10 Merrymeeting Road Most houses which I knew in St. John’s, NL in the early 1930s had a small fenced off backyard for playing. Not the duplex we rented at 10 Merrymeeting Road. Located at the top of Parade Street, it was a relatively newer side by side, built by a well known builder, Selby Vokey, on a narrow lot with no room for a backyard. Attached to the house and backing on the lane was a single garage. I don’t remember much about it and suspect it was not rented with the house so we had no use of it. Directly adjacent to the garage was a small open space providing entry to the laneway. Abutting this space was Johnson’s Garage. Our back door led to a stoop with steps opening directly into the lane. It was the last house built on the street, so the builder had restricted space. Directly behind our house was a narrow lane that led behind the rest of the gardens of the houses on that street as well as the adjacent Newtown Road, so we had to make the best of what we had. I remember having picnics and birthday parties there with my sister Ann and our friends on a small table set up for that purpose by my mother. She would prepare fruit drinks and snacks and we would sit around and enjoy ourselves immensely. I had a good friend David Lang who lived immediately behind us on Newtown Road. We would erect club houses from brim bags set against the back of the house and sit in there eating boxes of Cracker Jacks until we made ourselves ill. There would be the odd accident as when once we accidently set the club house on fire but fortunately were able to extinguish it before any damage was done. The kitchen in our house was a large squarish room located at the back of the house overlooking the lane. At the end adjacent to the adjoining house was a floor to ceiling kitchen cabinet with glass doors housing our kitchen dishes. Directly in front of it and hanging from the ceiling was a single light bulb in a socket with a pull chain switch. This presented a challenge and an invitation for a young boy, and I remember once when the bulb had burned out removing it and putting a pair of metal pliers into the socket to try and fix the problem. Unfortunately the electricity was still on and it gave me quite a jolt. A wooden table with four chairs was placed against the outer wall and opposite against the inner wall was a cook stove initially coal and finally oil fired. There was a door leading from the kitchen into the front hall. The other door led to a small back porch and immediately to the right in the porch was the door leading to the basement, down a steep flight of wooden stairs. The front door lead directly from a small vestibule into a small hall. Doors lead from the hall to the kitchen directly ahead, another door to the left lead to the living room with a bay window. Immediately on entering the hall from the vestibule and to the right was the base of the stairs leading to a small landing and thence turning left against the outside wall to the second floor. Adjacent to the landing was an oil fired space heater with a funnel going to the second floor where it exited from a wall. The small squarish living room had a bay window overlooking the sidewalk on the front of the house. On the opposite side of the room was a small grate with a rather plain mantle piece. The stairs to the second floor had two landings leading up to a circular hallway with a small bathroom and three bedrooms adjoining. The bathroom was rather narrow with a toilet and wash basin immediately opposite the door, and an iron bathtub to the right. There were no windows save a skylight immediately above the bathtub. The bedroom to the left of the bathroom was the master bedroom and faced the front of the house with a bay window overlooking Merrymeeting Road. Adjacent to this room was another bedroom facing the street. This room was considered a guest room. For several years during the war it was occupied by my aunt Stella. She was with us during a period when her children were born. I think she suffered from post partum depression and mom looked after her during those years. Stella married a Canadian soldier from Stellarton, NS. After she returned home to Nova Scotia the room was occupied by other people who boarded with us. They were usually military personnel, but on one occasion I remember we had a Scotsman who worked at Bowring Bros. Ltd. as a window dresser. Renting spare rooms to military persons was quite common in St. John’s during the war years. To the right of the bathroom was another bedroom assigned to me. It had a single window overlooking the narrow laneway at the rear of the house and the rear gardens of two houses on Newtown Road, to the left Jimmie Skanes’ home and next to that to the right the home of Jimmie Lang. Son David was my best friend. Immediately to the right, as you ascended the stairs to the hallway, was another bedroom assigned to sister Ann. It had a single window overlooking the rear laneway and also the Lang house on the left and the Reid home to the right, both fronting on Newtown Road. A door from the kitchen led to a small back porch with a door straight ahead leading to a balcony and another to the right leading to a set of basement stairs. There was a small deck outside with steps leading to the narrow lane below. There wasn’t a garden as such so we had to use the lane as our play area. The steep staircase leading to the basement lay to the left against the foundation wall. Immediately ahead there were two smallish windows in the foundation wall overlooking the sidewalk on the front of the house. Under these windows were two board bins for storing coal. Opposite these bins and on the inner wall were storage shelves. Coal was unloaded on the sidewalk near one of the basement windows and eventually shovelled down into the bin inside. Coal was delivered by horse cart in those days. Wartime Blackouts During the war years (1939-1945) all windows had to be shuttered during the evening hours to avoid stray light emission which might be detected by enemy aircraft aloft. There were various designs employed to do this and it was essentially left up to the individual owner. In our case Dad had used a wooden frame covered with black fabric, the frame snugly fitting into the window frame. These frames had to be up at dusk and taken down again at dawn. Autos at that time had to be fitted with hoods over their headlights and the fenders on all vehicles had a white border on them to help with visibility during blackout hours. Certain citizens in each neighbourhood were designated as fire wardens and were allocated helmets, arm bands, stirrup pumps etc for use in emergencies. My father was so designated. Neighbours We lived at the beginning of Merrymeeting Road on the East end, immediately at the top of Parade Street. Our front door led immediately onto the sidewalk. Next door to the West were the Parsons, Selby and Jean, and their two daughters. Next moving west was Mrs Howell, a widow living alone with her many cats. Immediately to the East of us and facing the top of Parade Street was Johnson’s Service Station. They also had a small confectionery store attached. The neighbours on Newtown Road whose backyards backed on our lane were the Reids (Ernie), Langs (Jimmie), and the Skanes moving North. Others on Newtown Road I remember were the Homers, Jacksons and Downtons. Immediately across the street on Newtown Rd was Shamrock Field, the home of the Newfoundland Regiment. Across the Street on the corner of Parade and Merrymeeting was Flinn’s corner store and immediately opposite us on Merrymeeting Road was the Hatcher home. Friends Barry and Bubbie Windsor lived five doors West on Merrymeeting Rd. Barry and I were good friends. I believe the Windsors were originally from Wesleyville. I remember on occasion when a schooner of a relative from there would arrive in St. John’s, we would go down to the harbour and pay a visit, and we were always welcomed. Bowring Park Bowring Park, situated some 20 or so km outside St. John’s, was a favourite place for us to visit during summer months when the weather was fine. On at least one occasion I remember going there by bicycle with a friend; it was a long journey. Most times though we covered the distance by bus. The coach stopped right at the park gate. I remember the distinctive fencing around the park. It was cross hatched and constructed of spruce saplings. Automobiles were restricted from the park. There was a main roadway through the park as well as the various side roads. The lawns were immaculate with many flower beds which were a riot of colour in mid summer. A river ran through the park and was crossed by a high bridge. The view from that bridge was spectacular giving a panoramic vista of the surrounding area. There were well frequented tennis courts and a swimming pool which was crowded on warm summer days. There were two famous statues in the park which we always visited during our trips there. One was the Peter Pan statue, donated to the park by the Bowring family, founders of the park. The other was the Caribou statue commemorating the Royal Newfoundland Regiment whose insignia it represented. In the middle of the park was the Bungalow, the admin centre which also housed a well frequented canteen. I remember so well the visits to that canteen where hot dogs and pop were a particular favourite of mine. There was also a pond in the park where you could rent small flat bottomed row boats. The pond was frequented by a flock of swans as well as species of ducks. Sunday Afternoons Sunday afternoon was always a particular favourite of mine, along with my close friend David Lang. Often we would spend the afternoons on Signal Hill. At the top, of course, was “Cabot Tower,” a historic building in its own right but as kids we were more interested in exploring the surrounding topography. Half way up the road leading to the tower and on the left was Dead Man’s Pond, a small body of water which apparently was very deep, as it was said to have no bottom. This pond was a favourite resting place for numerous sea gulls. The panoramic view from the top of Signal Hill was breathtaking. To the west the city of St. John’s. To the East the vast expanse of open ocean leading to Ireland. The narrow entrance to St. John’s Harbour lay just down over the hill. Adjacent to that and to the eastward was a narrow gully which we always found intriguing. On one such occasion we ventured down there to explore it. I remember my dad telling the story of how a paper carrier was torpedoed off St. John’s. She limped into the harbour loaded with water soaked paper tightly filling her hold. The paper had to be removed by carefully controlled dynamiting. It was taken to the top of Signal Hill and dumped down into the gully. Over the years much of it had rotted but there was still some remains at the surface. That particular afternoon we spent too much time investigating the interesting area and arrived home very late in the early evening. My parents were aware of where we were and thought the worst. My Dad was in such a state that he grabbed me and threw me across the floor when I arrived. This was the only time I remember him being physical with me. Mammy Gosse’s Tavern David Lang’s mother, Jean nee Gosse, was the proprietor of a Tavern on New Gower Street named “Mammy Gosse’s Tavern.” I believe it was an old established watering hole formerly owned and run by Jean’s mother, known affectionately as “Mammy Gosse.” It was a busy place, frequented mainly by long shore men who worked on the docks nearby. It was located on the downstairs floor of an old three-storey building and the upper two floors were vacant, except for a few items scattered about. David and I used to visit the upstairs on Saturday afternoons, mainly to look at the various interesting items stored there. In order to get upstairs we had to pass through the tavern. It was a noisy, crowded place, thick with blue smoke mixed with the odour of beer. We never lingered there, but made straight to the rear where there was a flight of stairs leading upstairs to the second floor. The room was basically empty except for a few items scattered about. One of these was an interesting old trunk which we rummaged through regularly, never knowing what we would find.. South Side Hills Hikes Often in the summer time on weekends David and I would go for hikes up South Side Hills. To get to the base of the hill we would have to leave our homes and walk down Parade Street to the top of Carter’s Hill, which was lined on both sides with small dilapidated houses. Then we proceeded down this street to New Gower Street and then wound our way to the South Side and then start the trek up South Side Road. This steep road meandered up to the top of the hill through rows of smallish bungalow type houses, most in a dilapidated state of repair. It was obvious that the owners were poor by the standards of the city. Part way up and on the left side of the road was the beginning of a pathway that led up the hill through low shrubs. Eventually the path led over the hill, across barrens and away to Freshwater Bay which could be seen in the distance. What a fantastic panoramic view. There were small ponds around in which we enjoyed fishing. The trout were few and small but we enjoyed the peace and quiet of the surroundings. We usually brought a small picnic lunch to tide us over during the trek. Capital Coach Lines. The bus system in St John’s at this time was named Capital Coach Lines. They had their main garage and terminal building at the top of Merrymeeting Road on the left side proceeding east. Coaches were the standard type, considered modern by our standards. Coach tickets were the order of the day and you could change to another loop using transfers. In the cold winter months it was a treat to board the warmth of the coach. Riders often included the usual city “characters’ such as “Silly Willie” and “Trots McCarthy.” The main terminus for the various loops was located at the juncture of Lemarchant Road and Freshwater Road, at the foot of parade Street. All coaches eventually ended up here and it was a main transfer terminus. Great Grand Dad’s Store I learned that my Great Grand Dad, Frederick Charles Cornick, had owned a general store located at 4 Freshwater Road, just across from the Capital Coach Line Terminus. As a boy I often passed by this store on my way home from school from Prince of Wales College on Lemarchant Road to our home at 10 Merrymeeting Road at the top of Parade Street, but never realized its significance. Great Grand Father lived next door to the store in “Bridport House,” which had a glass pane over the front door with that inscription on it. I later learned a bit more about the place through correspondence with the grandson of a subsequent owner. Apparently the basement was particularly interesting because it had a small river running through it. Nearby Streets Nearby streets leading off Merrymeeting Road southward down toward Freshwater Road included going from East to West: Parade Street, right in front of our home, next Spencer Street, then Field Street, then Lime Street, and on to Mayor Avenue. Down Carter’s Hill At the foot of Parade Street beginning on Lemarchant Road and continuing to Duckworth Street was Carter’s Hill. It was a typical poor area with dilapidated unpainted row houses in bad state of repair. The occupants were mostly low income people who worked at the various downtown trades, such as long shore. The children congregated outside and we always felt uneasy as we walked the street fearing reprisal from these kids. Urchins loitering in doorways was a common sight. There was a constant odour there associated with sewage and urine, because it was still an area with no sewage hook-up and dependant on the collection by the notorious “night carts,” which circulated in the evening hours. Much of the urine was deposited directly into the open drains leading down both sides of the street. It was common to see drunkards staggering from house to house. Altogether Carter’s Hill was not a pleasant area to pass through and we navigated through there only rarely. Going to the Movies Saturday afternoons were movie times. There were a number of movie houses in the city including the Capital on Lemarchant Road; the Cornwall on Cornwall Avenue; the Nickle on Military Road, across from the Roman Catholic Basilica; the Star Theatre on Henry Street, the Majestic Theatre at the corner of New Gower and Duckworth Streets; and the York Theatre on Water Street affectionately known to one and all as “The Bug House.” Although we frequented all these theatres at one time or another by far our favourite was the Nickle, because the matinees on Saturdays always featured cowboy movies, a great favourite of the kids. Crowds would gather on the steps in front of the doors leading to the theatre and there was much pushing and shoving to get first access when the doors opened. There was a balcony at the rear and this was our favourite spot if we could get a seat there. Sometimes small items would be tossed from the balcony to the area below which would bring the ushers to the area to apprehend the culprits. They often wielded wooden sticks and inflicted punishment when the need arose. Trading comic books was a favourite pastime before the movie started. As you might guess there was generally a lot of commotion at that time. The thing I remember most about the Cornwall Theatre was that it had large circular metal air vents in the ceiling. A favourite pastime of us kids was to shoot peas at these vents using rubber bands as a sling shot, which produced the desired sounds. Johnson’s Garage Next door to our home on Merrymeeting Rd. and located at the top of Parade Street was Johnson’s Garage. We often frequented the garage, which always had interesting things going there. There was an air hose located outside the building, which we used to inflate our bicycle tires. Sometimes the garage workers would fix flat tires on our bicycles for us. There was a service bay, which always seemed occupied. Attached to the garage was a small confectionery store run by the owner's wife where we would often indulge our sweet tooth. During the war years of course sweets were rationed and not readily available. But after the war was over this was lifted and they became available again. Our favourite chocolate bar was O’Henry. Pinball Machine One hangout my friend Dave Lang and I frequented was a small confectionery store halfway down Field Street. The owner was a colourful person who was thought to be somewhat shady. He had a pinball machine in his store and Dave and I played it frequently. Others frequented the site but we did not know any of these people. Duffet’s Grocery Partway down Spencer Street on the right was Duffet’s grocery. It was a small store. It had a small bell over the door, which rang to announce visitors. We used to purchase staples from Mr Duffet regularly including sugar, flour, peanut butter (in bulk by weight), molasses from a puncheon (in bottles). All these items were purchased by the use of Green Stamps, issued by the government to ration these staples during the war years. Flynn’s Confectionery This confectionary store was located across the street to the left and at the corner of Merrymeeting Road and Parade St. The building was a rather large three-storey structure, which appeared to not have been painted for many years. There were twin narrow storm doors over a small entrance porch. There was a tall fire ladder standing against the building at the rear of the structure. There was a pungent stale odour inside the shop. We often went there to buy Lime Soda and Crinkle Buns, local delicacies. Often Agnes Flynn, daughter of the owner, would be behind the counter with her mother. She was a child of about 10 years and was suffering from Down’s Syndrome. Then one evening in summer the building was razed by fire and when daylight came we saw the scarred remains of the building with windows out and smoke stained clapboard. We later learned that Agnes succumbed to the fire. It left a deep impression on us as kids. Winter Sliding In the winter right after school and before supper we kids went sliding. I was the owner of a wooden “Champion” slide with two steel runners and a steering crossbar up front. We always lay belly down on the slide and steered with our hands using the crossbar. Our favourite places to slide were down Parade Street on the sidewalk and on the hill in front of Memorial University grounds. The grounds were located on the corner of Parade St. and Merrymeeting Road. It would always be dark when we returned home and often our hands and feet would be numb from the cold. We would warm them at the open oven door and they would cause much tingling and sometimes pain. The month before Christmas we would return home after sliding in time to huddle around the radio and listen to daily episodes of a Christmas radio serial called “Johnathon Thomas and His Christmas on the Moon.” The serial played for a month and finally concluded on Christmas Eve. Memorial University College I enrolled in Pre-Med at Memorial University College in 1952 but did poorly with the courses because I was uninterested, and spent most of my time doing other things such as ping pong etc in the common room. The various biology courses were given by Dr. Cater Andrews, the head of the Biology Dept. and by Eli Lear, an assistant professor. One course involved dissecting coloured latex injected frogs to learn about the circulatory system. Our physics courses were taught by Dr. Brecken. The laboratories usually ran late and it was always dark before we finished them. The inorganic chemistry course was given by Dr. Cooper and the organic one by a professor whose name escapes me. English was taught by Dr Seary. I remember I spent much time in the common room playing ping pong with other chaps including Edsel Bonnell and E.J. Kearley. I only lasted several years at Memorial and salvaged enough credits to gain entry to the Ontario Agricultural College in Guelph, ON in 1956 where I enrolled as a microbiology student in the baccalaureate program. Holloway School Holloway School (formerly the Methodist College) was located on Long’s Hill. Miss Helen Leslie was the principal. At the top of this hill on the right hand side going down the hill was Mickey Duggan’s barber shop. We got our hair cuts there as kids. The school yard, located in front of the front entrance to the school, was a favourite place to play before school and also at recess time. It was surrounded by an iron fence. Alongside this yard to the left was the Presbyterian Kirk. We used to hold our scout meetings in a room in the basement of the church on Friday evenings. In the kindergarten class room we had a sand box for play. Every morning Miss Dingle would use a wind-up gramophone and play various classical music, including march tunes and we had to march around the room in single file. The inside of the school was furnished with dark stained wood, which always had a distinctive varnish aroma. The lights in the classrooms were suspended from the ceilings. The windows opened from the top using a long pole furnished with a hook. The teachers I remember were Miss Green (art); Miss Dingle (principal); Miss Halfyard; Mr. Douglas Osmond (music). All classes paraded in file from the individual classrooms to the auditorium (Pitts Memorial Hall) for opening ceremonies each morning at which time morning prayers were said. The hall was located on the top floor of the school with an exit over a ramp leading to Harvey Road. Once a year the annual awards ceremony was held in Pitts Memorial Hall. At that time various awards and proficiency prizes were given out to the students who had to go to the stage to receive them. Once a week we had physical education when we went to the gym in the basement. It had a stained hardwood floor, a basketball court, wooden rungs on the walls and overhead wooden ladders for climbing. Sessions here were supervised by a teacher. Prince of Wales College After leaving Holloway School in 1948 I went to Prince of Wales College for grades 7 to 11. This United Church College was divided with girls on one side of the building and boys on the other. There was no mingling of boys with girls in the various classes except for one I remember, Latin, which I believe was taught by Miss Effie Horwood. The principal was Mr. Cyril Parkins. Mr Ray Curnew taught math and French, Mr. Phil Forsey taught English, Mr Wally Hudson taught civics and manual training. Every Friday morning students all gathered in the auditorium for assembly and prayers, usually led by the Chairman of the Board, Dr. Baggs. In those days religion was taught as a separate subject by Dr. Curtis. The College was well equipped for sports with a gymnasium and even an outdoor ice hockey rink behind the building. School was quite a distance from my home on Stoneyhouse St., which I walked every day. Post Prince of Wales College After I graduated from Prince of Wales College in 1952 I spent the early summer months working in the parts Dept. of Terra Nova Motors, a GM dealership in St. John’s. My job was to drive a pickup truck and go to various dealerships picking up parts. This only lasted a short while however and after that I worked for Canadian National as an assistant steward on an old steam powered bulk carrier, I made one trip aboard her from St. John’s to Dingwall, Nova Scotia where we picked up a load of gypsum. We proceeded from there to Newport News and on to Baltimore, where we loaded coal and then proceeded back to St. John’s. My job as the assistant steward was to keep the officer's cabins supplied with the various items such as towels, soap etc. The vessel was an old steel hulled steam-powered vessel and she had four engineers aboard. I suffered severely from sea sickness during the voyage. I remember there was a sadistic 4th engineer aboard who suggested I eat oranges to cure the ailment, which of course only made things worse. Stoneyhouse Street In 1950 we moved from our original home on 10 Merrymeeting Road to a new house at 10 Stoneyhouse St., in the Hosing Corporation. This meant that we had a long way to walk to get to school, sister Ann to Bishop Spencer College and I to Prince of Wales College. The new house was a modern bungalow with a garage beneath the front veranda. The house cost about $20,000. Dad had to take a second job to make ends meet. For a while he did night-time book keeping for a lawyer by the name of Pinsent and latterly work for the National Institute of the Blind located at Pleasantville. Clarence and Elsie Powell lived across the street and were good friends of my parents. Also living on the street were the Clarence Badcocks, the Stones, the Doves, the Longs and two sons; the Blairs; the Harry McDonalds, Fred and Gem Cornick, and Ted Russell and his wife. Two of my boyhood friends lived on Popular Avenue at the bottom of Stoneyhouse St, Fred Davis and Bill Jeans. Two other friends, Donald Janes and Bill Knight lived on Maple Street to the west and paralleling Stoneyhouse St. In the backyard, which was terraced, was a long rose trellis along the southern side of the house, and an arched honeysuckle trellis located under the kitchen window. The sweet aroma of honeysuckle wafted in through the open kitchen window on warm sunny mornings during breakfast. On the lawn in front of the house was a beautiful Wiegelia bush. We also had several lilac trees in the backyard. Dad made the basement into an apartment accessed through the back door. An architect acquaintance of Dad’s, Mr. Lench, drew up the plans. The rent from the apartment supplemented Dad’s income. It was a wise decision on Dad’s part, because it meant he no linger had to hold down other jobs. Anglican Cathedral The Anglican Cathedral was the church I attended during most of my childhood. It was a dark, smoke-stained imposing stone structure of Gothic style. Inside the structure were vast columns reaching to the ceiling with carved gargoyles, and stained glass windows. There was a pipe organ with pipes reaching to the ceiling. Wooden pews filled the inside. As well there was a wooden lectern with an immense carved eagle. Across from this stood the pulpit and towards the rear was an immense alter running the entire width. I enjoyed the services because it gave me a sense of calm. The music was soothing, the order of service beautiful. Although I had no feelings of a higher being there, the vastness of the structure gave me a feeling of insignificance. The Cornicks had made this cathedral their home since first coming to St. John’s in the mid 1800s. They were very musical and many sang in the choir. In fact grandfather Harry Cornick and all his brothers sang together at one time during their youth. During my stay there Cannon Slade was the rector. He was a meek and mild man. Communion particularly stands out in my memory, especially on rare occasions seeing my late uncle Rex coming back from the communion rail with a large grin on his face. He was a colourful character, and seemed so out of place in that setting. St. Thomas’s Church: The Garrison Church The Smith’s (Arthur Bliss Smith and Family), my grandfather on my mother’s side, were members of this church since moving to St. John’s in the early 1900s. My mother and father, Olive Smith and father Cyril Cornick were married there by Rev. Canon Howitt. Mother had a white covered prayer book given them by Canon Howitt Rector of St. Thomas at the time of their wedding. I do not have many memories of attending services at this church in my early years and later on during my childhood I switched to the cathedral. I do, however, remember attending meetings of the Scout troop I belonged to at Cannon Wood Hall. These are just a few of my childhood recollections, which immediately spring to mind. They are indelibly etched in my mind as if it were only yesterday. I consider myself blessed to have grown up in a most interesting place during very interesting times. St. John’s will always have a special place in my heart. John Cornick Halifax, NS July 14, 2013   Submitted By: John Cornick