1945

Russia — a funny feeling

   Tonight I went to Cubs with Barry. Mr. Harvey presented me with a book. Inside it says today’s date and underneath “Presented to Cub B. Williams, for good service, H. Harvey G.S.M.” The title is Timur’s Vow, and on the paper cover [dust-wrapper] is a boy holding a white flag with a red star, with a tank in the background. There are many black and white pictures too. It is a Russian book [adapted by Nora Lloyd and Musia Renbourn from the film by A. Gaidar, and illustrated by Donia Nachshen]. It seems to be about the War and it gives me a funny feeling. I don’t like it very much. I wish I could have had a nature book instead, like my Birds of the Village Puffin picture book by James Fisher, which is my favourite.

   Russia is the largest country in the world and it is called Noyta. I have got 33 Russian stamps in my stamp album but they also give me a funny feeling. They say “PYCCKAR NOYTA” but the R is the wrong way round. There are also other different letters. Most of the stamps do not have perforations. Russia is ruled by Marshall Stalin but I don’t like him very much. I like Mr. Churchill but people say he is a warmonger. President Roosevelt is all right.

[The Russian words at the top of the stamp are actually: “Russkaya Pochta”. The price at the bottom is: “75 kop.” (kopecks).]

Top of the class

   It was the end of term today. I copied a picture of Hannibal and coloured it. We do not have to go back to school until Monday week.

   I have got my report from school. I am Very Good at Arithmetic, Arithmetic (Oral), English, Composition, History and Geography, and Excellent at Reading and Writing. Position in Class 1st, Number in Class 51. Mrs. Wright says, “I am very pleased indeed with Brian’s attitude to his work & his results. He should do well.” Mrs. Wright has signed her name underneath but written “A. Whight” and changed the h to an r. Mr. Olarenshaw has signed it with his purple rubber stamp. My mother has signed it also “Mr. Mrs. C Williams.” [jpg]

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Nervous

   I found a paper on Mrs. Wright’s desk with my name on it. It said “Brian Williams, rather nervous” which is true.

Today’s special date

I went to school and told Mrs. Wright that today is the 12th of March 1945 so can we write it 12.3.45 in our books? She said yes. I came home with Peter Cook, whose father is a teacher at Hartfield Crescent Senior Boys School, and told him about the date. He had not noticed it. While I was playing with Peter, Mr. Cook came and showed us the Birmingham Mail which said that today was 12345. There will never be another day like this for a hundred years, except the 23rd of April 1956.

School report for term ending 27th January 1945

Lloyd George is dead

   Lloyd George died last night aged 82. He was “the man who won the War.” It is a pity that he has died before this one has ended. He was born in Manchester on Saturday 17th January 1863. [His Principal Private Secretary and biographer A.J. Sylvester will become my close friend.]

   Today is Good Friday.

A secret society

   Peter Cook and I have started a Secret Society. His father has made him a rapier and says we should be the Blue Cockade.

   I am keeping the records of the Secret Society. I have printed some of the information with my John Bull Printing Set and purple ink and I am keeping it in my pocket folded up. I have also made a map of Greenwood Avenue showing [the central reservation and] all the trees and bushes and holes in the bushes where we can crawl through if necessary. We must be able to escape from Rubberneck. We have done some detective work and found that his real name is Leonard Arthur Withers and that he lives in Northanger Road.

   I found a piece of paper in the classroom today where Margaret Hibberd sits. It has got several columns of numbers all between 1 and 9 and I cannot make sense of them. I have tried adding them up downwards and sideways and they make no sense at all. I think she is on to us and it is a secret message in code. I should not have told her about our Secret Society as she is not a member.

   I still can’t solve the mystery of the piece of paper with the numbers on.

Secret of the numbers

   I showed Margaret the piece of paper with the numbers on and asked her if it was a Secret Code. She said no, it was how many marks all the children in the class got for reading, and she laughed at me.

   I am very upset because Peter Cook says I can’t be in the Secret Society any more. There were only two of us in it and there was nothing to detect anyway,

Mussolini killed

   Mussolini has been killed in Italy.

Hitler is dead

   We heard on the wireless that Hitler is dead. The War will soon be over now.

VE Day

   The War is over. It is VE Day. We are going to a party in the street Mammy has made jam tarts and cakes and sandwiches.

   There was a Victory Parade in Victoria Square.

   Today is Whit Monday holiday.

Winston Churchill

   I went to cubs tonight. Mr. Harvey always gives me The Scout every week when he has read it. There is a nice picture on the front of the King and Queen and the two Princesses and Mr. Churchill waving to the crowd on VE Day

Caned at school

   Mrs. Wright gave me the cane today for talking in class, but it was Malcolm Moore in the desk behind me who was talking. I turned round and shushed him, not wanting him to get into trouble, but Mrs. Wright saw me and said who was that. I blushed and she told me to stand in the corner, then at the end of the lesson she caned me on both hands. I have not told Mammy and Daddy.

My mother was fiercely protective of us children. If I had told her what had happened she would have gone straight to the school and Mrs. Wright would have been pummelled.

   We had the day off from school. Mammy and Daddy went to Dolphin Lane School to vote tonight.

Consciousness

   In the playground at playtime I told Margaret that each life we live is taking us nearer to God, and I drew circles in the air with my finger going higher and higher making a cone shape.

Entrance exam tests

Mr. Olarenshaw gave me a book at school today. It is Evans Entrance Examination Tests — 1945 Edition and it is to help me when I have to sit for Camp Hill. The questions are on Arithmetic, General English, Essays and Compositions, Comprehension Tests, and General Intelligence Tests. I have already done some of the Arithmetic questions and got them right, as the answers are in the back.

   One of the Arithmetic questions is:—

This bill is wrong. What should it be? You need not write the whole bill; just put what each item should cost, and add them up.

	£   s.   d.	£   s.   d.
1¾ lb. of tea at 2s. 8d. a lb	4   6	4   8
3 tins of dried eggs at 1s. 3d. each	3   9	3   9
1½ lb. cheese at 1s. 1d. a lb.	1   9½	1   7½
1½ lb. bacon at 1s. 9d. a lb	2   4½	2   7½
2 oz. spice at 3s 4d. a lb	5	5
1 cwt. of potatoes at 16 lb. for 1s. 1d	7   6	7   7
	________	________
	£1   1  4	£1   0   8
	________	________

   One of the General English questions is:—

Correct the following sentence:—

   

(a) Please sir I seen him do it.	so he must have
(b) Do you think he could of done it alone?	Yes, I seen him do it.
(c) It’s never to late to mend	his ways.
(d) There was all sorts of books in the desk	what he pinched.
(e) Of the two planes, the Spitfire is the best	its in one of the books

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Labour win!

   I painted a red rose into my painting book today and signed it with the date. [jpg]

   We are very pleased because the Labour Party have won the Election. Mr. Attlee is the new Prime Minister. As we are working class we shall be all right now. It is the first Labour government ever [with an over-all majority]. Our new M.P. for Acocks Green is Mr. Henry Usborne (Labour).

   Results:— Labour 393, Conservative 197, Liberal 12, National Liberal 11, Independent 8, National 2, Communist 2, Irish Nationalist 2, Communist 1. Labour majority 145. Out of 478 Liberal candidates 319 lost their deposits (£150), and 97 out of 100 Communist candidates.

10 today

   It is my 10th birthday today. I am now in double figures. I have had some birthday cards.

From Clarice

From Aunt Greta and Uncle Arthur

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The Atom Bomb

   It is Mammy’s birthday today. I heard on the wireless that the Americans have dropped the Atomic Bomb on Japan. It is bigger than all other bombs put together.

VJ Day

   The Japanese have surrendered so the War is over. It is VJ Day and everyone is very excited because we are going to have a party in the street. Mammy says she can remember when the Great War ended in November 1918 and she was 6. She stood on a chair with all the children. They all waved flags and sang Land of Hope and Glory.

Rhyl

   We have come on holiday to Rhyl for a week and I remember it from when we were here before the War. We stayed then at 8 River Street but this is a different place. I got a lot of L.M.S. engine numbers today. We caught the train at New Street Station and had to change at Crewe and Chester.

   A beach photographer was by the pier and he took some photos of us. [jpg]

This Happy Breed

   We have got the photographs and they are very good. When I look through the magnifying glass I can see that This Happy Breed is on at the Pavilion Theatre. [jpg]

The film was released in 1944. The story by Noel Coward is about the life of a family in London between the Wars. It stars Robert Newton, Celia Johnson, Stanley Holloway, John Mills, Kay Walsh, Amy Veness and Alison Leggatt.

Engine numbers

   We returned home this afternoon after a lovely holiday in Rhyl. I got more engine numbers today.

   Julia was 4 today. We have gone back to school.

First visit to St. Andrews

   Daddy was going to the football match and I asked him if I could go too. We went on the 11 Outer Circle bus to the Swan and then caught the 94 trolley bus to St. Andrews. It was very exciting. Birmingham City won 5–nil against Swansea Town.

Birmingham City:— Merrick; Duckhouse, Stanton; Dearson, Turner, Harris; Mulraney, Jones, Duckhouse, Bodle, Edwards. Bodle scored 2, and Duckhouse, Jones and Mulraney the others.

   I cut the result of Blues’ match out of The People and stuck it in the Blues’ News programme which I got yesterday.

The Blues score 8

Dad took me to the match again and the Blues beat Tottenham Hotspur 8-0!. We stood in the same place at the bottom of the steps to the left of the goal at the Tilton Road end. The Blues are the best team in the country and Gilbert Merrick is the best goalkeeper.

Birmingham City: — Merrick; Duckhouse, Jennings; Harris, Turner, Owen; Mulraney, Dougall, Massart, Bodle, Edwards. All the forwards scored! — Mulraney (2), Dougall, Massart (2) Bodle and Edwards, and also Duckhouse.

Grammar School exams

   I went on the bus to Camp Hill to take the exam for King Edward’s Grammar School.

   I went to Camp Hill again. The exams were not too difficult. I watched the L.M.S. trains go by. They were all goods trains.

   Blues won 1–0 away against Tottenham Hotspur.

   Blues lost 2–1 away against Brentford.

   Dad and I went to St. Andrews to see Blues play Brentford. They won 1–nil. Massart scored.

Birmingham City:— Merrick; Duckhouse, Jennings; Dearson, Turner, Harris; Mulraney, Dougall, Massart, Bodle, Edwards.

   We went to St. Andrews this afternoon to see Blues play Chelsea. They won 5–2. Bodle (2), Jones, Turner (a penalty), and Edwards scored.

Birmingham City:— Merrick; Duckhouse, Jennings; Dearson, Turner, Harris; Mulraney, Dougall, Jones, Bodle, Edwards.

   Birmingham City won 3–2 at Chelsea, which is in London.

   I have passed for Camp Hill and shall start there next September. Everyone is very pleased.

   Blues lost 5–1 against Millwall in London.

   This afternoon we went to the match as usual. Blues beat Millwall 4–nil. Bodle, Jones and Edwards (2) scored.

Birmingham City:— Merrick; Duckhouse, Jennings; Harris, Turner, Mitchell; Mulraney, Dougall, Jones, Bodle, Edwards.

   Blues drew 1–1 at Southampton.

   We went to see Blues play Southampton this afternoon. They won 4–nil. Bodle (2), Duckhouse and Edwards scored.

Birmingham City:— Merrick; Dearson, Jennings; Harris, Turner, Mitchell; Mulraney, Dougall, Duckhouse, Bodle, Edwards.

   Blues won 2–nil away to Derby County.

   Dad and I went to St. Andrews to see Blues play Derby County. They won 1–nil.

Birmingham City:— Merrick; Dearson, Jennings; Harris, Turner, Mitchell; Mulraney, Dougall, Duckhouse, Bodle, Edwards. Bodle scored.

   I have had a lot of Christmas present and Clarice and Julia have also. I have got Film Pictorial Annual 1939, which is full of beautiful film star pictures and articles.

   Dad and I went to St. Andrews this morning to see Blues play Leicester City. We went in at the Cattell Road entrance instead of Garrison Lane. I have not been in the Spion Cop stand before. It was very good as we were by the half-way line. Blues won 6–2. Wilson Jones scored twice, Dougall, Bodle, Edwards and Mulraney got the others.

Birmingham City:— Merrick; Duckhouse, Jennings; Harris, Turner, Mitchell; Mulraney, Dougall, Jones, Bodle, Edwards.

Numerology

   Today is Boxing Day and I have been reading my Film Pictorial Annual 1939. There are pictures and stories of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Young and Innocent and other films and articles. There is also a very interesting article called “Numbers Rule Your Life.” I have worked out that my birth number is 11 and my name number is 11. It is called Numerology. I am very interested in numbers.

   Blues were playing Leicester City again today and won 1–nil.

   We went to see Blues play Coventry City. They won 2–nil. Edwards and Dougall scored.

Birmingham City:— Merrick; Duckhouse, Jennings; Harris, Turner, Dearson; Mulraney, Dougall, Jones, Bodle, Edwards.