An Alabaster takes on the Eggheads

by our Media Correspondent
 

Many members in the UK will be familiar with the BBC2 television programme 'Eggheads`. A team representing the British Bee-Keepers` Association appeared on 11th June, 2008. A member of that team was Alabaster Society member John Hendrie (IIIB), pictured on the left.
 

John Hendrie is a great grandson of Alfred and Mary (nee Onions) Alabaster (IIIB) who are mentioned elsewhere in the Chronicle, and is the grandson of Violet Williamson (nee Alabaster), pictured on the Family Album page with some other relatives.
He is also the nephew of our own webmaster, pictured further below in the leopardskin.
 

So did they win? Not quite! Owing to a mixup over one of the answers -- in other words the question-setters gave a wrong answer -- the team is being invited to appear again, for transmission scheduled for 31st March, 2009, at 6.30 pm on BBC2.

The BBKA team on set: John Hendrie is second from the left

Isn`t it amazing just how untidy a television studio can be?

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Who is the Alabaster in the Leopard Skin?

The chap on tenor drum (right) is Ray Williamson (IIIB). He is pictured on parade in the Denstone College (Staffordshire) Combined Cadet Force Band in 1960, aged 15.

And here he is again (below) behind the bass drum. The year could be 1961 or 1962. The picture was taken by Ray Williamson, by delayed action (many would say that "delayed action" was a technique in which he excels -- and we do not mean in photography)!

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Christmas as a Kid

by Susan Mary George, nee Alabaster (1920-2007) IIIB
as related to Stephen Abbott

Christmases were spent at Gran's [Agnes Laura Alabaster nee Collins] in Gosset Street. It was like a royal command, whether you wanted to go or not, that was where you went, ...to Grandmother's! Everyone turned up or there'd be trouble. She wasn't as big as six penn'orth of coppers was Gran, but she ruled everybody with a rod of iron.

She had this big old house in Bethnal Green, three storeys, and upstairs was just a loft and the kids would all sleep on the floor on mattresses or cushions or whatever they found. You used to love it, you used to have a right ol' laugh, all of 'em. Someone'd shout upwards to keep quiet. We'd usually stop till Boxing night.

The men'd sail off down the pub lunchtime, leaving the women to do all the work, come back half sloshed and demand their dinner on the table. Poor Gran nearly having a nervous breakdown, she used to be having a fit! She was ever so thin and frail but she had great big sons. She was great friends with the wife of the publican [of the Gosset Arms], probably because she had all these sons who drank in there!

We had a piano, an old Joanna: that's all we had. There was always someone who could knock out a tune, even Jack could knock out a few tunes. I think after a while we had a windy-up gramophone, ...used to wind the handle, and had old records. Terrible! They were never very good, the needle would slip and you'd go back again to the tune. Once when we were all there, Johnny Toal went through the rotten floorboards of this old house and Jack started singing "Johnny Toal fell down the 'ole and it ain't gonna rain no more." He kept singing it and I think Johnny got fed up with it in the end.

We always had a turkey. You'd pay off all the year round for that, you'd be in what they called a Christmas club and you'd pay in, probably it was only about sixpence or a shilling a week; and then you'd go and how much you got you could get the turkey an' perhaps a bit of pork and cheese, tins of peaches and pears. Quite a lot. That's what we always did, paid in our money and got the money back at Christmas. Mum and Jack paid into the Christmas club and with that they bought all the extra food and extra beer, presents for the kids and whomever else in the family. Now we worry about Christmas when Christmas is here, don't we?

Presents weren't so complicated as they are now, the kids weren't, you know, so sophisticated. The girls would get a doll and the boys would get a train set or jigsaw puzzle, things like that, hammer and chisels so they could make little things. It was simpler, there weren't all these electrical things that they have now. Usually you got one big present from your Mum and Dad and lots of little bits from other relatives that they could afford. But we always did very well, -- me and Eileen."

Joan Watts (IIIB) writes on the same theme:

(At first I could not bring anything memorable to mind initially, however, after giving it some thought I remembered something from way back in my early childhood.)

It was the Christmas of 1942 or 1943 - not quite sure which. I was a young child of four or five and my father, George Alabaster, was a Fireman at the time. He was stationed in Poplar, which was right in the thick of things during the war, and the Firemen, bless their hearts, decided to give all the children a Christmas party at the Fire Station. I can remember being very excited, sitting on long trestle tables with all the other children, and eating, among other things, sticky buns! Quite a treat in those days. The tables were pushed back when we had finished eating and then in came a Fire Engine with Father Christmas sitting proudly ringing the bell as he arrived. He had a large sack in front of him and called the names of the children one by one. When he called my name I remember looking closely into Santa's face and shouting in a very loud voice "That's my Daddy"!

Talk about giving the game away!

Shortly afterwards the bells "went down" and all the "on Duty" Firemen came hurtling down the pole from the room above and roared into the night on their Fire Engines. It was something I would never forget!

More Christmas Reminiscences

From Valerie Knobloch:

When I look back to Christmas in my childhood days then comes to mind the long night until the morning came. Too excited to sleep and waiting and waiting for Father Christmas to come down the chimney. Of course I never manage to see him. Then the next morning finding the presents at the end of the bed and under the pillow nuts etc. I was so excited that usually half of the things fell on the floor. Then even more important than the presents:

• the cosy back room with a warming fire burning;
• fresh fruit - bananas, apples, oranges, grapes, and of course the pineapple;
• bowls full of chocolates, sweets, and dates;
• the Christmas box of biscuits.

The good thing about all of this was that these were the foods that we hardly ever saw in our home all through the year and then at Christmas they were there and we could take as much as we wanted and didn't even have to ask.

That was heaven for me.

The next days were spent in harmony with all brothers and sister playing games and singing together.

Robbin Churchill writes:

Christmas was always a huge celebration at our home. My father would start working on our Christmas house display months before cutting out characters from masonite and painting them. One year Santa emerged from the chimney and the elves were hard at work on the lawn. That was the year we won the prize for the neighborhood's best decoration.

As a child, I can remember many a sleepless Christmas eve waiting for Santa. Several years I actually heard sleigh bells on the roof (thanks to Dad). There was a radio station that kept us posted all Christmas Eve Day as to Santa's direction and stops around the world.

One Christmas when I was "on the fence" about believing in Santa, I received a blackboard. Santa wrote me a nice message but.....hmm, it was my Dad's handwriting.

Christmas was all about family, eating, gift giving and singing. We always celebrated Christmas Eve with my Mother's family. My grandfather Hohler owned a deli that closed only after the last customer left, so he was always late to the celebration. As a child, my biggest gift giving delight was to shop at Woolworth's 5 and dime. My mother would give me money and I spent hours walking up and down the aisles looking for the perfect gifts. One year I bought a small plastic elephant for my infant cousin. I can still remember my aunt giving me huge accolades for my perfect choice.

Somehow, my Grandmother Hohler always chose Christmas Eve day to wash and iron all the curtains in the house, wash all the baseboards and thoroughly clean. She was a stickler for cleanliness anyway but we all wondered about her timing.

Christmas day was spent with the Alabaster Clan. My Grandparents, Helen and Sidney hosted a huge breakfast Christmas morning. After breakfast, we went to our own homes to play with our Santa gifts and would return to my grandparents for dinner. Their house was beautifully decorated thanks in large part to my Aunt Dorothy Alabaster Pless. She decorated with huge garlands, balls and bows flowing down the staircase banisters, a beautiful wreath over the fireplace and an extravagantly decorated tree, usually hidden behind a barricade of Christmas presents. We opened our gifts after breakfast so the house could be cleared for dinner - the dining room table to be extended to accommodate our large family.

I adored my twin cousins, Sandra and Sally and their brother Steve. We always had such fun together. My grandparents had a huge bathroom on the second floor, complete with a claw footed bathtub. We cousins claimed that as our "cubbie" and where we spent hours sharing stories & secrets.

Dinners were always a Norman Rockwell painting. Grandfather Sidney (in his smoking jacket) was at the head of the table, carving the turkey. The table groaned under the weight of my grandmother's cranberry sauce, famous clover-leaf rolls, creamed onions, green beans, mashed white potatoes, sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows, and turnips. Sadly, my grandmother Alabaster was diabetic as desserts were her specialty. Christmas dessert was pie - pumpkin, apple and mincemeat.

We Alabasters are a family of singers and we always enjoyed our day of Christmas carols. We even wrote our own songs, dividing ourselves into two groups, the in-laws and the out-laws. It was a huge competition..

My Grandfather Sidney was always late to the party. He spent untold hours in his bedroom/workshop working. He was an engraver. When he joined the gathering, he always stood next to the fireplace. He would always decline a chair saying that his work demanded too much sitting and he'd prefer to stand..

In my teens, my mother and I would make hundreds of Christmas cookies. Just before Christmas, they would be packaged and given to friends and family. We took great pride in our many varieties. I can remember coming home from a date and making cookies well into the night. I wonder if my career in catering was cinched then.

Christmas with our children:

Although our Christmases have changed locations and countries, a constant has always been (with a few exceptions) a Christmas card with a family photo and letter. This has been a wonderful way for us to chronicle our lives and activities.

Carolling has been another family tradition. We would gather our children , their friends and family and set out with candles in jars and spread Christmas spirit in the neighborhood. Our carollers would then enjoy hot chocolate and spirits for the old-uns, a red soup and green soup ...maybe tomato and split pea.

Christmas ornaments are another family tradition that John's mother started when our first child was born. She was sure to date each ornament. When our three children set up housekeeping with their own Christmas trees, they were sent off with years of ornaments and history. My children continue that tradition with their children.

Since we have lived overseas for a good part of our married life, without the grandparent/parent family bonds, we've travelled at Christmas with our children. We've had Christmas on islands, boats, rented houses and apartments, always having such fun and giving our children (and us, too) life-long memories.

This year - 2007 - Wow - It's just the two of us. Now that we have married children, they are splitting their time and this is our alternate year. John and I are headed South for a little sand and sun. We have high school friends there to join us with a Christmas beef rib roast. I do have a Poinsettia and some twinkling lights to wrap around the balcony.

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Brighton Belles of 1925

That fellow Ray Williamson (IIIB), always one to appreciate a shapely ankle, has sent in this picture of five of his lovely Alabaster aunties sunning themselves on holiday on Brighton beach on August 2nd 1925

From left: Emily 1889-1965, Lil 1893-1984, Cis 1895-1988 (nee Agnes Cecilia Fifield, m. 1924 Henry Alabaster 1896-1963), Ethel 1898-c1977 (m.1923 David J. Dixon), and Rose 1904-c1988 (m. 1939 Ronald S. Freeman).

The photographer is not named but is almost certainly Henry Alabaster. Henry and the four Alabaster girls pictured are some of the eleven children of Alfred Alabaster 1865-1944 and Mary (nee Onions) 1864-1937, who lived at 57 Yoakley Road, Stoke Newington, London N16.

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Beryl Neumann (IIA), Australia, writes:
I saw this poem the other day in a magazine - I could not resist adding the last verse.

When I enter my garden at daybreak
As the first rays of light appear
I listen to sweet sounds of birdsong
And I thank the Lord I can Hear.

In my garden during the morning
As the rays of the sun grow bright
I look around at the beauty
And then I give thanks for my Sight.

In the afternoon in my garden
As I sit in the shade for a spell
I notice the perfumes around me
And I thank the Lord I can Smell

In the evening in my garden
The garden which I love so much
When I feel the soft green foliage
I give thanks for my sense of Touch.

The fallen leaves in my garden
Are much too precious to waste
They nourish the vegetables and fruits
Which I thank the Lord I can Taste.

And to the other kind of census
Where we all eagerly leapt
To find out so much more about us,
And I thank the Lord records were kept.

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