Memories

Jean B I was born at a terrace house in Rock Road in 1926. Her husband was also born in the same Road. They were not childhood sweethearts but Jean told me that she did dmire him when entering her teens. She met him after the war in the Mulso and courted for two years before getting married in 1948.
Her mother was born in Kettering and father in Great Addington. Dad was employed as a miner and worked at Ebwv Vale, a Welsh firm, in Irthlingborough Road; where ironstone was mined. His job was to prop the pits and he worked from 7am until 3pm. He used to take a pack up every day and he said that there used to be huge rats sitting there waiting for food.

She shared how she remember dad coming home when the pits fell in on him and he smashed his shoulder. He could not afford to stop off of work for long and there were always rows at home due to the lack of money available. Young boys left school at the age of fourteen and went to work as wagon boys Her mum worked full time at Rockleigh shoe factory. Jean also worked at Rockleigh from the age of fourteen and earned four shillings. H her hours were eight until twelve and one until five thirty. She worked as a machinist; eyeleteer, skiver and Mr. Bonham taught me.

From the Junior School we went up to the top school on Welling borough Road and boys were educated on the left of the school and girls on the right. The teachers there were Miss Lindley, Miss Hutchinson, and Miss Mason. We learnt to cook, machine, hand sew all domestic things that you needed when you got older. I also played hockey for the school team.

She was thirteen when the war broke out and we heard it on the wireless. Mum bought yards of heavy black linen and these were fitted with the other curtains so no light could shine through.
When she went out on her bike she used to have a shade on her bike so that light could not shine up for the enemy planes to see.

A lot of English soldiers, Inns of Court, who were real gentlemen, lived down the Bell. They also lived in Nissan huts in the paddock next to Loakes factory near where the bungalow is now. Some lived above the clubs, Allen Road, Gladstone, Cons, Band Club as well as the Co-op hall. Their day hall was in Summerlee Road at the black hut where Dr Segarens premises are now. They could not cook inside the hut obviously as it was wooden.

I remember how they used to march up to there for breakfast, dinner and tea and how they carried their Billy cans with them, as well as tin cups and plates. I can see them in my minds eye now marching down Burton Road and along Wellingborough Road.
I remember how we used to go to a dance there every Wednesday night and they formed a band. The dances finished at eleven at night and there was never any trouble and everyone was well behaved.

When we were married we lived at Banks Terrace on the green opposite Farrows wall. The rent when we lived at Banks Terrace was six shillings and two pence and Mr. Tilley from Higham Ferrers who owned the property used to come and collect the rent on a Friday night.

Our back door was in the entry and we had no garden at all. In my kitchen was a copper and a gas cooker but no sink but what was called a scrub top table where we had to dry our pots and pans and we washed up in a bowl. We boiled up kettles. The toilets were right down the yard down a slope with one on each side and we got our water from a tap in the back yard. We had a tin bath in the back room and we used to have to bail it out with buckets after a bath, as it was too heavy to lift. I boiled a bucket of nappies in lux flakes in a copper and it would take a good part of the morning. I was at home with my child for four years before returning to work. My husband was in Rushden Sanatorium for six months when my baby was two as he had T.B.

Mr. Dunkley the Housing Officer helped us to get the house in Eastfield Crescent and we lived there for thirty six years.
Close to Alexander Terrace was Watts Picture Place and pictures were shown three times a week. They also owned places at Burton and Irthlingborough. It was a popular place to go at the time and I think we paid four pence, sixpence, nine pence and a shilling to sit at the back. We used to hear bottles of spruce when they rolled down. One of the Watts was a Projectionist and Glad Blunt worked in the box office and sold the tickets with Joyce Watts.
I remember watching crime does not pay and cartoons such as Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse prior to the showing of the main film. I also remember watching, Jessie James, and Laurel and Hardy. Hob remembers how when he was a young lad of about twelve he had been suffering with toothache so his mum had to give him money to go to Laws Dentist along Wellingborough Road.

As they did not ache when he got there he decided to go to the pictures instead with the money. Unfortunately his teeth had started to ache by the time he got home so he had a good hiding. I remember that there was also a dentist at Bill Underwood’s house in Allen Road and teeth were taken out with a pair of pliers but of course no injections/anesthetic. Later Trolley’s, who owned the factory opposite, moved into the dentist’s house and then Underwood’s who sold fruit and vegetables moved in.
I remember how Mr. Cook, who kept the Band Club, was the first R.A.C man. He wore a blue uniform, peaked cap and had a white belt similar to something Boy’s Brigade used to wear. His job was to direct the traffic. He would be working at the crossroads directing the traffic from seven thirty in the morning until teatime.
I can also recall big shire horses working along Thrapston Road fetching enormous tree trunks fastened on a cart with thick chains. We used to go and watch at teatimes when they were returning home and they used to have to make the horses go.
In Dunkley’s house worked Maud who was responsible for cleaning the black lead. The Dunkley’s were Methodists who regularly attended church and they were a big family of brothers and sisters .I remember also Dunkley’s wood yard.