FEBRUARY 2024 HERALD online

20
THE HERALD • MID-FEBRUARY 2024 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@markfieldherald.co.uk
My dear late Aunt, Ida Kathleen
Smith and my dear Uncle, Owen
Kenneth Smith (known as Ken)
KEN WAS
born 6th
February
1925 at
18 The
Avenue,
Glenfield.
He was
the son of
Fredrick
and Jane
Smith and
was one of
10 siblings.
Ida was born
15th January
1934 to
parents George
and Alice
Mugglestone in
Bagworth, Leicestershire. Ida worked all her life at The Precision Rubbers
factory in Bagworth and Ken first worked with his father as a shoe maker
before later being a conductor on the very local and famous Barton’s
Buses. His route took him from Glenfield into the city of Leicester regularly
and he was well known amongst the locals that used these services. They
were married in April 1973 at St Peter’s Church in Thornton, Leicestershire
and then made their home at 18 The Avenue, Glenfield. In their later years
they enjoyed regular holidays with Glenfield Travel especially the coach
holidays where my Aunt will be especially remembered for her tenacity and
love of life!
In her later years my Aunts health deteriorated and this is when she was
supported and cared for by many Health care professionals at the Glenfield
Surgery. She passed peacefully away 1st May 2012 . My Uncle found it
very challenging with life with out her but took comfort in the support of
his family, friends and good neighbours . He enjoyed his weekly visit to
the local Glenfield CO OP and spent his time on his garden which he loved.
During the pandemic he found it particularly hard not being able to get
out and about and it was at this time his health deteriorated at the age of
95. He sadly peacefully passed away 2nd July 2020 at his home, 18 The
Avenue Glenfield surrounded by family and dear friends. It was his final
wish to pass away in the house he was born in so along with dear friends
and neighbours this was made possible. His small funeral possession
proudly left from his home and took him to his final resting place where he
joined his love, Ida in eternal rest.
Both my Aunt and Uncle loved their life in Glenfield and especially my
Uncle who had lived and worked there all his life. It was so fitting that on
executing their Wills an amount of their savings had been left to be shared
with the Glenfield Surgery to support and enhance their valuable work that
would in turn be shared with all the people of Glenfield, a place that was
so close to their hearts.
Through this legacy a small piece of them both remains as bright and
shining as they ever were, the money has been used to truly support the
patients of the surgery in helping to install a lift so greatly needed. We
hope this will be a huge benefit for all patients and staff of the surgery and
the whole of the Glenfield community.
Deborah Spiers
LETTER
A memory for The Herald
THANKS FOR the
memories Mike! How
clever of you last
month to put a photo
of an aged me next to
one of Buddy Holly.
It took time for Rock and
Roll to catch on in Britain. In
1956 Bill Haley starred in a
short film called Rock around
the Clock, which I recall
seeing with friends at the
Palace Cinema, Union Street,
Sheffield. I have no idea what
film topped the bill, Rock
around the Clock was a B film
which came on first and we
hardly noticed it. Just weeks
later across the country
teenagers were running wild
and towns and cities were
refusing to show the film.
By 1957 I was at school
in Berkshire and we all had
our favourite American Rock Bill Haley with Alix Talton
stars, Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis,
Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, The Everly
Brothers, Duane Eddy and others, mine was Buddy Holly. None of them
were played on BBC Wireless, the only pop station was Radio Luxemburg,
but the reception was dire. Then a friend
topped the popularity poll by arriving with a
large powerful radio, and we all clustered
round.
Next came Dansette Record Players, and
45s, Eps and Lps, which I played almost
to destruction, I still have almost all he
and much that many of the other greats
recorded. While my Cassette tapes are
rotting away, the CDs of Buddy and the rest
just don’t quite carry the memories.
For a while we had our own Stars, Adam
Faith, Tommy Steele, Marty Wilde, and
Cliff’s early hits, and then suddenly the
Beatles, the Stones and the rest ruled the
pop world. At a stroke aged twenty we had
become old buffers watching our Rock
A Dansette record player
heroes fade and die, our hair and sideboards growing ever longer!
By the way I don’t want to be told that my Bill Haley memory might be
wrong!
Robert, Markfield.
Who were your musical favourites when you were
a teenager? Do you have happy memories of
listening to Radio Luxembourg on your transistor
radio? Tell us about it! Email your reminiscences
to: info@markfieldherald.co.uk
It’s a shame nothing is built in the UK anymore. I just bought a TV and it said ‘Built in antenna’.