Donald Campbell had nothing on us! From Harry Foy's Book 'Growing up in Portadown in the Thirties and Forties' |
As children we were obsessed with wheels. If you didn't have a bike you settled for a buggie - four old pram wheels and a wooden box and you were in business. We were fortunate enough to be able to race down the hill which led to the street. Old car tyres added to the fun. They were rolled down the hill and you had to try to jump over them. Then there were hoop races. An old bicycle wheel rid of its spokes and a short stick and you were off. When you got up speed you imagined you were Don Campbell as you weaved your way through pedestrians. A ride in a car or lorry was always a treat. When the Regal Cinema was being built, Davy Prentice, who delivered the bricks to the site, would stop at the top of the street and honk the horn and we would climb aboard so that we could throw the bricks off for him. Our reward was a drive to the top of the town in the back of the lorry. Davy told us it was his cinema and he would let us all in on the first night. Opening night was a gala night and cars were parked on both sides of the street. All the members of the gang, with faces well-scrubbed, presented themselves at the entrance. The attendants, dressed in blue and gold livery, chased us. So we decided to get our own back. Under the pretence of playing around the cars we collected dead matches from the street and jammed them in the tube valves. That night, the picture-goers returned to flat tyres. With only the odd foot pump available some cars remained there for days. "The Crimson Daggers Strike Again". |