Unexpected Histories

While Waiting At a Bus Stop...



Picture Source: HU12 Online



I have mentioned many times on the twitter feed that history can turn up in the most unexpected way, and the last time it happened was while waiting for a bus just in between Christmas and New Year.

A Hoodie similar to this that inspired this post!
Picture Source: hullkr.co.uk


The conversation started with an older man commenting on a (Hull Kingston) Rovers top the other man at the bus stop was wearing, saying that he remembers watching the rugby league team for the first time in 1938! That year, Rovers played two games in the Yorkshire Cup, winning to Castleford at home, 12-0; the second game in the cup was against Hunslet, losing 23-7 away. They also played the Challenge Cup in February of that year, losing to Keithley at home, 0-2. I do believe that the possibility of our mystery Rovers fan attended the home matches is very good, which took place at the old Craven Park, where Morrisons supermarket on Holderness Rd, Hull now stands. Some of our older members joke about That try scored where the frozen food is now! Did our man ever watch John "Jack" T Spamer, or H "Scrubber" Dale? Alas, I will never know as we were joined by another histrionis, an unknown lady with a tale to tell...


The old Humbrol Factory, on Hedon Rd, Hull.
Picture: Paul Glazzard

Humbrol was founded in 1919, as the Humbrol Oil Comany, specialising in modelling kits and and paints in the 1950s and 1960s, but that later time period doesn't concern us. What does is World War II, where this lady's mother worked at, and like most of the industry of that time, it was given over to war work, supplying oil to the military. She recalled just as our bus came into sight, how her mother used to cycle home and see the bombs drop one by one, onto the docks. For those of you not from Hull, or too young to remember, Humbrol used to be situated on Hedon Rd, which runs parallel to the docks, which makes the tale all the more fasinating. How brave this lady's mother was to even cycle near bombs dropping, the fear and excitement of the situation.  


Picture Source: bbc.co.uk


By this time, the bus had stopped and opened it's doors, so the tales of long ago had to end...




Words: Tracy Taylor (c) 2018
Pictures: As Credited

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