|
When I arrived back at Wellington St. it was as if time
had stood still, nothing had changed, there was a live-in
kitchen with lino on the floor and a brodded rug before
the Yorkist fire place, a white pot sink with a single cold
tap, a kitchen cabinet which had a sort of drop down table
for preparing food , together with drawers and cupboards,
it was the latest thing in kitchen fittings. In the best
room which was only used on Sundays, specially in winter
because people could not afford to have two fires going,
there was a carpet square, with a lino surround, a rexine
three piece suite and a display cabinet with glass doors
containing all the best china and glass ware. We still had-gas
lighting down stairs up stairs we had to use candles. The
bedrooms had lino on the floor with a little mat at the
side of the bed, in the best bedroom they had a utility
bedroom suite which was a sort of basic wardrobe and dressing
table.
Life was grim there was still lots of things in short supply
and although there was plenty of work wages were low and
most people, even those with good jobs like office workers
were only a week from the workhouse. People had to save
up for a weeks holiday. Most towns had a holiday week in
which the whole town shut down and every one went off to
the seaside, Scarborough and Bridlington were the most popular.
You stayed in one of the rows upon rows of boarding houses,
some of the landladies were dragons, no keys to the front
door which were often locked at 10.30, the food was basic
and it made you wonder where all the lettuce served with
half a tomato came from. Once you found a good one you went
back year after year.
Well to get back to Wellington St. My Grandparents had
died so my brother Bob who had also been in the Navy came
home to live with us, I was expecting to pick up some money
from my Dad because when I joined the Navy out of my fifteen
bob a week pay I allowed my father five shilling a week,
the government then made it up to ten shillings. We had
agreed that he would save this money for me, but he said
he was very sorry but times had been hard and they had spent
all my money.
I did not want to go back to the mill, so I got a job as
a conductor and later a bus driver with the Yorkshire Woollen
Bus Co. Bob got a job with an estate agent and auctioneer
in Dewsbury. In order to be near our work and to ease the
over crowding at Birkenshaw, Bob and I rented a house together
at Batley.
The house was at the top of King Edward St. only two streets
away from Taylor St. so it was like going back home, it
was an old house but it had been fitted with electric light
and had a bathroom, Bob was able to get some furniture from
the auction room together with a wind up gramophone. With
only two people to feed and two full wages I suppose we
were better off than average, we were able to buy things
like gramophone records, we ended up with a large collection
with people like Bing Crosby, Benny Goodman, Glen Miller,
Fats Waller and Louis Armstrong.
At first you had to change the needle for each record and
then a needle was made that played about ten records. and
as for the sound box or pick up when we were able to buy
an electric pick up, fit it to the wind up gram. and then
plug it into the electric radio this was the very start
of neighbours knocking on the wall.
Each town had a strong man and Batley had a bloke called
Bumper Ellis, well one night Bob and I together with a mate
of his from work were walking on the main street on our
way home when we bumped into Bumper and he asked what time
it was, this mate of Bobs was a bit cocky and replied that
it was time he bought a watch, well Bumper had him up against
a wall before you could blink an eye as they say, Bob and
I grabbed Bumper and pulled him off, he let go of Bobs mate
and grabbed our Bob. when I tried to get Bob free he let
go of Bob and got me. Lucky for us Bumper was drunk and
we got away in the end with only a few bruisers.
|
