John Edward Cooper’s Notes

Letter from “Mother & Dad” (Nanny Paine and Grandad Jack, my Mum’s mother and father) to my Mum, dated “Friday [19th May 1950]”


Letter from “Dad” (Grandad Jack, my Mum’s father) to my Mum




Letters from “Jack” (Uncle Jack, my Mum’s older brother) and “Ronnie” (Uncle Ronnie, my Mum’s younger brother) to my Mum, written on two sides of the same sheet




Card from “Charlie” (my Dad) and “Steven” (my brother, some 2 years and 3 months older than I)




Card from “Aunty Connie” and “Uncle Roland” (friends of my Mum’s and Dad’s, not relations; my brother Steven’s godparents)







Found on the reverse of the card when unfolded:

Card from “Aunty Jessie”






Card from “Aunt Joan” and “Uncle John” (friends of my Mum’s and Dad’s, not relations)




Card from “Auntie Margaret & Uncle Harry”




Card from “Auntie Monica”






Card from “Monica & Cliff”. Why would Monica be named on two cards? — unless one of them was sent on the occasion of our Steve’s birth. The comment “Better late than never” doesn’t shed much light on this point, because my Mum can’t remember whether there was any prolonged gestation of either of us; but my Mum’s mother’s (Nanny Paine’s) words in her letter, above — “I was worried that you were still in labour, anyway it’s over now…” — may refer to this. In which case, perhaps the other card, the one from “Auntie Monica”, was sent on the occasion of Steve’s birth. I don’t have access to these; it would be interesting to see whether a card from Monica were lacking.


My father registered the birth on Monday 29 May 1950.

Map of Palatine Road, retrieved 2011 from Lancashire County Council Maps and Related Information Online. We lived in a semi-detached house, No.14. Mrs. Hartley lived in “the next door house”, referred to above — not the conjoined house, but the separate one, No.16, on the other side.

Image from Bing Maps bird’s eye view, 2011

Images from Google Street View, 2011

Map of Fairfield Drive, retrieved 2011 from Lancashire County Council Maps and Related Information Online


The first house of a terrace of three: Photo taken, 6th June 1996. The nearest house is No.20, despite its having a rubbish bin outside, numbered "21".


Situated at the far end of Fairfield Drive: Photo taken, 6th June 1996, looking back from the far end.


Photo taken, 6th June 1996. There’s my Dad.


There is a “kink” in the street; after Nos. 2 to 18, a terrace of nine houses along the right-hand side, the street turns sharply to the left and then right again. The end of our house, therefore, situated in this “kink”, faced directly up the Drive towards the main road, Blackpool Road: Photo taken, 6th June 1996, looking into Fairfield Drive from Blackpool Road.


How old am I in this photo of my Mum and me? Eighteen months?