Mrs Skinner
School - Morris dancing display. Poverty, free shoes, man smoking tea leaves. Could already do alphabet before went to school; learning history, cleanliness inspections. Doll for Christmas. Holidays in Stanhope. Father going to work as boilermaker on shipyards. Training as a milliner. During world war one, worked drying cordite in Scotland, then went into land army.

Mrs Bolam
Arthurs Hill. Father a photographer, helped in the studio and also cleaning aged 13-26. First went to a small private school, then the law changed and it closed. Describes process of learning to write. Drilling in the schoolyard. Other schools, teacher that realised she was getting sums wrong simply because she was short-sighted. Moving to bigger school, told to change writing style from what had been taught. Desks and ink wells. Taking the Labour Examination. Would have singing sessions with family and friends. Methodists, she joined the Templars at five. Medals for elocution. Cookery lessons...