Childhood Stories Hunting/countryside Related

[Stabs 3]

Bosun....that's brilliant mate!!

[johnny boy68 11,726]

I'm a city lad, with an inbuilt passion for the countryside. Fortunately for me, the arrival of a whippet/greyhound pup, when I was about 7 years old, opened up that 'other' world better than anything could, but it was only at weekends that we could really get out an go!

 

I met John when I was about 12, my dad worked on a big landfill site outside the city, Sundays meant no bosses, so I could go, my trusty mutt too, and follow the ratters and other hunters who spent weekends at this mecca, just on the fringe of Altcar estate. John was local, older than me by a year and we met as he walked back off the Altcar fields, huge hare in hand and stunning slate grey Deerhoundy lurcher at his side. Oh boy, Jet was some looker and although all things look a bit more special through the eyes of a kid I'd still say Jet still is the best example of type I've ever seen.

 

We hit it off and became mates and I met some of the other local lads that John hunted with too. Biff (he was a good boxer) was one, one of the best, a good dog man and hunter. Now John was the instigator, maybe the leader of our usual trio, though we never thought of him that way but he was always the one with the idea, the plan and although they were never quite as good as he painted, we were never disappointed by his 'sometimes' hair-brained crazy ideas, they were always bloody good fun! They lived on the doorstep, I only made weekends.

 

So one Sunday when we'd walked and hunted all day and were sat down for a rest John said we should bring our air guns with us the next week. I was never into guns and never thought they were either, so this better be worth it and I asked why. So john explained about the barn, a big old barn that was chock full of pigeons and we could sneak up on it and nail 'em through the various windows and gaps... "We should get loads.." But we needed a couple more lads...

 

So the following week seen me turning over the shed in our back yard to dig out the ancient Diana pistol which was my gun... Now this gun, was it shite and only just bettered a Gat, I was a bit worried about getting stick but it was all I had and would have to do!

Sunday came an I stuffed the gun in my rucksack below my nets an butties, so me Dad wouldn't see, though he'd got me it ('Tip-Brand', found on the tip!) it could never leave the house. So we met up, me John an Biff, plus two other lads, one with a ok looking rifle and the other with a Gat (thank feck for that!!), Biff with a Webley Hurricane and I just took it John had his gun, like mine, in his bag. So off we marched, to the old barn, to do a deed, about a mile away.

 

When it was in view, John stopped us all, the 'plan' was, we sneak up, find one of the numerous gaps in the boarded windows and doors, take aim and on Johns signal, fire..!!!

We fanned out, me an Biff went round the back, which was a bit crap cause of the nettles but we had a window each with loads of gaps and peered in. The light, filtering though such an old and worn place, from just about everywhere, showed up a building full of a long gone past, old tractors and farm implements poked out from rotted tarpaulins caked thick in bird shit and it was that amount of shit that made you look up to the rafters and see every inch covered by a pigeons.

I looked over at Biff at the next window, he was grinning as much as me, surely all we had to do was aim in the general direction to hit one, who knows, we might hit two!

We took aim and it wasn't long before the word 'fire' rang out and we did... The rush of wings was huge, the noise after the calm was massive an I stared to see amongst the frenzy if one was heading 'south' fast but in the madness it was just about impossible to see.

 

I was snapped out of my strain by my name being shouted and I ran to the call. Biff was now round the corner, looking up at the stone steps that ran up the gable of the barn, there was John, or someone that looked like John, going 'ape' with a tennis racquet in hand, twatting everything that came out of that barn at a million miles an hour, he stood in a cloud of feathers, dead birds, beaks, blood an snot, like some sort of wild man.... Laugh, I nearly pissed meself...!

 

See, we were only the spookers, just there to get them birds to fly out that door! Yer, if we nailed one (who knew? ) great but John had stashed that old tennis racquet earlier in the week, he knew what would get him numbers....

 

We were a good little team back then, for a good few years after too. Then Biff was killed... Take one leg off the stool an its gonna fall over... Good times though..

 

+1

 

Brilliant bosun, brilliantly told too I've got a great mental image of that.

[WILF 46,687]

Excellent Bosun......proper lad,s crack mate

[Tiercel 6,986]

Like socks, I though my mother was a witch as she always knew when I had been riding the horses. If there was mischief to be made when I was a kid, I was into it. Like the day I was about four and supposed to be playing in the street, but had wondered off exploring as usual. I ended up down at a chapel a few streets away, the chapel had a wall around it and the milkmen used to store the crates of empty milk bottles up against the wall for collection by the dairies. I had taken a few crates into the chapel and was using them as grenedes and tossing them at people going past and ducking back down behind the wall. Once they found out it was me doing it they tried to get through the gates to stop me, but I was under seige and was having none of it, I just kept throwing the empty milk bottles at them, Well, till my father arrived that was. Anther two days in "bed" and not out for a week.

 

Some of the things we done as kids it's wonder we were never killed, like climbing up a rookery and bending the thin branches back and trying to hit your mate with the rooks eggs by using the nest as a catapult. However, in 1970 my luck run out. Monday April 27th 1970. My brother and myself had been to the dentist in the morning and by the time we got home it was too late to go to school for the afternoon. So along with a couple of mate we went fishing. We used towalk up river spinning and would cover a good couple of miles fishing this way. This day the river was fining down after a flood and as we were catching we went further up river than we usually did. We ended up in Penderyn and it was about 3pm i was in a bit of a panic now as I had a paper round to start at 4pm.

 

So we decided to walk the quarry line back to the village as it was quicker, and we always had the chance of a train coming down the line and would be able to jump the trucks and get a lift to the village. Any how a train did come along complete with the fireman on the top of the trucks, once he seen us on the side of the line, to try and stop us jumping on the ballast trucks. The problem was that the train of trucks was so long and the track snaked it's way through woodland that by the time the front of the train was out of sight, there would still be enough trucks to jump on.

 

We had jumped the trucks many a time, so thought nothing of the dangers. The trick was to run along side of the truck grab hold of the hand rail the jump and pull yourself onto the steps. One of my mates went first, I was the second to go, but I did not have a spare hand to grab the handrail as I had a dog in my arms, so I just ran alongside the steps and tried to jump on the steps without using the handrail, I missed the steps and fell between two trucks and got dragged under the moving trucks.

 

I can remember spinning around under the trucks and thinking that I was going to die, then ending up in a gutter by the side of the tracks, At first as daft as it seems I was not sure if I was still alive, then came a numb feeling in my right hand and I could not feel my thumb, when I pulled the sleve of my coat which was ripped back to look, the first thing I saw was my thumb hanging limply and I could not move it,I was stairing at that when I noticed that my middle finger was just hanging on by a piece of skin and where my little and ring fingers were there was just a bone sticking out below where the knuckles had been. Funnily enough there was no pain as such just a knumbness, shock I expect. I was still pretty lucid and we decided we had to get an abulance so we walked a mile across the fields to the nearest farm and they called an abulance from there.

 

They managed to save my middle finger but my little and ring fingers were too badly damaged to be able to do anything with. Since that day and even now I am still known as Allan fingers.

 

So not every childhood adventure has a lucky outcome.

 

TC

[socks 32,253]

Like socks, I though my mother was a witch as she always knew when I had been riding the horses. If there was mischief to be made when I was a kid, I was into it. Like the day I was about four and supposed to be playing in the street, but had wondered off exploring as usual. I ended up down at a chapel a few streets away, the chapel had a wall around it and the milkmen used to store the crates of empty milk bottles up against the wall for collection by the dairies. I had taken a few crates into the chapel and was using them as grenedes and tossing them at people going past and ducking back down behind the wall. Once they found out it was me doing it they tried to get through the gates to stop me, but I was under seige and was having none of it, I just kept throwing the empty milk bottles at them, Well, till my father arrived that was. Anther two days in "bed" and not out for a week.

 

Some of the things we done as kids it's wonder we were never killed, like climbing up a rookery and bending the thin branches back and trying to hit your mate with the rooks eggs by using the nest as a catapult. However, in 1970 my luck run out. Monday April 27th 1970. My brother and myself had been to the dentist in the morning and by the time we got home it was too late to go to school for the afternoon. So along with a couple of mate we went fishing. We used towalk up river spinning and would cover a good couple of miles fishing this way. This day the river was fining down after a flood and as we were catching we went further up river than we usually did. We ended up in Penderyn and it was about 3pm i was in a bit of a panic now as I had a paper round to start at 4pm.

 

So we decided to walk the quarry line back to the village as it was quicker, and we always had the chance of a train coming down the line and would be able to jump the trucks and get a lift to the village. Any how a train did come along complete with the fireman on the top of the trucks, once he seen us on the side of the line, to try and stop us jumping on the ballast trucks. The problem was that the train of trucks was so long and the track snaked it's way through woodland that by the time the front of the train was out of sight, there would still be enough trucks to jump on.

 

We had jumped the trucks many a time, so thought nothing of the dangers. The trick was to run along side of the truck grab hold of the hand rail the jump and pull yourself onto the steps. One of my mates went first, I was the second to go, but I did not have a spare hand to grab the handrail as I had a dog in my arms, so I just ran alongside the steps and tried to jump on the steps without using the handrail, I missed the steps and fell between two trucks and got dragged under the moving trucks.

 

I can remember spinning around under the trucks and thinking that I was going to die, then ending up in a gutter by the side of the tracks, At first as daft as it seems I was not sure if I was still alive, then came a numb feeling in my right hand and I could not feel my thumb, when I pulled the sleve of my coat which was ripped back to look, the first thing I saw was my thumb hanging limply and I could not move it,I was stairing at that when I noticed that my middle finger was just hanging on by a piece of skin and where my little and ring fingers were there was just a bone sticking out below where the knuckles had been. Funnily enough there was no pain as such just a knumbness, shock I expect. I was still pretty lucid and we decided we had to get an abulance so we walked a mile across the fields to the nearest farm and they called an abulance from there.

 

They managed to save my middle finger but my little and ring fingers were too badly damaged to be able to do anything with. Since that day and even now I am still known as Allan fingers.

 

So not every childhood adventure has a lucky outcome.

 

TC

But what about the dog was it ok ..........

[Tiercel 6,986]

Aye the bloody dog was fine socks. Well he was till he broke into the egg cuboard and ate two trays of eggs. One way trip then I am afraid.

 

This is what my hand looks like today.

 

 

Some how the girls always liked it never did figure out why?

 

TC

[LaraCroft 863]

Camping in the summer up on Dartmoor, with friends, dogs and ponies. Usually up near Fernworthy reservoir. Dad ( sensibly) wouldn't let us cook, so all cold food, but he came up to cook a BBQ for us one evening, and fresh supplies. We'd scare ourselves silly with stories about the prison, and the hound of the baskervilles - and worse of all, the "Hairy Hand" - a Dartmoor legend

[Outlaw Pete 2,224]

The "Hairy Hand" - a Dartmoor legend

 

Come on now, Lara ..... Enquiring minds .....

[LaraCroft 863]

 

The "Hairy Hand" - a Dartmoor legend

 

Come on now, Lara ..... Enquiring minds .....

It's made it onto Wikipedia It started in the early 1920's I think - hairy hands would grab steering wheels, handle bars, bridle reins etc and force you off the road, and scare you into running across the moor to your death.... Bear in mind that at the time, not one of the group of us had seen a building taller than the 4 storey Debenhams in Exeter, and " awlll roight moi lubber " was an acceptable greeting .... got to love Devon !

[Outlaw Pete 2,224]

It started in the early 1920's I think - hairy hands would grab steering wheels, handle bars, bridle reins etc and force you off the road, and scare you into running across the moor to your death....

 

 

F**k That! F**kin scare me too, that would!

[BIG G wheton machine 1,594]

back in the mid 90s 4 of us went pike fishing in december holidays from school, we went to comber duck/mill ponds fishing for pike which we always caught jacks, anyway me and keith were fishing the steep bank and darren and chinky were fishing the flat bank, tea time came and out came the sarnies and keith just ate the biggest loda crap feckin family bag of crisps and the messy cnut just chucked his litter everywhere. so we fished for hours without a bite it was that cold that the frost never lifted that day, and i said to keith fcuk it im going round the flat bank to get a fire lit about 10 mins later he joined us, darren n keith sort ave had a love hate friendship with darren being bigger in weight than us and keith being nicknamed river rat they were always raking eachother, after an hour or so darren got fed up and went round the steep bank and when he saw the mess that keith left he was shouting all sorts of names at him when keith shouts back fcuk up ya fat b*****d i hope ya fall in, no sooner had he shouted that at darren when darren slipped in 1 of keiths empty packets flew down the steep bank at high speed then in what seemed like slow motion belly flopped into the ice cold dam, me keith n chinky just looked at eachother then burst into uncontrollable laughter not worrying about darren , when alll ya hear was help me ya b*****ds so we ran round to the steep bank still laughing by that time darren had swam into the side and was gurning about his good 1 piece rod then he ducked under and got it back. he was ballfroze to say the least feckin soaking wet to the skin we pulled him up the bank and round to the fire where he stood shivering his nuts off before his da came n took him home. i still laugh to this day even thinking about it

[Outlaw Pete 2,224]

I still laugh to this day even thinking about it

 

 

Remind me to look you up, next time I want some sympathy!

[BIG G wheton machine 1,594]

 

I still laugh to this day even thinking about it

 

 

Remind me to look you up, next time I want some sympathy!

it didnt end there between them 2 darren was always embarrassed about it that he blamed keith because it was his crips packet he slipped on, back in school we were lined up outside home economics waiting for class to start when keith saw darren walking towards us and shouts here comes the tidal wave but keith was leaning against the wall at an angle of about 35 degrees when darren sweeps his feet out from under him and shouts fcuk up river rat ya trampy fcuker, well keith nearly broke his back on the radiator on the way down we were all in stitches at this when keith got up in agony and shouts ya fcukin fat b*****d im gona knock your bollix in he was raging and walked to the door in temper n kicked the glass clean through ct the leg to bits and got in trouble for damaging school property. they were the days innocent times lol

[Chid 6,507]

 

 

I still laugh to this day even thinking about it

 

 

Remind me to look you up, next time I want some sympathy!

it didnt end there between them 2 darren was always embarrassed about it that he blamed keith because it was his crips packet he slipped on, back in school we were lined up outside home economics waiting for class to start when keith saw darren walking towards us and shouts here comes the tidal wave but keith was leaning against the wall at an angle of about 35 degrees when darren sweeps his feet out from under him and shouts fcuk up river rat ya trampy fcuker, well keith nearly broke his back on the radiator on the way down we were all in stitches at this when keith got up in agony and shouts ya fcukin fat b*****d im gona knock your bollix in he was raging and walked to the door in temper n kicked the glass clean through ct the leg to bits and got in trouble for damaging school property. they were the days innocent times lol

did you all attend tor bank school

[BIG G wheton machine 1,594]

 

 

 

I still laugh to this day even thinking about it

 

 

Remind me to look you up, next time I want some sympathy!

it didnt end there between them 2 darren was always embarrassed about it that he blamed keith because it was his crips packet he slipped on, back in school we were lined up outside home economics waiting for class to start when keith saw darren walking towards us and shouts here comes the tidal wave but keith was leaning against the wall at an angle of about 35 degrees when darren sweeps his feet out from under him and shouts fcuk up river rat ya trampy fcuker, well keith nearly broke his back on the radiator on the way down we were all in stitches at this when keith got up in agony and shouts ya fcukin fat b*****d im gona knock your bollix in he was raging and walked to the door in temper n kicked the glass clean through ct the leg to bits and got in trouble for damaging school property. they were the days innocent times lol

did you all attend tor bank school

the mighty dundonald high lol near enough lol