Tram travel

by Jeannette Oubridge

As a small child in the 1930s we used to travel into Liverpool City on an open-top tram, but because we always seemed to have damp, murky weather my mother insisted that we sat inside. The seats were wooden, narrow and uncomfortable. They were not designed to take two large people, one invariably overlapped and blocked the aisle! On one occasion we had bought some goldfish. When we came to our stop I proudly held my little box of fish aloft and pushed my way towards the platform. Unfortunately, I tripped, dropped the box, and the fish were washed along the slatted floor towards the platform. As they were about to plop off the end onto the platform the conductor saved them in his cupped hands and popped them back into the box. The fish survived their experience with no after affects and lived for some time in our round glass bowl.