The Cockney Sparrow - A dying breed

To be classed as a true cockney was not just about where they were born or their famous accent. Not only about the rhyming slang they used or the jellied eels they ate, but about a way of life. About the communities they created and the support they gave each other when the going got tough. About the way they lived and kept going through bad times as well as good. These were the attributes that helped them pull together through two World Wars and the poverty that lingered on from the Victorian era, improving very slowly until the latter half of the 20th century.
I was born in St. Andrews Hospital, Bow, in 1948. On leaving there a few days later I was taken home to Bethnal Green and apart from holidays away over the years, have never lived anywhere else. I have never had the urge or the need, to move away from the East End. Now however, I sometimes feel that the urge to get away will grow, as we are speedily becoming outsiders in our original place of birth. Most of the youngsters born from my generation were forced to move away when it was time for them to marry, because of the house building strategy that was employed for a time by this council.
Unless otherwise stated, all information on these pages comes from my own experiences and knowledge I have picked up along the way. This of course excludes the piece on rhyming slang's origination (I'm certainly not old enough to have been there when that came into being)! Any additional material used will be accredited to the contributor. I would appreciate any information, comments or contradictions, especially from anyone who can provide original old photos to improve the content contained on the following pages.

London’s East End has always been a place of change. Changing buildings, changing people, changing ways. While these changes were taking place, there was one thing that never changed, that was the spirit of the Cockneys. Their humour, their comradeship, their lively family pubs. There were some real characters about, and they all had one thing in common; they loved the East End they were born in and would never dream of leaving it. Now they are becoming a dying breed. Many cannot wait to leave the East End that their families have cherished for generations. At first they were reluctant to go. They were forced out when council homes were not made available to young childless couples. Then as time passed, they began taking the option to leave by choice. I cant go into the reasons behind this on these pages, my opinions would bring the’ politically correct brigade’ out of the woodwork. It just seems that these 'PC' people are happier promoting ghettos and separation of cultures than integration.
All I know is that it's a bloody shame that the true East End Cockneys are heading for extinction in their own back yard! Maybe their wild life counterpart, the Cockney Sparrow saw this coming when they disappeared too...

At one time, when traveling around London, everywhere you went you would see and hear flocks of Sparrows. There were thousands of them, hopping about on the pavement, sitting on every fence and tree, and every single garden was full of these chirpy little chaps. In fact, they were so common, that they became part of the cockney language, used as a form of greeting. "Wotcha cock" or "Hello, me old cock sparrow" were quite common phrases among east enders, still in use today. For two decades now they have diminished rapidly in numbers for some reason, and nobody seems to know why .A handful of bread-crumbs would at one time bring them out in hoards, no matter where you were. They were not bothered by traffic noise, or crowds of people, they were always there. Not anymore!

No-one yet, has come up with an undeniable explanation for the decline in numbers. I have heard that it could be due to the number of Magpies and Crows in London parks. Magpies are a very common site here today. It is said that they eat the young of the Sparrow from the nest. If true, could they possibly cause the extinction of such a vast number of birds in this relatively short space of time (I first became consciously aware of their absence in the early 90’s)? It is a shame that another bit of London life has gone by the wayside. The trouble is; nobody seems to notice until you mention it to them. I personally miss the sight and sound of the little birds flocking around, and wonder if it is too late for anything to be done about it. It is now 2007 and even the Magpies are gone! I now believe it’s because of another pest over running the urban areas; the Grey Squirrel. They are everywhere, like bushy tailed Rats! Could they be destroying the eggs and young? Foxes are also now becoming a common site in the streets too!