THE coal merchants around Stroud, besides ET Ward in London Road, were Lambert & Cox next to the PO in Russell Street, Wood & Rowe at Cheapside, T Butt & Son at Walbridge, H Bailey at Lansdown, Jefferies & Son at Dudbridge Hill, Cooke at Selsley, Cainscross Co-op, EW Vick at Ebley, Nibletts at King’s Stanley, Webb at Hill Street, J Smart at Chalford and J Knee at Old Bisley Road.

The latter was an interesting character.

He did all his deliveries by horse and cart, right up to the time he died.

When I say character, he didn't care a cuss what people thought, and he would stop his horse and cart in the middle of Stroud and relieve himself against the off-side wheel of the cart.

Of course, he had a quite old law on his side, which said that anyone in charge of a horse drawn carriage was allowed to ‘relieve himself’ against the off-side wheel of the vehicle.

All the merchants had a good rapport between each other.

Perhaps a little of the history of ET Ward & Son would be appropriate.

As I understand it, the father of Mr Ward whom I started work for, at the turn of the last century, walked from London to the Forest of Dean and from there started a coal business in Stroud.

The coal used to be brought across the Severn and up the Stroud Canal. The first coal yards were at Dudbridge, one at Ryeford and one at Walbridge, Stroud.

The first office in Stroud was by the forge in Gloucester Street, Tel No. 199.

Later it moved to London Road and the outstanding landmark was a large piece of anthracite coal that stood outside the office door. Lots of chips were broken off of it during the war as souvenirs by the American soldiers.

It was real anthracite and it came up to Stroud in 1926 in the bottom of a railway truck that was filled with small anthracite cobbles.

It weighed just over 6cwt and it came from Aberpergnum Colliery, which is down in the Neath Valley just above Swansea.

It was there until 1976 when we had to move because our leave had expired on the premises owned by Mr Smith, who lived where the Leominster Hotel is in Cainscross Road, by Beards Lane.

Not knowing just what to do with it, I asked Mrs Mugford (of the Stroud Ladies Society) if they could do anything with it for a charity. She said they would, and held a raffle to guess the weight.

The money they raised went for a bed at Stroud Hospital.

I believe after that it was given to the Stroud Museum and shown under 'Tradesmen’s Signs'. I don't know if it is still there.

* We would like to hear from any readers who remember any of the characters or events in Alec's columns, write to the usual address or comment here...