Who Worked Where When 1945

[computedshorty]

1945 was the year I left school aged 14 to join the East Dulwich workers that managed to find work close at hand and stay in East Dulwich, within walking distance or use bicycle or by tram or bus for just a few pence.

It is just a memory now of the large factories, and places where we all worked, since then 67 years later now they have all gone without a trace.

I can list hundreds of thousands of those workers in the places named.

My own place of work was dictated by my employer Greenaway & Son Building Contractor, although only the office staff worked from Lordship Lane, we once sent to a bombed building would work there until told to go to a new site, so there could be as many as two hundred men based from Lordship Lane.

The former East Dulwich Depot of the Camberwell Borough Council before being amalgamated with Southwark, was at Grove End opposite East Dulwich Station, although a small entrance near the bridge over the road, it opened up to use the space of the length of Coplestone Road, here were buildings that was used to store the many items used in the district, road signs, granite curb stones, sandstone paving slabs, sand, cement, New galvanised Dust bins, railing gates, road tar and chipping. There were many workshops such as the Blacksmiths, Joinery, Paint Shop, Vehicle repair & Maintenance buildings.

There were the many vehicles that were deployed daily from the Depot, the Refuse vehicles not as those used today, but low walk in ones just a foot from the ground, the dust man would go into the dust cart tip his bin behind a steel moveable divider, then as it got filled it would be adjusted forward to take more refuse, the crew had a small compartment behind the drivers cabin., once these carts were filled they went to the depot at Glengall Road Peckham and were tipped in to Barges on the Surrey Canal that were towed to Creek Road Deptford then down the Thames to be dumped out at sea. There were the smaller dust carts with curved covers that collected the leaves from the roads, and collected the sweepings from the various points where road sweepers waited with their bins. Early morning a procession of Road Sweepers emerged from the Depot pushing their double dust bin mounted pushcarts, with the set of broad bass brooms hanging at the side.

The Road repair gangs left to do repairs in the vehicles loaded with sand or granite chippings, a Steam Roller towing a Tar Boiler with a tall metal chimney smoking from the fire below the boiler.

Another Steam Roller towing the Men?s Caravan that served as a shelter and toilet.

A lorry carrying the guard trestles and poles that had to be placed around every open hole.

The lorry towing pneumatic compressor, with the air pipes and hammers.

A lorry that serviced the road name plates washed them or changed them for a newer one, all the street furniture such as poles with signs keep left island illuminated Bollards had a regular wash.

Many of the staff worked away from the Depot and many worked there, I am not sure of the numbers but it must have been 250.

Att pcture of Dust cart but not Camberwell Council

[edhistory]

Excellent stuff, computedshorty.

Perhaps someone could publish a book of your memoirs.

Here's the Grove Vale Depot workforce return for 1 April 1905.

I don't have anything more recent.

John K

[computedshorty]

The Saint Francis Hospital in Saint Francis Road was long ago known as;

The Constance Road workhouse of the Camberwell Union opened in 1895 with 898 inmates. It became the Constance Road

Institution, caring for unmarried mothers, the handicapped, the elderly and the mentally ill.

In 1930 the LCC took control of the administration and, in 1937, the Institution was renamed St Francis' Hospital.

During WW2, on the evening of 12th July 1944 a V1 flying bomb impacted on the west side of the Hospital. The boiler house was demolished and several Hospital buildings were damaged.

In 1948 it was incorporated into the NHS under the control of the Camberwell Hospital Management Committee, which also ran St Giles Hospital and Dulwich Hospitals. St Francis' Hospital joined the King's College Teaching Group in 1966 and, following yet another reorganisation in 1974, became part of the Camberwell Health Authority.

In 1984 it became the north wing of the Dulwich Hospital, It closed in 1991 and services moved to Dulwich Hospital or King's College Hospital.

Present status (January 2008) The site was sold for redevelopment and the Hospital buildings were demolished in 1993.

There is now a housing estate.

The 898 Inmates or Patients had to have a very large staff to look after all of those would be about 500 people, including Doctors Nurses, Porters, Boiler and heating staff, the Cooks who prepared the meals, the Laundry staff washed all the soiled linen and bedding, and uniforms.

The Picture att. is taken from near the Dulwich Hamlet Ground is now, showing East Dulwich Hospital in the Background.

There was a Tunnel under the Railway track joining the two Hospitals, this saved time going by road, the stretchers on wheels had large pnumatic tyres to cushion to ride on the uneven pathway.

[computedshorty]

East Dulwich Station.

The station was named Champion Hill when it first opened in 1868. It stands where Grove Vale meets Dog Kennel Hill.

It was later changed to East Dulwich Station as it got confused with Denmark Hill Station.

The Station Staff of about twenty included Station Master, Porters, Booking Office Clerks, Signalmen, and many workers in the goods siding, unloading Coal, Sand,, Cement Bags, Timber, Bricks, Corrugated Iron sheets that formed Anderson Shelters.

This branch of line into the sidings was used to bring wounded soldiers from World War Two to Dulwich Hospital as the line had passed near Dulwich Hospital to have the casualties taken back along the short distance.

I understand that during the night trains did not run, so the train carrying the wounded could stop outside the back of Dulwich Hospital. There is a high embankment just here but a ramp had been made.

The Coal wagons were unloaded by the local coal merchants by filling and weighing the large canvas sacks, and dragging them into the backed up horse drawn carts that were about the same height, when the cart was loaded the coalman toured the streets to sell the coal, but had to avoid trying to climb up Lordship Lane by going up Barry Road.

A lot of the goods were collected by Companies on their own transport, or most used the local Building Merchants Lorries and Tippers that were painted Red bearing the name of HALL & CO, who had a large depot and material stockyard where the fleet of lorries would be parked at night.

Their depot was in Grove Vale near Oglander Road .

They might have employed forty men.

[edhistory]

Here's a photo of the goods yard.

Any thoughts about that book?

John K

[computedshorty]

The places remain in my memory so I put them together.

[computedshorty]

I might be able to make a book of my piotures

[Huguenot]

Use Blurb.

http://www.blurb.com/

?20 to create the book. It will be available to reprint for eternity then ;)

[computedshorty]

Public Baths on East Dulwich Road.

Public baths and wash houses, now converted to leisure centre.

Built 1890-1892. By Spalding and Cross. Red brick with stone dressings. Panel with lettering "Dulwich Public Baths. Inside is a hall staircase with cast-iron supports, elaborate cast-iron newel post and mahogany handrail. The large bath is now a sports hall. Warm baths survive with original fittings. Second World War preparations in 1938?39 before Second War 11 included laying floors over both swimming pools for use as First Aid Posts and Medical stores and equipment were brought in. The fuel shortage in late 1939 lead to the pool being closed over winter. In 1940 the pools were again planned to close for the winter but the Auxiliary Fire Service asked for the pool to be kept full for use when dealing with air raid damage. The Council decided to keep the pools open as a result and adapted the pools for Fire Brigade pumps. The original sign of "Dulwich Public Baths" is on the front of the building though there has been significant, if sympathetic, redevelopment inside. There are two original entrances on the front separating men and women. The entrance is raised using steps up to the main doors in order to provide a high basement where a laundry was originally in operation. The hall was latter used for entertainment such as Wrestling, Concerts and Sports, the pool having been covered by a temporary timber frame and flooring sections, the wrestling bouts held on the portable raised Ring would vibrate by the falls of the contestants shaking the seating giving more involvement of the patrons. There has always been a large staff there when the personal baths were in use, and the pools and laundry. Part was taken over by the Southwark Borough Council as offices, I used it to pay my rent for my Garage in Milo Road. A part is now accessed from Crystal Palace Road, that was only used years ago as the Emergency exits. How many people actually work there I don't know.

Pictures of the front of the Baths and the Old Coate of Alms of Camberwell Borough Council

[computedshorty]

East Dulwich Stream Laundry.

No 116 Lordship Lane corner of Bassano Street, the East Dulwich Steam Laundry was built much to the anger of the owner of the houses on the other corner No?s 106 to 114 Lordship Lane,, these were some of the very first houses to have been built in the Lordship Lane, it was thought that a factory was out of place so close to their four story Building. These Houses were used as a temporary Morque during the war.

The two story Steam Laundry extended along Bassano Street, with double doors that the dirty Bagwash, Blankets, Sheets Uniforms and Carpets were delivered, to be cleaned in the boiling tanks of water, the windows to the road were always open with steam coming out. further along was the doors where the cleaned and dried and ironed washing was brought out and loaded onto the company vans.

Next doors were to the boiler house, where the boiler was fed with coal that had been dumped onto the pavement, by the end of the working day the remaining coal was shovelled into the coal store. The children going to the school opposite kicked the odd piece of coal up the road. This building is now ESPH Mot Centre.

Next to this is Saint Thomas More Hall, this was called St Johns School Hall.

How many worked there? I guess thirty.

Next to this the shop at 118 was the Affiliated Insurance Agents run by Mr Bunce, I bought my Motor bike and later Cars Insurance there. Now the Irish shop.

There were other Laundries but they did not have shops, they collected either from a house or agents, they were Dutch Boy , Maxwell, Hatcham Cleaner these were clothing cleaning and pressing Suits and Dresses.

There was a yellow fronted cleaners shop opposite The Plough Public House corner of Barry Road named Achillie Serre. Now called Country Spray.

[computedshorty]

Dulwich Hospital over the years

The Metropolitan Poor Act, 1867, required that infirmary accommodation be separate from workhouse buildings. To relieve overcrowding in its workhouse in Newington, near the Elephant and Castle, in 1871 St Saviour's Union (made up of the parishes of St Saviour and St George-the-Martyr in Southwark, and St Mary in Newington) planned to build a new infirmary outside its area near Peckham Rye Common, as no suitable site could be found in Southwark. However, the plan was abandoned when the cost proved prohibitively high. Instead, the Union was allowed to purchase a 6.5 acre site in East Dulwich, on the edge of the Dulwich Estate near Champion Hill station, for ?14,000 on condition that the exterior of the buildings have 'a more pleasing effect' than would normally be expected for such an institution.

Despite virulent objections from the local populace led by Charles Barry (1823-1900), the architect and surveyor of the Dulwich College, who felt that property prices would fall and affect the College's income, and by the engineer and inventor Sir Henry Bessemer (1813-1898), a local resident, whose home would look down towards the proposed building, the project went ahead and the foundation stone was laid in June 1885.

The St Saviour's Union Infirmary opened in April 1887. It had 723 beds and had cost ?50,000 to build. Its frontage along East Dulwich Grove measured 700 ft (210 metres). Built in the typical pavilion-plan layout, it had a large 2-storey central administrative block with two projecting wings at the front. The west wing contained the Medical Superintendent's residence. In the east wing were the Committee Room and, above it, apartments for the Matron and Assistant Matron, bedrooms for the senior nurses and mess rooms and day rooms for the nurses. The central portion contained various offices for the Superintendent, clerks and stewards, and Matron's sitting room. Above these was the chapel, some 70 ft (21 metres) long and 28 ft (23 metres) wide. The basement, which extended under the centre and the two wings, was used for storage of foodstuffs, beer and coal. An underground tramway enabled trolleys to transport the coal.

On either side of the central block were a pair of double 3-storey ward blocks, placed roughly in a north-south direction so as to make the best use of daylight. The 24 Nightingale wards (12 for men and 12 for women) contained between 26 to 30 beds each, and the open balconies at the ends of the wards were large enough for three to four patients to be wheeled out in their beds onto them. Each ward had a two-bedded isolation ward, a day room and staff rooms. The bathrooms and WCs were located in sanitary towers at the far end of each ward. Corridors on each floor - 9 ft (3 metres) wide - connected the ward blocks with the central administrative block. The ground floor corridor was enclosed, but the upper two storeys were open, so that patients could benefit from fresh air. Heating for the wards was supplied by open fireplaces and hot water pipes. The centre of each floor of the ward blocks was fitted with a telephone, as were the Medical Superintendent's residence and various other points in the building.

The porter's lodge, containing an office, a parlour and bedroom for the porter, was located at the entrance of the Infirmary on East Dulwich Grove. Close to the entrance gates were the receiving wards, one for male and one for female patients. These also contained the attendants' rooms, bathrooms and clothes stores. There were also two padded rooms lined with India -rubber padding.

The kitchens and scullery were on the ground floor to the rear of the centre block. Bedrooms for 70 nurses and servants were on the first and second floors of separate blocks behind the east and west wings, connected to them (in case of fire) only by light iron bridges on the second floor.

In 1902 the Infirmary was renamed the Southwark Union Infirmary, after St Saviour's Union became the Southwark Union in 1901.

The Hospital was returned to the Guardians in April 1919. Of the 12,522 soldiers treated at the Hospital, only 119 had died, less than 1%.

Civilian patients began to be transferred back in May 1919, and in July 1919 a Peace Day celebration was arranged for the patients. They received an egg for breakfast and, later, a meal with chicken and new potatoes, followed by stewed fruit, jelly or blancmange. Tea and cake were served later. The 45 child patients also received toys.

In 1921 it was renamed the Southwark Hospital.

When the LCC took over administrative control in 1931 it became a general hospital and was renamed the Dulwich Hospital. The ground floor wards were converted to an Out-Patient Department, offices and laboratories, thus reducing the number of beds to 423. Additional facilities were also built, including a new operating theatre, pharmacy, and a new boiler house with a chimney stack.

During WW2 the Hospital treated local civilian air-raid casualties and, although bombs exploded nearby, its buildings did not receive a direct hit. In 1948 the Hospital joined the NHS, coming under the control of the Camberwell Hospital Management Committee, which included St Giles and St Francis Hospital. The Metropolitan Poor Act, 1867, required that infirmary accommodation be separate from workhouse buildings. To relieve overcrowding in its workhouse in Newington, near the Elephant and Castle, in 1871 St Saviour's Union (made up of the parishes of St Saviour and St George-the-Martyr in Southwark, and St Mary in Newington) planned to build a new infirmary outside its area near Peckham Rye Common, as no suitable site could be found in Southwark. However, the plan was abandoned when the cost proved prohibitively high. Instead, the Union was allowed to purchase a 6.5 acre site in East Dulwich, on the edge of the Dulwich Estate near Champion Hill station, for ?14,000 on condition that the exterior of the buildings have 'a more pleasing effect' than would normally be expected for such an institution.

During WW1, following the 2nd Battle of Ypres, the number of casualties had risen alarmingly and the existing number of hospital beds was insufficient. The War Office approached the Local Government Board for permission to use some Poor Law Infirmaries temporarily. Both Southwark and Lambeth Unions were asked to participate in the scheme. The Southwark Union Infirmary was the first such institution in London to be evacuated. Within two weeks, 166 of its patients had been transferred to the Newington workhouse infirmary in Walworth, 134 to the Lambeth Infirmary in Renfrew Street, and a further 39 adults and 98 children to the Christchurch workhouse infirmary in Lambeth.

The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) took over the Infirmary on 11th November, 1915, and it was renamed the Southwark Military Hospital at the insistence of the Guardians. The existing staff was retained and augmented with nurses from the V.A.D. as well as 55 RAMC personnel, there were 15 Sisters, 28 Staff Nurses, 59 probationers, 40 orderlies and ancillary staff. The number of beds was increased to 820, with tents erected in the grounds as sleeping accommodation for those patients who could be ambulant during the day. The Hospital received a large proportion of Empire troops - Australians, South Africans and Canadians. By 1918 wounded American were also being admitted.

The Hospital was returned to the Guardians in April 1919. Of the 12,522 soldiers treated at the Hospital, only 119 had died - less than 1%.

Civilian patients began to be transferred back in May 1919, and in July 1919 a Peace Day celebration was arranged for the patients. They received an egg for breakfast and, later, a meal with chicken and new potatoes, followed by stewed fruit, jelly or blancmange. Tea and cake were served later. The 45 child patients also received toys.

When the LCC took over administrative control in 1931 it became a general hospital and was renamed the Dulwich Hospital. The ground floor wards were converted to an Out-Patient Department, offices and laboratories, thus reducing the number of beds to 423. Additional facilities were also built, including a new operating theatre, pharmacy, and a new boiler house with a chimney stack.

During WW2 the Hospital treated local civilian air-raid casualties and, although bombs exploded nearby, its buildings did not receive a direct hit.

[Worker]

Thanks as ever computedshorty.

Interesting to note that NIMBYism is far from a modern concept, what with two historical ED noteworthies objecting to the construction of the hospital.

You really should take John K's advice; I'd buy and read for one.

[Huguenot]

I always become a little confused with these retrospectives, because sometimes it doesn't 'sound' quite like computedshorty - is there another source that's sometimes being quoted, or was it possibly written at some other time?

[computedshorty]

The facts do exist elsewhere and are a source of my posts but I uesully put them on a pre page and delete them as I build my story, in this instance I failed to remove some of them and some are in the wrong order, they would sound wrong if vocal, or read as wrong.

On the evening of 12th July 1944 a V1 flying bomb impacted on the west side of the Hospital. The boiler house was demolished and several Hospital buildings were damaged.

This recorded item is also seen in the St Francis Hospital files as it was also called then North Wing of Dulwich Hospital

My own recollection are that some damage at the E. Dulwich Hospital was caused by a Land Mine dropping nearby on Playfield Crescent, Lytcott Grove, Melbourne Grove Triangle.

In early 1960 I was admitted as a emergency patient with a burst Duodenal Ulcer, at that time my blood group B Rh negative, was not available, so I was kept on saline drip for three days, then blood brought that had been donated from an RAF Station was used.

I was discharged after eleven days, walked to Lordship Lane to catch the bus. Back to work the next week but had to leave it as I still had bad times starting at six until six at night.

I got a job with J.A Davis Denmark Hill Mail Order Stores. But the money was a lot less, so after work on Saturdays morning at Davis?s I worked a few shops along for Analoy Radio, from twelve to six delivering and installing Televisions and Washing machines, gave me a few bob to drink in the George Canning.

[Huguenot]

I'm glad you recovered!

[computedshorty]

Dulwich Club.

Local men used the Dulwich Club at 110 Lordship Lane, my own experience came for me when I reached the age of eighteen, now I could apply to join the Club. I had to find a Proposer and someone to second my application, I knew lots of those who used the club, they were all older so I asked my pal if his dad would Propose me and he got a mate to second it.

I was told that I should attend on a certain day at eight o?clock to be interviewed by the Committee.

I don't know if anybody remembers that at the front of the club was a small building, with a Doorman seated looking out of a small window checking that each person showed a current membership card, I was accompanied by my Proposer who vouched for me, then down a long path to the main building.

Entering the main bar my mates dad bought a drink for me, as non members could not buy one. We waited for me to be called in front of the Committee. When called I was shown in alone they asked me why I wanted to join, I said that most of my friends belonged and I wanted to spend time with them. They asked if I had been in any kind of trouble, or banned from any other club, I had not so was thought to be a suitable candidate.

I was told that I could buy the Membership Card the Dulwich Club for ten shillings ( 50p ) and if I wanted to enter any of the Affiliated Working clubs that card would cost another 50p.

The club was controlled by the Committee Members one was on duty every day, to see that there was not trouble, if any it only it was by a couple who had booked the Billiard table at a certain time he had to sort it out, and oversee he bar, where the drinks were a lot cheaper than in a Pub.

I soon got used to the fact that if a certain person had been used to sitting in a certain chair we never used it if he was in the club, otherwise it was OK.

Time was spent playing games Darts Cards Billiards Bowls Housey Housey as it was called then now Bingo, Concerts and Shows. Other Clubs teams came to play against us, but one of the best times was going in the coach to other clubs to play away, so many different types of clubs. Some up market and others in Coal Mine Towns could be a bit dusty.

It was a good place to be a member of as you were all treated the same.

The club has long gone its space is now called Sage Mews enclosed by a gate.

So many of these clubs have now closed leaving a large unfilled gap for locals to enjoy their leisure time locally.

[Loz]

Worker Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> You really should take John K's advice; I'd buy

> and read for one.

Me too! Any professional authors out there that could work with Shorty and get a book out?

[computedshorty]

Those tradesmen who called on us.

There were many who worked away from their place of employment, those that reported to the Dairy Distribution Depot in Melbourne Grove on the corner of Lordship Lane was the shop of United Dairies, the milk was brought to the Depot in churns to be bottled into wide necked glass bottles, of a pint or Quart ( 2 pints ) and loaded into galvanised steel crates then onto one of the dozen or so red horse drawn Carts, the horse once arriving at the round of the milkman would follow along after the milkman passed from door to door. They had trained to stop each time clear of the tracks of the passing trams.

Another Dairy Depot was Hill?s Dairy in Hindman?s Road here they used small box Green vehicles electric controlled by the milkman using a steering arm the cart followed him along the road, Later the Dairy was bought out by Home Counties Dairies Ltd. Our milkman came right into put the bottles at the from door and take away the empty ones.

The Baker we used had their bakery on North Cross Road corner of Crystal Palace Road facing the Police Station, this was just a hand pushed cart with little weight carried, we had hot bread called a Cottage loaf two tier it was circular with a smaller circular one on top.

The open cart of the horse drawn Green Grocer moved slowly a long the road as the house wives came out to purchase the vegetables, this was a god send as mum had to buy for nine of us and potatoes alone was very heavy if bought from the local shop.

The Coalman would call to get an order, he had been to East Dulwich Station Goods Yard to fill weigh and load the black canvas sacks, he wore a leather cap that had a long back piece of leather that reached down to his waist, this stopped the coal dust getting inside his shirt. Our Coal Cellar was under the front stone steps, so he had to come in the side front door along the passage to tip the coal onto the earth floor, Mum would get me to count how many sacks were brought in, some coalmen would leave the emptied sack outside the back door to prove how many sacks had been brought in. We had ten at a time Mum paid from her purse.

The Chimney sweep had to come to sweep the chimney that reached up the four floors then up a tall stack out of the roof we waited to see the round brush come out of the chimney pot. Before he started he hung a sheet from the mantel shelf to the grate making sure that it was secured all round then he reached inside a slit in the sheet to get the brush head that he had already put inside the grate, then one by one added the three foot long cane rods pushing up and down to clear the soot, it came down in lumps and spread all over the room, mum knew this so had covered up all she could. The sweep pulled back down the rods and unscrewed each rod then fastened them together with two leather straps, he then took down the sheet and shovelled all the soot into big sacks, to take away. He was by now very black with soot, where he had sweated he had streaks down his face.

We had a large Grand Piano when it had to be tuned the Tuner came he was led to the piano as he was blind, dad said that he went by sound so he had a better ear for the sound than a seeing tuner.

The Dustmen Came to the back Garden to collect he two large galvanised Dust bins, carried them out to the dust cart where they could walk into the back to tip the contents of ash and tins any other paper or anything that would burn were kept the fire going to heat water.

The Muffin man would walk down the road with a tray balanced on his head ringing a hand bell shouting Muffins and Crumpets all hot. Mum did not always buy some as I now know she just did not have the money.

The Cats Meat man came along, with a rod on his shoulder sticking out front and back, hanging from this was strips of black dried horsemeat I was sent to buy a strip for a few pence, our tabby cat could worry mum for a week to get a treat. The only other food it got was what was slipped under the table by one of us Kids.

There was always lots of activity out front where the council repaired the pavement or the road, or the L.C.C. gangs repaired the road between the Tram tracks. The Council Drain Cleaning Wagon came and poked about under the opened drain cover and lots of stinking black water and muck was left on the road. This was cleared later by the Road sweeper man on his way back to Milo Road where a dozen men kept there two bin dust barrows in a small Yard. They had an ancient Hut there to use for their clothes it was about ten by eight foot on small iron wheels.

On Lordship Lane the Lamp posts were higher than the back streets, to let the double deck trams pass by, the electricity people wheeled a box ladder on wheels that could be raised by ropes to lift inner sections up to reach the lamps the cleaner then climbed up, the traffic had to wait for a while. Later they changed the lamp posts to two in pairs sited each side of the road with the lamp hanging in the middle of the road, these could be wound back to a post and down to be cleaned.

There was the local Policeman who seemed to be about, we often got told off, persistent kids could look forward to a whack from his folded cape that he had on his shoulder. No use going home to tell your dad he had hit you, you might get another one for getting the family a bad name.

Here comes the Knife Grinder man with his bike grinding wheel to sharpen our carving knives, he would put his bike on a stand that lifted the back wheel then a strap drove the grind stone he peddled away pouring water on the stone.

Occasionally there was a funeral a neighbour would lay the deceased person out, and in some Catholic families would have them on display in the parlour so that neighbours could come to pay respects, all the near neighbours closed their curtains, and family wore black, those that did not follow on foot to the cemetery, the men removed their caps the women kept the children quiet.

A sight never forgotten is a pair of black horses with white feathers on their head with the glass sided hearse bearing the simple wooden coffin covered in flowers with dozens of mourners following slowly moving off into the distance.

[computedshorty]

More callers were the Tally man, to collect the weekly loan repayment, some people would go to extreme's to avoid paying him as hiding behind the curtains or in a neighbours house a few took out a loan on the Christmas club to buy essentials for the family. Uncles ( the pawn broker ) was already holding any valuable suits and cooking pans.

The Rent man called this had to be paid or they would be evicted onto the pavement, seeing them borrow a green grocers barrow and loading their few possessions onto it, just iron bed ends two side rails and the spring frame, and rolled up mattress thread bare mats pots and pans, all now precariously perched in the high stack. The father pushed the barrow, the mum trying to keep the things from falling off and the children picking up any and tried to put the back on. That had gone to try to stay with a family member, now gone their front door that had always remained open was now closed the Bailiffs left, their old cat came to sit on the doorstep wondering why it could not get in, the milkman left a pint of milk putting it down by the cat who stood up expecting to be let in and get a drink of milk. Perhaps it would get a new home or just remain as a feral cat.

A window cleaner would ask to clean windows but did not get much work, he carried his extendable ladder that came to a point that was covered by a sack pad in case it damaged paint work or came into contact with the glass, if he cleaned upper windows he had to go in and do it sitting on the window sill with his legs sticking back in.

The gas man came to read the gas meter, and if you were lucky enough to have electricity their meter man came, the meters were in cellars or just inside the front door up high so the door could be opened fully. The houses had lead water piping and in cold weather froze then burst, water soak the room locally there lived a Water board Turncock who would come and turn the water off with a large iron key, he knew where all the cocks were under the pavement.

When a house got electricity laid on the men worked on a whole road digging up a trench and piling the clay in a heap this took weeks so a night watchman an old man or ex serviceman who had been wounded in the war would have to remain over night in a little canvas hut, he had to put paraffin lamps along the open trench, so he spent a lot of time trimming the wicks and filling the lamps using a funnel the cleaned the glass as it had become black with the wick burning, to keep him warm during the night he was given a brazier that he burnt coke on ( his was Coal that had had the oil removed from it at the Gas Works ) it glowed bright he poked it as it became cinders causing a shower of sparks to rise up, he sat there on his milk crate, fiddling inside his large over coat pocket drew out a big red handkerchief revealing thick cheese sandwiches, in another pocket was his little bottle of milk and a twist of sugar and some loose tea. His tea can was once white enamel now blackened by the fire was filled from the water stand pipe where the men drew the water they needed, the lid closed and put on the fire to heat, it had a wire handle so with a stick was lifted off to make a strong dark tea in a stained mug.

Some of the street lights were gas so a man came with a pole with a hook on the end reached up to pull a chain and the light popped alight he had to come back later to turn them back off.