Holiday at brighton
Liverpool had grown rapidly in the mid 19th century due largely to the emigration of the Irish during the potatoe famine of the 1840's. Heading for the U.S.A. and Australia, Liverpool was the obvious choice for departure but many found they couldn't raise the fare so went no further. Lack of housing and unscrupulous landlords led to parts of the city, particularly near the docks, becoming overcrowded resulting in slums. We moved again to Ribblesdale Avenue, Aintree to be near my maternal grandparents.
Unemployment was a problem exasperated by the 1926 General strike and then the USA Wall Street Crash in 1929 which caused what became known as the Great Depression which affected countries throughout the world. Incredible poverty existed and I have a clear memory of seeing children without shoes in winter. Chillblains on toes and fingers were common and extremely painful.
As a family we were luckier than most in that my father, although poorly paid, was never out of work. My mother was a very capable women who kept us well fed compared to many.
In December 1930 I'd had a sore throat for some weeks which my mother had tried to cure by having me gargle with salt water. Medication from the Chemist was too dear and a visit from a Doctor inpossibly so. Finally I was so sick a Doctor had to be called and I was rushed to hospital suffering from diptheria, a fatal desease in those days. On Xmas eve a Priest was called and I was given the last rites with my parents being told I would not last through the night. They went home thinking it unfair for my sisters to be left alone. During the night I called for some lemonade. Most nurses had been given time off with only young assistants left on duty. The 16 year old assistant had been given strict instructions not to give me anything but I finally persuaded her. After swallowing the lemonade I vomited violently and then fell in a deep sleep. I awoke in the morning calling for food much to the surprise of the nurses. I was kept in hospital for 4 months and then later was sent to a convalescent home on the south coast until late in the year.
Losing a year of education caused me to fail a scholarship to a secondary school which both my sisters passed. I don't know how my mother managed to do it but somehow she scraped enough from her budget to pay for me to attend St. Mary's College, Crosby. We had one advantage of my father working for a private Rail line. One free ticket for the family to travel anywhere in the UK each year. We took full advantage of it going to The Isle of Man and both North and South Ireland. We used cheap lodgings or camping but as children we didn't see it any different than our home life..
University was out of the question so my schooling finished July 1937. There was no career counselling those days and my father simply expected me to become a clerk. Jobs were hard to get and I found over 100 applicants waiting to be interviewed for the first position I applied for. Getting there very early on my second attempt I was accepted for the position of Office Boy at a wage of 7/- shillings a week with a Cotton Broker firm. 5/- shillings went to help my mother, 1/6 for fares and the princely sum of sixpence for myself. The company offered training in Administration with a position of junior clerk at one of their overseas plantations when I was 20. After a few years it would be back to Liverpool for a Management position. A promising career but it was not to be.
In October 1937 I saw an exhibition advertised by the R.A.F at the main railway station. My sense of adventure was aroused but it appeared that you had to be 18 before you could enlist. Travelling home by tram I started reading the pamphlets I had collected and became excited when I found that it was possible to enlist at 16 provided you passed a stiff examination. Parental permission was required and this was obtained with difficulty as my mother was anti military. I threatened to run away from home and one night I heard my father say to my mother "We may as well sign the papers - he will neve pass the exam." An application produced a reply inviting me to attend for an interview and examination near London the following 26th January. Mindfull of my father's comment I spent the next two months doing more study than I had at school.
28th January 1938 together with 50 others I swore allegiance to the King and signed on for 12 years service to count from my 18th birthday. Training was completed in July 1939. A passing out parade was attended by my mother and two sisters and much to my disgust I was posted to a holding unit rather than a Squadron. Never one to read newspapers I had no idea that 6 weeks later I would be at war. Following the declaration of war on 3rd September I volunteered to go the France and joined 142 Squadron at Berry-au-Bac near Rheims.
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