Billy Ward was born on the 15th June 1917. He grew up living with his parents Florrie and Sid with sister Florrie in Crompton Road, Nechells.
When he was grown up he met and later married Alice Matthews at St. Marks Church, Washwood Heath on the 27th May, 1939. and they went to live in Ramsay Road, Nechells where their son Colin and daughter Carol were born. They then moved just around the corner to number 70 Chattaway Street. The house in Chattaway Street was just around the corner from my old mate John (Kirbo) Kirby’s house in Long Acre, who I might add along with his wife Sheila is still a good mate of mine.
Billy became a window cleaner and apart from the local houses his round covered most of the small factories in the vicinity as well. He was a well known figure dressed in his overalls with his cart and ladders and everybody knew Billy Ward the Window Cleaner.
With the redevelopment of the area the house in Chattaway Street was knocked down in the mid 1970’s and Billy and Alice are re-housed in Chipstead Road, Erdington.
Dad was still trying to clean windows for his mates right up to a few months before he died. He only did it for a bit of beer money and I used to tell him “You’ve got a bad chest so why do you still go up those ladders, I’ll always make sure you don’t go short”, but he had always been a hard working Nechells man and his answer to me is unprintable here.
Right up until he died on the 15th December 1991 Dad would on most days visit his Mom who still lived in Crompton Road.
When he was grown up he met and later married Alice Matthews at St. Marks Church, Washwood Heath on the 27th May, 1939. and they went to live in Ramsay Road, Nechells where their son Colin and daughter Carol were born. They then moved just around the corner to number 70 Chattaway Street. The house in Chattaway Street was just around the corner from my old mate John (Kirbo) Kirby’s house in Long Acre, who I might add along with his wife Sheila is still a good mate of mine.
Dad was still trying to clean windows for his mates right up to a few months before he died. He only did it for a bit of beer money and I used to tell him “You’ve got a bad chest so why do you still go up those ladders, I’ll always make sure you don’t go short”, but he had always been a hard working Nechells man and his answer to me is unprintable here.
