I have been away from KGBS since April, 1961. I left Yorkshire in Spring and Arrived in Australia in Autumn and still managed to go swimming here in the middle of winter (not any more though). My last real Christmas was in 1960 with cold weather, sparks flying and gas jetting from the coal fire, etc. Christmas just hasn't been the same since being here in Australia. All the best to all Old Boys, may we all see the end of next yeaar and many more to come.

How about the Tyke's Motto has a toast to us all.

Hear all, see all, say nowt.
Eat all, sup all, pay nowt.
And if tha does owt for nowt,
Allus do it for thesen.

Current location (optional) Blue Mountains, NSW, Australia

Thanks John. I like the motto!

Funny how many ex-KBGS boys converged on NSW. My uncle is in Emu Plains, NSW. Perhaps next time there I should arrange a mini-reunion!

A merry Christmas from NZ too- I just beat you John,arriving in Oz in 1954, but after 8 years I saw the light and moved across to the land of the long white cloud.
By the way, I think the third line of that wonderful motto is missing the word "ever." Cheers

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 47-51

Current location (optional) Auckland

I would like wish all KBGS Old Boys the very best for Christmas and for 2007, in particular those of you who know me but most importantly to Chris for the work he puts in in maintaining this site for us. And he's not even an Old Boy ! Thanks again Chris. I am normally coming to Singapore in most Januaries, but pressure of work means maybe later in the year 2007.
Cheers for now!

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

Current location (optional) Wirral

Here Here, hope all us OLD old boys are still here next year. Anyone remember the winter of '46 ? The snow was packed so hard there were tractors on the roads with steel rear wheels with spikes to break it up. Perhaps global warming has it's uses !

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

Current location (optional) Steeton, now West Wales

I'd like to send my own best wishes to all the KBGS lads and those who contribute to the site, especially Chris for the wonderful work you do in maintaining the site.
I wish all a happy, healthy and prosperous 2007.

Cheers
Trevor

My very best wishes from Tasmania to all the old boys who make this site so interesting throughout the year.and to the one ,not an old boy, Chris , for making it all possible. Any of you who make it to the Apple Isle will be most welcome.

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 1943-1946

Current location (optional) Tasmania

Greetings also from New Zealand and a big thankyou to Chris. This is an excellent forum for old Keighley lads to link up and it is interesting to see how so many have ventured far away from our roots.This year I had the pleasure of meeting up with Trevor Pickles in Geelong and Terry Marston by phone when in UK. In March I hope to catch up with David Seeley when he visits NZ.
Yes I do remember the big snow in '47 when I had to help dig us out of the front door to get to Highfield school to sit the scholarship.
I wish everyone good health and a happy festive season.

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 47-51

Current location (optional) Auckland

A Christmas wi' no Tree.

It was nobbut a bit of tat,
you wouldna look twice at it.
T'branches were green flu brushes
that yuh could bend up and dahn
and it wur only small,
nobbut chin 'igh to me at eight.
Any ah, tat or not , we loved that tree
and it wu t'only one we'd ever 'ad or known

There wuh nowt fancy
yer could buy to decorate it wi' nawther,
what wi' t'war an all
so we had to mek do wi’ sum owd baubles
made aht a reet fine glass,
from Wullies, bowt years afore.
They wuh that fine and delicate
yer couldn't sneeze near 'em
and they wu put away ivry year in cottin wul
inside an owd shoebox
wi' 'Chrismas Decs' written on it
an kept in't cellar head
on't second shelf.

Mi Mam liked decoratin’
and used to like to mek a neet out of it.
All t'owd paper chains would be pulled out
And festooined rahnd t'kitchen
'n then t'tree were browt aht
an' t'shoebox wi' t'baubles
and little red candles 'n bits of owd tinsel
'n cotton wool.
We wur all that excited
you knew it war awl gonna end in tears.


It awl went wrong when sumbody
fahnd aht yuh cud leet bits a cottin wul
wi' a taper 'n throw 'em up in t'air
and they wud twinkle dahn,
like little stars and burn aht
afore they 'it t 'floor.
I must a pulled off one peeas a wul
bigger than t'rest,
'cos it didn't burn aht at awl,
it landed on't tree
wi its greean flu brush branches,
fine glass baubles
cottin wul snow flecks
'n tatty owd tinsel.

Woosh!
By go' burrit did go up quick 'n all.
Ah thowt ah'd deed it wu thar'ot.
and there wur a reet aadiyado, ah can tell yuh.
Mi Mam grabbed tree and threw it to t'floor
and then when all t'flames
‘ad bin stamped aht
t'smouldering skelington
wuh thrown out on't cobbles.

It ligged theear for a while
'n wen it had gon out proper
it wuh teken up to t'midden.

Next mornin yuh cud see bitsa char
'n pink glass
in awl t'other muck in't 'street.
Ah found out that mi eelashes
'ad gorrun bunt an all.

Summah, yuh knaw,
a noo penny and mi fust oringe
in mi stockin' on Christmas morn
niver did mek up fer a Christmas wi no tree.


So 'eres tiv us
all iv us
may wi niver want nowt
nor me nawther.

As they say where I come from. Arthur Seeley

Merry Christmas Old Boys and I do mean Old

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all Old Keighlians wherever and thanks to all of you who post such a variety of messages for our delectation. (Would that some of the "readers" would join the ranks of "posters" and share their memories with the rest of us.) And to Chris - best wishes of the season and especial thanks

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 52-60

Ditto - on all 3 counts!
Interesting to read John's recollections of a "proper" Christmas. As for myself, who will have spent every one of my 60 in Queensbury by this time next week, the idea of summertime Xmas is very appealing (especially just now, as I look out on a gloomy December evening. - Yes, it's 3.30pm already!) It's obvious nostalgia is exerting an ever-tightening grip on us, as years go by however.
Season's Greetings to all!

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 58 -65

And a Happy New Year to all you interesting contributors,( I am too late for Xmas). I do not suppose you ever thought you would get greetings from Mexico,but we winter here and get the best of both worlds--70 plus in the day and 40 at night, and no dismal news from Downing St.
Reading about old time milk deliveries,I always thought we got four gills to a pint ,but when we moved south I was told there were only two ? Who was right ?

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 41/46

Current location (optional) IOM

I must congratulate Arthur on his "Christmas wi' no tree " if only for his brilliance in typing it all in dialect. I find it difficult in English so well done , I have read it several times and it gets better each time.S

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 1943-1946

Current location (optional) Tasmania

Confirmation that you were indeed correctly taught, Peter, can be found in: Appendix to The Oxford Illustrated Dictionary, 2nd Edition, 1981 ("British Measures of Capacity")

4 gills or 20 fluid ounces : 1 pint
2 pints : 1 quart
4 quarts : 1 gallon (imperial gallon = 1277.420 cubic inches)
2 gallons : 1 peck
4 pecks : 1 bushel
8 bushels : 1 quarter

Like your Southerners, however, we always called a half-pint a "gill" (school milk bottles being only one third-pint in those days).
One could also ask for gills of ale at the Local, when suffering temporary problems of "cash flow", or (in the majority view) permanently poor self-esteem. Even these "gills" barely touched the sides on the way down, so the humiliation of sinking quarter-pints would, I'm sure, have been too much for your average adolescent tyke however skint!

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 58 -65

Tell thee what Beetroot old lad, sorry I mean Little Rocks. You are most welcome to spend Christmas 2007 in the Blue Mountains where the only things you have to worry about are the temperature of the beer, the temperature outside, are there enough prawns, are there enough oysters and the thought of a bloody bushfire coming over the hill

Current location (optional) Blue Mountains, NSW, Australia