Z1205/011

Female canteen worker at Stewartby brickyard. b. 12.5.1926 Side A (00 mins)Born Ampthill. Only child. Paternal grandfather from Kempston & mother from Bedford worked for Forders brickworks and then at the gas works in Queens Park, Bedford. His wife was a housewife and a Sunday School teacher. These grandparents were visited every other Sunday afternoon by bus from Ampthill. (5 mins)Maternal grandparents in Bedford, visited Saturdays. He worked for the railways. Paternal grandfather walked from Kempston to the Klondike brickworks. Father worked loading brick lorries. Moved to Stewartby village. (10 mins)Description & rents of Stewartby houses. "Shift about" alternating night-day weeks. (15 mins)Stewartby schools. Swimming pool. Evacuee children staying in Stewartby. (20 mins)Soldiers billeted with family, after evacuees returned. German plane machine-gunning Stewartby. First job after school - brickworks canteen. (25 mins)Soldiers repairing American tanks on brickworks site. Catering for approx. 300 workers / soldiers. Chef from Mansion House, London. First pay. Side B (00 mins)Women workers during the Second World War at Stewartby. (5 mins)German prisoners of war. Displaced person after the war.Marriage, 1946. New London Brick Co. house, 1952 (10 mins)Sir Malcolm Stewart cottages, Stewartby. (15 mins)Stewartby village, once only rented accommodation for brickworkers; now open to all buyers. (20 mins.)End of interview. Original Interview 50 mins

16 May 2001

From: 1920 To: 2001

item

London Brick Company,
Forders Limited

gas works, household accounts, swimming, evacuees, World War Two, air raids over UK, soldier, Americans, wages/conditions, employment of women, prisoners of war, Germans, Sir Malcolm Stewart Trust, STEWARTBY, AMPTHILL, KEMPSTON, Bedford Queen's Park