Allan

I was just recently reminiscing about our wartime fish and chip shop. I lived down Bradford Road and our chippy (not that it was called that then!) was owned by a Jack Smith. I distinctly remember queues of 40 or more patiently waiting to be served, whenever they were open (only certain evenings, never lunch times and never on a Sunday), whatever the weather. I'm almost certain that neither fish nor potatoes were rationed, so it was a handy source of protein, carbs and fat when rationing made all three quite scarce.

For many years after the war it was owned by a man called Willoughby, who seemed to wheeze perpetually whenever he spoke. Terry Marston, I know, has fond memories of the same place during old man Willoughby's time.

Other fishy memories involve Blackburn's fisheries on Wellington Street (I think) after an evening swimming at the Baths, or getting to the fish shop at the bottom of Granby Lane on a Friday night, after scouts, up Ilkley Road, Riddlesden; while later, in my late teens, fish and chip lunches at Mosleys (also Wellington Street?). Then, after the pictures on a Saturday night, a fish shop down Low Mill Lane - sustenance in preparation for the long trek up to Long Lee, walking my wife-to-be home. In fact, I seem to have got through a lot of fish and chips in my first twenty years, and always out of grease-proof and newspaper, of course. Keighley probably had more fish and chip shops than it had pubs.

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 1951-58

Current location (optional) Keswick, Cumbria

Your mention of Mosley's brings back fond memories. I'd forgotten about it, but was the restaurant upstairs? It was certainly the height of luxury to visit there. I seem to remember table cloths and waitresses in black with white pinnies.

Todmorden had the record for most F&C's per unit population at one time. We used several, Cunninghams has already been mentioned (Though I thought he was called Edwin not Ernest, his son was Michael), we also used the three on Oakworth Rd (bottom of Fell Lane,one near Arthur Kendalls and 'Oxfadall'). Also Ingrow Lane. But we preferred the one right at the bottom of Victoria Rd where it meets Halifax Rd, run by Emsley family. We went theer most Saturday lunchtimes.. 7d Fish 4d Scone 3d Chips.

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 58-64

Current location (optional) Wirral

My most recent posting (ie just now) was rejected as "Spam" when in fact it was "Fish and Chips".
Can you cast any light on this, Chris.?

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 1952-60

Current location (optional) Nirvana

Touched a fine thread here Allen. Our nearest chip shop was up the top of Devonshire St. Where the road levels at the bottom of Edensor Road. If the queues were too long we would go up to Podmores on the road off West Lane just across from the top of Devonshire Street. Both were hard to find in the blackout with heavy black curtains across the doors and another inside to make a light trap( or should that be a dark trap.) The windows were completely blacked out . The shops kept frying regularly but there were occasions when they would run out of spuds(they all chopped there own chips then ) and often the fish was scarce. But despite that they were not on ration so proved invaluable as a food source .
The price was then ,Fish 6d and Chips 1d
One observation was that the classic frying range was fired by coal , each vat of fat was heated by a coal fir a bit like a railway engine with a fire grate and fire door.It was really hot work in there.
As for the density of chip shops in the area,when I moved to Castleford in Sept 46 we had 26 fish and Chip shops within half a mile of our house!!

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 43-46

Crikey, you have opened a can of worms here Allan, oooppss , fish and chips sorry! You are right, we did have a lot of fish & chip shops around the place. In Cross Roads we had three. Bocking fish shop was at the bottom of the snicket on the main Halifax Road. I can't remember who owned it during the war, but post war it was bought by Albert Steele and family from Haworth. His son Brian became a mate and still is. At the top of Cross Roads was Sowdens. Their son Kenneth was a bit younger than us. That was our closest one and then on Lees near the school was Eleanor's. I can't remember her surname, she was just Eleanor to us. Queues have been mentioned and yes there always seemed to be a queue at meal times. I remember asking them to put on some scraps for me. Haworth also had a proliferation of fish shops. The ones I remember were Victoria Road, near the Bronte pictures, (new uns), Mill Hey near the Royal Oak, Sun Street at the bottom of Coldshaw, and one up Main Street. Phew that goes back a long time.

Remember the old "mischief night" prank? you would go into a fish shop and ask them " 'ow much do yer charge for salt and pepper?" Nowt why! "OK then, I'll have a packet of salt and a bottle of vinegar thanks" and then run like hell. Cheers.

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 1947-51

Current location (optional) Auckland, New Zealand

Ah. Chippies! – or Fish’oyles as they were known to a certain fraternity. In Eastwood, there were three – all within striking distance of ours.
Nearest was ‘t’wood’ut opposite the “kworp” in Brown Street – which linked Bradford/Emily and Marlborough Streets. Local lads got part-time work “eyeing spuds”. Earliest tariff as I recall (around 1945/6) included scone and chips (5d) ; fish and chips(6d); bag of chips (2d). Servers were usually local mams so it was kid-friendly, taking the threat out of errands. Now it is a place of worship of an oriental disposition. (to be continued)

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 1952-60

Current location (optional) Nirvana

Next was on Bradford Road next to the pet shop at bottom of Back Emily. Taken over and greatly improved around 1950 by Norman Gosling , it sported a sign ,Gosling Fish and Chips, which a certain fraternity read as guzzling fish and chips. It was a favourite with the men at Prince Smiths who at dinner time would send a work mate with a long order.
If you got in behind one of them you could be there for the duration. Prince Smiths men would sit out up Bradford Road on a projecting course of masonry – which conveniently was mostly bum-high – to eat their meal. It was then that I learnt that fish and chip fat is an excellent solvent of industrial oil and grease - going by the clean fingers and black fists of the diners.
Then there was Barraclough’s at top of Marlborough Street in Lawkholme Lane and also as Doug pointed out Mr Willoughby’s below t’Park. Mike Nicholson (a form mate of Doug’s) did the best husky take of Mr Willoughby with his “Sorry, no scones – only fish” – ie when there were only new potatoes. But if you wanted to walk up to Station Bridge and East Parade, there was more choice.
A pie and pea van would park outside our house on a Thursday evening after Cubs and as a sign that novelle cuisine was making its mark – a pie and pea “restaurant” opened near the Park gates about 1953/4. We’ve been a “takeaway society” for as long as I remember

Fine recollections, and interesting for me (who wasn't quite yet born then) to hear of the wartime fish'oyles still churning out a supply of unrationed grub. I think I'd have had fish, scone and chips every day from 1939 to 1945 from Monday to Friday, saving my food ration for Saturday and Sunday. Spare a thought for the fishermen who must've risked life and limb dodging the U boats to bring home the catch.

I'll try again! My first response shortly after this topic was posted was rejected - I was informed that it had a spam content - God knows why. I don't.
Those Old Boys who lived in Sutton would have used David Coleman's Fish 'ole which was open throughout the war years, dispensing fish, chips and scones. It was sited in a small wooden hut in the yard behind the Kings Arms. Just big enough to house the range and enough room for perhaps half a dozen customers. I am afraid that I cannot accurately remember the prices but they were sold for what we nowadays, would regard as peanuts. Chips were always a penny a portion and I think that fish was threpence. Whenever the chip shop was open, there was a queue for the unrationed produce.
Whenever I think about David Coleman's chip shop, I seem to remember the story told about one of his regular customers, Carey Overend. Carey, a village character, lived quite close by in a terraced cottage next to Hatley's Mill Yard. He was in the habit of calling in at David's each evening to buy fish and a penn'orth twice for himself and his wife. One winter evening during the early war years, Carey's wife, who was crossing the road near the Black Bull, was run over by the Keighley bus which was reversing into the bus stop. There was little in the way of lighting during those black out days and the driver obviously didn't see her. An ambulance conveyed the unfortunate woman to Keighley Hospital where she was pronounced dead! Later that same evening, Carey called in at the chip shop and gave David his modified order. Fish and chips once. David had heard the news about Carey's wife and offered his condolences. " Eeh, Carey. I am sorry to hear about thi wife". "Aye" said Carey, ."it's a bit of a bugger. She gotten coal 'ole key in her pocket".
The fish shop was still operational when I left the village sixty years ago but I gather that it has long gone. Sad really. It was a real institution!

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 1945 - 50

Current location (optional) Norfolk

Carey's tale reminds me of the old story about the feller in Bradford who called on his neighbour.

The child of the family came to the dooer and was asked - "Is thi father in?"
The child ran into the house, crying and roaring her eyes out.

Her mother next appeared and, when asked about her husband, she disclosed that he had died in the night.

"Did he say owt about a pot'o'paint?"

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 1952-60

Current location (optional) Nirvana

Not a fish and chip tale but still food. During the war part of West Lane Mills was given over to be storage for the Ministry of Food
Some days lorries arrived with big jute bags stacked three high and we found out they held peanuts for margarine manufacture. Being nosey kids we spotted the odd bag that leaked and we could get to the far side when the chaps were unloading and find a corner which could leak and soon could pour peanuts . These were unobtainable in the war and amazingly none of us was allergic to peanuts!!! And our dad was a police sergeant.

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 43-46

Current location (optional) Over here

Good one Mike, you have reminded me about a "nut" story going back to the end of the war, late 1945 or 46 I can't be sure now. Here is a wee extract from my own memoirs of life in Keighley during and after that war. It was a family joke for years! It is easy to forget about the shortages we took for granted. Thanks for the memories Mike. Cheers.

It was about this time I started to help mum with the weekly shopping and after a couple of practice runs with mum, I was sent off to the market in Keighley every Saturday morning with my shopping list, to buy the greengroceries. We still had food rationing of course, and I went off armed with the family ration books. This eventually led to what became a long standing family joke, when one day, when I had finished my shopping list and had a half crown left, I spotted a pile of nuts - remember I was about 10 years old, had read and heard about nuts but had never seen them because of the food shortages in the war. When I saw these I had to have some. I was so proud and knew that mum would be pleased with me, so I spent the whole 2/6 on a bag of nuts and proudly took them home to show mum. Imagine my disappointment when mum started to laugh and explained that these nuts really were nutmegs! She used these for years! It was also at this time I saw my first bananas - dried, horrible brown things!

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 1947-51

Current location (optional) Auckland, New Zealand