BERMONDSEY BOY (LONDON)
By Linda Wigzell Cress
- 11851 reads
This is the story of my Uncle Ern
Not much of a scholar, but willing to learn.
Shit shovelling, coal heaving to earn him a shilling,
Whatever was offered, our Ernie was willing.
Left school at twelve, started driving a lorry –
It saved his poor Mother a whole lot of worry;
A widow, with eight kids all wanting their dinner
At fifteen our Ern was the family breadwinner.
And he sang in the pubs and the clubs and won prizes,
He was poor, but quite honest: with Ern, no surprises.
Spent the war in the Army; his family was proud
But they did miss his voice, always booming and loud.
As usual our fella had fulfilled his duty.
He came back, and married his Camberwell beauty.
But sadly poor Ernie soon lost his sick wife.
But he picked up the pieces, got on with his life.
Drove limos and taxis, would work anywhere –
If you wanted a driver, old Ernie was there.
Like the Coughdrop Man, known all over the place,
Down East Lane market, a familiar face.
Law breakers or keepers, they all knew his name –
Black, white or yellow, all treated the same.
He worked for the Richardsons, the occasional day –
Just driving their Mother, or so he would say.
Late in life he remarried, an American friend
(I bet you can guess how this story will end)!
They soon moved to Florida, and Ernie became
A familiar face and a recognised name
In the Miami markets, you could hear him holler:
‘Look at these bangles, folks, two for a dollar!’
And he came home to London each year with wife Jess
How they could afford it we could only guess!
But Jessie grew poorly, and at eighty she died,
So Ern was alone, but kept his London pride,
Got a stall down the market, selling last seasons kit
Of the Miami Dolphins; it was a great hit
So he started to export his stuff to The Smoke
It sold well down the Lane, the wily old bloke!
Which shows you, whatever success you enjoy
You can’t take out the London from a Bermondsey boy.
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Comments
I worked in Bermondsey for a while
Really good people. Eventually I got fed up with sitting in my car queueing in Evelyn street mornings and evenings and found a job nearer home, but not before I made some good friends. We often used to go to the Mayflower in Rotherhithe, in those days tucked away between old warehouses (long gone). Still a great pub though.
Thanks for the memories and good luck
Ed
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A big thank you Linda for
A big thank you Linda for entering the Comp. I really enjoyed this poem. I also had an Uncle Ernie and what a character he was! It must be in the name....A charming rascal!
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nice rhyme, nice time and a
nice rhyme, nice time and a Bermondsey boy returned to his roots and you've made his wrold known.
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Loved this - you really bring
Loved this - you really bring him to life. Reminds me of some of my family - a generation that had always had to work and have an eye out for an opportunity and, like you say, they never stopped! I hope Ernie enjoyed his old age.
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How things have changed. Our
How things have changed. Our dads all worked hard didn't they Linda. You never saw men walking around with their wives/partners G/friends and children with a can of beer at 10am after a visit to the DSS. Always a story to tell and told so well. Yet more deserved cherries. All those places so well remembered. I'd like a pound for every time I drove my 47 down Deptford High street. 36b and 185 through Camberwell and 1's through Bermondsey. Oh memories. Keep bringing them back. Not that I forget much haha. x
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It's always good to remember
It's always good to remember Linda. My mum always wondered how I could remember so much. Yes there were some things I could do without but generally my memories are good ones. Many of which include yourself as I did spend a lot of time with you and Lou & Rose. Oh, nearly forgot. Our new Grandaughter is to be called Rose. Talk about what goes round!
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Wouldn't be without either of
Wouldn't be without either of them Linda. x
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Love this
oh what joy this brings to me i never had uncle Ernie but my hubby did ( he took us on a cliff walk in Cornwall while on honeymoon ouch) as i read this i could see him down the market in shouting away you bring to life who a must of be much love man thank you for that
maggie
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