ĂŰŃż´ŤĂ˝

Chapter 8 ĂŰŃż´ŤĂ˝crafts

During the winter nights we were kept busy embroidering chair-backs, arm-rest covers and table-clothes. We became skillful at this using a round frame to keep tension on the material as the needle with different coloured threads weaved in and out.

Before this stage the design had to be made on the material. This was done by a transfer. Thin layers of paper with different pictures were placed in position on the material then a heated flat iron would smooth and heat the transfer ink. When the paper was removed the design would be there ready to embroider. The ink was usually a dark blue colour.

We all worked at rug-making, cutting strips of coloured cloth, pushing these through a heavy sack, the base material, with a hooked tool. When the base material was full, the tightly packed pile would be trimmed to a short length and the rug was ready for use. Most households had one. Some as large as a room carpet. Imagine how long that took to make. All done by hand.

Ma taught us to knit, plain, pearl and cable stitch. We liked French Knitting too using a cotton reel with four small nails knocked into it which oddments of wool were wrapped. This was pulled through the bottom hole as we progressed, like a long coloured tail. This long tail would then be laid on a flat surface, coiled up tight then sewn together to make a teapot or plant pot stand.

Chapter 9 ĂŰŃż´ŤĂ˝ Entertainment

Ma playing the piano and singing to us was our favourite pastime Her music was kept in the What-Not, a polished cupboard of sorts. Ma collected the music from the Sunday paper, “News Of The World” I think? A new piece of music was published every week.

This gave us another job making a folder for the from brown paper and writing the title on the cover. " Play this one please Ma please!! No, play this Ma.”! We all choose what we wanted to hear and Ma would play until she was exhausted. “Off to bed now.” No toothbrushes or
paste and only an occasionally wash. We did however have our hair washed with a carbolic acid smelling mixture. This was to get rid of lice, a very common problem. We were given a spoonful of malt, we loved this making it last as long as possible, but still went to bed complaining.

Chapter 10 Bedtime

Ken would watch me when bedtime was close knowing that I would make a dash for the stairs which were in darkness. Ma only lit the one room with a gas mantle which was often broken. I would hide in the darkness of the stairs and wait for Ken to come running up the stairs after me, he was afraid of the dark and didn’t want to face the stairs alone. I would jump out on him shouting and frightening him, making him angry. He would then chase me to our shared room and we would fight. He then looked under the bed to see if a wolf was there! He looked every night. It’s no small wonder really as the threats of ,”The bogey man will get you if you don’t behave” or “ If you don’t behave I will have you put in a home” or “ A policeman will come and take you away and lock you up.” I don’t think Ma was alone with these threats. I believe it was common practice. Am I right?

The small bedroom had a brass bedstead, the type that nowadays would cost a fortune as would the decorative china clock and cherub picture which hung diamond shape above the bed. A Victorian fireplace in the bedroom was never lit as Ma couldn’t afford the fuel. Same goes for the gas light, this held a broken mantle but no glass shade. We would say our prayers then climb into bed

The bedroom had a view over our lovely garden. My sister Freda slept in the tiny box room next to ours. It’s distinctive feature was a large glass dome with a stuffed kingfisher in it. It was a common sight to see stuffed birds on display. Nowadays these may be seen in some country pubs but not in homes generall Her window also overlooked the garden and the roof of the kitchen and NumberTen. A stone buttress sloped to meet the roof which proved to be very useful. When I was sent to bed for bad behaviour, which was often! I would quietly lift up the sash window and scramble out on the roof and slide down the butttess to the ground and slip away to play with friends. I don’t think Ma was aware of this. She would have caned me with the bamboo rod she kept to hand behind the piano if I had been caught. The cane was regularly used and broken at times with a flurry of wallops!! There always was another to take it’s place.

I was a ‘show-off’ in front of my brother and sister, always misbehaving. Out would come the cane. There was no escape even though I tried to run away! I don’t regret the beatings I received from Ma. They were well deserved. It wouldn’t happen if I behaved but this seemed impossible for me to do. I realize how hard her life was and my behaviour made matters worse for her. How did she keep her sanity! If it wasn’t for her strict discipline I fear that I may have drifted into a life of crime.

Chapter 11 Pianoforte

Mother was an accomplished pianist having gained her Cap & Gown at the Trinity College London. Prior to her marriage she must have enjoyed a better quality of life. This qualification was put to good use during the lean years as she taught the local children to play the piano charging sixpence for half hour’s lesson. During these periods we were banned from the house! Just as well because the wrong notes being played sounded awful!

Ma would sometimes play to us without music singing her heart out, pop songs of the day. One song was called “Love Is All” a popular tune during the war. When this was played in the company of grown-ups the women would fall about laughing and shout,” Waz wanna luv ‘ee for!!” It was many years later that I understood the innuendo!!

Opposite the infants school stood a corner pub named ‘The Spotted Cow’ Most street corners had a pub or a church. Many a night small children, some holding a pram with even younger children in, could be seen standing outside the doors whilst their parents drank until closing time.

Sometimes the parents would push opening the doors and thrust a bag of Smiths Crisps into their grubby hands then quickly return to the noisy, smoke laden atmosphere of the pub. Usually loud drunken singing could be heard. “Roll out the barrel” or “Roll me over in the clover” Popular songs of the war years. The crisp packets contained a small blue paper twist of salt which was usually too damp to sprinkle.

Chapter 12 Junior School

Ken and myself were now attending a junior school, Dr Bells at Fishponds. A very good school. I remember the outside lavatories, so cold at wintertime with burst pipes being a common occurrence, ice splattering out to form wonderful shapes. In those days milk was provided. On cold wintery days the milk would freeze, expanding and pushing off the silver tops. Milk bottles were placed on top of the radiators to thaw, this took ages as the radiators weren’t very efficient, often not working at all. Scarves and coats were kept on during lessons in these freezing conditions.

I was allowed two free bottles of milk a day as I was very much underweight suffering from malnutrition. This wasn’t Ma’s fault as she worked so hard trying to feed us, often going without herself. Poor woman.

Teachers were mainly female most men were called up for war service. One male teacher a Mr Sage,known as ‘Sagger’ to the children was feared by all. Sagger had an artifical leg which may have been the reason why he hadn’t been called up by the army. This impediment didn’t stop him moving fast when he wanted.

He administered the cane liberally. Mervyn Groves my friend, was his favourite target. Sagger called him his ‘Dancing Doll’ the reason being, when Mervyn was called to the front of the class to receive the cane, a regular occurrence, he would hold his arm out with Sagger saying, “Further, Further” and when satisfied would raise his cane bringing it down smartly onto Mervyn’s palm. Mervyn would then jump up and down like a ferret on fire, blowing on his hand. This went on for a minute or so with Sagger nodding to Mervyn’s dancing antics.

Miss Hill, a female teacher had no such control. She rode a bicycle to school. Children being the little beasts they are took advantage of this running after her catching hold of the back of her bicycle dragging her back whilst she helplessly shouted for us to go away to no avail.

It was common practice for children to chase after slow moving lorries, horse and carts and hang on the back. Lifting our legs up. Often there would be four or more children hanging like bats on the back. The drivers were aware of this but took no notice.

I used to walk home to lunch from school. At the bottom of the Causeway at Fishponds Bristol was a slip road leading to the railway goods yard. Heavy horses from the pottery would stand there waiting patiently.

Paultons Pottery used these horse drawn carts to transport the reject pottery, this was mainly unglazed and if handled would feel like chalk.This would be taken to a China Tip. The journey commenced with a long ,slow plod up a steep incline at the Causeway, this required two horses to pull the heavy cart at times. In the summer months the horses wore large straw hats and looked so cute.

Chapter 13 Five Favourite Places

The China Tip. A huge mountain of assorted unglazed pottery had amassed over the years and was heaven on earth to children. Scrambling over the china, becoming whiter with each move, searching for plates and saucers which had remained intact. These were taken to the top of the china mountain and thrown like ‘frisbies’. Other boys would throw their plates trying to hit others in the air. A wonderful game for boys. Never did see a girl playing there.

The Coaltips

Close by was the spoil from the disused coalmines at Speedwell, accumulated over many years into huge mountains of black coal slag.

A sheet of galvanized iron would be taken from the old mine workings, shaped into a rough sledge by bending one end back then dragged to the top of the slag heap.

Sitting astride the improvised sledge and with shrieks of laughter and some fear, go hurtling down the slag mountain ending up at the bottom in a heap and very black. Wonderful.

The Lilypond
This was close to the china and coal tips. A place to fish for newts using a wriggling worm tied to a thin line. Sometimes a roach would be caught by the same method.

Tadpoles were netted and taken home in jars and transferred to the rain-butt. Wonderful.

The Gossie

The “Gossie” Why it was called that I don’t known. A wooded valley with a deep stream running through. Playing there was such fun, lighting fires, swinging on ropes across the stream, climbing trees and of course the usual game of cowboys and Indians.

The Brickworks

“The Brick Works” a working yard at Speedwell making bricks by hand. A huge quarried hole was at the bottom of a narrow railway track used to transport the clay to the factory and kilns above.
This huge hole was partly filled with water which was very deep.

Wooden pallets would be collected and tied together to make rafts. These were paddled by a stick, playing pirates and racing the rafts. So dangerous but at that age that wasn’t considered. These five places were truly heaven to us and the memories will always stay.

Returning home after playing in any of these places would often mean the cane as we were either white from the china tip chalk, black from the coalpits. Wet from the lilypond. Wet and muddy from the brickworks quarry and trousers usually torn. They were just a mass of patches so one more wouldn’t hurt!

Chapter 14 Outbreak of World War 2

War broke out on September 3rd 1939 It was my eighth birthday. I was at school. We were sent home. Clutching my gas mask expecting to die at any minute, I ran home. Ma reassured me that all was well .A few weeks later the air-raid sirens sounded for the first time. Ma huddled with us under the stairs praying for our deliverance. This was the first of hundreds of air raids. We eventually became very complacent when the sirens sounded.

At night the powerful searchlights would switch on and search the skies for enemy aircraft. Their beams criss-crossing the night sky. When an aircraft was caught in the multi- beams we would shout in excitement, “ There’s one ! Go on, shoot it down!” The Ack Ack, anti-aircraft guns would open up with gusto but the aeroplane, that looked bright silver in the lights, would disappear into the night I never saw a single plane shot down by Ack Ack fire.

The night sky would turn to a deep orange as the bombs fell reflecting the flames in the clouds above. Searchlights also reflected on the numerous barrage balloons that hung in the sky like giant jumbos. These were attached to the ground by a thick wire and were supposed to be a deterrent for would be low flying enemy aircraft.

Chapter 15 Rationing

It was the days of food rationing and clothes coupons. Mother sold her coupons on the blackmarket. Coupons were introduced in June 1941. The money from the coupons used to put food on the table. Shopping was a chore that no one enjoyed as food was scarce, little choice and rationed.
Long queues formed and my brother, sister and myself took it in turns to queue at the three major shops alternating each week. The Co-op, butchers and greengrocers .This meant a wait of three hours at times as the queues would start forming at least an hour before opening time and the last in the queue got the least. A bit like today’s sales!!

Ma would eat pigs trotter, the feet of pigs, pigs ears, chitling , cows intestines, sheep’s brains and tripe. It’s hard to believe this was a common food in those days. I must say I could never face eating any of these. The Co-op paid out a dividend cash return, a percentage of the money spent, usually for a six month period. For every penny spent a similar amount was given back as tokens of tin money.

Ma kept her tokens in an old teapot and we loved to count the tin money. When ‘divi’ payout day arrived we took these to the ‘Co-op’ to join a very long queue to exchange the tin cheques for cash. This could take all day. Extra food on the table that day, we would say grace then get tucked in. We were not allowed to talk at the table and if wishing to leave, did so only with Ma’s permission.

Chapter 16 Street Games

Children played in the streets all the time except on Sundays. It was considered disrespectful to play outside the home on the Sabbath. Families attended church, sometimes both morning and evening service. The children attended Sunday School.

Playing marbles, whipping tops, street football, cricket and many team games were. All boys belonged to a gang and scrapping was commonplace. Streets were the playground for the children. Not all residents approved and some would come to their gates and shout at us to clear off and play outside your own house!! Girls played with skipping ropes. They were so skilful with a rope sometimes stretching ten feet or so. A girl at each end. They would start turning the rope faster and higher A girl would jump and skip in time with the rope. Others would join her. As many as six girls would be skipping together. Even more skilful, two girls turning the rope swinging not one but two ropes, each turning a different way. The boys rarely skipped, that was for girls, they played marbles in the gutters and on schooldays played all the way to school! The large red, bloodshot marbles were known as ‘sixers’ and were very much sought after.

Life was very exciting for a child and I think for most people, a new spirit of comradeship came out of adversity

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