good
laugh, I have had a few of those 'non-lethal' electrocutions,
they certainly tingle though, I think Rapid is great too, but
check out Makro for the power tools, 1/2 the price!! Best wishes,
Del
Funny stuff about Hitler and how 'clever' him
and his sick band of nutters were! Will bookmark the site and
come back to read more stuff - I meant to go to bed early and
found this. Damn you sir! Good luck, I think you'd write a
great book.
A very good article. I recall those days well.
My first ship was the MV NORFOLK out of L'pool. 1st night a
fire, I remained asleep despite the alarm being above my head
in the 4 up cabin. woops!
Have only just been introduced to your site
via a friend in Canada, Although I have left Liverpool many
times for differant reasons, work,armed forces ect I always
return to this great city. I look forward to viewing the whole
site. Regards Pat Carroll
I have lost my Mum and am missing her so much
and can't bear that she is not around. Did a search on "fear
of non-existence" and arrived at your site which was a pleasant
surprise.
Wonderful words. There is little else I can
add except those idiots are still in power and again many allow
themselves to be conned into another world war.
Very enjoyable read - I was at Gilmoss from
1969 - 1971 - enough was enough! yes empathies all round there
- amongst the x's I worked I did indeed work the belt - 1 and
1a as well as others - Seaforth being a favourite spot for
terminating - happy days - best wishes - Dave
Hi John only recently came across your site
and find it very interesting havn't read the lot yet but what
I have are similar to my own recollections of the Pool. I'm
also from the Huyton area originally now living in Ankara --Turkey.
Good luck with everything and look forward to reading the rest
of the page, regards to all ----Mustafa the Scouce Turk.
Have just read about your Hercules bicycle,
the perils of, and goodness me, you've done it to me again
John, I'm crying into me Lady Grey again! Not only losing your
beloved bike but your Mother too! Oh dear! I shall be haunted
with visions of a poor little scruffion now, in a fairisle
tank top, spending Christmas on a farm without his Mum. Dare
I ask what you received for Christmas THAT year? You really
have a way with words! The emotion is electric! I think I'll
just read one more .......................
I was on the Grafton the trip before you we
ran to S.America for few months and went to the continent where
they gave us the option of paying off in Falmouth as the ship
was going on the Japan Aussie run for a long time so I paid
off not wanting to be away for that long. I then joined the
Broompark as it was supposed to be back for Christmas after
three months. Thirteen months later I was on the 12to4 watch
when a ship signalled, I think we were in the Pacific, and
you've guessed it, it was the Grafton homeward bound. I eventually
paid off after fourteen months so we did actually pass like
ships in the night. I am writing my life in the MN for my grandchildren,(sanitised
of course). All the best. I enjoyed your story and so did my
grandkids as it touched my life as well George Robinson
I was at De la Salle from 1957 - 1962, when
I bought myself out for ten pounds. I, like you, preferred
to spend my time roaming the "great outdoors" rather than deal
with those sadistic bastards they called brothers! My attendance
record was probably as bad as yours, and I've never regretted
it for a minute. I hated that school with a passion, and couldn't
wait to get away from it. Been in USA for the last 30yrs, and
anything I've achieved can never be credited to my days at
DLS. Best Regards
I was born & raised in Liverpool,came to the
usa in 1959,have never forgot my heritage or roots,im proud
to be a part of liverpool,& the wonderful people that went
throughthe tribes & tribulations,as my family did, no one escaped
the war with the Germans,nor did they escape the poverty we
went through. There will always be a Liverpool, said the song
there will always be an England,and the wonderful people who
made and still are making it a city to remember and the people
who lived there and made it what it is today, I am proud of
all the people who where a deep part of the history of liverpool,
and I hold them in my heart forever.
I run a company on merseyside and we fit roller
shutters, happily 99% are to industrial buildings, congratulations
on a very good skit, and absolutely true! I couldn`t agree
with you more, unfortunately though the
"scum" win again, good luck with keeping your area
"shutter free"
Regards, Alan Davies.
Mary from Australia
wrote on November 28. 2003, 15:46:
Hi John,
Spent another happy hour on your site. Great stories. Cheers Mary
Just thought I'd drop you a line after having
read your accounts of childhood in Liverpool. I emigrated from
there when I was nine with my parents, and moved to Vancouver,
Canada. My dad had been a seaman and thought life would be
better in Canada .I was born in 1952 and grew up on Salisbury
Road in Everton. Funny thing is I still yearn for all things
Scouse. Your articles have been a great read, really enjoyed
them. I went home for a visit back in 1976, and sought out
all things Beatle, had a great time but two weeks just wasn't
enough. I plan on going back again within the next few years
with my wife and children, who are now in their twenties, just
to show them what all this Liverpool stuff is all about . Thanks
again Terry
liverpool is forever the greatest town in
the world. I'm 16 and already no what ever path in life that
I go down it will never lead me out of Liverpool. I'm truly
proud of who I am and where I come from.
Great Site, I just read the match days, I
lived in Skerries road in Anfield for 16 years, match day was
always fantastic, we didn't need to go to the game, we could
hear what was going on from the house, my friend Maria (Meehan)
and I used to mind cars for people going to the match, we used
to make quite a bit of money for a few hours on a Saturday
afternoon. I have lived in Canada since 1981, but Liverpool
will always be home. My son was only 2 when we left Liverpool,
but he is a red hot Liverpool fan.
My father John Price was a student of Arthur's
in the sixties and I remember meeting him as a child I was
also told some very amusing stories following drinking sessions
they had - one in particular involving a buddist retreat, a
ten pound note and a dodgy bet on a horse.
Wow, I never imagined that I would hear the
name Somali Club again. I was a regular during the late 70's
and early 80's until it's demise. It was a truly wonderful
place where many good times were had.
Margaret Hicks (nee Baines) from Canada via Liverpool
hey i was looking at ya website and i thought
that you would like to know that i live above the pub as my
dad is the manager. e mail me back best wishes
Came across your site as the name of Bent's
came to me out of the blue. I live in Brighton but am a Scouser
from way back and enjoyed ale when it was ale and not chemicals.
Bent's was always a favourite as was Threlfall's in those dear
dead days.
Incredibly funny story John. I can't remember
the railway sleeper keeping him warm, (Johnny), though I do
remember him having a big pot of tea constantly on the boil
over the open fire. When johnny left the farmhouse he said
he would leave me his penknife,which he duly did, a present
I treasured, but somewhere lost it along the way. I wish I
knew what happened to Johnny, but like you never saw him again.
Cousin Tom.
Simon & Garfunkel Album, Bridge over Troubled
waters' Is my all time favorite I handle that LP with kid gloves.
They are appearing together again...Song in there.... I sure
hope I get to see them. I did get to go and see Paul Simon's
Graceland concert.
1958 Shotgun marriages were the norm.Ours.whisked
to the register office no photos taken!No food, no cake, but
my Dad had a bottle of whiskey..Thrown on a train without,
our luggage. Went to London-to shy to go into our hotel..The
Cumberland.Rang from across the road to see if they really?Expected
us? Quizzed by the manager at (11pm)at our door? Because i
had signed in as a Miss--by mistake. My parents had my marriage
certificate miles away,so all i could do was show my ring and
plead our case..? At midnight he kindly allowed us to stay..
Spent, 3 days in same clothes..Ate double -(full) breakfasts
each,in bed everymorning;Life felt pretty good..Vowed to go
back some day but never did. Returned to home town,with no
where to live together,could not find even one room. Began
to wonder what a baby was? 7 MNTHS later- shook-hands with
my husband as he left me,as i went into labour for 32 hours..alone.3
children and 24 yrs of mayhemm , ------------------------------we
divorced! Enjoying your stories so very true -Life has to be
experianced to the full and lets laugh at the funny side of
it and rememember special times, and people..M
I have read your tales...and am always in awe
of your writings. A liverpool friend passes them on. It is
such a delight to see in my emails, a tale from John. Thank
you. Jan.
Thank you for a beautiful memory John. To
anyone who feels guilty about ignoring a hobo on the streets
of Liverpool rest assured I do believe he ended up at my house
having a nice cup of tea, and sharing the little bit we had.
If they did not knock at the front door, I
assure you my Mum found them, be it at a tram stop or in a
street doorway. Or perhaps they found her, she was the world's
worst 'finder of those in need' I think it made her feel good
to not only share but to know someone at least had less than
she did, or perhaps she felt guilty!
Great site sir!! Great primary source material
for quite a few local History assignments!! Being a teacher
there is a lot for the kids to relate to and use for factual
and empathetic study!!Your site is also a damn good read!!
Your half brother, Steve (a good friend of
mine), recommended your site to me and I'm glad he did - I
think it's excellent. Being Jewish, I particularly enjoyed
your piece on Israel. I'm a regular visitor to the place and
as coincidence would have it, was also in Eilat in 1978. I
was there only last January visiting my son who was spending
his gap year in Israel. Have you seen Eilat recently? My God,
how it's changed!! Shalom, and keep up the good work! Peter.
Like the site! I am born and raised Liverpool.
I am living in Cambridge now but I read these sites of a night
as I get home sick.
I learnt a few new things about Liverpool.
I enjoyed the perspective of the poetry. I like the subjective
ways of seeing things and they are well written too, Nice one
kidder, Christian
Match Days is exactly as I remembered it -
and I don't want to even consider the option of a McDonuts
at Anfield.
Shankly with arms raised after the Mighty Reds
had clinched the title after a draw against Leicester on a
red hot summers days.... yes, Those Were the Days, My Friend..
Great site. Best regards from a bloody freezing Canada !!
I know this is probably a very long shot, but
I came across your site & I am keen tyo know if you can help
provode some information I am trying to trace. I was adopted
at 6 weeks old. I have managed to trace & meet my birth mother, & am
now keen to try & track down my dad. By pure coincidence he
worked as a bus conductor out of edge lane around 1964. His
name was Thomas Nickson or Nixon. Apparently he was a short
guy with receding hair. Do you remember him at all? Do you
have any idea what happened to him? If you did know him, do
you know his address at that time? Any information that you
can provide would be very welcome. It would also be treated
as confidential. Thank you for listening.
Never been to your site before. Could not
have put it better myself. Left "gods country" in 1971 to live
in Manchester/Stockport for personal reasons. At 56 years old
,liverpool is still MY home. Our kids are all from stockport
but they know where I belong !!! We took 3 of our grandkids
to the albert dock, via the ferry, last week. We went on the
open top bus tour and the "duck". What an experience for me.
Saw things I never saw as a child. !! The greatest sight, as
I still remember, is coming home from Ireland at about 6 in
the morning..the Pier Head is "lit up" what a welcome home...
anyway, must go. see you soon. 111