Reference
X962/R22
Title
Interview with Olive Wright, born 8 December 1925, Leighton Buzzard. Grandfather worked in sandpits. Interviewed by Carmela Semeraro.
Date free text
Interview date 24 February 2009
Production date
From: 2009 To: 2009
Scope and Content
(00 mins)
Unrelated material
(05 mins)
Maiden name Olive Brandon; born 8 December 1924 at 79 South Street, Leighton Buzzard. Grandfather lived with her mother and father there. He worked very hard as a sandpit worker.
(10mins)
Grandfather worked at the Grovebury Road Pit. Years later, Olive and other children swam in the spinney pool and she went fishing with her father in Firbank. They had to wear their very old clothes, since the sand was filthy there. Father was noted for his angling prowess.
(15 mins)
Father once made a News of the World headline for catching a 28-pound pike – the fish of the week.
(20 mins)
Olive had a lovely childhood. She spent most of it in the Yard – shared by four houses – each with large families; everyone looked after each other’s children
(25 mins)
Someone – Ken’s mum - looked after Olive on Mondays so that her mother could get on with her family’s washing.
Granddad’s name was Moses Brandon – 83 when he died. Her mother had to put up with Granddad’s smoking of Digger Flake tobacco, which he smoked indoors.
(30 mins)
He cut the tobacco from a solid block using his penknife, then sit in the corner and, using a clay pipe, puff away until his smoke filled the room. After he retired, he still went out each day and only returned at night to sleep.
(35 mins)
Olive’s father – the only son – was a wonderful man who would do anything for anybody. He was a sales representative for Browns Implements (Lake St, Leighton Buzzard.) Travelled to a different market every day, taking orders from farmers, who never wanted to part with money.
(45 mins)
Attended St. Andrew’s School, round the corner, then Mary Bassett School, a long walk from home. Still had to return at midday for a meal. Did not really enjoy school – feared the teachers who used corporal punishment. Miss Waddel (or Wardell), her cookery teacher, was terrible.
Later in life, her son worked in Saudi Arabia, which imported sand from Leighton Buzzard for building purposes.
(65 mins)
End of interview
Summarised by Stuart Antrobus (29 November 2009)
Exent
65 minutes
Format
Wave Sound file
Reference
Level of description
item