The Fifties

[TomG]

I had left Canning Town and the area before all this music stuff started. 

My memories of The Bridge House are of a different nature.  It was the main centre for stipping with shows virtually every night.  Some of the girls took off their clothes with all the finesse and style of a North Atlantic fisherman taking off his oilskins after a heavy storm.  Some, however, were pretty good.  The real star one night was a girl who came on wearing a flimsy dressing gown which she took off.  We all felt rather cheated and booed but she then started to dress.  A Dress Tease, truly wonderful.  At the end we were shouting to her to strip and dress again.

The pianist was Thunderball Jones, "As seen on T.V." as the notice on his piano stated.

One barman, a little short fellow, used to wear a basque Sunday lunchtimes.

One time I suggested to the landlord of my regular local, The Shakespeare's Head in Roscoe Road, that he too had a stripper.  I further suggested he contact The Bridge House for one.  Unfortunately he was stitched up as the lady who arrived must have been pretty close to getting her bus pass.  However the act went down a bomb in the Public Bar and was pretty successful in the Saloon Bar until one wag asked the lady if she was warm.  She smiled at him and nodded.  He then threw a glass of beer over her.  A riot broke out.  I had survived many similar fights in the Forces so I dropped to my knees and crawled out on all fours through the melee.  I was not too popular with Arthur Jones, the Landlord, for a while.

I know I'm lowering the tone of the site but they were happy days.

[TerryMurphy]

Hi Tom,yes i know all there is to know, about the Bridge House.,i was born in Canning Town and lived there until the late 50s,The Liverpool Arm opposite was just as bad,( i mean Good) As teenagers me and all my mates,went there a few times,I will say no more,But if you wanted a fight there was always plenty of Seaman about.most of them could not speak Engilsh,I know the Shake as well,

2 Weeks ago in the Times ,News paper magazine there were a lot of Picture that Lord Snowden took,in the East End, in the 50s,There was a picture of a stripper on stage at the Bridge House,he said she came from the windmill Theartre,I have the Picture and there are a lot of young Guys watching, Maybe ? Regards Terry M

[TomG]

Terry M.

The photo might be interesting, perhaps I saw her performing!!

I have a site devoted to my old Primary School, Saint Margaret's RC School which was linked to the church just along the Barking Road next door to The Royal Oak.  (http://tomtids.proboards92/)  We are trying to organise a reunion and I was phoning around some old mates over the weekend.  I mentioned The Bridge House and all of the men remembered the Fifties and the turns.  It was a great time for we young men.

By the way, on a personal note, you're not Terry Murphy the ex-boxer by any chance?

[TerryMurphy]

Yes Tom,
i use to box professionaly,in the 50s. as,Terence Murphy from Canning Town. Did you follow boxing in them days,My Brother John, managed the Bridge house before me,and then he went to the Royal Oak.and started the boxing Gym there.We are Catholic, and St.Margretts was our parish church.was you also a ST Bonaventures boy.?as i was. As for the picture in the Times Mag,i will scan it and put it up on the Forum,by next week,if you are in the pic,well you do not have to tell me,up to you.Wish you luck with the reunion.
Regards.

[TomG]

Terry

Thanks for confirming you are who I hoped you were.  Aren't you the father of George, London's Burning, referred to as a famous pupil at Saint Helen's School in Plaistow, perhaps he could come along to our reunion.  I listed you as a famous pupil at Saint Bonaventures's along with Laurie Forino, Monty's Watch Winner.  I remember you visiting Saint Margartet's Club in Killip Close with Ron Barton.  I wasn't there because I was defending Western Democracy against the Red Menace in Germany at the time but my dad was caretaker and my mum did the refreshments.  I still have the scrap of paper with your autograph along with Ron Barton's.  I did see you box a few times.  I was a mate of Pat Southall, his dad Barney worked for Tich Spinks at the bookies.

I was at the Terry Spink's do to celebrate his MBE at York Hall.  I think you were there along with Terry Gill.  I spent some time with Terry himself, Ron Jones, Dick McTaggart, Ken Buchanan, John H and Chris Finnigan.  It was a bit hectic so I never got all the autographs I wanted, I'm coming up to 70 but I'm still a kid at heart and that evening brought back a lot of memories, wonderful stuff.

Who knows, I might be in the photo.  My wife knows she married a rebrobate and one-time strip tease show organiser.  Arthur Jones at the Shake didn't forgive me for the debacle for quite a while!!

[TerryMurphy]

Hi Tom,yes Glen Murphy,allias is George Green.L/B.Yes he did go to St Helens,made hes holly communion, in that delightfull church next door.which is now closed, and the word is it being pulled down,
Can you beleive that?.

It is very doughtfull, that he could make the reunion, let me have the date and time ,in case. Both my father and father in law were both pupils at st,Margaretts school,in i guess 1915.We cannot remember when it closed as a school, do you remember?
Yes i was at Terry S,reunion, Terry Gill was not there but all the other were.Terry has got a 50 years since winning he gold medal Reunion,on the 21,October,at West Hams football ground,In one of the corpperate rooms.Yes i new Barney,in the old betting shop.
All the Best Terry

[TomG]

Terry

The Saint Margaret's reunion will be on Friday 3rd November at 12.30 in Saint Helen's School, Falcon Street, Plaistow (opposite Hermit road Park).  It will be a smallish affair because Saint Helen's School is being kind enough to let us meet there.  If you or Glen would like to come along we would be very pleased to see you.

Saint Margaret's and Saint Helen's were seperate schools until the blitz.  Then, after a period of evacuation in Somerset, they were merged as Saint Margaret's in the Gainsborough Road School.  The new Saint Helen's School opened in 1951 and, sadly, Saint Margaret's died.

Give my regards to Terry on 21st October.  I was in the RAF in Germany when he won his medal and I can remember to this day how proud I was to think that a kid from just around the corner to my home had achieved such a feat.  I think I bored a lot of blokes telling them about it.

[TerryMurphy]

Thanks for the invite Tom, the date is in the diary,so although i will not promise,I will do my best to be there,
perhaps with my dear Wife Rita. Fridays for Glen are manic, Fish Fridays, at the Freehouse he bought for his daughter Glastra, (a St Helens Pupil) are very busy,he does a P.A that day. i will ask him.

That picture,may be posted next week.from a anonimous sender?

[Jeff]

Hi Tom,

Here at last is the photo of the Bridge in the 50's.

Someone emailed us this pic that was taken from the Sunday Times mag 3.9.06.

The photo was taken by Anthony Armstrong-Jones better known as Lord Snowdon.
It was taken by him in 1958 and is part of an exhibition to mark 50 years of Snowdon's photography.

The exhibition runs until October 31st at the Chris Beetles Gallery, 8 & 10 Ryder St, London SW1.

[TomG]

Jeff

Thank you for the photo.  My wife swears blind I am in the shot but if it is me, and I'm not owning up to it, I seem to have my eyes shut.  You see I was a good Catholic boy who didn't approve of naked women until the wedding night!!  Well that's my story and I'm sticking to it.  So, you may ask, what was I doing there in the first place?  I was easily led!!

[TerryMurphy]

Hi Tom, do you think it would be possible to see the archieves,at st Margrettes school, i hope soon to continue with my Family search, my father Michael being  a st Margrettes boy, he was born in 1906,but to trace my grandfather John, we need address where they lived, these maybe in the records. what do you think.T.M

[TomG]

Terry

The records we saw were from around 1940 onwards.  The Admission Books for St M's from 1903 to 1940 are held somewhere within Newham.  I'll try to find out where but in the meantime you could ask Mary West at Saint Helen's School if she can point you somewhere.  She's a real diamond as we discovered on our Reunion day.

Pat Southall has had some problems with his computer but should be joining The Bridge House soon, I'll keep on at him.

Tomorrow is the 5oth anniversary of Terry Spinks gold medal fight.  I've written about it on the Newham site.  One bloke, Bill Ewing, said he fought at the Public Hall as a kid and came up against one Terence Murphy.  Do you remember that?  And how did the 50th anniversary shindig go?

[TerryMurphy]

Hi Tom,can you send me the newham site again ,i got the site okay but could not get through to your link.

Tell Pat to go to the computor boot sale in Stratford ,right down Carpenters rd real good prices ,new and second hand. Sat and Sundays

What club did Bill Ewing box from, if its the one i remember, i been looking for a return fight ever since,
he busted my nose.so when do he want the return, Hermit Rd park at 12 oclock suits me, i will start training again,?

Yes Spinkys night was great, that the 4th this year,might get another in for christmas. he deserve every aclaim.
proud of him, you know i was the only person to say he would win the A.B.A north east divs, they all said Bernie Dillion would beat him,he was so good i could never see him getting beat,I am afraid old father time is beating him now,he can not walk ten yards on his own.bloody sham.
He is still a fighter thou,he will never give in.
Mary West,i will remember that name ,Thanks

[TomG]

Terry

I've asked Bill Ewing to tell me when he's ready for a return match.  Can I hold the coats?  Hermit Road park didn't look the same when I went up for our reunion, but then what is around that area.  I played my greatest golf on the putting green there, won the Open a couple of times!!

It is a crying shame about Terry but he remembers the old days pretty well.  He remembered that Barney Southall had twin sons and their names.  Terry S died a few years ago, I'm in touch with his daughter via the internet.  Pat looks very fit and well and will be on your site pretty soon.

The Newham site is:-  http://apps.newham.gov.uk/forums/localhistory/start.pl

Hope that makes it easier.

As a matter of interest, whyat school did you go to before Saint Bons?  And do you remember Laurie Forino being awarded Monty's watch at the Schools Finals?

Tom

[TerryMurphy]

Hi Tom.
St Joachems,in Custom house, was my first School,
next to St Anns Church,
Yes I remember Laurie, Forino,,his Fathers sweet Shop on the corner of Fisher St, ,sold the best Ice Cream  in London,

Laurie was The second boxer at St Bons to win the schoolboy championship of Great Britain,and guess who was the first, yes, yours truely, befor me Steve Haegaty,
held the record , as London Champion.
Laurie did beat me ,when he got Montys Watch ,

I did get a watch from the directors of West Ham football club,who awarded one a year to sporting performances,
boxing ,football etc. Regards