Ted Edwards' 65th birthday! (25 April 2004)

Subject: Origins: Ted Edwards' 65th birthday!
From: Bernard
Date: 20 Apr 04 - 09:16 PM

Ted Edwards, Intrepid Explorer, almost an astronaut (seriously!) and writer of many fine songs and poems, is 65 on Sunday April 25th 2004!

Amongst the songs he wrote are 'Coal Hole Cavalry' - 1969, 'Monday 'Er Does All 'Er Weyshin' (aka 'H.R.H.') - 1973, 'Weepin' an' Wailin' Away' - 1974, 'Ladybird' - 1975, 'The Coal and Albert Berry' - 1979, and 'Dance, Dance' - 1992.

Ted's prize possession is a copy of the Ewan MacColl/Peggy Seeger album 'Kilroy Was Here', on which 'Ladybird' appears.

If you are anywhere near Wetherspoons in Eccles, Manchester, on Sunday, why not nip in - Ted is likely to be there having the odd pint or two!

Subject: RE: Ted Edwards' 65th birthday!
From: GUEST,Raggytash
Date: 21 Apr 04 - 04:07 AM

He may ............. if he recovers well enough from his "retirement" party the night before !!

Subject: RE: Ted Edwards' 65th birthday!
From: Noreen
Date: 21 Apr 04 - 06:34 AM

Happy Birthday indeed to Ted!

Subject: RE: Ted Edwards' 65th birthday!
From: GUEST,Raggytash
Date: 21 Apr 04 - 06:47 AM

Noreen do you know the old reprobate, Ted took me under his wing years ago and I ended up his drinking companion/prompter/associate nutter/co founder of the Free Lancastrian Army/Navy/Airforce/Yorick Bearer/ and on many occasions Taxi Driver (when he lsot his licence) to name but a few of the daft ventures we entered into ........ I recall one chap (name withheld for courtesy shake) dressed in a wedding dress clutching a bunch of daffodils being driven round Ellesmere Park on the front of Ted's ex GPO Moggy Thou Van at some rediculous hour of the morning ......... it seemed like a brilliant idea at the time !

Subject: RE: Ted Edwards' 65th birthday!
From: Noreen
Date: 21 Apr 04 - 07:03 AM

Doesn't surprise me O Raggy one; though I have only met Ted in recent years with his powers somewhat abated, I have heard many stories and more hints at his exploits- and he still has the twinkle in his eye!

:0)

Subject: RE: Ted Edwards' 65th birthday!
From: nutty
Date: 21 Apr 04 - 07:21 AM

I'm the proud owner of "Slushy Brew" a small book of Ted's songs.
Where possible I still sing "The Old Market Square" at Eastertime ....a very moving song .... the crucifixion brought up to date.

Give Ted my best Wishes , please .... although I must admit when I watched the pogramme of him walking across the Sahara Desert I thought he was much older ....but then he looked much older ...who wouldn't

Subject: RE: Ted Edwards' 65th birthday!
From: Noreen
Date: 21 Apr 04 - 08:25 AM

Ladybird (with tune) and The Coal and Albert Berry are in the DT, while some others of Ted's songs are on the forum:

WEEPIN' AN' WAILIN', Newcastle Brown
and
COAL HOLE CAVALRY
which has more info on Ted.

Note to self: must get words to Dance, dance from either Ted or Sid.

Subject: RE: Ted Edwards' 65th birthday!
From: Bernard
Date: 24 Apr 04 - 09:56 PM

Just back from Ted's 'Retirement Do' at The Garret! Surprisingly, he was still able to stand when I left...!! We had a reet gradely do! The flat was packed!

He's very proud to report that he is the first Edwards to reach 65!

Words to Dance, Dance... written in 1992 after he heard about the closure of Bickershaw Colliery 'on the telly'. Email me your new address, Noreen, and I'll send you a CD copy of Ted's BBC GMR interview broadcast on March 23rd this year - a rare recording of him singing the song was included (I cleaned it up from Ted's original cassette), and I'm singing Coal Hole Cavalry with Ted joining in on the chorus!


Dance, Dance

No moo-er maimed! No moo-er deaf!
No moo-er wheezin' and feytin' fer breath!
No moo-er hooter that summons to death!
No moo-er weepin' a' them what's bereft!

CHORUS
Dance! Dance, my little mon.
Bickershaw Colliery's workin' is done.
Faythur is coughin', and grandfaythur's gone,
But tha'll not be goo-in' below.

No moo-er hate! No sickness of soul!
No moo-er pain for the years that they stole!
No moo-er livin' the life of a mole!
No moo-er givin' our sons to the coal!

No moo-er grief! No ruined life!
No moo-er squattin' at bus stops at five!
No moo-er work, but at least tha'll survive!
No moo-er beggin' for death to arrive!

No moo-er killin'! The butchery's done!
Battlefield covered wi' them that have gone!
I've lost me battle… but my little mon,
Thi' future'll never be sold by the ton!

Ted Edwards 1992

(OCR scan from Ted's original)

Subject: RE: Ted Edwards' 65th birthday!
From: 8_Pints
Date: 24 Apr 04 - 11:43 PM

Brilliant songs all of them!

Happy Birthday (Note to self: buy the man a beer on Tuesday fortnight coming at the Black Horse)

Bob vG

Subject: RE: Ted Edwards' 65th birthday!
From: John J
Date: 25 Apr 04 - 04:03 PM

Ey up! Happy birthday you old bugger!

Best wishes

John

Subject: RE: Ted Edwards' 65th birthday!
From: Bernard
Date: 28 Apr 04 - 02:11 PM

Songs in the Snug at the Railway this evening - another chance to wish Ted a happy 'retirement'!!

Subject: RE: Ted Edwards' 65th birthday!
From: Leadfingers
Date: 28 Apr 04 - 04:50 PM

I am 'doing' Ladybird with Mrs Admiral as part of the 'Blind Date' evening at Maidenhead next week . Ted has indeed written some good songs.

Subject: RE: Ted Edwards' 65th birthday!
From: John J
Date: 29 Apr 04 - 03:33 AM

Ted was fed with butties & birthday cake at an impromtu birthday party at the Railway last night. It was a lovely evening which he clearly enjoyed. I particularly enjoyed hearing him sing again.

John

Subject: RE: Ted Edwards' 65th birthday!
From: Bernard
Date: 11 May 04 - 08:24 PM

Ted has agreed to let me record him singing his stuff... last Thursday, May 6th, he sang 'Cross Country Smoking' and 'Coal Hole Cavalry' (which he described as 'a medley of my greatest hit'!) at the Railway Folk Club, Heatley - which pleased our guest, Vin Garbutt, immensely! There was a crowd over of seventy people present...

It's really heartwarming to see Ted enjoying singing in public again after all these years. Admittedly he has been known, on occasions, to sing a song at a singaround, and fairly frequently reads his poems and monologues, but it took some bottle to risk singing for such a large (paying) audience!

Watch this space!

Subject: RE: Ted Edwards' 65th birthday!
From: GUEST,richard
Date: 19 Jun 11 - 11:51 AM

happy birthday ted edwards, explorer of iceland and the sahara.

Subject: RE: Ted Edwards' 65th birthday!
From: GUEST,raggytash
Date: 19 Jun 11 - 12:41 PM

As I recall Ted's birthday is the 25th April and he's umpty thump years older then me which make him 73, I think......., he is still someone who I admire greater and was a tremendous influence on my formative years.....driving round Ellesmere Park in an ex GPO moggy thousand van, with another guy on the bonnet on the van, (dressed in a wedding dress clutching a bunch of daffodils) for one !

Happy days indeed !

Subject: RE: Ted Edwards' 65th birthday!
From: GUEST,Raggytash
Date: 19 Jun 11 - 12:50 PM

Bugger, I posted the last thread without reading all that has gone before, I could tell you about driving back from a gig in Oldham with FAR too much beer inside us and wondering the next day who had actually driven home in the MGB Roadster which I'd borrowed !

Subject: RE: Ted Edwards' 65th birthday!
From: Bernard
Date: 19 Jun 11 - 04:35 PM

Hah!! We've all done it...! Posting without reading the thread, driving home under the affluence of incahol, etc...!

Subject: RE: Ted Edwards' 65th birthday!
From: Matthew Edwards
Date: 19 Jun 11 - 04:51 PM

Only Ted could have a 65th birthday lasting for over 7 years! It must have been one helluva party - was I there too?

Anyway Happy Birthday to Ted on his 72 and 2/12 birthday!

Cheers, Matthew

Subject: RE: Ted Edwards' 65th birthday!
From: Bernard
Date: 19 Jun 11 - 05:04 PM

;o)

Hi, Matthew, you keeping well?

Subject: RE: Ted Edwards' 65th birthday!
From: gnu
Date: 19 Jun 11 - 05:08 PM

Don't know you from Adam but apparently some do and they think highly of you and your work... some of which are friends whose opinion I value so you musta done sommat right. Happies on ya.

Subject: RE: Ted Edwards' 65th birthday!
From: Matthew Edwards
Date: 19 Jun 11 - 05:20 PM

Hi, Bernard; I'm fine though I'm still recovering from my own (early) retirement party. I keep hearing excellent reports about Lymm Folk Club, and I'll see you there again before long. Give my regards to Ted when you next see him. I haven't found him yet on the Edwards family tree, but I think we're probably about 10th or 11th cousins twice removed!

Matthew

Subject: RE: Ted Edwards' 65th birthday! (25 April 2004)
From: GUEST
Date: 18 Sep 14 - 02:26 AM

Happy (Very) Belated Birthday, Ted!

Several years ago, I read your phenomenal book, "Beyond the Last Oasis." I rank it with Wilfred Thesiger's "Arabian Sands" or even Bertram Thomas' "Arabia Felix." I don't know if you remember me, but I wrote you telling you how much I enjoyed it, and gave you one little tip that I personally tested out: the solar still. As you probably found out, it will not work unless you put something moist in it (shredded cacti, urine, wastewater, wet sand or mud, etc.). But in the desiccated sand of the mid-Sahara, it is all but useless. Thank God you found those Bedouin who gave you some camel's milk. You're far too valuable to the human race for us to lose you in the Sahara!

May God guide your every step in the dunes—or wherever else you go. Thanks again for a FABULOUS read!

John "Desert Rat" Calhoun
Fort Collins, Colorado, USA

PS: 65 ain't old; hell, I'm 72! I just downloaded several hi-res images of the Nefud Desert, which Lawrence crossed on his way to Aqaba—gorgeous place!!! By the by, I've seen "Lawrence of Arabia" at least 20 times, once in London. Cherio!

Subject: RE: Ted Edwards' 65th birthday! (25 April 2004)
From: GUEST, topsie
Date: 18 Sep 14 - 04:18 AM

Guest, if he was 65 in 2004 he is now 75, so he is older than you.