Z1205/075

Male driver for Marston Valley brickworks b. 08.06.1926 SIDE A (00 mins)Upbringing in Carlton. Father instructor at approved school for teenage delinquents. Harsh treatment from father. (05 mins)Sister died, aged 7. Boys at the residential school were sometimes orphans, rather than offenders. (10 mins)Attended Turvey School before the Second World War. Then Harold School. Leather works in Harold. Father's parents from Cumberland. (15 mins)Mother from Northampton. Father insisted in sons becoming engineers, like him. (20 mins)Joined W.H. Allens, engineering firm in Bedford, aged 15. Women worked there during war and made live him. Stayed on 12 months. Moved to garage work without telling father. (25 mins)Wartime courting, when the American forces were here. Left garage to earn more on a bread delivery round. Wartime fraud & profiteers. (30 mins)Joined army. Driver mechanic with R.E.M.E. Joined occupation army on the continent. (32 mins)End of Side A SIDE B (00 mins)Enjoyed life in army. Bread prices remained steady. (05 mins)After war, got job as driver with Marston Valley Co., delivering bricks. Strict transport manager. Large fleet of lorries. (10 mins)Coach service for brickyard workers. Size of lorries and brick capacity. (15 mins)Two-day trips delivering bricks to distant locations, usually south or south-west. (20 mins)Incidents while away from factory (25 mins)200+ drivers with Marston Valley Co. Preferred job when less traffic on roads & less speed. Feels productivity emphasis ruined satisfaction at work. Got to know geography of southern Britain well. End of side A Continued on CS075C2 SIDE A (00 mins)Preferred driving non-motorway routes, wherever possible. Accidents (10 mins)Size & brick capacity of various lorries. (15 mins)Favourite Manager. Unofficial payments on building sites to unload the delivered bricks. (20 mins)The art of unloading bricks from a lorry. The problem of brick dust. Rubber protection of hands when loading and unloading bricks. Unhygienic hostel accommodation for lorry drivers on the road (25 mins)Took redundancy. Got a driver's job with a plastics firm in Kempston. (32 mins)End of Side A SideB (00 mins)Finally retired aged 68 (05 mins)Wife died. Depression. (08 mins)(Additional material, recorded 14.01.2002) Early driving experiences with Marston Valley Company. Running out of petrol after long-distance journey. (15 mins)Climbing a hill in snowy conditions. Smog's (polluted fogs) in London. Safe driving medals. Loved the job as a driver. Gradual increase in permissible speed for lorries. (30 mins)End of Side B END OF INTERVIEW Original interview 120 mins.

29 November 2001

From: 1920 To: 2001

item

brickworker, delinquency, school teachers, World War Two, Harrold School, engineers, Americans, driver, R.E.M.E., injury, TRANSPORT, motorways, road safety, manager, pollution, lodging houses, unemployed, DEATH, snow, W.H. Sons & Company Limited Allen, Carlton Reformatory, CARLTON, Cumberland, Northampton, London