Z1205/134

Male. Setter and transport driver, London Brick Works. Ukrainian / Polish immigrant b. 16.05.1925 SIDE A (00 mins)Born in Salowa, Lvov, Poland / Ukraine border. Father worked for the large farm of Lord Potowski. Two brothers. (05 mins)Two sisters and two stepsisters by another woman. Mother died having another child, when he was 14. Father brought the other woman in to their house then, to join her children. Grandmother lived with them. Father owned their house and land. Grew potatoes, rye, barley, sugar beet. During Second World War made sweetener for coffee by boiling sugar beet. (10 mins)Only kept horses in the summer - took money to feed them in the winter. Shared them with a smaller farm, pair ploughing together. 2 cows, 2 or 3 pigs, chickens, geese, ducks. Father paid part in money and part in mixed corn each year. Could manage before the war but struggled during the war. Mother worked in the fields all the time. Father worked from 5 am, for 12 hours. Women worked with sickles in the field. (15 mins)As a boy had to help on the farm, wood chopping at 13 cleaning the yard and stable before then. Strict father. Morning school in the elementary village. 6 years at school. Left aged 14 years. (20 mins)He was Polish but more Ukraines in his village. Spoke both languages but mainly Ukrainian with friends and at home. (25 mins)Russians invaded from the east in 1939 and stayed until 1941. The Germans invaded in 1941. They took him to Austria to work on the land, aged 16. There from 1942 to 1945, in place of the farmer, who was in the army. (32 mins)End of Side A SIDE A (00mins)In trouble with local police while in Austria. (05 mins)Corresponded with his parents during the war. Arrival of English soldiers marked end of war for him. He had choice of either gong home or joining the English army in Italy. (10 mins)Didn't fancy returning home since the Russians occupied his country. Didn't return home until 1992. Joined the Second Corps. in Bologna for training for service in Africa. (15 mins)Saw destruction of Italy on the way to Rome. Was in Italy for 18 months. Regiment returned to England. Life miserable, still on rations after war. (20mins)Joined a carpenters course near Folkestsone. Then did fitters course in Norfolk and ended at Colchester barracks. Became civilian and was offered job by London Brick Co. in brickworks at Stewartby. Hostel at Kempston Hardwick was centrally heated. (25 mins)Chose to stay in England, rather than to go to America or Australia, so that he was closer to Poland. Married an English girl when he was 26 and she was 21. Didn't like working nights so moved, after 3 years, to work on the railway. (30 mins)Pay was bad on the railway. Left after "ups and downs" with a foreman. (32 mins) End of Side B.CONTINUED ON CS134C2 SIDE A (00 mins)Used to hard work but work in factory was harder than on a farm. Stacking bricks in kiln chambers. (05 mins)Details of working practices in the kilns. (10 mins)Hostel rent of 30/- (£1.50) taken from wages. £6+ per week on piece work £2 more than ordinary worker). Went to cinemas and dances and improved English through films. No time for formal English lessons. Liked reading history books. (15 mins)Spent 2 ½ years on setting bricks. Moved to work for Meltis (sweet manufacturer). Worked with other Polish people. Married in August 1952. Had to return to Stewartby to earn more money. (20mins)All his family worked for London Brick. Over 1000 people employed at that time (1950s). Demand for bricks high, due to the development of new towns - Stevenage, Harlow. "All Marston Valley was busy". Remembers seeing an advert, saying "London brick - the biggest brickyard in the world". Became a lorry driver. (25 mins)Courted for 5 years, married and rented two rooms in a Stewartby house. Then bought a house in Elstow but sold it and came to live with mother-in-law with his two children. A year later, rented a new house at 12 shillings a week and all repairs done immediately. When London Brick sold all their houses in Stewartby they bought a 3-bedroomed house for £12,650 in 1984. (32 mins)End of Side A SIDE B (00 mins)House now worth £140,000 (2002). They are entitled to move to an Old People's bungalow, having worked for London Brick for 36 years. Very happy living in Stewartby. His mother died when she was 36, before the war. (05 mins)Returned to Poland in 1969, and the village women cried when he went back, exactly 50 years from when he'd left. He went back four times. (10 mins)Remembers a large fire in his village when he was 10 years old ; 33 burnt down. He had six sisters and auntie and cousins. (15 mins)Emotional meeting with childhood friends. (20 mins)He is comfortable here so doesn't wish to return to live in Poland. Liked driving across Europe in a car, seeing all the countries. (25 mins)Took redundancy from transport in 1985 when he was sixty. He enjoyed delivering bricks but not getting up at 4.30am. Then worked as a private postman for London brick, between their various yards, which he did for 11 ½ yrs. (32 mins)End of Side B END OF INTERVIEW. Original Interview 120 mins.

15 May 2002

From: 1920 To: 2002

item

London Brick Company,
Meltis Limited

brick worker, lorry driver, World War Two, sugar beet, vegetables, horses, animals, farm animals, farmer, employment of women, child labour, LANGUAGE, Ukrainians, Polish, Russians, Germans, British Army, rationing, carpenter, railman, wages/conditions, dancing, cinema, LANGUAGE, Sir Malcolm Stewart Trust, postman, TRANSPORT, Ukraine, Poland, STEWARTBY, Austria, Italy, Bologna, Africa, Rome, Folkestone, Norfolk, Colchester, Kempston Hardwick, ELSTOW, HOUSING