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Charlie Atkins - Mal Edwards - Information needed


Bugsworth Tippler

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On a previous thread I was asking for help in putting a name to a place in Birmingham which featured in a Mal Edwards song. Unfortunately the problem was not resolved but here I am again with another similar request.

 

I am transcribing the songs of Mal Edwards for the 'Songs of the Inland Waterways' website : http://www.waterwaysongs.co.uk

 

The latest one is Charlie Atkins which can be found here : http://www.waterwaysongs.co.uk/Charlie_Atkins.htm There is also a recording of the first part of the track.

 

The words are given below but I'm unsure of a few which have been italicised. If anyone can help with the factory name, his first boat name, his nickname, or correct any of my mistakes I'd be grateful. Accurate contact details for Mal would also be helpful.

 

 

Charlie Atkins

 

He was down Nighton factory loading 18 tons of crumb

The boats name was Mendip, Charlie Atkins was the one

On a trip to Bourneville each week and all the kids would say

Here comes old Charlie with the crumb, let's be good today

 

He gave them crumb at Wheaton Aston and 'ampton 21

He gave it them at Tipton three they loved them every one

That night he'd stop at Gas Street and the kids would gather round

He'd tell them his stories as he passed the crumb around

 

Now old Charlie was a gentleman with a weather beaten face

Round and tanned like leather, he was from a dying race

A character of the old canal who taught me many things

How to make fenders, splice rope and lace the side cloth rings

 

He was born down Newport lock on the Shrewsbury canal

In a midland coast boat name the boscoval

Saw his first light of day in the early morn

When the boat was tied up at the wharf loaded down with corn

 

Well his nickname was roggie, as many people know

With his corduroy bell bottomed trousers and hair as white as snow

He wore a white cravat around his neck and he liked a pint of mild

And if you valued your skin you'd never get him riled

 

Sad he's no longer with us, no stories can he tell

About the bygone days of the old canal

For his memories linger on, they remain with me yet

And the skills that he taught me I never will forget

 

So goodbye Charlie Atkins, Charlie of the old canal

Goodbye roggie Atkins, the man I knew quite well

I bet you're up in heaven you're loaded finished and done

And the angels all around you with your eighteen tons of crumb

The angels all around you with your eighteen tons of crumb

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The Cadbury's chocolate crumb factory was at Knighton.

 

What's 'crumb'?

Cocoa mixed with concentrated milk. It's dried out and thus presumably assumes the consistency of crumbs (small pieces). This would make it easier to transport in bulk, as it would weigh less. Edited by Athy
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Charlie told me that his nick-name was more like Ruggie, as in his youth he was very rough on his boats. After one incident, he was called into the Midland & Coast office and shown his page in the boatman's ledger which was full of reports about damage to his boat. The manager then turned to an older boatman's page, which was completely empty. The manager told Charlie that in future this is how his page should be, otherwise he would no longer have a job. Needless to say, Charlie improved his standard of boating, but the nick-name stuck.

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Charlie told me that his nick-name was more like Ruggie, as in his youth he was very rough on his boats. After one incident, he was called into the Midland & Coast office and shown his page in the boatman's ledger which was full of reports about damage to his boat. The manager then turned to an older boatman's page, which was completely empty. The manager told Charlie that in future this is how his page should be, otherwise he would no longer have a job. Needless to say, Charlie improved his standard of boating, but the nick-name stuck.

It must have worked, his boating from what I saw was very gentle in his later years.

 

Tim

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This page on the 'Songs of the Inland Waterways' http://www.waterwaysongs.co.uk/chocolate_charlie.htm has another song about Chocolate Charlie along with lots of info about him.

 

Not the name of the boat he was born on though - that's a tricky one!


It's on the Shropshire Union. I wonder why they could not have processed it on site at their main factory in Bournville rather than transporting it so far.

Perhaps the milk suppliers were close to the Knighton factory on the Shroppie.

 

Would narrowboat departing with a cargo of milk arrive as one full of butter?

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It's on the Shropshire Union. I wonder why they could not have processed it on site at their main factory in Bournville rather than transporting it so far.

 

Isn't it the other way around. Processing it a Knighton meant they didn't have to transport a lot of milk to Bourneville - just the crumb

 

Richard

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It's on the Shropshire Union. I wonder why they could not have processed it on site at their main factory in Bournville rather than transporting it so far.

Before the days of refridgeration they used several factories around the country to process local milk supplies while it was still fresh.

Crumb is relatively inert and could be transported to Bourneville by boat. Milk would have spoiled before it reached Bourneville.

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Isn't it the other way around. Processing it a Knighton meant they didn't have to transport a lot of milk to Bourneville - just the crumb

 

Richard

That's what I said.

 

Imagine if Charlie was doing the run these days. Luring children to his boat with gifts of sweetmeats - which were the company's property. He'd have Social Services and the police down on him like a ton of bricks. What a sad indictment of (aspects of) the modern world.

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Charlie Atkins

 

He was down KNIGHTON factory loading 18 tons of crumb (but not the one in Powys)

The boats name was Mendip, Charlie Atkins was the one

On a trip to Bourneville each week and all the kids would say

Here comes old Charlie with the crumb, let's be good today

 

He gave them crumb at Wheaton Aston and WOLVERHAMPTON 21

He gave it them at Tipton three they loved them every one

That night he'd stop at Gas Street and the kids would gather round

He'd tell them his stories as he passed the crumb around

 

Now old Charlie was a gentleman with a weather beaten face

Round and tanned like leather, he was from a dying race

A character of the old canal who taught me many things

How to make fenders, splice rope and lace the side cloth rings

 

He was born down Newport lock on the Shrewsbury canal

In a midland coast boat name the BOSCOBELL

Saw his first light of day in the early morn

When the boat was tied up at the wharf loaded down with corn

 

Well his nickname was roggie, as many people know (AS IN ROGER!)

With his corduroy bell bottomed trousers and hair as white as snow

He wore a white cravat around his neck and he liked a pint of mild

And if you valued your skin you'd never get him riled

 

Sad he's no longer with us, no stories can he tell

About the bygone days of the old canal

For his memories linger on, they remain with me yet

And the skills that he taught me I never will forget

 

So goodbye Charlie Atkins, Charlie of the old canal

Goodbye roggie Atkins, the man I knew quite well (SEE ABOVE)

I bet you're up in heaven you're loaded finished and done

And the angels all around you with your eighteen tons of crumb

The angels all around you with your eighteen tons of crumb

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We use to moor next to Charlie, it was a pleasure, even if he did move onto our boat on Thursday, light our fire, ready for us coming down on Friday night, it kept the cabin lovely, even if it did go through our coal keeping him warm :)

Charlie kept the Crumb from "sweepings" after a bag had burst, nudge nudge, wink wink, in a bucket with a lid, which he kept in the engine hole. He use to hand it out to the kids who had been helpful, not just kids off the cut, but also some bankside kids how would help him up Hampton.

He was in my experience a very good and gentle boatman, it was he who shouted at me for leaving the boat in gear when going uphill, "only Runcorn men do that" I got told, wears your fender out, no need for it and there isn't, just better paddle control. I'm convinced he had special railway lines down the cut under the water, as he never looked where he was going, but was always able to run the boat in precisely the same place every time, quite amazing to experience that level of skill.

The running practice to Knighton was to come down the shroppie wind the butty at the winding hole before Knighton. Push the butty to Knighton leave it being loaded take the motor onto the next hole wind return and have her loaded whilst they sheeted up the butty, sheet up the motoer and off they went. They didn't always run with a butty. The aim was to get to the Achor loaded for a last pint. They use to try to get three runs in a week, which is cracking on. No such thing as drivers hours in those days.

He was born as the song says down the Shrewsbury cut near Newport on a horse boat, can't find my notes at the moment which tell me more.

He worked up to newton on the welsh a lot before the war.

The reason why the Crumb factory is there is its were the cows are Far easier and cheaper to move crump rather than milk. British Yoghurt is also mainly centred in this area because of the plentiful supply of Milk. There are three yoghurt factories around Drayton, if I remember correctly.

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Thank you very much Graham. That's brilliant - I'll make the corrections asap.

 

Not a problem.

As I sing a few canal songs already, it is another one to think about.

Favourite at the moment isn't even trad, but I think one of Jon Raven's (I think), "Captains of the Waterways"

Edited by Graham Davis
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Charlie Atkins

 

He was born down Newport lock on the Shrewsbury canal

In a midland coast boat name the BOSCOBELL

Saw his first light of day in the early morn

When the boat was tied up at the wharf loaded down with corn

Just for the record Midlands & Coast Canal Carriers Ltd. did not have a boat named BOSCOBELL, and this company was formed in 1922 following the demise of the S.U.R.C.Co. carrying fleet - some twenty years after the birth of Charlie Atkins, although he did later work for this concern. Charlie Atkins was actually born on the S.U.R.C.Co. horse boat CEIROG, but at least Newport and Shrewsbury Canal is correct.

 

I was fortunate to meet Charlie Atkins (Snr.) when he moved to Birmingham for his last few months, living with his son Charlie (Jnr.) who was the Lock Keeper at Farmers Bridge.

 

edit = Charlie Atkins (Snr.) was born 03 August 1902 and died 23 April 1981.

Edited by pete harrison
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Just for the record Midlands & Coast Canal Carriers Ltd. did not have a boat named BOSCOBELL, and this company was formed in 1922 following the demise of the S.U.R.C.Co. carrying fleet - some twenty years after the birth of Charlie Atkins, although he did later work for this concern. Charlie Atkins was actually born on the S.U.R.C.Co. horse boat CEIROG, but at least Newport and Shrewsbury Canal is correct.

 

I was fortunate to meet Charlie Atkins (Snr.) when he moved to Birmingham for his last few months, living with his son Charlie (Jnr.) who was the Lock Keeper at Farmers Bridge.

 

edit = Charlie Atkins (Snr.) was born 03 August 1902 and died 23 April 1981.

 

Perhaps the Boscobell name is artistic licence - a rhyme for Ceirog might be a little difficult.

 

Thanks to all the contributors who have provided info about Charlie.

 

Not a problem.

As I sing a few canal songs already, it is another one to think about.

Favourite at the moment isn't even trad, but I think one of Jon Raven's (I think), "Captains of the Waterways"

 

I have the lyrics of 'Captain of the Waterways' on my 'Songs of the Inland Waterways' website, but your comment made me have a look and I don't have any attribution for it. I'll have to dig out Jon Raven's book and find out, but I suspect you are correct in thinking it was one of his. I don't think there are more than a couple of canal songs which could be called 'traditional'.

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Isn't it the other way around. Processing it a Knighton meant they didn't have to transport a lot of milk to Bourneville - just the crumb

 

Richard

There was also a processing plant at High Onn Wharf, where we moor (on the Shroppie). The present owner had to clear out what was left of the machinery when he moved in. Just as an aside, BW initially refused permission for him to have boats moored there, on the basis that the location wasn't suitable. He was able to persuade them that the clue to its suitability lay in the third part of the name!

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I have the lyrics of 'Captain of the Waterways' on my 'Songs of the Inland Waterways' website, but your comment made me have a look and I don't have any attribution for it. I'll have to dig out Jon Raven's book and find out, but I suspect you are correct in thinking it was one of his. I don't think there are more than a couple of canal songs which could be called 'traditional'.

I suspect it might be the same book I got the lyrics from. It was also on an LP I had that I thought attributed it to him.

we were over in Brittany in October and i got asked to sing one evening and that was the only song I could think of! Went down well though.

One of these days I must get up to Bugsworth again. Pint?

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Charlie in 1975 at Preston Brook, outside Tony Lewery's old house. We had just repaired the cabin on Mendip, which had been getting a little porous. The photo is taken from my boat, Pluto, and one of the Bridgewater's Joshers is in the background.

 

10975128233_37a4832feb_b.jpg

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Charlie in 1975 at Preston Brook, outside Tony Lewery's old house. We had just repaired the cabin on Mendip, which had been getting a little porous. The photo is taken from my boat, Pluto, and one of the Bridgewater's Joshers is in the background.

 

10975128233_37a4832feb_b.jpg

Mike

 

Is that definitely one of the Bridgewater Department boats?

 

I just wonder whether it might have been the SIBERIA, carrying some timber destined for the dry dock.

 

I can't remember the exact chronology, but it would have been about right.

 

Tim

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I am pretty sure, and I think it was around this time that they sold off some of their mud boats. I certainly seem to remember it being tied up there for some time. It's a narrowboat, so didn't greatly interest me. rolleyes.gif

It's just the way that there is what looks like new timber is loaded across the chains or cross planks which made me wonder.

Also no sign of any lettering across the bow, though that may have been painted out if sold.

 

Tim

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