So the Christmas Holidays had been and gone and it was back to school on Monday morning.many of the boys wearing their new boots that Santa had bought and Dad had let you knock “Segs” into the heels and the toes whilst he supervised the operation. They were only knocked in in the wearing parts not willy nilly all over the sole and heel.
It was 1947 and I was now 11 years old and had to go to the BIG SCHOOL in Newark which meant a 41/2 mile walk there and a 41/2 mile walk back there were no free school buses then. One took sandwiches for lunch and a piece of cake for pudding
The boys were separated from the girls they did not play together at play times we always played together at Hawton.We lads from Hawton stuck together for a start we had not encountered so many other children To be quite honest it was beyond our comprehension where they all came from there must have been thousands it seemed to us We started school at 9.00am and assembled in the Hall where we Prayed and sang a hymn The headmaster Mr Otter then addressed us and welcomed the new boys and girls and we were told which class we would be in and off we marched at 10:25 we had play time until 20 to 11am then classes until 12:00 noon .I remember the first day like it was yesterday I desperately wanted to go to the lavy and put up my hand “What do you want What is your name George Sir Well. I want to go to the lavy Sir Why did you not go at play time boy I didn’t want to go then All right get off then and hurry back, Now being an observant sort of lad I had noticed there was no building at the end of the play ground so I asked where it was. Oh dear you take him Victor. So I followed Vic down the corridors to a room where there were about 20 green doors and what I know now as urinals but no three holler. I must remember to tell you about Billy Clawson a nettle and Mary Kennywell and the school three holler at Hawton. Where is it Vic. Behind any of those doors George so I opened one of the doors and you all know what was there So I did my business and came out .You haven’t flushed it What do you mean Vic. Well when you go to the loo here you have to pull the chain before you come out. Why He took me back in and showed me what happened I was most interested in this and we waited for the cistern to fill and I had a go. Where has it gone Vic Well as far as I know down the sewer pipes to the sewerage works at Clay Lane. I was determined to find out more about this but that’s another story. When we had dinner break all children with sandwiches marched to the hall where the caretakers had placed tables in rows for us to sit and eat. When we had eaten we pushed the tables back to the side and went out to play until 1:15 pm when the duty teacher blew the whistle and we all formed up into class columns and marched back to our class rooms .At 2:45pm we had afternoon playtime until 3:00pm then class until 4.00pm Home time at last. Often Dad had come in from work as he finished at 5 and if I dawdled it took me more than an hour to get home. Hot tea was eaten and mother would clear away the pots and wash up I would do my home work a another new thing We didn’t do homework at Hawton School Dad would read his Daily Herald all farm workers read the Daily Herald. Brother Bill would get his jigsaw puzzle out what Santa had brought him and that would last until it was time to listen to Dick Barton at Quarter to Seven absolute silence was the thing while it was on. We had a battery and accumulator wireless we didn’t have electricity at Sand Farm Paraffin Lamps and candles in the house and storm lanterns to see out side with. by Tuesday the accumulator would be getting a bit on the low side and we had to listen carefully because the wireless wasn’t very loud. It would be all right tomorrow Lunn’s came with the paraffin and meths (Mentholated Spirit) used to light the Primus stoves and the Tilly lamps. But best of all he brought back the recharged accumulator and took the old one away for charging to swop over next week. Dick Barton was always clear on Wednesdays, unless of course the grid bias battery was giving up or even worse the H.T. battery. They cost a lot of money 17/6d It’s a lot when the weekly wage was £4/10 shillings (17shillings and 6 pence is equal to 87 and a 1/2p in to days money but then it was near enough 20% of the weekly wage. Lunn’s eventually started a battery club where you could pay in a tanner a week then hopefully you had paid enough to get a new HT battery for nowt?
It was a great help in them far off days. We were very fortunate living on a farm a lot of food was garden grown and potatos Swedes and Brussels came off the farm we of course had chickens and a pig. Rabbits were snared and wood pigeons shot mainly in February when they attacked the young plants emerging.
On the farm there wasn’t a lot for boys to do A bit of nodin yer head at the wall with the chaff cutter the cake crusher the root cutter or the worst job ringing the bell. (Ringin the bell was winding the Lister cream separator) or even turning the butter churn I quite like my turn at winding the butter churn especially when it started to go bump bump as the butter formed. When the lid was opened up the whey was poured off and fed to the pigs (there was always 2 pigs one the Mesters and one Dads they don’t do so good on their own) all the men were entitled to a pig So the Mester maybe had a dozen good ones plus his yard ones They lived in the crew with the beast. Us lads were not allowed in the crew with the beast or in the yard with the cows and heifers because the bull would more than likely be in that yard. I were allowed to help the Waggoner with the horses and used to like to feed them their cut meat chaff and rolled oat mix they always got a extra handful of oats when I helped.”Yev got a lot of ooatts in hear et yer jorje?” “No Mr Pepper 2 scoops of oats and fill the scuttle with equal parts of cut meat and chaff like you said Mr Pepper” but of course he knew what I’d done. It was better on Saturdays and Sundays Get up wash and have breakfast bread and dripping toast in winter and cold days often with Marmite on usually for me none of these fancy low fat cereals then. Then let the chickens out and give them a scoop of corn and collect the eggs Take them and put them in the Dairy to be washed. Go and feed the pigs and find some greens out the garden for them. Gather some kindling and then I could do, as I liked not forgetting I had done my homework on Friday night. The day passed as they always do but seemed to take longer in winter some how. Now here is an interesting little bit the wireless was turned on at 10 past 5 pm in order for it to be warmed up for the football results and woe betide anyone as made a sound while they were being read even Mother didn’t speak. The wireless was turned off and the pools checked with much muttering from Dad and brother Bill who was a keen follower of the so-called sport. (Just remember this) No Dick Barton on Saturday or Sunday nights. So it was play with a jigsaw puzzle or read. Then to bed at 9 O’clock instead of 8 because it wasn’t school in the morning.
Well its 6:30 and time to get up but being Sunday it was Fried breakfast day bacon and sausage and Haslet, eggs and bottled tomatoes sometimes If Mother had a few pence to spare she would get a bit of black pudding but I am not a lover of so I would have a full round of fried bread done in the bacon fat and all crisp and golden running with fat With the slice of bacon and Haslet on top then topped with tomato no fried egg I still cannot stand the smell even now 60 years later I don’t eat fried egg or soft boiled with soldiers YAK (now called Tibetan Cow ah ah ). Breakfast finished the chickens let out and the pigs fed it was time to go to church. One was not allowed to play in ones good clothes it was straight home and change. George take a jug and get some salt kidney beans for dinner tomorrow out of the pot and bring half a dozen of them preserved eggs to make some cake your Dad don’t like it made with powdered egg and put them into soak The you can clean the knives for me Another noddin me head at the wall job. We had a knife cleaner if you have never seen one its difficult to discribe. It’s a emm can you imagine a motor car wheel and tyre stood vertical made of wood and two nice ornate feet supporting it on one side is quite a large handle and a set of slots in a cast frame on top not very big just enough to get a knife in the appropriate hole inside the round box was sheets and sheets of calico when you wound the handle quickly and pushed a knife in the slot the calico polished up the knife like new care had to be take to put the knife in the right way if the knife cutting edge met the rotation the calico was cut to shreds No dinner and a warmed arse was the result Much care was exercised after the first mistake I can assure you. Come on its dinner time it was always roast beef yorkies seasonable vegetables roast potato round the beef and gravy from the meat juices and Burdalls Gravy Salt (something else I cannot get now) For a change the Yorkie would be put on a different plate and you could have golden syrup or jam on instead of gravy. Steamed pudding was not served on Sunday. It is for when you have been wokkin Dad would say .After dinner you could read a book or draw or colour until tea then change back into your school clothes and go to Evensong Mother would often stay at home and listen to Songs of Praise on the wireless instead of coming to church. So its home from church and get ready for school in the morning and start again.
Topic: School days in the 1940's in our village. (Read 1720 times)
