THE WALL OF FACES

You will always be remembered by us and we are immensely proud to call you our Cousin. R.I.P

I remember you long ago when we were all young and carefree, walking unnoticed behind my sister and me as we were singing "You've lost that loving feeling" and joining in. xxx

Dear PFC John Shell, Thank you for your service as an Infantryman. Tomorrow is your 54th anniversary, sad. Saying thank you isn't enough, but it is from the heart. It is another new year. Time moves quickly. Please watch over America, it stills needs your strength, courage, guidance and faithfulness, especially now. Rest in peace with the angels.

The Hideaways were a pop group that flourished in the mid-1960s as part of the Merseybeat era. They are recognized as playing The Cavern Club over 400 times, more frequently than any other band including The Beatles; (now and undisputed record). They are also noted for their connection to the Timex Watches advertising campaign of the time. The band went through a few personnel changers over the years but can boast to be one of the few remaining Mersey bands to still perform with the original members (apart from our dear old pal John Shell).

The original line up from October 1963 includes; Ozzie Yue (guitar, vocals), later to become an actor, Frankie Connor, now a BBC Radio Merseyside DJ, John D (Donaldson) drums now retired and travels the globe and John Shell, who would later die in the Vietnam War aged twenty.

John his Mum and sister, lived in number 6 St Vincent Street L3 which my sister moved into after they left for Blessington Road in Everton.
It was at the top of our street Bridport Street.
We were great friends, John was almost 2 years older than me, he had a tape recorder and he wrote the words for Walking Back to Happiness, by Helen Shapiro.
John, myself and another friend Alec went camping, we went to a place in Wales when we where only kids, going to live off the land and catch fish, we where starving when a policeman in a police mini van came to our rescue, took us to a police station and fed us and got us train ticket passes back to Liverpool.
Great memories and what a lovely policeman he was?
It must be 60 years since or even more, since I have last seen John, but he left such an impression on me, I still think of him to this day.
He was such a lovely person and very inspirational human being.
Brian Evans [email protected]