Reference
X962/T13
Title
Transcript of Interview with Kenneth Frederick Webb, born 20 May 1924, Leighton Buzzard. His father, grandfather an uncle worked in the sand industry. Interviewed by Carmela Semeraro.
Date free text
Date of interview 11 August 2008
Production date
From: 2008 To: 2008
Scope and Content
(00 mins)
Born at 36 Thomas Street, Heath and Reach – mother from Stanbridge, father born at Sandpit Cottage, Heath and Reach – father worked in a sandpit there – except when taking part in First World War in France and Germany.
Grandfather – Thomas Webb - also worked in sandpits – very hard – had a brother up Pinkles Hill. Had a pint at the pub in Heath and Reach every night – was also agent for Kays catalogue – the clothing and shoes suppliers – to earn extra money.
(05 mins)
One night – after leaving pub – very dark and foggy – tripped over bags of soot – got covered black with soot – nearly frightened grandmother to death when he appeared. Grandfather was a dobber – labourer digging out sand and breaking sandstone at Twenty One Acre pit –also ironstone –very hard and shiny.
Kenneth used, as child, to collect fossils – including seashell fossils as big as two hands in width - later lost interest and got rid of them. Grandfather gave Kenneth multi-coloured sandstone – red, blue, white, even black – collected in big glass jar – each layer a different colour. Kenneth used to swim in the crystal clear water which appeared in the Double Arches pit.
(10 mins)
Fresh water – families of workers swam there. Grandfather had two brothers – all small men – one was a Salvation Army member – very religious. Grandfather died in 1942/3. Grandmother – had large family of ten children - 5 boys, 5 girls – in old farmhouse cottage – made of sandstone and bricks – Sandpit Cottage.
(15 mins)
Cottage situated where the light railway workshops are now – where Stonehenge Brickworks were – used German machinery – Germans came over before the war to maintain it. Cottage had vegetable garden at back – flower garden at the side - a wooden shed called ‘the bungalow’ – behind that grandmother kept laying hens – Kenneth would always be given half a dozen eggs whenever he visited. Also raised a few lambs. Breakfast cereals in Kenneth’s childhood were Kellogg’s cornflakes and ‘Welgar’ Shredded Wheat (made in Welwyn Garden City). When grandfather died, grandmother married again in her later years.
(20 mins)
Kenneth’s younger brother worked as a mechanic repairing the diesel engines serving the sandpits – brilliant at engineering. Always had his own car and repaired it himself. Kenneth’s father – born 1900 - went to school at Potsgrove then, when it closed, went to Heath and Reach school – left aged fourteen years – went to work in the quarries – was conscripted into the army during the First World War – served in France and Germany. During Second World War – Kenneth – in Royal Air Force - ended up in the Cologne area – where his Father had served 20 years earlier. Father got married – aged about 24 to woman of same age – maiden name Mabel Edith Tearle, from Stanbridge. During the war years – [1914-1918] – worked at Chaul End munitions factory in Dunstable – making detonators.
(25 mins)
The young women working there wore special clothing because of the explosives they were working with. Father had an old motorbike and came across his wife-to-be in the Stanbridge area – they got married at Heath and Reach Church, as did Kenneth. Two of Ken’s uncles emigrated to Canada when they were 17 or 18 years old and did well – one became a bank manager in Toronto, one worked for the Hudson Bay Trapping Company, then farmed on the borders of Alberta and British Columbia - they returned to England a few times – Uncle Joe’s son (Ken’s cousin) was in the Canadian Ordnance Corps in England during the Second World War.
(30 mins)
Father worked mostly at Double Arches quarry – as Foreman – “what he didn’t’ know about sand was nobody’s business” – two big diesel engines – drying sheds – rotary dryer – at Arnold’s – cycled to work – many workers walked to work over the fields – Kenneth took lunch to his father during the summer school holidays. When Kenneth left school – he went into engineering
(35 mins)
Ken’s younger brother – worked on farm, then entered the Army, then road repairs for the local Council – finally worked on railways. Father finished work aged 65 years – more mechanisation by the end of his time in the sand industry – diesel locomotive engines pulling trucks, - a screening process done by machinery – previously dobbers threw sand against a screen held at the side of the wagons – to remove small stones – hard work – sand very hot in the summer. Father only lived three years after retirement – life possibly shortened by experiences during the First World War. Ken’s wartime work – Rainy (?) Works, Grovebury Road – workers from many nationalities – Belgian, Czech, \Polish – refugees – an interpreter helped communication – making armaments
(40 mins)
Factory closed down after war. ‘Dunstable Flyer’ mainline railway service from Dunstable to Leighton Buzzard. Now no longer there. Kenneth started engineering apprenticeship – then war started – sent to Holland and Germany – 1945-46. Trained and joined RAF police – was in Hamburg vice squad dealing with brothels – in Special Investigation Squad (S.I.B.) in Hanover – ended in Cologne by the river –‘baby bridge’ constructed by the army – the only crossing after destruction of wartime – 1000 bombing raids by British bombers on Cologne during towards the end of the war – the equivalent of the German raids on Coventry.
(45 mins)
Coventry air raids could be heard in Leighton Buzzard. Some bombs dropped in the Heath and Reach area during the Second World War – Leighton Buzzard had a radar station and RAF station (which may have been targets) – army personnel camped in woods in Stockgrove Park – commando training in quarries early in war. German prisoners of war worked in quarries – and some on the land, locally up Hockliffe Road. Hutment hostel on Hockliffe Road originally held Italian prisoners of war (POWs), then members of Women’s Land Army (civilian field workers). Some Italian POWs held near Wing. One women killed by enemy bombs in Sylvester Street.
(50 mins)
If bomb had dropped 3-4,000 yards further on – would have hit local primary school – windows of houses blasted out – diesel bombs dropped in local woods – one bomb dropped on thatched cottage and it acted like a cushion and the fire bomb bounced off into a neighbouring field. Kenneth could see the enemy pilot and gunners when a German plane flew low over rooftops one day – he was 15 or 16 – flew straight towards Fox and Hounds pub – then turned towards Dunstable and bombed A5 road. Kenneth was in the Police Messenger Service – using his bicycle – travelling from Heath and Reach to Leighton Buzzard police station. Fire bomb landed on front step of police station one day.
(55 mins)
Two British Spitfire fighter aircraft shot the German plane down along the A5 to Dunstable. Two large holes in the ground where the bombs had dropped in Heath and Reach. One day the policeman’s son got killed accidentally – boys found live hand grenade and pulled out the pin – blew him to pieces and injured another boy. Kenneth in army for three years – then got married in June 1946. Americans dropped atomic bomb on Japan and war ended in 1945 [16 August] – came home in October.
(1 hr)
Got married on his wife’s birthday – honeymoon in friend’s small cottage at St. Leonard’s-on-Sea, Hastings - then returned to British army in occupied Germany –demobbed a few months later in Manchester – home for Christmas – surprised his wife on his return
(1 hr. 5 mins)
Got job on building site then joined Foundry Equipment, Leighton Buzzard (where Tesco’s supermarket is now) – went out and installed equipment at foundries and also serviced them – all over country – Manchester, the Midlands – Rolls Royce aero engine works at Derby – excellent wages – travel allowance – for six years until wife got fed up with his absences. Moved to Vauxhall Motors at Luton – worked on gears for cars and lorries – got on well – 20,000 employees worked there –worked there for 28 years – then opportunity to leave
(1hr. 10 mins)
Took lumps sum and pension. Had been offered Manager’s job but turned it down – too much worry attached to it – took odd engineering work in Leighton Buzzard – then (part-time) car park attendant at Waitrose store in town until age 70. Had a good life – interesting experiences including in the armed forces – memories of some people committing suicide while in army – one serviceman was unfaithful to his wife with a German woman – contracted venereal disease – gave it to his wife – shot himself by putting a rifle in his mouth. Another flight sergeant shot himself with a revolver.
(1 hr. 15 mins)
Kenneth’s son has a farm – 200-300 pigs – used to help him there – helping mix concrete for concrete blocks – put in water pipes for feeding cattle. Used to do his own decorating – little cottage down Water Lane when first married – put in new fireplace – wife was brilliant at wallpapering and decorating – she was also champion high jumper for Bedfordshire schools – very athletic – ran like a greyhound.
(1 hr. 20 mins) End of interview
Summarised by Stuart Antrobus (11 March 2009)
Format
Microsoft Word File
The Greensand Trust
Leighton Buzzard Library
Reference
Level of description
item