Les Boyle RIP | Memories of Growing Up in White City / Shep. Bush

[LoftusRoadLad]

Great thread brings back lots having grown up in Loftus Rd since mid 50's

[Fraggy]

The following was emailed to us earlier today by Les' nephew Alan.
Apologies if already posted.

Just looking through your site like l do every day and someone had posted about Les Boyle. Les is my uncle. He did die in hospital last Tuesday. Les unfortunately was suffering from dementia, which he had for a number of years and was in a home near his daughter in Southampton. My Dad , Eddie, and Les were brothers and like the rest of our family are Rangers through and through. Jim Smith, the old Rangers Manager, once said to Les that if he was cut in half he would bleed blue blood. Les leaves two daughters and a son and seven grandchildren. Just thought this email might be of interest to those who new him.

[royallion]

Born latimer Rd olaf st they moved us to white city when they demolished the area, inter house rowing hudson close yhe old threepeny bit oap home, chip loaf from georges at dinner time rileys fruit and veg where you could buy alot more than just fruit and veg ahem, Blom pool jumping in at midnight for late swims, then a much freedom as kids red bus rovers up town on the lifting spree whiteleys and all that.

[Stanley]

Someone emailed in yesterday with the following sad news:

"Leslie (Les) Boyle, previous Colville boys coach and Queens Park Rangers Kit Manager, previously of Wormholt Road, sadly passed away on Tuesday 3rd July 2018"

RIP Les Boyle.

Les is 2nd front right, top row. Plenty of other familiar young faces in this pic:

Screenshot_1.jpg

Played for Colville boys based at Coverdale school.**** le Marsh was the club leader and Les Boyle was coach.Les lived and breathed Rangers all his life.Worked for the club doing lots of different jobs anyone Know what happened to him/

Still lives on Wormholt as far as I'm aware near Cleverly Estate, unless anyone knows any different?

He was the kit man for years and the joke amongst non QPR fans locally use to be he was manager of the club.

I used to play for the Harrow Club. We use to win the Westway Flyover, Lilley Road and Mets 5-a-side leagues pretty much every year for my age group. I remember Reg Clements very well. He was my manager for about 5 years or so. Barry Leech I think was another chap who ran sides (slightly older age groups) and I think it was him who ran the Friday night leagues. Think it was on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday that I use to go. Judo and Canoeing was on Tuesday nights and Archery was on a Thursday. Use to jump in the bus outside the laundrette near Edward Woods Estate. I played in the year above Reg's son Ian, who sadly passed away a couple of year from a rare from cancer I believe (think it was sarcoma). I remember Dennis Palfrey too and I think he now lives in Northolt. He still goes down the Rangers. Use to love the banter against I think it was the Ladbroke Celtic, Boys Brigade and Rugby Club. I also played at Coverdale School under Les Boyle for a few years too. Great memories from those days.

A big problem with this country nowadays is that there isn't many places like the Harrow Club left for kids to get a good grounding and play football in my opinion. It really was a great place.

[andythefish]

I was a W10 boy,lived on the Sutton estate,next to the Peabody estate,7 feathers youth club. Played for Ladbroke Celtic,remember playing.at Lilley Rd, Dunkin' donuts on the Green,The north pole pub (and Pavilion). Remember the bookies my Dad used to go in on Barlby Rd cos Stan the man used to go in there too!. ....and Hammersmith Palais! !!!

[72bus]

playing football on a sunday afternoon in ravenscourt park , the sulgrave club i the week , rangers home and away on a saturday . i remember the west indian bloke in shepherds bush mkt he used to get himself in a right mess with the fluff then clean it off with the 'brush a matic , 2p on a bus 30p to get in the loft or 25p to get in the school end

[72bus]

the boozer was 'the western'......'ray' anderson /john birch (legend r.i.p) ran christon '....wiggie lovell,steve matthews all decent players!

played against those kids did they play for wolf and heathfield utd

[Factamondo]

Mac fisheries and the David Gregg's....oh the memories

[Hoop-du-Jour]

the record exchange on Goldhawk Road.

Loved that shop! Used to sell a few LPs in there when I was a skint teenager and go across the road to the Acropollis cafe and have sausage egg and chips.

[Factamondo]

Halcyon days indeed around the manor back in those days...sadly now a place unrecognisable to the bush i was born n brought up in!

[Harryboy]

look over the road Harry and see if my old primary school is still there, St. Francis

its all flats now mate. look at some old minder shows and they use to film all around this area

[lymehoop]

I live in Markland house now, since 92

look over the road Harry and see if my old primary school is still there, St. Francis

[lymehoop]

Charlie Ferris, The Cage, Prefab housing where the RC school is, Dynamo Loft (fine football team), Macs sweet shop, The Horse of the Year show where they stabled the horses in the TA grounds, it's all coming back

[qprted]

although

,although born at fulham palace road,I was brought up in suburbia,but remember the old 68-69 loft it was an amazing
experience,there was ivory shop brouges, ben shermans,jungle greens, levi sta press,harrington jackets,crombie coats
tonic suits,loathers,prince of wales checked trousers,
the whole experience of that season was unbeatable because skinheadism had just started and the northern clubs couldnt get
the skin head clothes so they wore big t boots which of course we all found hillarious
I WOULD DESCRIBE YTHE MAIN BOYS COMMING FROM, EALING ,WHITE CITY,NOTTINH HILL AND SHEPARDS BUSH
THESE FOUR AREAS SUPPLIED MOST OF THE ICONIC SKINS
but skinheadism wasnt really exclusively violence it was the music the clothes the skin head girls we wouldnt go out with a female
if she didnt wear skin head clothes

[HammersmithR]

I used to play for the Harrow Club. We use to win the Westway Flyover, Lilley Road and Mets 5-a-side leagues pretty much every year for my age group. I remember Reg Clements very well. He was my manager for about 5 years or so. Barry Leech I think was another chap who ran sides (slightly older age groups) and I think it was him who ran the Friday night leagues. Think it was on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday that I use to go. Judo and Canoeing was on Tuesday nights and Archery was on a Thursday. Use to jump in the bus outside the laundrette near Edward Woods Estate. I played in the year above Reg's son Ian, who sadly passed away a couple of year from a rare from cancer I believe (think it was sarcoma). I remember Dennis Palfrey too and I think he now lives in Northolt. He still goes down the Rangers. Use to love the banter against I think it was the Ladbroke Celtic, Boys Brigade and Rugby Club. I also played at Coverdale School under Les Boyle for a few years too. Great memories from those days.

A big problem with this country nowadays is that there isn't many places like the Harrow Club left for kids to get a good grounding and play football in my opinion. It really was a great place.

I remember Barry Leach very well. Lived off King Street. I played down at the Harrow Club for years every Friday night. Was a great league. Used to go off with Harrow Club every now and again to a house they had down in the Forest of Dean. Won that league quite a few times. Ben Walshe who used to play for QPR played for Harrow Club. Had a wand of a left foot when we were kids. I remember Les Ferdinand and Danny Dichio coming down a lot to give out the trophies to us. The Baldry family were very involved down at Harrow Club. See some of them every now and again at Rangers. I played down at Lillie Rd since I was about 6! My old man has run that league for about 30 years! Every Sunday morning! Not the same number of teams that we used to have down there. In my age group it was always us (Fulham Rovers), VT Colts (Vic's team), Holy Trinity (Nicky Bailey played for them......played for Charlton, Middlesbrough and Millwall etc.), Harrow Club and White City Rangers battling it out for the league and cup. During the summer we played in another good league down at Brunswick Boys Club in Fulham. Down at Harrow Club there were always some good sides. Rugby Club were always there as well as Stowe. Some good players have come out of those leagues. Jody Morris, Paul Mortimer, Les Ferdinand, some fella at Brentford whose name escapes me. There was a lad at Fulham Rovers called Sean Cummings who went on to play for that team down the Fulham Rd before going to Reading. He was from the Bush. Great days.