 My very first day at Ardwick my mum took me there (because I had to get two buses) but said I could go home on my own. I was feeling very brave and grown up. Got on the 57 I think, showed my bus pass and sat there, thinking the bus went no further than Piccadilly. I ended up in Salford! The bus conducter was no help at all and just put me off the bus! I asked someone how I could get to Blackley and they said they'd never heard of it! Shock, horror! I thought I must be in Outer Mongolia. However, a kind policeman put me on a bus to Piccadilly and told the conducter to show me where to get my connecting bus when I got there! Of course, my parents were frantic when I eventually arrived home - I was just so glad to be where I should be. When the "sticky out" net underskirts were all the rage I wore one to school (big sin!!). Miss Pearson told me to take it off in the class. I refused saying I wouldn't take it off in front of the lads! I was sent to Mr. Woodhead - the one and only time in my life! Before I actually saw him Miss Pearson sent for me to come back to the classroom. She said I could wear it for that day but mustn't wear it for school again. Phew!
This photograph of sixteen year olds Tony Linsdell (right) and myself (Jim Pollard), was taken in a pub in Rhyl. Four boys from Ardwick Tech had gone on a weeks holiday to "SummerVille Holiday Camp" with our parents blessing strangely enough. The other two members of the group were Fred Harris and Ian Chadwick. We also got day visits from Les Cockerham. Take a look at the clothes. I was wearing a check shirt, check jacket and unbelievably, a check CRAVAT! I was also wearing an orange cardigan (my Mum was a great knitter but was unfortunately colour blind). My companion looks like he has just finished his shift at the local undertakers. It was Tony's idea of "beach wear". We had gone to a pub to buy some beer and
as we were underage and I was the tallest, I volunteered to go
in and buy some bottles. With my John Wayne swagger and deepest
voice I went up to the barman and ordered a Double Meanwhile the rest of the Rat Pack were getting a bit toey and were suspecting that I had been collared by the Law. I remember that the bar had a row of high windows and every so often I would see a juvenile's head bobbing up and down to try and get an eyeful of what was happening in the pub. Finally Tony Linsdell plucked up the courage to come into the pub and quickly identified me as I was the only one dressed in full scottish regalia from the waist up. I summoned my friend the barman over and ordered a beer for Tony. The picture was taken by a roving photographer which was popular in those days. As the other boys were too gutless to come into the pub we finally vacated the premises with as much nonchalance as a couple of sixteen year olds could muster bearing in mind that we now had a Double Diamond under our belts. We then spent the next half an hour fielding questions from our subordinates on how we had managed to achieve this great success. Needless to say we all returned to the pub that night and got sozzled.
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