Z1205/052

Female. Family moved into area from Blackburn for work. b. 23.05.1931 SIDE A (00 mins)Infancy in Blackburn. Family moved south to Bedfordshire for work in late 1930s. Cotton mills of Lancashire. (05 mins)Early memories of Blackburn. Only child. (10 mins)Father worked at Lidlington yard for Marston Valley brickworks from 1938. Then moved into bar stewarding. (15 mins)Lived in Ampthill as extended family. Moved to Marston. Primary school in village. (20 mins)Boy drowned in brickfield knot hole. Train service to Stewartby to attend secondary school. Left at 14 to train as hairdresser in Bedford. Father took over Moretaine Arms by railway station. Hundreds of soldiers based locally during Second World War. (25 mins)Father ran bar at Winfield Club, Ampthill. Primitive beer stills; no pumps. Father also ran dance band locally and sang. (30 mins)Felt safe as a girl on licensed premises, despite presence of hundreds of men. (32 mins)End of Side A SIDE B (00 mins)Ballroom dancing. Wartime smoke screens to create fog above Ampthill and minimise bomb damage form air raids. Married an Ampthill man and lived at the family newsagent's shop. (05 mins)Parents at Winfield Club 1947 - 1952, then moved to Bedford and another club. Then returned to run "Ossory Arms" pub in Ampthill. (10 mins)End of Side B END OF INTERVIEW Original interview 40 mins

3 October 2001

From: 1925 To: 2001

item

MILLS, stewardship, primary schools, hairdressers, public houses, World War Two, soldier, DANCE, air raids over UK, newsagent, Ampthill Ossory Arms, Blackburn, Lancashire, LIDLINGTON, AMPTHILL, MARSTON MORETAINE, STEWARTBY