Life is Much Improved

We did not stay at Antioch for very long.Mum had the offer of a much nicer place in the terraced bloc aove ours. This bock being called Lower Abbotts, This House had a garden and separate bedrooms. There was still no bathroom. However it did have a nice view across the hills. We were very happy living there. Moving to Lower Abbotts coincided  with my moving schools. I had failed the eleven plus rather miserably and there fore had to move to a Secondary Modern School in Littleborough  this school was run by an head master who had a reputation of being a terror. His name was Jas J Bollem  and he was to us students God. When he walked down a corridor the students had to stand with their backs against the wall so as to not impede his passage. And he was not afraid to use the cane when the occasion demanded it. He was extremely fond of his school and quite frankly this rubbed of on the student. He was well known throughout lancashire. He set an example to the other schools in the area, who all tried to better the Central and very rarely did. The wearing of uniform was mandatory., and woe be tied anyone who let the school down when  they were wearing it. My mother could not afford the cost of school uniform so she made them. The embarasing part from my point of view was that my mother kept me in shorts until the age of fifteen. In d on one occasion come across an old pair of trousers  (They had belonged to Charlie ) Of course they were much to big for me, This did not stop me from sliding along in them feeling rather grown up. My first Year at Littleborough Central Secondary Modern school was quite cheerful.despite the fact that I was in "S stream" As My brother on his arrival was placed in the "B" stream which gave him an automatic shot at the GCSE's. It was great to be joined by Peter however there was one drawback, to the situation. This being the fact that my brother is some what confrontational and he would get into an argument with some one, and when it got out of hand  he would threaten them with his big brother. I have lost count of the number of times I have felt a tap on my shoulder , the person tapping me asking if my name was John Backhouse and promptly smacking me in the face when I Answered.