Linton Pop Group

L to R, Me, Allan Waller, Ronald Turpin

During the early 1960's pop music was in its heyday. Ok not all would agree.
Radio Caroline was the music station of choice. It, along with Luxembourg was the only ones that we could 'pick up' at Linton. Mum had bought me one of the fairly new 'transistor' radios that had been available, albeit at a price. How she managed to buy it beats me. I think it cost around £7/19/6d just under £8.00, bear in mind she picked up about 30/- a week, (30/- was £1.10.00d, or £1.50p now,) from my Dad in the form of Child Allowance, if he was in a good enough mood to deposit same at the Town Hall, where mum would have to go every Wednesday to collect it from the counter at the east end entrance, opposite almost, Britannia House. If dad had boozed his entire wage, the money would not be there. It was always paid a week in arrears. The only other source of cash mum had was the National Assistance; this might supplement her income by a couple of quid, certainly no more. I think she must have bought it on the HP, not the sauce, but the only form of buying any major purchase then, called ''hire purchase'', not like a modern day bank loan or such, HP means the item bought is not yours until the HP agreement is settled in full, at some silly interest rate. It may have been out of a club, or catalogue. We did not have bank accounts. We had no money to put in one anyway. The ''club'' was probably Empire Stores, or some such. People, who were poor, bought most things in this manner, they had to, they simply did not have the cash!

Rules at school dictated that we could not listen to transistor radios, but then I never saw another one, so maybe this rule was aimed at me

We would listen on the quite, mostly at night, after lights out, on the dorm. It was our main route to the 1960''s which were ''happening'' times, although we didn''t know it then, and don’t we all probably look back with rose tinted spectacles now. Anyway there I go, of on one again, meanwhile, back at the coral.

Someone said ''Why don’t we form a group?''

So this was decided upon.