About Bob

 In Memory of Bob and his Love for his Home Town 

A Life Lived to the Full (1933 ~ 2021)

Bobbie, as he was affectionately known when he was younger

Bob visiting the house on Broad Lane, Yate in 2020 where he was born back in 1933 - just a few hundred metres from where Bob's beloved Yate Town Football Club ground is today.

Bob's Mum, Molly, aged 20 in 1922.

Bob's parents are captured in his postcard collection! His mother, Molly, is seen below sat in the middle of the front row posing for a photograph (A. Price) with her female co-workers at the RAF Air Ministry Maintenance Base in Yate on 3rd May 1919.

Bob's father Ernest's voluntarily joined the Royal Navy for 12 years towards the end of the First World War in 1918, two weeks before his 18th birthday. He served on two ships - the dreadnought King George V-class battleship the H.M.S. 'Ajax' (launched 1912) and the supply ship 'Woolwich". Ernest was eventually discharged from the navy after breaking his leg in 1925. Ernest is seated on the far right in the postcard below on the deck of the Ajax while in port - most probably in Valletta, Malta .

The wooden box below belonged to Ernest who probably had it made upon joining the navy to keep his personal items in when onboard ship. The fabric wallet contained photographs and postcards from his navy days including a photograph of his ship, H.M.S. Ajax, and a postcard from a photographic studio in Bristol of his wife, Bob's mother, Molly.

A photograph below of H.M.S. Ajax taken by Ernest whilst on shore leave in Shanghai, China.

Bob was the middle of five children born to Molly and Ernest. Terry was the eldest brother and Sheila the eldest sister and Richard the younger brother and Barbara the younger sister. A happy young Bobbie is pictured below (right) with his two brothers - Terry in the middle and Richard on the left.

Bob was born on Broad Lane, off North Road in Yate, in 1933. He was the middle of five children born to Ernest and Molly. Several years later the family moved to Westerleigh Road in Yate close to Yate / Westerleigh Common and to the future home he made with his wife, Joy, when they married in 1967 on Stanshawes Drive. 

As a child Bob lived through the second world war experiencing the battle of Britain in the skies above and the bombing of Parnalls Aircraft factory in Yate in which many workers lost their lives.

A young Bobbie, pictured aged 9 above, went to St.Mary's Church of England School in Yate and enjoyed many adventures as a child especially with his best friend Brian and his younger brother Rich. 

Bob, his elder sister Sheila, younger brother Richard and Brian are all in the photo above of St. Mary's youth club Christmas party in the early 1950s in Yate.

A letter sent in 1951 by a Polish nanny called Irene who worked in Yate and got to know Bob, his brother Rich and friend Brian. The letter is sent from Abergavenny in Wales where she must have moved to with her work.

A telegram sent to Bob for his 21st birthday back in 1954.

21st Birthday card given to Bob from his parents above and below.

Bob was very active and physically strong, right up to his death at age 87 in 2021. He loved physical activity whether it was digging the garden or sweeping the path and took great pride in his work. Here he is (above), back in 2003, tending the garden of his brother Terry's house on Westerleigh Road, where Bob also lived until he married Joy in 1967. 

Bob also helped his wife Joy, and other members of the congregation, maintain the churchyard of Old Sodbury Church by wholeheartedly participating for decades in the frequent Churchyard Working Parties.

Joy is pictured in this newspaper article above of a working party with a big smile.

At the age of 15 Bob took up an offer of an apprentice at the fledgling Midland Electricity Board (M.E.B) based in Chipping Sodbury on the 10th January 1949 where he trained to be an electrician. The photo above shows Bob trying to free a M.E.B. van from the snow in what looks like to be the early 1960s. 

Bob worked for over 46 years for the Midland Electricity Board before retiring on the 31st March 1995. It was one job for life and Bob loved it. 

The M.E.B was an area electricity board (a public sector utility company) established under the Electricity Act 1947 that nationalised the electricity industry in England and Wales. The M.E.B. was responsible for the distribution of electricity and sales to customers and Chipping Sodbury was the depot that serviced the Gloucestershire region of the area of England and Wales covered by the M.E.B. 

Above an excerpt from Bob's Long Service Award

Bob's MEB identification card in 1994 , one year before he retired.

MEB badge that Bob cut from an old work's overalls.

During his time at the M.E.B. Bob carried out many of the various hands-on roles involved in the distribution and sale of electricity. He wired hundreds of houses in the area including those on the Ridge Estate in Yate which was built in the 1950s. He worked on street lighting and had to do his share of meter reading and even had to work inside the reactor building of Oldbury Nuclear Power Station on the banks of the River Severn.

Bob trained numerous apprentice electricians during his time at the M.E.B many who recall very fondly their time working with Bob.

Bob with Mel Smith A.K.A "Smudge" above who was an apprentice under Bob at the M.E.B, like many of his colleagues and ex apprentices he stayed close to Smudge for years including playing darts on week nights and cricket on Sundays.

In the early 1980s, Bob switched to 'mains electricity' which refers to the electricity supply from power stations to households. Bob trained under Fred Smith as a jointers mate, who is seen below in a newspaper cutting leading the Winterbourne carnival parade as Carnival Committee Chairman.

Being a jointer was a completely different type of job that involved working in all weathers day and night and being on call 24/7. It involved repairing faults during a power cut and making new connections ('joints') and working on high voltage cables up to 33kV. The job was more physical with lots of digging to expose or install / connect underground cables and was before the time when small excavators were routinely introduced for such work. 

Bob seen here on his lunch break with M.E.B. colleague Mel James sat on the back of the work's van on 29th October 1986.

In early 1955 Bob was enlisted (see notice above) into the 90th Signal Regiment of the Royal Corps of Signals of the British Army and did his basic training at Catterick Camp in Yorkshire before being based at Colchester in Essex. 

Bob would say of his 2 years national service that he "didn't look forward to going in, was happy to leave, but enjoyed it in-between". Bob Jordan was trained as a wireless specialist and was sent on various deployments including to Germany. 

Can you spot Bob? He's right in the centre of the photograph with a big smile..

One of Bob's leave passes

More Army Bob

Bob's Royal Signals silk handkerchief 

As a decent all-rounder, he played for the camp cricket team which afforded him various perks not least leave to represent the camp in games with other camps around the country. 

Bob's National Blood Transfusion Service donation card issued on 23rd March 1956 at Cherry Tree Camp in Colchester where he was based during his National Service.

While Bob was away in the army, his future wife Joy, who he had either not  met or not been introduced to, was back home in Chipping Sodbury and pictured  above on Monday March 19th, 1956 aged 17.

Bob was already a useful cricketer before he entered the army. In this photograph of Yate YMCA cricket team, that played on the Newman's sports field close to Poole Court (now home to Yate Town Council) and Yate Church, Bob is on the far right of the front row - kneeling with his favourite blue cap. His elder brother Terry is third from right in the back row. His oldest friend since childhood, Brian, is pictured second from left on the front row - a fast bowler who lived opposite Bob on Westerleigh Road in Yate during their childhood. As an all-rounder, Bob was good with the bat and behind the wickets and useful with the ball.  

Bob (back row far right) seen here in the Chipping Sodbury Quarry XI. His childhood friend Brian (front row far left) worked for the Quarry and obviously persuaded Bob to join them. As a works team they apparently they played many games in the evenings after work which obviously meant Bob could play for his regular team on the weekends.

Bob was very social and was always looking to include people in activities and bring lightheartedness and fun to everyday life. Here he is stood at the back holding stage with fellow members of the Newman's Cricket Club of Yate en-route to a game in Cardiff, Wales back in 1967. His brother, Richard is immediately to the right of Bob as you look at the picture.

Bob's enamel Newman's Sports & Social Club badge.

Bob in action above playing for Rangeworthy Village Cricket team, near Yate, against his works team the M.E.B. in 1975 making 47 runs. Bob worked for the Midland's Electricity Board at their Chipping Sodbury depot for almost 50 years.

The Scoresheet for the innings of Rangeworthy Village Cricket Club against Cam Village Cricket Club (near Dursley) on 2nd August 1975 which shows Bob top scoring with 61 not out. Rangeowrthy made an impressive 234 for 6 wickets after their 40 overs to beat Cam who only managed 152 for 6 weeks in their 40 overs with Bob having bowling figures of 1 wicket for 53 runs. Bob also took one catch to wrap up what was a very successful day on the pitch!

Bob's highest score was 152 while playing for Rangeworthy on Saturday 14th August 1971 against Imperial Tobacco at the Imperial Athletic Ground in south Bristol. Bob was the highest scoring cricketer in the Bristol area that weekend and made it to the top of the Bristol Evening Post's batting honours list for that weekend as illustrated in the newspaper cutting above taken from Bob's scrapbook.

Bob's fixture card from Rangeworthy's 1971 cricket season where he wrote in his score of 152 playing. Imperial (Tobacco) had a first-class (professional) cricket ground in south Bristol which even hosted a series of Somerset County Championship matches between 1957 and 1966 and A-List professional level one day games including the 1971 John player League game between Somerset and Gloucestershire. Bob put his high score down to the exceptional quality of the wicket compared to the village pitches that he usually played on. 

Above extracts from Bob's scrapbook and a collage below of just some of the fixture lists and membership cards of the many local clubs that Bob either played for, followed or was a member of.

Bob loved football but didn't play in teams or leagues like he did with other sports. Instead he watched Yate Rovers, later renamed Yate Y.M.C.A and even later renamed again as Yate Town F.C., season after season, along with his younger brother Richard, for over 70 years! His older brother, terry, as can be seen on the front of various fixture lists above, was the Secretary of Yate. Y.M.C.A.

Bob's Yate Town Football Club tie with the Y logo that was also used by the local council to market the new town of Yate in the 60's and early 70's.

Bob was also a lover of other sports. Like all his siblings, he was always up for a game of cards. When he was a young man he would play in a card school to the early hours of the morning above Pisces fish and chip shop on Station Road in Yate. Bob enjoyed a spot of fishing and seen above in 1988 with a fellow fisherman at the lake at Euro Crest Hotel in Hambrook, Bristol. The fishing seat that Bob is using in the photo above belonged to his late father who was a renowned fisherman (below) and who stocked many lakes and ponds in the Yate area with fish.

After cricket and cards perhaps, the game he played the most was darts, playing for various pub teams as well as the M.E.B. works team in local leagues for many years, on one or two nights per week, until he retired from work in the mid '90s. After retirement in particular Bob played snooker once a week, with his brothers who were accomplished players.

In 1965 Bob won the Men's Single Tennis Trophy at the Ridge Tennis Club and had a soft spot for baseball thanks to the American soldiers based in Yate during World War 2 who he played with when he was a child.

In-fact wherever Bob went he would take some kind of ball with him for an impromptu kick or throw around, and one of his ex apprentices at the M.E.B. said that Bob kept a bat and ball in the tool box in the back of the van for games of cricket during lunch and tea breaks.

Fortunately Bob did find a free Saturday afternoon in the 1967 summer cricket season to marry Joy at Old Sodbury Church.

But it appears that it was not just the '67 season that was busy but the 61, 62, 63, 64, 65 and 66 seasons too if the above engagement ring insurance policy is anything to go by. Bob did say he was having too much of a good time to get married when asked about his long engagement to Joy!

The above cutting from the local paper recalls the wedding of Bob and Joy in some detail. It states that they honeymooned in Hampshire and Joy chose a turquoise and cream suit with brown accessories. Below is a postcard that Joy sent to her Mum at Smart's Farm in Chipping Sodbury from Winchester in Hampshire. 

Joy was a very active and dedicated member of the Old Sodbury Church congregation for over 70 years. 

Bob in the garden of Joy's parents farm house at Smart's Green in 1959

Joy was brought up as a farm girl at Smarts Farm in Chipping Sodbury as can be seen on the wedding invitation sent by her mother and from the photographs below at home on the farm. Joy used to take the dairy cows to and from the farm to Sodbury common before and after school for milking.

Bob kept his tie which he wore at his wedding.

On their 40th Ruby Wedding Anniversary, Joy wrote the following succinct summary of their wedding day.

Joy gave up her career with the Pearl Assurance Company when she married and had children while Bob worked at the M.E.B. Joy is seen proudly standing in the centre of the front row of the photograph below on the occasion of the opening of the new offices of the Pearl in Chipping Sodbury.

Their wedding in 67 marked the beginning of a beautiful era in which Bob and Joy would become much loved couple in the Yate and Sodbury area.

Another view of Bob and Joy's house in Stanshawes Drive in Yate most probably taken in the early 70s.

Joy would ring into Radio Bristol's weekly 'Best Buys' show to report on the best value groceries from various shops in Yate - above an extract from Joy's diary from 1976 showing her prep for her call.

Bob and Joy had two boys, Robert and Richard as can be seen here on holiday in Weston-Super-Mare in 1971!

and at Kelston Mill near Bath, 10 years later!

and Joy with the boys on the River Avon near Kelston in 1981.

Bob can be seen here kicking-back in a trucker style cap, in 1980 on Crooklets Beach in Bude, Cornwall, England on a family holiday with his family and his sister, Barbara's family.

Barbara, and her late husband Roger, used to run a Bed & Breakfast in Bude where Bob and his family used to stay on holiday. The B&B is still going strong but under new ownership.

and again 40 years later with Barbara on the same beach in Bude in 2020!

And here Barbara and Roger looking tanned and glamorous at a family wedding flanked by Bob on the left and Joy on the right.

The garden had numerous movement sensitive floodlights way before they were a thing. Multiple garden water features had pumps and lighting too. The garden even has its own electrical layout diagram and one its own dart board!

Bob enjoyed his gardening and it was one activity that he shared with Joy, although even then Joy was given the front garden to look after and Bob the back!

Bob sowing seeds in the garden in the summer of 2000.

Bob in overalls in his greenhouse in January 2012

Bob and Joy in 2014 showing the fruits of their garden. Bob picked his strawberries and Joy her flowers.

At his home with Joy in Stanshawes Drive in Yate, the front the front lawn of course was the football pitch and was taken seriously by both Bob's and the neighbours' boys, as can be seen from the 1978 photo above.

Bob being Bob meant that if a job was worth doing it was worth doing well and that meant commissioning Mr. Parfitt, a local neighbour and handyman extraordinaire, to tailor-make proper garden sized wooden goalposts which were the envy of every child and father that passed by. Bob's eldest son, Robert seen here in the late '70s 'in goal'. Bob would play football more or less every evening with his boys, who would eagerly await his return from work to have a kick-around on the common, over the adjoining school field or in the garden or in the road outside the house. Even the cat would join the boys as they walked to meet their Dad at the end of the road in anticipation of a kick-around!

The front driveway was primarily a cricket wicket with the stumps painted onto a board led against the garage door. Four runs for any drive into a flower bed and 6 runs and out if it cleared the neighbours fence!

The back garden wouldn't be complete without a two-hole golf course that gave hours of intense enjoyment especially in later years with neighbours also joining in series games with unique rules created for the course.

Not all sports can be played outside of course, and what kitchen in 1970's Britain would be complete without a dartboard. On special occasions, such as Christmas, the dartboard got moved to the living room but still had to compete with other staples such as carpet bowls (with proper miniature sized bowls with realistic bias) and table top cricket and table tennis played on the dining room table. And if there were not enough games available to play, Bob was always ready with a homemade quiz conjured up from various newspaper and magazine cuttings. The one below is 'guess the price of the product', conveniently stored in a plastic postcard sleeve for instant use.

Bob had an artist streak as the village scene below that he drew in 1973 illustrates. 

and this drawing below of Bitton Falls from 1982!

Bob was a natural born collector. His passion started with cigarettes cards from empty cigarette packets as a boy and inspired by his father who was a collector.

As he got older this turned into a serious hobby with Bob sporting a fine collection of cigarette sets ranging from cricket and film starts of the 30's and 40's through to beautiful sets of nature cards such as British birds and butterflies. These sets were obtained by regular visits to collector's fairs in Bristol and other nearby cities that travelled the country trading cards. 

Bob kept a cigarette card (above) of the Ajax battleship that his father served on in a protective plastic cover in his wallet, which was very sweet.

It was at these collector and card fairs that Bob got interested in postcards and especially to those of Yate and Sodbury and of towns and villages where he regularly worked and travelled and played sport, especially for local village cricket teams. Bob started buying these local cards and the traders would look out and keep cards for Bob. Unlike cigarette cards, postcards had more relevance to Bob as they represented places he knew and were more interesting to others, especially cards from places they lived. They also fed into his interest in history which was the subject he enjoyed most at school, due largely to his teacher's passion for it.

Bob became a member of the Cotswold Postcard Collectors Club based out of Stroud in Gloucestershire that had monthly meetings in the form of talks and excursions which is still run to this day by Howard and Sylvia Beard.

Bob's collection of historical postcards of Yate had even greater relevance due to the massive changes that occurred in the development of Yate  from the 1950s onwards where the village underwent massive residential development akin to that of a new town. Bob's knowledge of 'old Yate' combined with his growing postcard collection was increasingly in demand and he became heavily involved in two Yate based grass roots history initiatives once he retired from the M.E.B. in 1995. 

Bob joined the Yate District Oral History Project (established 1987) which operated as a volunteer project out of the Yate Town Council offices at Poole Court. Bob was the Project's Publicity Officer for well over 20 years and was responsible for developing the annual program of monthly Open Meetings that featured either a guest speaker at Poole Court or an excursion with guided walk during the summer months. 

Bob organised this well attended trip by members of the Yate District Oral History Project including to the Gloucestershire & Warwickshire Steam railway via Evesham and Broadway on the 7th July 2008.

The Yate District Oral History Project also had a daily presence at the Reference Room in the old Yate Library where the project kept, amongst other historical materials, audio cassettes covering the memories of local people. Bob would volunteer for shifts assisting visitors to the library with their research on the Yate area.

Bob can be seen above with fellow members and volunteers of the Yate District Oral History Project promoting their resources and books at a stall in Yate Shopping Centre.

The Project published several books which drew heavily on Bob's postcard collections; "Yate" (above) published in 1998 and "The Sodburys" published in 1999 in the Project's - "Images of England Series". 

Bob was also involved in another history initiative set up by Yate Town Council in the mid 90s at Poole Court - Yate Heritage Centre, which in the year 2000 relocated to its own dedicated building, a purposely refurbished stone 'barn' between the White Lion Inn and Yate Church, a barn that apparently Bob's Uncle Jack, a livestock animal trader, used to keep cows in!  

With its own dedicated Local History facility at the newly built heritage centre, the Council organised for the Oral History Project shift its daily presence in the Reference Room at Yate library to the new Centre. This move marked the start of Bob's 20 year stint as a local history expert at Yate Heritage Centre, where he would volunteer to assist the general public who visited the centre and help curate exhibitions at the centre which often heavily drew upon Bob's historical postcards for content. 

Bob's contribution to the local community and to recording and sharing local history was recognised by the Gazette newspaper in the article in 2015 above and in a letter of appreciation, upon his death, from Yate Town Council below and in a tribute to Bob in the December 2021 edition of the Yate & Sodbury Voice written by David Hardill, the manager and curator of the Yate & District Heritage Centre.

Bob was also a member of the Sodbury and District Historical Society with whom he would collaborate with especially in the sharing of his many hundreds of historical postcards of the town. 

Bob in 2017 with wife Joy outside Yate Heritage Centre where he volunteered as a local history expert for over 20 years.

Bob and Joy in 2005 approx

With his two sons, Richard and Robert in 2003.

Bob helping his son Rich landscaping his brother's garden in 2007

Bob and Joy on the occasion of the marriage of their youngest son, Richard in 2014.

We all knew that Bob was a sharp dressed man but few knew that Bob never went clothes shopping. No Bob had his own tailor, David Smith, who had a tailors shop in the High Street of Thornbury, who visited Bob once a week for decades for a nice chat and to bring Bob clothes for his perusal. 

Bob and Joy's golden wedding anniversary celebration in July 2017

Till death do us part. Bob looked after Joy throughout her illness, rarely leaving her side as these Birthday cards that Joy gave Bob testify. Joy had an awful neurological degenerative disease that slowly robbed her of her beautiful handwriting, her voice and more. Joy with Bob's support kept going to the very end, wanting to pass when God wanted her to, not when a doctor wanted her to. She was an inspiration.

Joy passed away in early 2020.

Bob with Clara, his first grandchild in 2020.

Bob with Pau, his second grandchild in 2020

Bob enjoying a takeaway coffee out of the wind along Sunnyside Lane in Yate in August 2021.

Bob on one of his daily walks, this time in April 2021 across his beloved Westerleigh Common in Yate

Mark, a friend of the family, kindly and expertly prepared this 'Exhibition of Bob' display that was well received at the reception at the Yate Town F.C. clubhouse. Over 100 hundred people attended the funeral and a similar number enjoyed the reception. A big thanks to Old Sodbury Church, Woodruff's Funeral Directors, Yate Town Football Club and the caterer Tracy who all did Bob proud and made it a day to remember. The Order of Service for Bob's funeral is below.

Bob Jordan

A Life Lived to the Full (1933 ~ 2021)