by Nikky Wilson
Last summer I was talking with Gaynor Naylor, one of the Burngreave Community Wardens, and she told me about her dad, Albert Naylor, a local lad well known for his pranks and mischievous escapades and later as an adult with a great sense of humour.
‘Good Boy Naylor’
Born in 1932 into a family living on Verdon Street, Albert acquired a reputation as a bit of a rogue and the nickname “Good Boy Naylor”: “He weren’t bloody good!” was what people used to say!
Some of his favourite tricks were described by Gaynor’s sister, Ronamy: “My dad looked forward to wash days on Verdon Street as that was the day he could visit the cinema.You see, in those days the women used to wear bloomers with a secret pocket inside. They would put a penny in it so that it wouldn’t blow away on the washing line. My dad cottoned on to this and would replace the penny with a stone! Then he and his pals would go and watch cowboy films, but he always made sure he had enough left to buy a packet of fags. All this at the tender age of ten!”
“He also told me of a shop where the owner thought my dad was the most trustworthy child on Verdon Street. Dad used to get one of his gang to knock something off the shelves in the shop. He would then go in and offer to tidy up the mess. Whilst getting the brush from the back of the shop, he’d help himself to cigarettes and sweets.”
‘Albert the Hat’
Even as an adult it seems he still had a wonderful sense of humour: “He always made us laugh when we were children and encouraged us to do daredevil things,” Gaynor said.
His second nickname was “Albert the Hat” because he always wore a hat, telling tales of how he had lost all his hair in a parachute jump. He lived all his life in Burngreave, saying he was born and bred here and would never leave.
Gaynor has continued that family tradition by raising her own family in the area. She told me “I like it here. It’s more friendly than anywhere else – it doesn’t matter what colour or creed – everyone speaks to you”. And she should know – as a warden she spends a lot of time on patrol.
Thanks to Gaynor Naylor and Ronamy Lomis for sharing the stories of their father’s mischief.
If you have a story about a local person, place or event, contact Burngreave Voices on 276 1900 or call into Burngreave Library.
Burngreave Voices: Our Stories Celebrated is a Sheffield Galleries and Museums Trust project in partnership with Sheffield Libraries and Information Service, WEA and Sheffield College.