| Ref No | MS 4000/5/1/8/1 |
| Title | Sound recording of Charlie Burke of Birmingham (1918-2001) describing his childhood, family and Birmingham c1880 onwards |
| Level | File |
| Date | 07 April 1970 |
| Description | Recording of interview by Charles Parker of Charlie Burke (CB) of Birmingham (b.1918) describing his childhood, family, local area, trades and entertainment.
Track 1: Duration (min/sec): 1.38 Description of track: CB describes living at Spring Hill, Birmingham; lived over a fish and chip shop after WWI where his mother worked c1919-1920; the business failed
Track 2: Duration (min/sec): 1.41 Description of track: CB talks about his father who was already in the army when WWI broke out and volunteered to fight in the war; CB describes the de-mobbing process and general unemployment as his father was out of work for 18 months after the war; CB went to St Marks School
Track 3: Duration (min/sec): 3.35 Description of track: CB remembers his childhood; cattle being driven through the streets of Birmingham to country districts such as Quinton and Harborne; where the University and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital now stand was Harborne Dairies; horses and carts on the streets; milk being delivered in churns on carts; CB explains how built up Birmingham now is in comparison
Track 4: Duration (min/sec): 5.12 Description of track: CB talks about fishing; the emphasis on his street on trade with neighbours doing jewellery and carpentry work for each other in their spare time; the regular use of the pawn shop; CB would go to the market in the Bull Ring regularly and walking down New Street could of ten encounter a flock of sheep in the mornings
Track 5: Duration (min/sec): 2.18 Description of track: CB describes street games played by boys and girls eg kick the can
Track 6: Duration (min/sec): 1.57 Description of track: CB describes the origins of people on his street eg one Welsh lady, one from Durham, a Plymouth family
Track 7: Duration (min/sec): 1.17 Description of track: CB talks about the work of a local goldsmith from [Cradley Heath/Dudley]
Track 8: Duration (min/sec): 7.37 Description of track: CB talks about his family background; father born in Birmingham; grandfather came from Cork, Ireland and married girl from Leamington; father (b.1872) was a Catholic and went to St Peter's School of f Broad Street; mother (b.1887) came from Liverpool
Track 9: Duration (min/sec): 1.56 Description of track: CB talks about his teachers and schooling; the teachers were mainly from Birmingham
Track 10: Duration (min/sec): 2.51 Description of track: CB discusses local entertainment; barrel organs came round
Track 11: Duration (min/sec): 2.26 Description of track: CB born 1918; CB talks about street entertainers and singers
Total duration: (min/sec): 32.31 |
| Related Material | See also LC/BPL 38 listening cassette of Charlie Burke, Birmingham and recording of Charlie Burke used in lecture at MS 4000/5/2/7/11 |
| Physical Description | Listening copy: 1 x CD-R serial number PF235 S108 5874
Original tape:
Size: 5" tape reel
Gauge: 1/4" tape (0.625cm)
Speed: 7.5ips (19cm/s);
EQ Curve used: IEC
Track configuration: Half Track Mono
Dubbing Date: 12/02 |
| Access Status | Open |
| Language | English |