Main menu:
A brief resume of Tony Cunnane's life and times
Some notes for young folk writing diaries written by someone who has kept diaries for over 60 years
Early Years
My birth in Middleton, Leeds and the Cobham Flying Circus connections
My maternal grandparents and the railway connection
Grandfather had a set procedure, a ceremony, for smoking his pipe
Irish Connection and Songs of Praise
My parents hardly ever mentioned the family's Irish connections
My Dad was a 'Man from the Pru' when I was a baby in Leeds
The family moved from Leeds to Manchester in 1937 - but did not stay long
Wakefield Years
Moving from Lancashire to Yorkshire
Late 1939 we moved to Wakefield
In 1940 the council delivered Anderson Shelter kits to every house that had outside space to erect them in
My interest in train spotting is aroused and I have trouble with 'piece/peace'
Milk was delivered every day by a man with a horse and cart
1940s rationing and my memories of the local Co-op
West Riding Automobile Company's 'red' buses
The route from Wakefield to Leeds Corn Exchange
The last four miles of the red bus route from Wakefield to Leeds
Leeds Corn Exchange bus and tram terminus
The red bus route from Sandal and Wakefield ended at the Corn Exchange
My best friend's father was a bookmaker
At the age of 7 years or so, I didn't understand that there were two meanings of bookmaker
We had fish and chips quite often - because they were not 'on the ration'
Wartime Wireless by Radio Relay
Our wireless programmes, all two of them, came down a local cable
Christ Church Primary
Little School - the start of my education
I started my education at Christ Church Church of England Infants' School on Thornes Lane, Wakefield
I was was one of the very few lucky ones - I did not have to stay for school dinners!
Epaminandus was one of our favourite stories at the Little School
My mixed Lancashire/Yorkshire accent created several problems for me
St James' Junior School
St James' C of E Junior School off Thornes Lane was always known as the 'Big School,
We had to learn all the assembly hymns off by heart as well as The Creed and the Catechism
My first experience of treading the boards - I was Prince Charming, the girl I was sweet on played Cinderella
At an early age I was introduced to Lord Peter Wimsey and avidly read all the books
Someone recommended me for a Choral Scholarship to the Cathedral School - I wouldn't hear of it
The position of our house at the railway end of Cotton Street in Wakefield made it ideal for train spotting
Memories of Wakefield Park in the 1940s
Open Prison at New Hall Camp, Flockton
For most of the 1940s, Dad worked at 'prisons without bars'
Dad is the very first prison officer at Leyhill Open Prison, Gloucestershire
In 1946, I was a thin, sickly child, not solely attributable to the wartime diet
Horrifying and embarrassing experiences
We relied on letters and expensive telephone calls to keep in touch
The death of Grandfather, and the end of the war in Europe, brought many changes to our family’s life
Wakefield - QEGS
September 1947 and I start at the Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wakefield
Saturday morning lessons
I start my first diary on 01 January 1948 - the first of many
Shattering news - I have to leave QEGS after just two terms
We leave Wakefield on a miserable, foggy day, and move to Leeds
Leeds - Roundhay
The family moves to Leeds and I have a frightening experience whilst sleep walking
Introduction to Roundhay Grammar School
A new school - and a new dialect to get used to
Unintended fraternisation in the changing rooms
Learning about girls, sport and important differences between an old grammar school and a modern one
I am diagnosed with flat feet and then yet another family move is on the cards
My time at my second grammar school, comes to an end
Salford Years
We move back to Lancashire and I start at Salford Grammar School
At last, I start professional violin lessons - that my parents could ill afford
Leaving Salford Grammar School
I am devastated that I have to leave SGS just as I was about to enter the 6th Form
With the move to Wakefield still pending I had to get temporary employment in Salford
Frustrated Musician
Big Ben Minute and Dame Clara Butt
How I discovered Dama Clara Butt, formidable contralto
Early Indications of Musical Talent
The first indicatgions of any musical talent became apparent when I was about 7 years old
A kind neighbour gives me a violin
I start to teach myself to play the violin and get acquainted with Handel's Messiah
In the first term at QEGS I start to take music seriously
Mr Renhard relents and starts to encourage my violin playing
My violin teacher arranges for me to attend BBC Northern Orchestra live concerts in Milton Hall, Manchester
After School 1952/3
I attend the premiere of Vaughan Williams' Sinfonia Antartica in the Free Trade Hall, Manchester
Back in Wakefield in early 1953, I start a temporary job at the West Riding County Council
Coronation Day comes and goes and our family buys its first TV set the day after the big event!
I go to the Aircrew Selection Centre at RAF Hornchurch - disaster!
Grown-up Trains
What is the fascination train spotting holds for some people