Looking Back: Sheffield Girl - The First 19¾ YEARS

OCTOBER 1962

Had a long telephone call from Jenny, she and Jacqui are determined to cheer me up, we arrange to go to Jazzshows jazz club at 100 Oxford Street. Kenny Ball, one of my favourites, is playing tonight, all the gang are there and we have a great time. Meet young man called Tony, we arrange a date for Wednesday.

Tuesday 16th - That dark cloud of depression is still following me around, with Eugen being on opposite shifts we haven't had much chance to talk, and I can't decide whether that's a good thing or not - I feel very confused!

Met Terry, telephonist at the Grosvenor Court Hotel, at the bus stop, with her is a very nice looking young man called Andrew; he too, works at the Grosvenor Court. Terry says hullo, but Andrew completely ignores me, it makes for a rather stilted few minutes until the bus arrives. We all get off the bus together at the Royal Albert Hall stop, and walk to Ashley Court. I know Andrew does not live here, so I am just a little surprised to find him following me up the stairs, even more so when I find him climbing the stairs to the garret!

There are only two rooms up here, I rarely see the young lady who has the room next door, she hardly ever seems to be there. Whilst I fumble for my key, he raps sharply on the other door, it's opened promptly, I hear an exchange of friendly greetings before they close the door on me. I have met Andrew before, whilst doing a spot of overtime at Grosvenor Court, and was surprised at his rather obvious display of aloofness. Once, on seeing him on the same bus, began to smile in greeting, but he turned coldly away, and stared steadfastly out of the window. I have absolutely no idea why he has taken such an obvious dislike to me - we have barely even spoken. (But all will be revealed - eventually).

Wednesday 17th - My date with Tony went rather well, we went for a meal, then for a drink where we met up with some of our friends from Jazzshows, so we all went to Ken Colyer's jazz Club for a while: Then on for a coffee, and finished a very pleasant evening with a walk round Soho. I find Soho a fascinating place - always just so full of people; I never tire of wandering round this square mile of mystery and sleaze!

Thursday 18th - Mum phoned to tell me that Maurice & Jan are now the proud parents of a bouncing baby boy - 8 ½ 1bs! But Jan has had a very bad time, so there will not be any more. Went in C&A looking for a new coat, I have to spend my pennies wisely, so a great deal of searching is involved.

Friday 19th - Spent all afternoon looking for that elusive coat - it's turning out to be very hard work! Jenny came over, I'm meeting Tony at Jazzshows, so Jenny came with me. Had a great time, even when I split my skin tight trews (Now there's a word to baffle the computer!) Luckily, I'm wearing a long baggy jumper (pretty standard attire in the jazz clubs of the sixties), which conveniently hides my embarrassment. Afterwards, a crowd of us went on to the Freight Train coffee bar in Soho, as we sit there enjoying a peaceful coffee, an horrendous sound of metal meeting metal rents the air, as we witness two cars colliding - no problem finding witnesses then!

Sunday 21st - Eugen and I are back on the same shift, had fabulously funny day. Everyone seems to be in a silly mood. The porters have a set of pin-up pictures which they are ogling with glee. (Boys, you ain't seen nothing yet - you would not believe what you will see in another 30 years!) When reception get their hands on the pictures, there's more boyish frivolity, Eugen says he must get his camera and take some of me - he believes I am 'all woman'! Do I sense an upward turn in our stumbling relationship??

Monday 22nd - I have seen two coats in Dickins & Jones, which I rather like; the red one is quite loose fitting and has a tiny circlet of fur around the neck; it is £9. The other, which is £8, is semi-fitted, in a very light oatmeal, in fact almost white - which I know is not a very serviceable colour, but I think that it is the smartest of the two. Unfortunately it is a little bit on the long side, the seamstress is summoned and I'm told that it can be shortened at no extra cost! (Now there's customer service for you!) I have asked Kathy to come with me to help with the final decision; after a lot of discussion and trying on, we decide that I should have the white one - phew, this has all been too much, we go in search of a coffee bar that serves up great big slices of chocolate gateaux! I'm in such a rush to get there, that I bump into a tall young man with dark hair, I look up to apologise and find myself gazing into the friendly face of singer, Michael Holiday!

Tuesday 23rd - I have received tickets for the lunchtime pop show 'Go Man Go', Craig is on and I have written in a request, in the form of a poem, for Craig to sing something for me. So, never one to give up, I ask Eugen if he would like to come with me, and to my surprise he says "yes, it sounds like fun" - if he can make it, he's going to let me know. Despite having unpicked and re-knitted the rib in Eugen's sweater, it still fits a little too snugly, so I am going to have to do it again. (This thing could run and run...) Earlier, Haggis rang to say that old friends Lyn and Rod are coming up to London for the motor show, so tomorrow we are all going to meet up - for an evening of reminiscing, no doubt! Those all night parties seem such a long time ago...

Wednesday 24th - After chatting into the early hours with Kathy and Ann, I don't wake up until 1.15pm - I just have enough time before going on to work, to get to the bank to withdraw a £1, which I shall need tonight (a tenth of my wages - don't forget!). I'm on the best shift - 3.0pm til 8.0pm. Met up with Alan, Lyn and Rod at Marble Arch, we all walked around the West End for a while before going on to the Café de Paris in Leicester Square. I get back to Ashley Court feeling quite exhausted, but find that Ann and the two Johns are in our room; we have a ball - jiving and twisting. The room ends up looking quite a wreck, but I still can't sleep.

Thursday 25th - Eugen tells me that he will not be able to go to 'Go Man Go' with me after all. (Now there's a surprise!) At least he told me in a rather nice, concerned sort of way. (When I think of the number of invitations he turned down - I really do wonder that I didn't give up. But then, I was crazy about the man.)

Friday 26th - Pouring with rain, mad dash to get to the 'Go Man Go' studios - ages in traffic jam, just managed to get in at the last minute. Fabulous show, saw Craig peeping behind the curtains, he was in a very jolly mood and he and compere Diz Dizley struck sparks off one another with their lively repartee. Diz Dizley read out my poem, which everyone seemed to think was most amusing! Craig sang 'You belong to me', which was not what I had requested - but never mind. After the show, everyone stood around on the stage in an informal manner, so I went to have a word with Craig, he remembered that I worked at the Stratford Court, and told me that he'd been in the hotel about 6.0am one morning with Freddie Cannon! In fact he said he'd been in the hotel several times, but he'd never seen me there (what good timing, Craig!).

Kathy has a blind date with a Cable & Wireless operator - well, I hope she has better luck than I had!

Bob Thorburn, one of the assistant managers at Stratter's, seems to be in a very good mood today, not that he's usually in a bad one, but there is quite a gulf between the managerial staff and we plebs, so we don't expect them to be nice to us, but he is being extra-ordinarily friendly today. He's actually a rather good looking young man of about 25, tall and lean, with a mass of untidy dark brown hair. When he wears his rather ancient camel duffle coat, he reminds me of an overgrown under-graduate. But the four years between us seem like very long ones. He has a sophisticated intelligence, which increases that gulf. Subconsciously, I think I quite like him, but I know he has a girl friend, and with Eugen forever on my mind, I barely give Bob Thorburn a second thought. If he is the front hall when I leave he usually say 'Aurevoir' to me, which is about the maximum he ever says. (Hmm... I'm mumbling something about famous last words...)

Saturday 27th - Little Richard is staying here again, as I went over to the porter's desk, he was talking to John C who decided to introduce us, Little Richard was very nice and polite and apologised for all the phone calls he'd been making. (We actually have four porters called John, and one receptionist - plus a few others who live at Ashley Court, so you will have to pay close attention to which John I'm talking about...)

I have been here for 4 months and it has been an uphill struggle, but I think me'n Eugen are getting on well now. He's nowhere near as shy as he used to be, but he's a very private person. To date we have had one rather disastrous evening out, and I have lost count of the number of opportunities I have given him to socialise with either just me or me and the others who work at Stratter's. We're a very sociable crowd, and have lots of fun, but Eugen seems determined to keep himself to himself. Tonight he is in a very friendly mood, larking around a bit and asking a lot of questions about my social life - I begin to think that any minute he's going to suggest that we go out sometime, but he doesn't. I'm baffled by his attitude. (Couldn't I simply accept that he just doesn't fancy me? - nope!)

When I leave work at 5 o'clock, there's a demonstration going on, and Oxford Street is packed solid, the taxi drivers are far from pleased and hoot their horns in dissent. No point in trying to get a bus home, so I set off and walk, shop window gazing as I go - not that I have much choice, it's almost impossible to move! Whilst gazing abstractedly into a shop window, I am accosted by a man who starts out by asking me if I am Swiss, then goes on to ask me questions about Cuba - as if I knew the answers!! You meet some strange people on the streets of London!

Sunday 28th - Went to work in my new coat, feeling very smart! Eugen did a double take, as I walked in the hotel, he says he likes it very much, and as Eugen always looks the epitome of sartorial elegance - that's praise indeed!

Mr King is back, he popped his head round the door of the switchroom to call "Hullo Freda darling"! I smile back sweetly, but I'm thinking, "Don't you 'darling' me, Mr King - it wasn't me you took to the Beachcomber" - I'm still smarting over that one! Eugen came into the switchroom with the new arrivals list and said, "Here you are, darling"! Taking it from him I reply with equal mockery, "Thank you, - honey"! And so it went on all evening, the porters, who watch our growing relationship with great amusement, (and are well ahead of us!) surely cannot fail to notice the heavy sarcasm passing between us. But Eugen had the coup de gras, when I say goodnight, he calls after me "Goodnight, Baby - see you later"! Can you wonder that everyone thinks our relationship is way, way ahead of the reality of it?

Monday 29th - Jenny rang me a couple of times, unfortunately, Paul Phillips, the other assistant manager, was in the vicinity and grasped the fact that they were personal calls, so the second time she rang, he grabbed the phone and asked her, in no uncertain terms, what she wanted. He is a young man who appears to be quite full of himself, he's blonde haired, blue eyed and a bit chubby, not my type at all, and perhaps he senses my disdain. For the most part, a certain uneasiness exists between us, and there are times when I really hate Paul Phillips!

There's a little game that I play with Eugen, when I'm feeling particularly frustrated by the lack of progress in our relationship. I know deep down that it's actually called 'immaturity', but I call it 'Play It Cool, And Try To Avoid Him', because I want him to miss me, and miss my friendship. So I try to avoid him by not having my breaks with him, or dashing off without saying goodbye. If we do chance to meet, I'm cool towards him, even ignoring him. He's obviously puzzled by my behaviour, and I actually hate myself for it, but I just do not know how to get through to this man. (I look back in wonder at my rudeness, was it really the way to this man's heart?) To cheer myself up I went shopping, and splashed out on a pair of black patent sling backs - and they weren't even reduced! Down stairs in Dolcis is the 'bargain basement'; this is where mostly, I buy my shoes. Very occasionally, I look around the display on the ground floor, assuming an air of 'I can afford to pay these prices'. Shoes on the ground floor cost around 89/11 and more! I look longingly at a pair of low heeled, moss green patent shoes with a round rosette of green velvet ribbon on the front, there's also a choice of the same shoes in burgundy, and it's just as well that I cannot afford to pay the 89/11 price for them, as I would not be able to make up my mind which colour to choose! But every day, I look in the window - and try to decide "if only..."

Me'n Kathy spent a very pleasant evening in the bar, lots of people there. There's talk of a new nightclub called the Blue Angel, which is the 'in' place to go at the moment, we make rash promises of going there one evening - should we win the pools!

Tuesday 30th - Had long lie in, then found I couldn't get a bus to work as there's a big demonstration going on outside the Royal Albert Hall, walked as far as Craig's offices, then managed to get a taxi. As luck would have it, one of the guests had left us £1 each, so that paid for the taxi and 15/- towards those shoes! Decided to ring Craig's offices to find out what he's doing at the moment, they tell me that he's appearing in Plymouth, but he will be on the radio tonight, in the pop programme 'Ring a Ding Ding'. Off at 8.0pm so waited for Ann to finish work, then we went in her room to listen to Craig, he sang, 'Things', 'Oh Lonesome Me', 'You Belong to Me' and 'Devil Woman'. Excellent stuff! John M and Johnny R knocked, so we put the records on and had fun dancing. Kathy joined us after she finished her 11o'clock shift. (Boy, we knew how to live then!)

Wednesday 31st - On early shift, Me, Kathy and Ann decide to go to the pics' to see 'The Notorious Landlady' with Kim Novak and Jack Lemmon, hilarious film! Afterwards went to the 'Apron Strings' coffee bar for something to eat, but miserable food, so came back to Ashley Court and cooked up something. (More toast, anybody?)

Continued...

Copyright © Freda Brown.