Tuesday 7 August 2018

Memory of Times Past...


Have you ever wondered what happened to all those folks you once knew.  The neighbours of your childhood, folks at school, those early jobs?  It surprised me somewhat to consider that the girls in my memory, the ones who used to throw themselves at men, are now well into their 60's and 70's, many are into their 90's if they still survive.  I wonder what became of them?  I expect that when I moved on they found it hard to contain their grief, this of course might be a misunderstanding on my part, but what did they do afterwards?  The nurses in the hospital could not remain their forever, it was demolished some years later, their careers as high powered nurses could get them work anywhere at the time and some were, others would soon be married or paired off and are they now glowing grannies with a pack of kids troubling them?  
Clearly some from that time would be dead long since, this tends to happen I find.  I first entered the strange world of work in 1966 and few from those days would remain now.  The management were at least in their 40's, the big boss almost 60, and many of the workers in the whisky bond were far from young, today the remnants will be in their 70's at least.  The next job also only lasted a year, and I was lucky in that, but few of those will survive today, I wonder how they fared.


This huge building was the brewery in which I lodged and grew up over some four years.  Here the girls threw themselves at me also but there again those girls threw themselves at anything male so that really doesn't count.  It is funny how memory of such people is crystal clear, except names, few names remain.  Incidents, good and bad, abound and sometimes I wonder what happened to the folks there who were so good to me, they gave me enough money for a single ticket to London when I left in 1971, hold on...!
Interestingly, yes it is, almost all those places I worked over the past century no longer exist!  Almost all are large blocs of flats, as here, or housing estates of some sort.  This reflects something of the changed industrial landscape of the nation.  So many factories I once knew have gone, production now in China or Bangladesh instead.  Leith, wherein I first worked had many whisky bonds, most are now blocks of flats for the gentry.  Even the rough Leith docks pubs now supply staff called 'Rory, ' if you understand my meaning.  That would not have worked in the 60's. 
I miss many of the girls from the hospital, the men would be long dead mostly being in their 50's then, I suspect most died by 1990, the result of smoking early on and the usual age concern diseases.  It s strange to think I left Maida Vale in 1982, which is 36 years ago, and even the loveliest lass will be near 70 now.  When working there I pondered those who had passed that way before and were soon forgotten, how few remember us even if we are 'stalwarts' of an organisation for many years.  Only the famous doctors are remembered and even then the memory fades.
Jings I'm feeling moody tonight.  Where is the whisky bottle...?

5 comments:

Kay G. said...

Cccchanges! I miss David Bowie. Love the cartoon.

the fly in the web said...

The buildings where i worked will be standing for a good while yet...just try winkling out nests of lawyers...but it is true, once you are gone you are forgotten. My name left the board by the stairs years ago and most of those with whom I was friendly are dead.
Pass me the whisky....

Dave said...

Its good to look back and remember the people and the places you worked and hopefully they were good times. I occasionally meet up with a few old colleagues just for a beer and a chat.

Jenny Woolf said...

It is indeed funny to look back. I was thinking about some of those I went to school with the other day. I am in touch with one of them still, and also a college friend, but it's surprising how they've aged. Luckily I haven't, you wouldn't guess I wasn't still 16, (or that is my opinion, not that I have actually checked that theory with anyone else mind you..... )

Adullamite said...

Kay, Great cartoon!

Fly, The name ought to have remained. That is some sort of memory.

Dave, I remember the good times, I have no wish to see those who caused by bad ones.

Jenny, You don't look much more than 16, however I note other age rather badly.