Work progresses, and the Big Day arrives
As far as work went, I was now getting some really big jobs. Early in 1939 I was sent to Canterbury to erect a big block of greenhouses for G Mount, who were big rose and carnation growers, covering an area of about one hundred and twenty by three hundred feet. As I had been regularly employed right through the recession of the thirties, I hadn't realised how bad the unemployment situation was until this job at Canterbury turned up.
I knew I should have to set on at least eight local carpenters, and decided to visit the Labour Exchange the following morning to see what the prospects were. I needn't have worried about this. By ten o'clock the next morning, the poor devils started to turn up. There must have been over thirty, several of whom hadn't been working for over six months. I was mystified as to how they had found out there was work available, but apparently someone had seen the lorryloads of sections arriving and the local grapevine did the rest.
I only wished I could have found work for them all, but this was impossible. I tried to be as fair as possible, picking out the married men with families, but even so I hated telling the rest there was no hope of a job. And how those chaps worked! They couldn't have been blamed had they tried to spin the work out, but they never did, and the buildings went up like clockwork. The job lasted some ten weeks with plenty of overtime, but like all good things the end had to come, and it was back on the dole for the poor souls.
My next job was, I suppose, the most important for me so far. One of the Rothschild family bought a big old country mansion near Bury St Edmunds, and my firm got the contract to build an extensive range of specialist glasshouses and conservatories. There were orchid houses, peach houses, vineries, the lot, and there looked like being some six months' work. This suited me fine being only forty miles from home at Bungay, so I could get home easily each weekend. This was especially important to me at this time, as the marriage 'kitty' had swollen enough for us to set the day. The thought of getting married was even more thrilling now, because it meant that Vera could come away with me on my jobs, and this would put an end to her lonely weeks when I couldn't get home.
So the day was set for Whit Monday, 29th May 1939. We got a house without difficulty, as the previous occupants had been flooded out earlier that year and were keen to get out. The rent was twelve and six a week, a fairly high rent for that period - not that it mattered much as I was earning very good money indeed. It was so handy to be at home each weekend, as there were so many exciting things to do - furniture to buy, the house to prepare, and a hundred and one things to organise. We bought practically everything for a hundred pounds, and had a very nice home at that. It left Vera a lot to do with me being away during the week, but she coped well and there were no problems.
We had a morning wedding, as there were what proved to be the last National Hunt races on Bungay Common in the afternoon and a lot of the guests wanted to go. This suited us well, as we could get an early start on our touring honeymoon. We were lucky to have a perfect day with unbroken sunshine. It was the harbinger of a long and happy married life, and we hope to celebrate our forty-second anniversary this year.
I suppose it must have been a bit sad for Mother, with her last fledgling leaving the nest, but I had been away so much with my work that she had probably got used to being on her own.
We had a smashing honeymoon in the West Country, with never a cloud in the sky. Then back to work. I finished up the job at Bury and moved on to Long Melford, where I soon found digs for Vera and myself. George had gone away with another foreman, and as the customer was in no hurry I did the whole job on my own. Vera used to come down to the job in the afternoons, sitting around in the sunshine. It was all just perfect.
I knew I should have to set on at least eight local carpenters, and decided to visit the Labour Exchange the following morning to see what the prospects were. I needn't have worried about this. By ten o'clock the next morning, the poor devils started to turn up. There must have been over thirty, several of whom hadn't been working for over six months. I was mystified as to how they had found out there was work available, but apparently someone had seen the lorryloads of sections arriving and the local grapevine did the rest.
I only wished I could have found work for them all, but this was impossible. I tried to be as fair as possible, picking out the married men with families, but even so I hated telling the rest there was no hope of a job. And how those chaps worked! They couldn't have been blamed had they tried to spin the work out, but they never did, and the buildings went up like clockwork. The job lasted some ten weeks with plenty of overtime, but like all good things the end had to come, and it was back on the dole for the poor souls.
My next job was, I suppose, the most important for me so far. One of the Rothschild family bought a big old country mansion near Bury St Edmunds, and my firm got the contract to build an extensive range of specialist glasshouses and conservatories. There were orchid houses, peach houses, vineries, the lot, and there looked like being some six months' work. This suited me fine being only forty miles from home at Bungay, so I could get home easily each weekend. This was especially important to me at this time, as the marriage 'kitty' had swollen enough for us to set the day. The thought of getting married was even more thrilling now, because it meant that Vera could come away with me on my jobs, and this would put an end to her lonely weeks when I couldn't get home.
So the day was set for Whit Monday, 29th May 1939. We got a house without difficulty, as the previous occupants had been flooded out earlier that year and were keen to get out. The rent was twelve and six a week, a fairly high rent for that period - not that it mattered much as I was earning very good money indeed. It was so handy to be at home each weekend, as there were so many exciting things to do - furniture to buy, the house to prepare, and a hundred and one things to organise. We bought practically everything for a hundred pounds, and had a very nice home at that. It left Vera a lot to do with me being away during the week, but she coped well and there were no problems.
We had a morning wedding, as there were what proved to be the last National Hunt races on Bungay Common in the afternoon and a lot of the guests wanted to go. This suited us well, as we could get an early start on our touring honeymoon. We were lucky to have a perfect day with unbroken sunshine. It was the harbinger of a long and happy married life, and we hope to celebrate our forty-second anniversary this year.
I suppose it must have been a bit sad for Mother, with her last fledgling leaving the nest, but I had been away so much with my work that she had probably got used to being on her own.
We had a smashing honeymoon in the West Country, with never a cloud in the sky. Then back to work. I finished up the job at Bury and moved on to Long Melford, where I soon found digs for Vera and myself. George had gone away with another foreman, and as the customer was in no hurry I did the whole job on my own. Vera used to come down to the job in the afternoons, sitting around in the sunshine. It was all just perfect.
posted by curlybonce | 2:28 pm
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