Butlins
Posted by Apollomed from Penrhiwceiber on the 23rd May 2008
I recently saw a documantary on Billy Butlin and how he started the holiday camps. Took me back to a week's holiday in Minehead with Curleyleads and friends in our teens. When I saw the film footage I couldn't help but smile at the memories of the things we got up to there and some of the characters we saw. The "chalets" were nothing more than concrete block rooms with a roof and old bunk beds and if tyou were lucky, an old piece of mat. Lots of young boys looking to hitch up with young girls and vice-versa. It was supposed to be taboo to have girls in your chalets but the security guards would come round checking and knocking the door "Have you got any girls in there with you"?? "No we havn,t"... "Do you want us to find some for you"!!!!!!!!! LMAO
Just wondered if anyone might want to have fun with this topic and add any memories or experiences??
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Yes many great memories of holidays in Butlins at Minehead and Barry.Did not go as a teenager ,only when my children were young .They were great holiday places with so many things organized to keep everyone entertained ,it was a step up from a caravan holiday on the sand at Porthcawl .
Shame the one in Barry went down hill once it was taken over by another company.
I understand there are houses built on the site now.
I never went there myself but I do remember, this is in the 60's remember, that no "respectable girl" would ever admit to going there, because once you said you'd been to Butlins your name was mud! LOL - if the "rumours" were true or false I'll never know; no one I knew ever admitted going there.
yes i went to barry butlins a few times when i was younger both for holdays and days out. when i was about 6 me and my mother won mother and child competition :) i got the photo here somewhere too lol.
i have a video here from when my dads parents took us there for a day and me and my sister was in this car infront of a blue screen and waved our arms around like fools. the finished product was a video of my and my sister flying over disney world lol.
when i was 12 my mothers parents took us for a week to barry butlins and i had a fab time. unfortunatley my grandfather passed away suddenly 3 years ago but i have plenty of memories of him.
also when we were younger my parents, me, my sister, 2 grandfathers, 2 grandmothers, my auntie, her husband and their 3 children all hired 3 chalets for a week and we had an amazing time with the red coats, i remember winning teddies and crappy toys like that in the fair or things like that and we always give 1 or 2 to the redcoats. being children we always thought they would take the teddies home but thinking back to it now they probably just put them back to be won again lol.
Went to Butlins in Minehead two years ago , my Son and his partner treated us , we had a great time all the rides were free so my son took our Grand daughter on all the rides even twice , did go to butlins in Barry for the day many years ago that is when my Brother work there. Nice to look back on the Video you have Bunny , and nice memories of your Grand parents.
I can't remember ever going to Butlins as a child, although I did visit Barry Butlins as a day visitor which I remember as being fantastic. I did however have holidays at Pontins. I had a fantastic holiday as a child in these places. Also had quite a few caravan holidays, which is something I know doesn't appeal to everyone, but I have always loved them. To be honest, in todays financial climate, we may well be returning to those days I think. I know people say it is cheaper to go abroad, but that really depends if you have a family or not because going abroad is generally priced per person, where as a caravan holiday can work out cheaper if you have a family. Obviously this depends on where you go and what deals you can get, but it ain't cheap whatever holiday you have these days.
I think if your prepared to take a chance these days and go for a last minute cancellation at a travel agent you can get some good deals although you take the risk of ending in a dump, because they don't tell you the name of the hotel until you get there. I remember talking to someone in Italy at the hotel we had booked into and he had got it at a last minute deal. I had paid £650 half board and he got it for £110. I felt choked. But, not sure whether I would be brave enough to take the chance and risk getting a fleapit.
Have to admit i went to ButlinsPwllhelli with my friend in the early 50.s OHDear.
The first thing I remember about it was travelling on a Red and White Bus from Treherbert to AberystwythWhen we changed buses we just couldn,t understand the different accent. There was a Butlins bus there to take us on further.
As has been said the chalets really were so basic but this was the first real holiday and it was wonderful To be able to go Dancing, Swimming and Roller skating whenever with nothing to pay was so good.
We shared a table with a girl who did not have much to say but looked so good. When they had the heat of Miss Butlins she won it and went on to the finals.
When i think this is about 56 years ago On the Urdd Eisteddfod today one of the sort of action songs was about The Good Old Days. The children acting as older people. Travel has become so matter of fact today I wonder what they will talk about when they are older?
I used to love going to Barry Butlins when I was a kid. It brings back so many happy memories for me as a child. Eating icecream and having chips on the way home.
Barry is so different now, but they seem to have got it back on the map again as the programme Gavin and Stacey is filmed there.
Lisa
I went to Barry about a year ago for the first time in ....... well, too many years to mention. I could not believe how small it all looked, many of the old buildings had gone, although the shelters with the big pillars by the beach seemed all that was left. Probably looking at things through the eyes of a child made things look so much bigger then. Two happy memories though, watching the Guiness Musical clock on the sea front was always a pleasure, crowds used to gather just before the hour to watch. Also, the penny arcade with all those wonderful old machines - they must be worth a fortune now if anyone still has them.
Went to Butlins Minehesd in 1964 with a few mates.We had a ferry from Cardiff to Minehead, and then a bus to Butlins. but what a rough crossing!! There were so many spewing in the ships bar,that we all sat on our cases on an open deck, we were soaked!! When we got to Butlins and opened our cases the clothes were bloody soaking as well, and to cap it all, when we were packing to come home the locks and hinges had rusted on our cases ! The least said about the holiday the better ,but it was the start of my long hair period, and I'm MUCH more respectable now. PMSL!!
I remember the massive communal dining halls where they tried to feed about 500 in one sitting carrying these funny plate carriers with uncovered plates of hot food.Well I called it food out of kindness it was slop really. I don't think they would get away those standards these days The Redcoats were a hoot as well-nowdays if they behaved like they did then they would probably be sectioned! LMAO
Apollome THE GRUB! UCHAF FI!!and to make it worse ONE of us was madly in love with this waitress, as is normal, after all he'd been going out with her fot 2 days!and she used to give us second helpings of the bloody stuff!!She was a nice girl all her tatoo's were spelt right.
If you imagine the cooked breakfast cooked in multiples in the kitchen, then lying on a plate waiting to be taken into the dining hall, then waiting while they got round to serving you and when it came a fatty mess-a hangover nightmare!!! I think the booby prize in the big raffle was a free weekend holday at Butlins
I still shudder at the memories of the trip to Butlins Minehead (it should have been called Minefield).
The decision had been made to go to Butlins but there was still the mode of travel to be decided. I had an old black baby Austin A30 car but it wasn't taxed so Herbert, (who was the tight one with money), compared the cost of the four of us taxing the car and using it, or to go by train. The train won because of doubt as to whether the old car would make it.( The exhaust used to fall off regularly).
The big day arrived and off we went. Found our billet and settled in. It soon started to go downhill because Herbert had hay fever and Apollo had an abscess in a tooth which gave him serious pain. We had a meeting and decided to go to the bar to ease the discomfort, I think it was called The Pig And Whistle Bar and it seemed to go on for ever. I can remember being ill after eight pints of Dutch Pale Ale, but I was advised to have some more because it would make me better. So we had a further four pnts of DPA each and went back to the chalet.
This chalet had two sets of bunk beds, one either side of the room. I had a bottom bunk on one side in case I fell out due to the state I was in, and Gareth had the bottom bunk on the opposite side. When we woke in the morning whoever was sleeping in the top bunk on Gareth's side had peed the bed, which was only fair given the amount that he had drank in the bar. However, Gareth didn't appreciate this fine point as it had run through the top mattress and soaked him and his bed. We found Herbert poking around in the hand basin with a coat hanger because he had been sick and blocked the plug hole, and I had the mother and father of all hangovers.
It was then time for breakfast, and on Herberts principle of 'We've paid for it so we'll eat it', we went to the canteen,(described in previous postings).A photographer came around asking us to smile for the camera but he didn't have much of a welcome. Apollo's has the photo.
At some time we went swimming in the indoor pool. This went OK until we tried to see how many we could get on one persons shoulders. We managed to get three, that is one in the water, one on his shoulders and one on that ones shoulders. The Redcoat then blew his whistle and told us, quite rightly, to behave. Now the Redcoat had a badge on his blazer with a big letter 'B' on it. Herbert went up to him and asked him if the 'B' was for Butlins or Belsen, upon which we were banned from the pool.
We met a gang of boys from Abertillery. All they wanted to do was fight. If they couldn't find anyone to fight they'd fight amongst themselves.Strange lot!
Anyway there are a few more things that happened but I cannot print them here.
Later on in life, probably the mid eighties, I was the guitarist in a caberet band and we were contracted to do a show in the ballroom at The Majestic Holiday Camp,(the old Butlins),at Barry. The show was due to start at 9-o-clock sharp, so we got there early and set up the equipment. At two minutes to nine the only people in the ballroom were the band and our partners. It's a bit boring playing to an empty room so we waited to see what the bloke in charge had to say, but he didn't seem too bothered. One minute after nine hordes of people came rushing through the doors hurrying to the tables and chairs. We asked the man in charge what was happening and he said "Oh it's OK the Bingo finishes at nine".
Good times!
Seem you had a rip roaring time at Butlins . :-0
Maybe it was your excapades that made holiday camps decide to not let single sex groups book in there. LOL ;-)
I always remember it being a mad rush to get from one place to another so you did not miss any of what was going on at the camps .Bingo player use to send there children to where the next show was so they could make sure they had seats.
I think B-G, that Curleyleads has got things mixed up about the bedwetting incident, so I am presuming that early Dementia is setting in or he is back on the rough scrumpy and Woodbines. I was the poor bugger sleeping on the bed that got peed on and not only did it seep through and I thought the roof had leaked in the night. But when I went to the shop, my good friends swopped the mattress and sheets onto my bed so when I climbed in in the night it was wet and cold and I blamed the Chalet maids for not airing the sheets!!! Young, stupid and naive are three words that creep into my mind, where would we be without mates like that I say!!!!!
We may have been young stupid and naive in our teenage years but we did not seem to get our kicks from pointless vandalism like some youngsters these days.
Can you still buy woodbines? ,have not seen them for years ,I remember you could buy them in 5's in soft paper packets.
I don't know if you can still buy Woodbines, but I suspect Curley has kept an empty packet and fills it with roll-ups. Doesn't like wasting anything that lad! Only person I know who can peel an orange in his pocket without losing any juice so he doesn't have to offer some to anyone. LMAO
Got kicked out of the Doctors surgery last week because an elderly lady seen me peeling a Jaffa in my trousers pocket. I still don't know what I done wrong.
FOFL
You two are a laugh a minute ;-)
Keep it up guys.
So you call it a jaffa now do you??? I remember at one time when the girls would sit on your lap in the car and would jump up looking shocked at you and you would say "That's my tobbacco tin your squashing". They were,t stupid, they knew you didn't smoke roll-ups. I suppose because you can't smoke in the Doctor's surgery now you wouldn't get away with that now, so maybe Jaffa is OK. But what were you doing in the Doctor's now Curley, you don't work anymore so it can't have been for a Sick Note. Unless of course Lynne wants you to do the garden and your trying to get respite care for you and the jaffa down in the Retired Miner's Home in Langland Bay
The Doc asked me to call in the surgery to give him some advice, because as you know I am a specialist on malingerers, drop-outs and thieves. This is expertise gained through a mis-spent youth and attending an approved school.
The problem he asked me in on was a lady of some 70 summers, who had very sore knees. They were red-raw and swollen. The Doc asked her the usual questions about diet, exercise etc., and everything appeared normal. He then asked me if I had any questions, so I asked her about her love life.
She said she liked to make love with her husband, doggy fashion, every night.
The Doc immediately spotted the problem and said it would make her knees much better if they made love in a different position.
She said they can't because how else could they make love and both see the telly.
(P.S. If you believe that you'll believe anything).
Well I do believe it because Eastenders has become so popular now. I had to advise on a gentleman from the country set who had been on a grouse shoot and had accidentally been shot by a mis-aimed participant and he took the full both barrels of buck shot between the legs. He told the doctor that having been hit by so much buckshot his problem was that when he went to his club and had to use the Gents to pee, it shot in a fine spray from all the holes in his old man and sprayed everywhere especially on those peeing in the stalls next to him. The doctor asked if I advised that he be sent to a Urologist to cure the problem. I suggested that perhaps a visit a Piccolo player would be more beneficial. LMAO (If you don't get that one let me know)
I didn't read that one because it's too rude!
missgemini
FOFL Loved your Butlins stories!! After reading of you getting kicked out of the doctor's surgery,trying to peel an orange in your trousers pockets - I was quite hysterical!! Can we have more of this please!!
Hello Miss G.
The thing that makes me worry is that all the stories are true.
I remember entering the chalet one day and saying to Apollo
"Where am I now when I need me?".
He answered
"It's no good asking me, I've only just got in"!
Another time a male streaker ran twice around the outdoor pool. On the second lap he passed close by two old ladies, one had a stroke, but the other wasn't quick enough.
Anyway I've made up my mind never,ever,ever again to be as old as I was last week, so I hope that's made things clearer!
Miss G, although our stories are very true and thank you for saying they are funny, but I am gettin very worried that we may be getting near the sad tale of the hot dog seller at Butlins who was very cheeky towards young innocent boys like us . He ended up getting thrown in the pool on the Friday night with his hot dog cart and what happened to the big German sausage does not bear thinking about! Some nights there was good entertainment others not. On quiet nights we would sit in the chalet and chant that well known poem "One fine day in the middle of the night, 2 dead men got up to fight, one blind man to see fair play and one dumb man to shout hooray" That was real culture. Alternatively to pass the time and to add the Butlins philosophy of free entertainment, covert missions were often undertaken to transfer underwear from washing lines outside chalets and transferred to someone else's three doors up or across the road. The entertainment came in the mornings watching everyone sorting out where their knickers and pants had gone. Funny thing though, Curley's suitcase was heavier going home than when he came. Say no more. Curley said to me once " I keep forgetting things" I said "When did all that start and he replied" "When did what start"??