5 My Early Life
I was born on the 16th February 1949 at 9.50 AM, in Boundary Park General hospital, Oldham, Lancashire. My mother’s name was Elsie Dyson Clarke who was married to my father Thomas George Clarke some time after the war. She informed me that this hospital was next to Oldham Athletic football ground.
Boundary Park Hospital
We lived with my mother’s father in his house at 26 Fleet Street, Clarksfield, Oldham. My granddad’s name was Watts Ormrod and he was a retired craftsman and senior member of a Trades Union. His hair was white, which I am told happened due to an accident at work when a large rivet was pushed through his hand. I had a brother, who was two and a half years older than me, Michael John (spelt Michael instead of Michael due to my mother’s stubbornness when he was named at the registrar’s office. The official informed her that the way she had spelt Michael was in fact wrong, and my mum reacted at being corrected and insisted it would be spelt just as she had written it.
My mum and dad were both in the armed forces and were very proud to be British. Dad was in the Army and mum was in the Royal Air Force.
My Parents
I was christened at Christ’s Church, Glodwick and my Godfather was David Maltby of 382 Barton Road; Stratford and was a sides man at the Church on Barton Road. He gave me at that time a bible with a text of scripture written on the inside cover. Prov. 3. 6 “In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths “.
I have found a baptism certificate dated 3rd April 1949, where it states I became a member of Christ the child of God, and an inheritor of the “Kingdom of Heaven”. This however is wrong, as I did not become a member of Christ until I was born again on The 16th January 1970, which I speak about later.
My Baptismal Certificate
Sunday School
I remember attending the church and Sunday school at Christchurch, which was just along the road from our house in Fleet Street. On one occasion I was so cosy, sitting on the pew, I fell asleep and woke up with a jolt wondering where I was, just as the vicar had finished his sermon. I had been lulled into sleep by the stimulating sermon. I haven’t changed even to day. I must have been about 3 or 4 years old. It was my mother’s idea to take my brother and I to Sunday school.
Barnabus Sunday School
At Sunday school I remember we painted pictures of houses and still remember wondering why did the teacher draw the house with the door in the middle of the building and windows either side of the door. This was because I knew we lived in a house in a terrace and our door was to one side, just like the other houses in the street. I had no spiritual impressions of the Lord Jesus Christ from these times.
Roman Catholics were wrong
Just across the street from our house there was a great Roman Catholic Church building, and living accommodation, surrounded by a high wall. It was built of red engineering bricks and several stories high with stained glass windows alone the long church building. I remember looking up at the crooked lightening conductor and I still get the feeling of austerity and awkwardness when wondering what was behind that wall. It produced the same feeling in me when I had the story of Toby Twirl red to me. In that story he meets a giant who lived behind a great high walled castle. I was afraid to go near, or to even think of climbing the wall, or trespass in the grounds. I did not know it was a Roman Catholic Church building until about 25 years later when my mother informed me.
Roman Catholic Building
At that time I knew of no other religion than that of the Church of England, I assumed my mother was right in all such matters and so the Catholics were wrong.
The back of our House
I remember the street lamps because a man use to come around each night to light them as they were gas and he had a small ladder, which he carried with him, pointed at one end. He climbed the ladder and lit the lamps each night. I assume they were gas lamps.
I remember my favourite sweets were what was called Kylie, it is called sherbet now. We could also buy a very small loaf of bread called a penny loaf.
Lost and found
At that time when I was about 4 years old I wanted to go to another Sunday school (I did not know at the time it was at a church building), which was at Lee’s Road. My mother must have taken me there before. On this occasion it was Saturday morning and I did not believe there was no Sunday school that day. After being dressed I think my mother must have humoured me and did not take me seriously. I said I was going to Sunday school. I left home, I do not think my Mum realized and I walked at least two miles along Balfor Street and along the busy Lee’s Road and found the building, to my disappointment it was all locked up. On my return I wandered off and got lost and ended up asking for help from a Laundry Shop. They put me in the window as a lost boy and called the police. I was soon returned home. I think my Mum was horrified how far I had been.
Back Alley
I commenced my school days at “Clarks Field” infants’ school. My brother Michael John was already attending and was in the third year when I started.
Clark’s Field Infants School
First day at school
I remember my first day at school in the classroom with other children. The ceilings were high and there were things like sand pits and black board easels and old fashion classroom desks and tables.
The girl next door, Vivian Butler, began school with me and I can remember her crying for her Mum. I remember not feeling the need to cry and I tried to comfort her and assure her all would be well.
My Auntie Edith was very good to us boys and we would visit her every Saturday. She lived with my Granddad’s sister. She was called Auntie Alice. Auntie Edith would take us out to a great park in Oldham and on the way home we would call in at the chip shop. In those days chips were real chips, cooked in real fat. One of our favourite meals she would cook was potato pie, with red cabbage. In the house there was a cellar, which I always liked to visit. I think at one time washing was done in the cellar.
At that time my brother was probably the only close friend I had, although we were not too close. He was just there. We use to go swimming on a Saturday morning to the “Waterhead Baths”. This type of swimming baths was typical of the old-fashioned baths of the time. They were small, the water green, and walls tiled cream. At the side of the pool there were slipper baths where you could sit up to your chin in hot water and carbolic soap was supplied to wash with. It was very cosy. In fact the whole atmosphere was warm and cosy, not like the cold clinical swimming baths of modern times. Next-door was the washhouse where mum used to go at the same time to do washing.
One Saturday morning I nearly drowned and was saved by the attendant called Norman. I had tiptoed backwards and as the pool got slowly deeper and deeper I found I could not touch the bottom. It was through the providence of God that the attendant turned to see me reaching upwards out of the water. I couldn’t speak. He dived in to rescued me and I can still feel the fear today of nearly drowning.
Across the road from the swimming baths was a slaughterhouse, next door to inhabited houses. We were very curious and would look through the slatted windows and see the men kill the pigs, sheep and cattle. This was awesome and ghoulish and a fearful thing, but we were very curious and wanted to see how the men slew the animals. There was blood, animal intestines, animal heads bones and blood. The smell was awful and not pleasant at all, and it seemed as though the pigs knew they were going to be slaughtered, and their end was come. I have wondered about my brother since then, as he was two and a half years older than me and how this may have affected him. Later on in life he demonstrated a callous way, which was characteristic of killing without mercy just like these slaughter men.
About this time I remember coming home from school and in the dusk of that day the house seemed unusually quiet. I noticed some blood on my brother’s book and my mum told me there had been an accident. My brother had fallen down a basement stairway shaft at school and landed on his back. He was concussed and I remember then feeling how precious life was. My brother could have died through the fall. It was awesome. I still had no recollection of God during this time.
I steal money
On one occasion my parents were invited to their friends for the day. They owned a pub and had two boys both younger than me. On this occasion I was on my own and I noticed that the till in the pub was open, and money was available. I quickly took some money and walked out of the room. In order to cover up my tracks I went and told the parents of the boys that they had pressed the till button and the tile had opened. That was a lie made up to cover up my sin and I tried to pass the blaim onto their children. I felt bad after that, and still do, as not only had I taken their money but it would also put my parents into disrespect, having a thief as a son.
Oldham my home town
Oldham is a town in the north of England, not far from the city of Manchester, and during the 19th century was an industrial community famous for its cotton mills. In fact, my grandfather was a great supporter of the Trades Union.
As a child I remember the old mills, red brick built with huge chimneys towering high above the buildings. Also the water reservoirs, which we were always warned to stay away from. My mother had spoken about children being drowned in them and this was sufficient for me to obey her.
An Oldham Mill
