Bedfordshire Archives Service Catalogue
  • Reference
    Z1205/166
  • Title
    Female. Office worker, London Brick Co. b. 15.11.1930 SIDE A (00 mins)Born in Bedford. Paternal grandparents had kept Old Castle pub in Mill Street before her Father was born then moved to Queens Park. Family moved to Stewartby when she was five. Maternal grandmother, originally form near Hitchin, Herts, lived near Cauldwell St. Bedford. She was a cook. Lived to 95 years. (05 mins)Cooked for families with big houses in Bedford. Husband died in a pony and trap accident. She supported herself by cooking and taking in washing. Interviewee was only child. Mother worked on the R101 airship at Cardington before marriage. During Second World War, she did voluntary Air Raid Precautions work. (10 mins)When Mother married her husband insisted on her stopping paid work. Father worked on the railway but left when there was a strike in 1930. Joined brickworks and moved to company house in new Stewartby village. (15 mins)He was a dumper driver and when the Second World War started he went into the engineering department as a crane driver and then to work on the tanks which were repaired there, until her retired. He was a keen snooker and billiard player at the club in Stewartby and used to take part in tournaments. He was on the Club committee. Women's Institute was very active and mother was a member. Monthly payment to a Nursing Association for medical assistance, pre-National Health Service. Forders Villas were the oldest part of the village. (20 mins)Mother was an ARP leader during war. Trained others in using a stirrup pump and sand to put out fire bombs. A German plane did machine gun the village main road. Villagers used to think that the German bombers used London brick chimneys as a turning point on their nightly raids. Airman and evacuees in village during war. They had one girl called Joan Bridges who shared her bed, since they only had a two-bedroom house. Got on very well. From Walthamstow. Her parents kept a newspaper shop. They came up to Stewartby most weekends to see her. After two years they took her back home because they missed her so much. Their daughter wanted to stay because she loved it in the country. (25 mins)Remembers rationing of sweets. No chocolates or fruit unless you were under 5 years of age. Powdered eggs unless you knew someone who had hens and then you gave them some of your ration coupons for corn to feed them. Growing vegetables at home. Village crowded with soldiers, airmen and evacuees. Lorries collected airmen and soldiers in the morning from billets to their bases and bring them back at night. There was a room in Stewartby club that was turned into somewhere for them to sit and another where they could get tea, coffee and sandwiches. Her mother worked for the Women's Voluntary Service (WVS) there. (30 mins) SIDE B (00 mins)Youth Club in village in wooden hut. Billiards, table tennis, darts, cards, draughts. For 14 year olds upwards. Mrs. Marshall was in charge. Cold drinks and crisps. Wonderful atmosphere. Club was for grownups. Ladies' Room for women and children with comfortable chairs. Only men could buy drinks at the bar. (05 mins)Father used to go on his own to drink. Women tended not to play games but just to socialise. Club steward and his wife lived above the Club. Enjoyed going to school. At senior school, during war, only 4 teachers: Mr. & Mrs. Musket and Mr. & Mrs. James. (10 mins)Would have liked to have been a hairdresser after school but there were no vacancies in her area. Mother's friend was the Welfare Officer for London Brick Co. and there was a vacancy in his office so she was invited to apply. She became office girl. They ran the cinema in Stewartby Hall on Saturday morning and two days in the week. Published the company's magazine, Phorpes News (pun on 4 presses to make a brick). Distribution to all departments of the firm. The Welfare Officer was responsible for all the workers in terms of illness, family problems, and other personnel issues. Later, it was absorbed into a large Personnel Department. (15 mins)Kept records on all workers and worked out their annual bonus, individually. Safety Officer shared office. 15 workers in the department. Worked there for 15 years. £1 a week pay when she started. Gave half to her Mother. (20 mins)Remembers Italian prisoners of war with circles sewn on their backs to mark them off. Class distinction between salaried "staff" and weekly paid "workers"; two separate canteens. Had trouble typing Italian surnames, then translator was employed who spoke better English than her. (25 mins)Mr. Pedley and Fred Pierson would go over to Italy to recruit young men from the south. They would come over and stay at either Hardwick Hostel or Coronation Hostel. Their papers had to be renewed each year by the Home Office. (30 mins)She left the brickyards in 1952 to have a child. End of Side B SIDE A.CONTINUED FROM CS 166C (00 mins)Italians immigrant workers given the jobs that the native English workers did not want to do. They had to stay in hostels but were allowed to leave after so long, with permission. Got married in 1951. (Lost the child she was expecting, when she left in 1952.) Couldn't face going back to Stewartby and facing fellow workers' sympathy. Got a job at Grenada for six year in transport department. After that returned to brickworks at Stewartby, working in Purchase Department for 15 years, making 25 years all together. (05 mins)Telephone and letter office communications when she worked, before faxes and computerisation. 10 workers in Order Department providing all the supplies that everybody at London Brick needed. Husband was in transport (weekly wages). She was salaried staff. She felt that salaried office staff looked down on the workers in the yard and used to argue about it. (10 mins)The Stewart family (owners of London Brick Co.) were very nice people. Mrs. Stewart (later, Lady Stewart) gave her a lift in her car when she (as a girl of 60 had to go into hospital to have her tonsils out. Her mother and Mrs. Stewart were both in the WVS (Women's Voluntary Service). The discrimination between Staff and workers also extended to the allocation of housing in the village. Lived at 3, Pillinge Road for 49 years. As a teenager she played tennis and badminton and attended dances. When she returned to London Brick, she made new friends, since old friends had moved on. Now, in retirement, plays bowls in summer but is otherwise not a sociable person. Doesn't like Bingo so only visits the hall (serving the retirement bungalows) for coffee mornings. Occasional "Mystery" coach trips. (15 mins)Remembers watching the chimneys coming down, by controlled explosion. Until the houses were sold it was a "dying" village, because everyone was the same age. Now there are younger ones - outsiders - and the village is coming back to life. It saved the Junior School. When Hanson took over from London brick, she took redundancy and her husband early retirement. They bought their house. Holidays were out of the question during the war. After the war, they had one week a year staying bed and breakfast on the Welsh coast. Then, since 1970, they have had holidays abroad to Tenerife, Corfu, Greece, Italy, Canada, USA. Likes flying. (20 mins)Have a car now, that they didn't used to have. Moved to Sir Malcolm Stewart's Homes, bungalows in Stewartby proving free accommodation to former brickworkers. Previous house had a large garden, 100 foot long and 30 foot long - now too much for them to look after. There are people around that they know from work days. Very happy there. (25 mins) End of Side A.END OF INTERVIEW Original Interview 85 mins
  • Date free text
    16 October 2002
  • Production date
    From: 1925 To: 2002
  • Reference
  • Level of description
    item
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