Z1205/046

Male. Brickworkers. b. 12.03.1919 SIDE A (00 mins)Childhood in Guernsey, Channel Islands. 5 children. Father worked in market gardening. (05 mins)Tomato growing process. French-Swiss grandmother. (10 mins)Family life. Worked in store from 14, on 12 hour days. (15 mins)Earnings. Pocket money. (20 mins)Tomato growing. Territorial army training. (25 mins)Outbreak of Second World War. Joined army. Island partially evacuated. (30 mins)Army experience. (32 mins)End of Side A Side B(Material not relating to Marston Vale) (00 mins)North African campaign. Captured. Prisoner of war. Transfer to Italy, then Stalag 4B camp in Germany. (32 mins)End of Side B Continued on CS046C2 SIDE A (00 mins)Life as a prisoner of war in Germany during Second World (05 mins)Hearing about end of war through amateur wireless. Russians approached camp. German guards left hurriedly. Records left behind. (10 mins)Return to England. (15 mins)Leave from army then move to Marston Camp (20 mins)Prefab houses, sections stored at Elstow. Demobilisation in February 1946. (25 mins)"Demob suit". Return to Channel Islands. (32 mins)End of Side A Side B (00 mins)Marriage to Marston woman in 1946. Lived with sister in Guernsey. Adopted her son. Wife didn't like life there. Moved back to Marston. Worked at Eastwoods brickworks. (05 mins)Heavy work labouring as shunter. (10 mins)Difficulty at finding housing. Move to work as setter at Marston Valley brickworks. (15 mins)Learning to stack bricks (20 mins)Move to work as fitter's mate at London Brick Co. brickworks at Stewartby. (25 mins)Pride in brickworkers. Wife left home and husband left with four young children to raise. Difficulties getting housekeeper. End of side B SIDE AContinued from CS046C2 (00 mins)Family difficulties. Redundancy. Moved to Canada. Disappointing experience. Return to Stewartby as fitter. Retirement. Children marrying. (06.5 mins)Closure of brickworks. New housing in Marston. (10.2 mins)Concern regarding shortage of affordable housing locally. His perception of Stewartby lake water sports as being for the "moneyed" classes. (20 mins) End of Interview Original Interview 140 mins.

12 September 2001

From: 1915 To: 2001

item

Eastwood & Co.,
London Brick Company,
Marston Valley Brickworks

market gardening, child labour, tomatoes, Territorial Army, World War Two, evacuees, National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939, prisoners of war, Russians, radio, lodging houses, demobilisation, adoption, brick worker, fitter, housekeeper, HOUSING, water skiing, unemployed, class issues, Guernsey, North Africa, Italy, Germany, MARSTON MORETAINE, ELSTOW, STEWARTBY, Canada