Bedfordshire Archives Service Catalogue
  • Reference
    Z1205/109
  • Title
    Male. Irish immigrant. Driver and checker at brickworks. b. 04.11.1925 Side A (00 mins)Born in Waterford, Ireland. Moved to west of Ireland, Kerry area, when he was 7. Schooling there all in Gaelic. Father a bus driver. More "Irish" republican there, than "English" in Waterford. Friendly, supportive, close community. Arrangements for discipline of children. (05 mins)Gender differences. (Maternal) Grandmother - secret drinker. Bars were all-male provinces. Anti-Waterford attitude from Cork men. (10 mins)(Maternal) Grandfather was a merchant seamen, serving out of Cork to Liverpool and Bristol.(Paternal) grandfather worked in bacon factories. He had served in the British air force during the First World War. (15 mins)Outbreak of typhoid fever in Cork killed his father, Christmas eve, 1938. At that time, it was assumed that young people would have to move to England to get work. Reflects on return visits to Ireland in recent years. (20 mins)Came to England, December 1945 as a transit worker to work as a brickworker. (25 mins)Sent to Marston Valley Company. Offered lodgings in Brogborough. Given subsistence allowance and 3 vouchers for visits to Ireland per year. (32 mins)End of Side A Side B Use of Displaced Persons from Eastern Europe at brick fields after Second World War -Poles, Yugoslavs, Croats, etc. He was appointed to supervise 12 German prisoners of war. Initially put on management Traineeship at Ridgmont but after an argument with a colleague,got sent down the clay pit. Technical knowledge of German POWs - all submariners - was superior to his but they looked to him for leadership. (05 mins) Remembers incident, after the end of the war, when German planes were being flown back to Cranfield for examination. German POWs saw them flying over and were in tears. German POWs refused to do some work in a flooded pit until they were provided with wellingtons. (10 mins)Unofficial fraternization with German POWs. Dressed some German men in English men's suits and took them out to Cranfield cinema to see a film. Turned out to be a First World War film. Naturally, the Germans cheered the German pilots in a "dog fight" in the air and alerted the audience to their presence in the audience. One German POW fell in love with English farmer's daughter. Farmer bought them a small-holding in Oakley. (15 mins)After 25 years in the pit was sent back up to the brick yard. Reflections on how he misses the daily resolution of worker's problems. (20 mins)Examples of amusing incidents with workers. (25 mins)Pit piece work scheme. Gangs of 18 men. Changes in handling of bricks. (32 mins)End of Side B Continued on CS109C2 Side A (00 mins)Women workers at Marston Valley brick works during Second World War. Fraternization with German soldiers after the war. (05 mins)Influence of Catholic landlady in Marstone. (10 mins)Irish community here. Donation of bricks to Catholic church. Kindly treatment of elderly Irish by Works Manager. (15 mins)Marriage to childhood friend from Waterford. She got job, cleaning at Bedford Hospital. He always worked on highest pay rate work in brickworks, doing extra work at weekends. Raised five children and sent them to college. (20 mins)Yugoslav worker with drink problem. (25 mins)Fatal accident. Young Italian worker. Brother drowned, swimming in newly-flooded clay pit at Woburn Sands. (32 mins)End of Side A Side B (00 mins)Eastwood's brickworks at Woburn Sands, closed before Second World War. Old pit flooded and now Vauxhall's fishing club site. (05 mins)Union activities at brick works. (10 mins)Changes in working practises. Treatment of French-Algerian driver who arrived, without a union card, to collect bricks for French home. (15 mins)The role of checkers. Tragic consequences for Yugoslavian displaced persons, working in brickworks. Suicides, following General Tito's announcement that they would not be allowed back into their home country. Sad story of elderly couple re-united after over 25 years. (20 mins)Experience of Croatian worker following 1990s warfare in the Balkans. (25 mins)Language problems at work. Italian workers learning English language with Bedford accent and idioms. (30 mins)Amusing story about the mice problem under their hut in clay pit. Good relationship between nationalities. Side AContinued from CS109C2 (00 mins)Discussion of an aerial photograph (scanned into archive) showing Marston Valley Co. No. 1 Pit in c.1932. Outline of London Brick Company's manoeuvre in buying up land around Marston Valley's Pit No. 2 at Ridgmont, thus depriving it of access to the immediate clay resources. Marston Valley reacted by buying land around London Brick's circle of ownership. (05 mins)Marston Valley Co. opened Brogborough clay pit to supply clay for Ridgmont factory but ended up also supplying Pit No.1 at Marston, as they ran out of clay there. (15 mins)End of Side A End of Interview Original interview 135 mins
  • Date free text
    13 March 2002
  • Production date
    From: 1920 To: 2002
  • Reference
  • Level of description
    item
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