Not quite sure who these people are. What is known is that they formed a young peoples Church group, possibly from St Peters in Midland Road.This particular meeting was held at 40 Victoria Road in the 1950's. It is thought that the chap on the left with the white socks was one of a pair of twins and possibly named Mick Spall. If you know any more then please leave a comment at the bottom of this post.

A Mischievous Tale

I, along with my brothers and sister were bought up within the Church, starting off at St Marks in Highfield Road and later joining the youth groups at St Marys.

We were raucous kids at the time and my next youngest brother, popularly known as Chaig, was probably the raucous of all. Every Sunday we were ushered up to St Marks for the morning service. My dad would drive us in the family sit-up-and-beg Ford Popular. Quite why we drove I shall never know as it was no more than a 15-20 minute walk.

Anyway, on one particular occasion we were seated down at the back of the church hall and Albert Knight, one of the church sidesmen, was sat between us to keep an eye on our behavior as our past history of church service behavior did not rank very high in the scheme of things.   I am not sure exactly what the leaflet that was placed on all the wooden chairs that filled the hall was about. It was a piece of roughly coped A4 paper describing something informative and something which did not concern neither me or my brother. I am also not sure quite how Chaig managed to take his sheet of A4 paper and without detection from the watchful eye of Albert Knight, managed to  construct a paper aeroplane. Nothing extravagant but nonetheless a device capable of aeronautic endeavors. He proudly displayed it to me, carful not to alert the eye of Albert in case he caught sight and confiscated the artifact.

The service began. The vicar and his entourage walked into the hall from the door at the front of the hall. The congregation stood up. The organ came alive with music and the congregation began the onslaught of the first hymn. Neither me nor my brother were keen on singing and I would normally mouth the words which always seemed to proceed at a sluggish pace and enabled me to read ahead in the hymn book. I was usually several pages ahead of the congregation and on a completely different hymn by the time the first couple of verses had been sung. On this occasion I was not concentrating as I was more interested in watching what my brother was doing. He had kept his eye on Albert Knight who was stood bolt upright and fervently singing the praises from the hymn book which he held aloft, clutched loosely with both hands, and his face looking straight ahead, occasionally dipping down to peer at the hymn book. This was the chance that Chaig had been waiting for.  In quick motion, he drew his arm back then launched the paper aeroplane forwards into the air with as much effort as he could muster. We both watched. It soon caught Albert's line of sight and for a few seconds he helplessly gazed as the aeroplane  glided over the congregation and then started to descend. It did not quite make the front of the hall, and the congregation was pretty much oblivious until the aeroplane made a landing, coming to a graceful rest  in this mans beard in the front row which caused most of the front row to glance back from whence the object came, still singing as they curiously gazed.

I tried to stem the laughter. Chaig was immediately frog marched out of the hall by Albert Knight. I cant remember what trouble or penance this landed him in. I can only remember the laughter when we recounted the mischievous acted after the service had ended. Happy days.