All grownups seemed to smoke in those days so we'd ask the Foriegn sailors for their empty matchboxes. One day I saw a sailor on the stern of his Collier throw an empty matchbox into the river and it floated past out of reach & it was one I didnt have but couldnt reach.
Ive told some of these tales previously but we have new visitors on here so hope I'm not boring older regulars
I remember Colliers here for coal with 'Danzig' (Polish) and 'Danmark'(Danish) on the Sterns and I got some good foriegn match boxes for my collection off those sailors.
We sometimes got little silver 1 Mark coins with 'Deutch Reich' on them. Being just 6 or 7 years old at the time we called them 'dewchers reach' coins.I dont suppose we knew they were German because no one talked about the War that had just ended 5 or more years earlier.
When I tell my wife what us lads got upto in those days she's amazed cos she was brought up properly in Jarrow & they had to play in the street between two lamp posts outside their House so no wandering off for her.
Really we were ferrel kids and roamed everywhere eg the Ballast Hill, Lakes, Park, Copperworks Pond (disused reservoir)
Today it is the exact opposite as our grandchildren get taken everywhere because its a MORE dangerous world today.
because of that my 2 Hebburn grandchildren (still at school) are Kick Boxing black belts (I dont normally brag haha)
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