BS: First name only

Subject: RE: BS: First name only
From: Senoufou
Date: 22 Jan 19 - 09:22 AM

In the Famous Five, George has the surname of Kirrin. And the others' is Barnard (mentioned in 'Five Get Into A Fix')
I confess to owning the whole blooming series and reading it often. It's quite comforting, reminds me of an age long past!

Subject: RE: BS: First name only
From: Jos
Date: 22 Jan 19 - 09:37 AM

In that case, Eliza, I stand corrected.
When I was a child I only had 'Five Fall Into Adventure' - I loved it and read it over and over again. I asked my mother if I could have more Famous Five books for birthdays or Christmas (we didn't live anywhere near a book shop for me to buy one myself). She gave me a very tame, soppy Enid Blyton book about children who went on nature walks. She said she had looked at the Famous Five books but thought they were too boyish! Much as I loved her, she did spend years trying to turn me into the kind of person I never was and was never going to be.

Subject: RE: BS: First name only
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 22 Jan 19 - 09:38 AM

When I worked in a school in the East End in the glory days of ILEA and Red Ken, we got a new headmaster who'd clearly been used to his rather formal posh Edinburgh school's ways. He decided to call us all by surnames only. One day he was hailing my mate Terry Hunter from behind in the corridor: "A word with you please, Hunter!" Tel stopped momentarily in his tracks but didn't turn round, then proceeded purposefully on his way. "Er, Mr Hunter...!" did the trick for the head. That cured him of that little habit!

Subject: RE: BS: First name only
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 22 Jan 19 - 09:38 AM

My mum was a devoted collector of William books when she was a kid...

Was his first name Just, and William only his middle name...????????

Subject: RE: BS: First name only
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 22 Jan 19 - 09:48 AM

Pfr: "My mrs hasn't got a middle name.. [is that a Welsh culture thing...????]"

Life gets complicasted pfr.

I’m English and neither me or my 3 brothers have middle names. Neither parent has one either but I do know mum’s mum had the forenames Daisy Nellie Freshwater...


I lived some of my childhood (and a longer later spell) in N Wales and I am not aware of any of the few (all Welsh first language) in the village we'd mplay with having middle names except for one who’s middle name was more likely part of a surname (other part being Jones). But there is something I was able to work out recently, ie, referred to person was a brother of one of “our” group by mention of a middle name and knowing the father’s name and coupling with age...

One of the first jobs I had was as a forecourt attendant/car cleaner in a garage and I can assure you that both of those were “very Welsh” , had middle names, and go as far as to say that one of those was known by his middle name.

Subject: RE: BS: First name only
From: Jos
Date: 22 Jan 19 - 10:16 AM

As far as I remember, William was William Brown. 'Just' was part of the (first?) book title. I'm not sure if Henry, Ginger and Douglas had surnames, though Violet Elizabeth had two names AND a surname.

Subject: RE: BS: First name only
From: Jos
Date: 22 Jan 19 - 10:20 AM

Years back, when Princess Diana had produced a William and a Henry (thereafter called Harry, though he could also be Ginger), I used to hope she would have a girl and name her Violet Elizabeth.

Subject: RE: BS: First name only
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 22 Jan 19 - 10:33 AM

Then there's the modern Welsh god of singing... Sirtom...


[Jos - yeah.. I know.. "Just" a little in-joke for William fans...]

Subject: RE: BS: First name only
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 22 Jan 19 - 11:42 AM

I always thought his full name was Just K William...

Subject: RE: BS: First name only
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 22 Jan 19 - 11:56 AM

Thinking famous 5, did Jo (the "gypsy") ever have a surname?

Subject: RE: BS: First name only
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 22 Jan 19 - 12:05 PM

Swallows and Amazons movie... Titty's name was changed for the recent remake...

Subject: RE: BS: First name only
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 22 Jan 19 - 12:14 PM

You'd have thought that "Titty" would be a double-barrelled name...

Subject: RE: BS: First name only
From: Jos
Date: 22 Jan 19 - 12:41 PM

Wasn't the Swallows' surname Walker? And the Amazons' was Blackett or something similar.

I don't remember Jo having a surname, but her father was Simmy, so possibly Simpson or Symmonds or some such.

Subject: RE: BS: First name only
From: Ed T
Date: 23 Jan 19 - 04:34 PM

Speaking of Toots,(aka titty)

"Jean "Toots" Thielemans, originally a guitar player, was the first musician to bring the harmonica to the jazz world."

Subject: RE: BS: First name only
From: FreddyHeadey
Date: 27 Jan 19 - 05:22 PM

A lot of people called Jimmy must come back from Scotland thinking that they're pretty famous up there.

Subject: RE: BS: First name only
From: Mr Red
Date: 28 Jan 19 - 04:49 AM

here's looking at Euclid

Subject: RE: BS: First name only
From: Mrrzy
Date: 28 Jan 19 - 09:30 AM

Mr. Red, you will always have Paris. And Achilles.