Weddings and Work

Today the ladies shared memories of their working lives, how they met their partners, and even a wedding...

I used to work at the clothing factory, for Aquascutum. I did everything. Studding, making trousers, later I was at the silk factory. During the war I went to Finedon, then when it was over they moved us back again.

I met my husband at the pub, when I was twenty one. I’d seen him at the dance before. We weren’t married till four years later because we didn’t have the money.

-HILDA

I was at the steelworks when I met my husband. I didn’t think it was for life. He was smaller than me.

-KITTY

After I left school I stayed at home till I was eighteen. My dad wouldn’t let me work before then, he just wanted to protect me. There were so many forces and that around, you see. They were nice years for me.

Janet, second from right, with ladies from the shop

What a lot of girls did was get service in a big house, but I got a job in a shop. I had to cycle seven miles to the nearest village, but that was a lovely time. It was like I had broken free.

Then a boy called Norman wrote me a letter.  Dear Ginger. I was the only girl in the village with red hair. He must have seen me going up and down to the bank and took a shine to me. I was supposed to meet another boy, but he left a letter for me at the shop where I worked.  He put his address on the back of the envelope so I could write back. So I went to meet him and I recognised him. He was wearing a donkey jacket and boots. We had a pleasant evening at the pictures. The lady in my shop said, “If you’ve got your eye on him and are going out with him, don’t go out of the town lights.” I said, “I haven’t got my eye on anyone.”

Norman was a bricklayer and my Dad warned me against him, saying he won’t be well paid. But Dad said he was polite alright, nice and kind. Norman took me to meet his mum the first Sunday. She was the kindest lady. It keeps me going to think about her.

He got called up to do his military service though, so I waited for him to come back from Hong Kong and then we were married. We had a service in a church. I used to go that church with my mother in law, so I knew the vicar.

It was a beautiful day, a lovely wedding. Everything went swimmingly. The trains were on strike, though, so my aunty couldn’t come. We went to Yarmouth on a taxi, and we were happy.

Later we lived in the big house by the side of a river with a field next to it, on the Melford Road. We rented a room, a big room with a little kitchen on one side of it. I took my own furniture.

When I was having my baby the lady of the manor sat up with me from Saturday night to Tuesday morning.  I thought it was marvellous of her.

They were a happy family, a kind family. Her name was Mrs Hatchett, and he was her second husband. He made marvellous things for people, he was an architect and always in his shed in the bottom of the garden. When I had my boy he came in with the first rose of summer for me. His wife said I don’t even get one and I’ve had five children.

When I was going to have the baby I said I’ll have to go to the hospital but she said over my dead body. You’re staying here, in one of the boys’ rooms. The son kept asking has Janet got a baby yet? He looked in Woman’s Own. Danny was the youngest. He was a sour faced boy and one day he tied the bucket to the dog’s tail. One pound a week with gas, and I did a few jobs for them. I wish we could have stopped there.

We came to Corby then, to get a house and for work. We couldn’t afford to buy a house in Sudbury, and we were told we’d get a house quicker if we moved here. We had a happy life. Norman would do anything for anybody. People would always come and ask him for help. “Norman, are you working today?” We were married for fifty years before he died.

-JANET

Beautiful Janet on her wedding day