Memories are made of this

Mrs Dartnell.

Our parents came from St.Neots and worked in the paper mills I was born at 14 Banks Terrace which was on the green itself and opposite the Infants School. There were eight children in my family and I was the fourth. There were two older brothers and a sister.
Father worked at Shelton’s butchers in Regent Street then he went on to work at the iron stone mines up near the park. Prior to marriage my mother worked in service in London.

After Finedon Infants I went to the Junior School. Miss Bollard and Miss Drew were the teachers at the Junior School.
I left school at 14 and worked at Pearson’s on Wellingborough Road where my job was ink dobbing and gluing. I then went on to Rockleigh shoe factory in 1932 where I was a machinist. I also worked in the packing room in Rock Road.

During the war we were employed making army and naval uppers. I also had to do fire watch at the factory voluntarily once a week. I lived in Wellingborough then and the last bus home was at nine o’clock. I remember when the bomb was dropped on Thrapston Road and they were machine gunning as they went overhead. Mum would never go to bed when the siren went off.

I was twenty seven when I married. I met my husband along Market Street Wellingborough. We got married at the Independent Wesleyan church in 1941.I wore a pink dress and a hat and my sister was my bridesmaid. I got married on the same day, as Doris Knowles was married she then went to live in Canada.
I was thirty when I had my first child Graham who now lives in Earls Barton. I then had Philip in 1947. I remember shops like Jim Bowles cycle shop, next to Bowles was the Dolben pub and then there was Reg Goodman’s paper shop then Piggott’s the haberdashery then Wilks then Underwood’s the fruit and vegetable shop. On the opposite side of the road was the fish shop owned by the Underwood brothers. On the corner of Affleck Bridge was a butchers shop. Monica Bridges father had a bake house on the corner of Well Street; there were also three terrace houses there and I think Doris Odell lived in one. There was another bake house down Regent Street owned by Manning’s. Where John Baileys house is was Plackets Yard, Albion Yard was down Regent Street and Parkers Yard near the hairdressers. Bobby’s entry was where the council bungalows are now. Blissets shop on Well Street was opposite the green bank; Mrs Billington had a sweet shop. Issetts, Leaches and Underwood’s were all fish shops. Pell’s Store was on the corner of Allen Road.

I remember our first TV was a Ferranti with two doors at the front; when the Coronation was on everyone in Cromer Road crowded in. When the Coronation celebrations were on Philip was six and all the children had a mug. Our first car was a standard ten in 1956, which was part of the triumph group. I did not have a washing machine until 1952 and it was a Hoover.

For most holidays we went to Margate. Leisure activities usually meant going to the Allen Road Club or the Dolben. I used to love going to the Towns Women’s Guild.
My husband worked out of town mostly but he did work for Gammidges for two years. I think that it is awful that the shoe factories have gone also Ideal Clothiers.
I used to be able to leave the door open and the rent money on the table but not anymore as everything has to be locked up.
My son Graham used to belong to the Finedon Star boys club run by Father Mathews also Roger Chapman. Frankie Vaughan was there once presenting awards (John Cole’s) mum did the teas.
Frank and Mrs Binley used to live in the house next door. Graham played football for the Mulso School then the Wesleyans.