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What Has He Done Now?: Tales from a North West Childhood in the 60s and Early 70s
This book is a selection of stories from my childhood in the 60s and early 70s in a small, Northwest, mining and weaving town. This is incidental as it is about neither of those industries in particular. It is about the magic and wonderment of those days as seen through the eyes of a child – my eyes! It is about the days when imagination was the biggest plaything that we possessed. The days when a plastic football provided a whole summer's play. It is about the scrapes that I found myself in and the things that I observed around me, and how they made me feel.
All the stories are true and I personally experienced every one of them. The names of the characters have been changed. The reason being that I have no idea of the whereabouts of many of the characters contained within my stories, so I have no way of asking them for their permission to include them in this book. Some have possibly passed away, and it would be unfair of me to mention them without their blessing. Anyone who knows me will know who they are though.
All the stories are true and I personally experienced every one of them. The names of the characters have been changed. The reason being that I have no idea of the whereabouts of many of the characters contained within my stories, so I have no way of asking them for their permission to include them in this book. Some have possibly passed away, and it would be unfair of me to mention them without their blessing. Anyone who knows me will know who they are though.
151 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 14, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 27, 2017
I absolutely loved this book
In just the first few pages I felt I was in for a treat as David Hayes echoed my own beliefs; “Our headmistress – I believe anyway – was ahead of her time. She taught us that patriotism was no bad thing, but we must also celebrate our differences ……. We were shown that all the different faiths had many things in common with our own Christian upbringing. We got to see that although different to our beliefs, they too believed in love and tolerance. I suppose, in a nutshell, we were taught to all get along.”
This alone encouraged me to read on.
So much in this book reminds of my own childhood. The story of the author’s little hand-knitted black Scottie dog nearly broke my heart. Even grown-ups can become attached to, well, for want of a better word, teddy bears. Myself and a girlfriend once had a white bear we called Scruffy, and strange as it might seem, he gave us a point of focus in our relationship. I’m aware that sounds daft but it was aptly demonstrated by Tom Hanks in the movie, Castaway. While marooned on a desert island, Hanks had an old volleyball that he painted a face on and named Wilson, and who became his only means of interaction. Hanks had regular conversations with Wilson, but when he built his raft to escape the island, Wilson – who he’d taken such care of – became untethered and floated away. Although Hanks tries to swim after him Wilson had drifted too far and he had to return to his raft, collapsing in tears. He’d lost the only friend he had. The teddy bear is the one children share their secrets with. He listens to everything and never tells a soul, and the loss of a much-loved ‘teddy bear’ or Scottie dog must be more keenly felt in children.
Further into the book and David Hayes relives some of my own childhood memories; Blackberrying (Mrs Hitchens used to make pies out of the blackberries we picked), and a little bell shaped like a lady in a crinoline dress, my mother had exactly that same brass bell.
Also playing in building sites before Health & Safety wisely laid a duty on contractors to ensure children and other members of the general public are excluded. I once climbed up the ladder to the 2nd lift where I found a wall. I went to jump over it not knowing that it was still green and I came crashing down. No harm was done except for a few grazes on my legs but I was terrified. I’d knocked a wall down and felt sure I would be going to jail. In my little eight-year-old mind that was as serious as it could ever get. It never crossed my mind that I’d only knocked down a dozen bricks and the brickie would have it sorted before 9 a.m. It also never crossed my mind that it wasn’t my fault
There’s also very poetic prose in the book which I loved; “That night, as youth coursed through my veins, I felt eternal.” “So near us we heard the dried grasses sizzle with their play – like tinkers' fires on a cold night.”
And finally Hayes discusses the eternal truth of all who grew up in the 60’s and 70’s. The fact that the only identity we had was our music and our clothes, and that’s how we were defined. You don’t get that anymore, do you? Nowadays teenagers have a lot more distractions with PlayStation and Facebook and Twitter and so on that I fear groups of skinheads and mods ‘n’ rockers are never to be seen again. The clothes I wore and the music I listened to would mark me out for the category of friends I would hang around with. Back in the 70’s you wouldn’t find a skinhead listening to King Crimson, or a Rocker listening to blue beat or reggae. You weren’t allowed. You had to like the same music as everyone else in your subculture group.
If I had to find fault with the book, I’d say it needs a good tidy up and to be placed in chronological order. It tends to jump about a little bit. Twice we read of Hayes buying his mother a bar of Cadbury’s Milk Chocolate out of the first money he ever earned. That’s only a minor criticism, and does nothing to take away the delight in a book that was honestly much better than I thought it would be.
Well done to David Hayes
In just the first few pages I felt I was in for a treat as David Hayes echoed my own beliefs; “Our headmistress – I believe anyway – was ahead of her time. She taught us that patriotism was no bad thing, but we must also celebrate our differences ……. We were shown that all the different faiths had many things in common with our own Christian upbringing. We got to see that although different to our beliefs, they too believed in love and tolerance. I suppose, in a nutshell, we were taught to all get along.”
This alone encouraged me to read on.
So much in this book reminds of my own childhood. The story of the author’s little hand-knitted black Scottie dog nearly broke my heart. Even grown-ups can become attached to, well, for want of a better word, teddy bears. Myself and a girlfriend once had a white bear we called Scruffy, and strange as it might seem, he gave us a point of focus in our relationship. I’m aware that sounds daft but it was aptly demonstrated by Tom Hanks in the movie, Castaway. While marooned on a desert island, Hanks had an old volleyball that he painted a face on and named Wilson, and who became his only means of interaction. Hanks had regular conversations with Wilson, but when he built his raft to escape the island, Wilson – who he’d taken such care of – became untethered and floated away. Although Hanks tries to swim after him Wilson had drifted too far and he had to return to his raft, collapsing in tears. He’d lost the only friend he had. The teddy bear is the one children share their secrets with. He listens to everything and never tells a soul, and the loss of a much-loved ‘teddy bear’ or Scottie dog must be more keenly felt in children.
Further into the book and David Hayes relives some of my own childhood memories; Blackberrying (Mrs Hitchens used to make pies out of the blackberries we picked), and a little bell shaped like a lady in a crinoline dress, my mother had exactly that same brass bell.
Also playing in building sites before Health & Safety wisely laid a duty on contractors to ensure children and other members of the general public are excluded. I once climbed up the ladder to the 2nd lift where I found a wall. I went to jump over it not knowing that it was still green and I came crashing down. No harm was done except for a few grazes on my legs but I was terrified. I’d knocked a wall down and felt sure I would be going to jail. In my little eight-year-old mind that was as serious as it could ever get. It never crossed my mind that I’d only knocked down a dozen bricks and the brickie would have it sorted before 9 a.m. It also never crossed my mind that it wasn’t my fault
There’s also very poetic prose in the book which I loved; “That night, as youth coursed through my veins, I felt eternal.” “So near us we heard the dried grasses sizzle with their play – like tinkers' fires on a cold night.”
And finally Hayes discusses the eternal truth of all who grew up in the 60’s and 70’s. The fact that the only identity we had was our music and our clothes, and that’s how we were defined. You don’t get that anymore, do you? Nowadays teenagers have a lot more distractions with PlayStation and Facebook and Twitter and so on that I fear groups of skinheads and mods ‘n’ rockers are never to be seen again. The clothes I wore and the music I listened to would mark me out for the category of friends I would hang around with. Back in the 70’s you wouldn’t find a skinhead listening to King Crimson, or a Rocker listening to blue beat or reggae. You weren’t allowed. You had to like the same music as everyone else in your subculture group.
If I had to find fault with the book, I’d say it needs a good tidy up and to be placed in chronological order. It tends to jump about a little bit. Twice we read of Hayes buying his mother a bar of Cadbury’s Milk Chocolate out of the first money he ever earned. That’s only a minor criticism, and does nothing to take away the delight in a book that was honestly much better than I thought it would be.
Well done to David Hayes
May 14, 2019
https://www.amazon.com/What-Has-Done-...
A very well-written account of a working class childhood; so much so, that I can never think of the author as a 60-year-old man. He will always be that little boy in those stories. Lots of humour and even some poetry. Well done, Dave :-)
A very well-written account of a working class childhood; so much so, that I can never think of the author as a 60-year-old man. He will always be that little boy in those stories. Lots of humour and even some poetry. Well done, Dave :-)
November 5, 2016
https://www.amazon.co.uk/What-has-Don... very well-written account of a working class childhood; so much so, that I can never think of the author as a 60-year-old man. He will always be that little boy in those stories. Lots of humour and even some poetry. Well done, Dave :-)
February 9, 2018
Wonderful stories. It was like having lunch with an old friend and reminiscing
September 8, 2017
Absolutely brilliant best book i have read in a long time! Certainly brings home what childhoods shoud be like
Fantastic book this this what childhoods should be about, must be read will definitely be saving this on my favourites!
Fantastic book this this what childhoods should be about, must be read will definitely be saving this on my favourites!
June 9, 2019
There are so many laugh out loud moments in this fascinating book. Having grown up in the same time period as the author, I could relate to so many of his anecdotes and he has a wonderful knack with words that make those stories so funny. I loved re-living memories of schooldays and games we played and then being a teenager in the 70's. His description of platform shoes and flares had me in fits of giggles. What a great story-teller David is. I loved every page. This book was a real tonic. If you are reading this, David, Well done for such a cheering and uplifting book. I'd love to read more of your lovely stories.
April 9, 2018
I'm not surprised this has so many 5 star reviews. Even the title is evocative of childhood memories. It is a beautifully written collection of tales from a childhood, not any less magical from being working class.
It is full of emotion and you will find yourself laughing out loud (while remembering things from your own childhood that you and your friends got up to) and sometimes crying when you come across the losses childhood brings.
It was a privilege to share a snapshot of your life David and I hope you will write many more books.
It is full of emotion and you will find yourself laughing out loud (while remembering things from your own childhood that you and your friends got up to) and sometimes crying when you come across the losses childhood brings.
It was a privilege to share a snapshot of your life David and I hope you will write many more books.
December 4, 2020
Loved it.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews