Mrs Coates
First memory - soldier returning from Boer War. Early memories of Irish grandparents and other relations. Lady in the street made dresses for her to wear in a procession. Playing in waste ground near the brick works, lots of bricks. Mother's funeral in 1905, died of complications after childbirth. Father a stoker at the gas yard, taking his bait in. He used to walk a lot, hard hat and fussy about his shoes. Went to live with father's sister. Huge icicles one winter. Played near glassworks, lots of glass tubes around. Coffins lined up in undertakers windows, sister read plate for grandmother there. Went to St Marys, a Catholic school. Terrible school but one nice nun gave sweets. Had hymns. Girl who smelled of fish and chips if stood near the fire. Pocket money and sweets to buy. Knew Santa didn't exist when doll from Santa was wearing cousin's baby clothes. Boxes of doll's furniture from Marks and Spencers penny bazaar. Starting to go to the cinema, always had to take little sister with her. Sewing chemises in school. Workhouse kids would have school dinners. Walked to school even after move to Gateshead to live with aunt. Friends killed in world war one, who used to come over and listen to gramophone. Melodrama at theatres, various visiting entertainers. Start of food rationing. Married at 19, help setting up home from a man in furniture trade. Worked for a brewery delivering barrels, but ended up getting drunk - told him to give it up. Various jobs with horses. He bred dogs in the yard, and once brought a monkey into the house. Also had chickens. Did all the baking, sometimes poor but never hungry. Co-op dividend. Lots of street traders. Beggar with a metal leg. Son Jack died in the second world war, chose to join the navy. Had lodgers.
Location: Newcastle
County: Tyne and Wear
AUD2007-11
Transcript of audio:
...race week was a great week up here then because people didn't go away for their holidays, and the race week was the general holiday, the factories closed and everything, and all the shops were closed on race Wednesday. And oh it was great fun on the town moor, it used to get packed. Mind you we more often got bad weather than not. I somehow don't remember rain, but the ground used to be, you were over the ankles in clarts. And they used to put straw down. Cos the steam engines used to make a lot of water, and I don't know, it was always clarty.And poor Walter, his feet got stuck in the clarts and he lost his sandshoes. And you hadn't any money to spend to go on the sideshows, but there used to be something going on in front of all the shows, there would be the dancing girls, and the barkers, they used to call them, shouting out what was on, and the wild west shows, the cowboys used to be at the front and the boxing booths, the boxers used to be outside putting on a bit show, and in fact people often used to say there was more going on outside than there was inside. And all the music they were making, and of course there was the steam organs, the show organs, it was really enjoyable...
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