Mrs Young
Page 1 A housewife’s daily life: early morning breakfast, children to school or to work, daily shopping, dinner at 12 for the children and in the evening for working members of the family. Weekly rota of cleaning clothes, washing, bread baking, older widows cooked a few cakes for pence. Widows eked out pensions made toffee, knitted socks for miners; others helped her with coals and firewood, liked to stay in their own homes. Houses two rooms and back yard, bungalows or one up one down, rooms let for half a crown a week. People were content, first pensions 10-- a week Pag...

Bertha Pallister
Early memories of childhood games, "blow football". Number and range of shops in Shildon. Ordering food from the Co-op, baking day, food packaging. Domestic livestock - pig killing, hens, ducks, vegetables. Mr Pigg's grocery store, Mr Elliott's pie and peas stall. Aspects of food - Breakfast, dinner, "Spanish water" and Sunday roast. Parties - special food, sweets, party games. Kitchen and scullery furniture, washing, cleaning, knitting socks. Medicines, bee wine and ginger wine. Tea, milk, butter making during world war one. World war one experiences - seeing a Zeppelin. Street traders and be...

Jean Borrowdale
Early jobs in various stations, including dealing with munitions works. Worked at Shildon Goods Yard during world war two. Commodities at Shildon goods yard, supplying coal and coke. Incidents – visit of Lord Burghley, use of weighbridge. Daily tasks in the yard. Bosses, overtime work, railway passes. Shortages and cold in winter of 1947. Permission to keep working on marriage. Aspects of home front – civil defence, clothing factories, soldiers’ kitchens, interaction with soldiers. Husband’s work in army and return to butchering. Yard – hours, breaks. Keeping track of goods – cigarettes going ...

Bobby Murton
Father came from Suffolk to work in gasworks then Shildon Railway works. Bob's career path - pattern maker, training, draughtsman. Women in the works during world war two. Job of a pattern maker. The General Strike - searching for fuel, getting by. First day at work, very new, tools. Different jobs in the works and wagon designs. 1950 celebrations of 125 years. Accidents - medical facilities and fire brigade. Chickens on Spoil Bank. Aspects of employment - clocking in, pay rate. Difficult journey from Shildon to Newcastle college. Played in a dance band. Took works photographs, including women...