Part 3

Chapter 33

Life after the RAF

Although released from the RAF on 3 December 1945, my actual release date was 13th February 1946. Thus, for a period, I was being paid by both the RAF and AV Roe. On top of that, I was also receiving Income Tax rebates. I started work in the Jig and Tool Drawing Office. Everyone was very kind and helpful and I soon settled in to my new working life. AV Roe housed and fed me in their hostel in Horsforth which was well run. We each had a separate room and there was a games room, canteen, dining room etc. Each room was cleaned and tidied by staff employed for the duties. Coaches from all over the place took us to and from work. This arrangement also came under the jurisdiction of AV Roe and was a good set up.

At work I had a drawing board but instruments, rules and log books were our own. Drawings of the tools and fixtures were done in pencil on treated linen sheets of various sizes. Incidentally, spoiled sheets could be washed out and made excellent cleaning cloths. It struck me as an expensive method but AV Roe must have had a reason. After I settled down, I persuaded George Ritchie, my brother-in-law to apply for a job there. This he did and he was subsequently employed. At that time no-one could leave and change jobs without special permission, however after about March 1946 this was relaxed. When I was accepted for the job, I was told that there would be about three years work ahead of us but it seemed to me that this was an optimistic forecast. My section leader gave me some advice. He told me to apply for a job at English Electric, Bradford. He suggested that, after two years there, I could get a job anywhere. He had originally worked for them. I applied for a job and met the head of the Jig and Tool Drawing Office and Planning Department whose name was John Longden. He was interested and offered me a start at £7-2-6d. I spent an hour trying to get the extra 1/- that I was already getting. He wouldn’t budge and in the end I accepted. I went to the interview in the Morris 12 and he was interested to see it. There were only 12 cars in the car park.

On the 22nd March, we were told that my Dad had died in Canterbury Hospital so George and I got time off to attend. Prior to this Betty had come up and we had a few days at the Golden Lion in Briggate, Leeds. We were looking for a place to buy. This was possible because, as well as the £130 gratuity on release, I had also been sent £750 gratuity for ex Officers. George and I trailed around all over Leeds looking for a suitable house. Eventually we found No 5, Leysholme Crescent, Wortley in Leeds. For a time, my sister Betty and George lived with us but eventually No 51 came up for sale and they bought that. We were a bit relieved as No 5 was certainly overcrowded.

George followed me to English Electric and, when he had settled in, I advised him to volunteer to design plastic moulding moulds. I had already done some of these and knew that it needed someone who was accurate. George did this and over the years became an expert at both the moulds and the moulding procedures. Although I had, initially, lost 1/- in pay, John Longden gave me a 10/- raise when he found that I was learning quickly and everything was done at speed. This was partly due to the great help that I got from my mentor, Dougy Barron. My original idea was to work for two years and then to move on to something better but in 1948 I was promoted to section leader in the New Development and Process Department (ND&P) which had been started by John Longden. By the time I moved there, Longden had been promoted to Works Manager and Mick Mascus had taken over as chief of ND&P. Thus, I had no need to move but, in two years? In 1950, Mick Mascus moved to Luton and I was promoted to Chief. This was a peculiar position because whilst working on site for the Works and General Manager, I reported directly to Mr Willie Hurton who was the overall Production Manager representing the Managing Director, Lord Nelson. This could cause me problems because, in effect, I had two masters and they did not necessarily agree with each other. Willie however, held all the aces. This was a time of rapid inflation and, in the space of a few months, I had to give four raises to the people who worked for me. Willie Hurton had forgotten to put my pay rise through so the General Manager sorted it out. ND&P was responsible for new methods, purchase of plant, erection of new buildings and shop layout all of which was interesting work.

In the Autumn of 1946, both George and I had booked into Leeds Technical College; George did the Ordinary National Certificate but I started with the Higher National and then did the Post Higher National Certificate. When I passed, and in view of my position, I was accepted as A.M.I. Mech E. in March 1953. I also won the Kirkstall Forge prize for Industrial Administration, about £20.

As regards our personal life, we had settled down in Leeds using the old Morris 12 as a means of getting about. John went to Upper Wortley County Primary School. Every weekend we went out exploring the countryside, Ilkley, Bolton Abbey and Knaresborough etc. John had an exercise to carry out which was to collect, name and put into an exercise book, all the wild flowers that we could find. He did a grand job but wasn’t given the prize because his writing wasn’t good enough. That made me very cross because it wasn’t a writing exercise. We discovered Filey in, I believe, 1947. The day that we went must have been cold because Betty had to go to the shops and buy John a blazer to keep him warm. When he was about six, we saw a small bicycle for sale on the way to Ilkley. It was a girl’s cycle but, as no new ones were available, we bought it for about £5. It also had to be fitted with blocks on the pedals to allow him to reach. He spent many happy hours on that old bike. In the Autumn of that year, he went off with an older boy to collect conkers at Tadcaster. By the time he got home he was worn out. It was at No 5 Leysholme that I bought a heavy, homemade hut which we had to move on rollers from the top of the estate.

In April 1949 our second son, Michael, was born in a nearby hospital. For Betty this was a much easier birth than for John. When Betty found out that she was pregnant, she told the lady next door who responded by saying "That’s funny, so am I". I always called her young son "the General".

From time to time, we went south to Canterbury and Chatham and we also had one holiday in Filey in a very small caravan. Some holidays were spent wholly on different days out, usually somewhere fairly local. Blackberry picking in September was a favourite pastime.

At the end of 1952 we arranged the purchase of a new house "OAKROYD" in Thornton, Bradford. We were due to take this over in March 1953 and so we did, with difficulty because, unfortunately, Betty’s mother had died. While John and I did our best with the move, Betty took Michael down to Chatham to the funeral and to arrange the clearance of the house. Of the two of us, she had the worse job. When Betty and Michael came home, things were slowly sorted out. Michael, aged four, decided to do a bit of gardening; he took his toy wheelbarrow round and filled it with rhododendron buds, thus, no flowers in 1953! Later on, another of his efforts was to cut down a silver birch tree.

At work, I was doing alright and was intent on building up the department. Looking back, I have often wondered whether or not this was the right thing to do. Money was still tight and it took me many years before our position reached the equivalent to my RAF pay. Inflation had taken hold so we had to be careful.

Just before we moved to Bradford, John had won a scholarship to St Michael’s College in Leeds. As a result of the move, he was forced to transfer to St Bede’s Grammar School in Bradford. I thought that he would be OK travelling to Leeds every day as he was a very self reliant boy, but the authorities wouldn’t agree. At the St Bede’s interview I was a bit disappointed because the headmaster, Monsignor Sweeney, talked about the importance of handwriting. I thought back to the flower collection and thought "Here we go again".

As regards sports, in 1947 I contacted a chap in Leeds called Ian Major who was organising a hockey team at Adel for ex-servicemen. Both George and I were invited to join. I played for them until 1956. The last game I played, against the Army Apprentice College at Harrogate, I felt tired and got hit in the eye with a hockey ball. In the same game I missed scoring but my son John did score. It was after that game that I found that I had pernicious anaemia, for which I have had to be injected monthly ever since. George carried on playing for another season as goalkeeper and when he retired, they presented him with a Silver Mug; I got nothing! Ah well. During the time I played, I captained the second team twice. Both years we played the first team and drew both games. In a game at Leeds University, I was yelling at our Centre Forward, Edmund Clark, to get going; he scored two goals although injured. It was found out later that he had a cracked ankle and never played again although he became a very good umpire. I also joined Old Farnley Cricket Club and played for them until we moved to Thornton. Talking of cricket, when we were out in the country John and I would play, starting when John was six, however, he never really took to the game I loved; instead he made his mark at hockey playing for the RAF and Combined Services.

As I am becoming in danger of meandering from one subject to another, I think that I will concentrate on one subject at a time with the period ending in 1963.

Religion

Betty had always been a staunch Catholic and went to Mass whenever possible. When in Leeds she went to the local church but on special occasions, I went with her and John to the Cathedral. When we moved to Thornton, as Betty was at Chatham, I contacted the priest, Father W Moverley. He was a priest far ahead of his time and he told us that when Michael was ready to go to school we should send him to the local village school. Each Sunday, Betty would take John and Michael to the Mass at the Sacred Heart Church.

House & Home

"Oakroyd" is a fairly large house with about 1½  acres of land. When we moved there in 1953 an old man, Harold Priestley, had a large number of free running chickens in the bottom field. One day his huts caught fire and John, rightly, called the Fire Brigade. Harold’s daughter was not pleased about this but I’m not sure why. Harold sold me some chickens so for a time when John was still at home he fed them at night and we did get plenty of eggs. We turned the large lawn into a tennis court. To do this, I bought a second hand net from the English Electric Sports Club and we played for several years. In the large cellar was a solid fuel stove and one year I planted mushroom spawn in a prepared bed. This was a successful operation and we had more mushrooms than we could eat. Betty was a good gardener and she and I moved tons of earth to create a level area around the pond which I had put in when we bought the house. John and his pal Paul Shackleton helped with this effort and moved a few tons of stone to create a retaining wall and seat which is still there today. Another area had several apple trees and for some time produced quite a lot of fruit. Most of them have now been cut down. In 1953 we bought our first television so that we could watch the Queen’s Coronation.

Dogs

Betty’s big interest had always been dogs. In Leeds we bought a black and white peke which unfortunately died. After that we bought a mongrel in the market which regrettably turned vicious when Betty bought two black Pekes, so we had to have him put to sleep which was a shame. The Pekes were brother and sister named Beau and Susie and somehow they got together and produced a litter of pups. My sister Betty had one but it died young whilst the others prospered. Susie developed a problem with her back legs and had to be put to sleep. Beau was quite a character and once, while we were still living in Leeds, he disappeared for three days, eventually turning up in Kirkstall. Beau came with us to Oakroyd and was killed by a lorry on Thornton Road. After this we bought another Peke who gave birth to Cho-Cho and Beauty after which the mother died of kidney trouble. I saw an article in the Yorkshire Post about a Collie at the RSPCA centre in York and went and brought her home. She was the only dog who really took to me. She was fairly old but was a lovely dog and we had her for a couple of years before having to have her put to sleep; she had cancer. We then bought a black poodle called Tina; we bred with her and kept her daughter Janie by which time Beauty had died. Betty really loved her dogs and she must have passed this on to Michael and his son Paul who now has three dogs.

Cars

In 1955 I finally parted with the Morris 12 (AUW 264) and bought a Ford Popular (UUG 724). Subsequently we had a Blue Ford Prefect (WKY 683), Red Ford Anglia (2055 UA) and a Ford Consul (3537 UB). Betty got interested in driving and took lessons. She failed her first test but passed the second. I bought her a Ford Popular (OVR 353); this was not an easy car to drive but she used to buzz up Thornton Road at a good speed and became a good driver. She bought John a 1935 Triumph Gloria (AKU 990).

Holidays.

We continued to explore the countryside and had a few holidays away at Hunstanton and Bacton, both in Norfolk. At first the Morris 12 was still going strong but the others took over and for the last holiday at Bacton, we had the Consul. At a fair in Bacton, I was ten minutes away from winning a live pig when someone just beat me. We enjoyed Norfolk including Sandringham and the lavender fields. We had booked to go to Bacton in 1963 but that was not to be. There were a couple of rather good holidays spent in Tankerton, in rented accommodation, where we played tennis and bathed etc. We also spent days at Filey and Bridlington.

Social.

Our social life, which was limited, was connected largely with Works activities such as Foreman’s Dinners held annually and the all male pantomime given in the Phoenix Works Sports Club. Whilst in Leeds we also paid regular visits to the Theatre where there was a different show each week, usually a farce. One summer I went on a Foreman’s trip to Bridlington where I had my first try at playing golf. This got me interested and I joined Phoenix Golf Club. At that time I got down to a handicap of 22. The Forgan clubs which I bought then I used when I took up the game more seriously after retirement.

Golf

As is usual with golfers there is a fund of stories of what happened and what might have been. Here are a few of mine from the early years, not necessarily in chronological order.

Playing with John as my partner during the first period that I played at Headley. We entered and won the invitation Stableford Competition but we were not allowed the prize because it was said that I had not paid my annual subscription of £7. Neither did they return the 10/- competition entry fee. I promptly paid the subscription and handed in my resignation.

Playing at Otley with our Works dentist. As we were about to strike off, one of the following pair hit off from their tee and his ball only just missed us. Norman promptly got hold of his wood and hit the ball as far as possible into a wood. On being asked if we had seen a ball we denied all knowledge.

Playing in a competition at Headley and watching a chap take five putts from 18 inches. This was on the old 3^rd, now 7^th.

Playing at Selby GC on our annual Works golfing trip. Standing on the first tee where our new Assistant Personnel Manager was attempting to strike off. After seven clean air shots, he dislocated his knee. It was seen that a doctor was on the 10th tee which was nearby. He was asked to attend and did so. He then returned to the 10th tee and promptly holed in One!

Betting an unbeliever that I could hit a golf ball 100 yards with a hockey stick. He wouldn’t come to see me demonstrate.

On the same trip, to ensure that a large number of prizes were won, we invented two competitions. The main one used real handicaps and the other on used secret handicaps, sealed in an envelope and known only to me and a friend of mine, Fred Jowett. These handicaps were based on the results from the previous year. This proved to be quite successful and pleased everyone.

Taking a bet with two chaps that I could hit a ball over the ravine facing the first tee at Northcliffe. As it happened I was allocated the tenth tee to start so when I got to the first I hit a very nice shot straight over the ravine. Cyril Brooksbank paid up but the other chap didn’t. However after months of niggling and leg pulling he did finally concede. It was only 2/6d!

Standing on the 18th tee at Seasalter (Whitstable) GC with Betty. I hit off straight but short of the green. I handed a No 2 Wood to Betty and said: "No one is looking, have a go". She hit the ball straight onto the clubhouse roof where it rolled down straight onto the green!

Finding out that the Secretary at Seesalter had worked at Dawson’s Mill in Thornton until retirement.

Rumour: One of the chaps at Phoenix GC driving into a small tree and cutting it down. I didn’t see it myself.

Children’s Progress

In 1958, John, unknown to us, became unhappy at school and I told the headmaster that he would not attend any more. He applied to join the Royal Air Force as an Apprentice at Halton. With four ‘O’ Level GCEs, he was accepted. The passing out examination was a nightmare for him in terms of the oral tests. I thought back to Betty’s attempts to answer a simple question for acceptance to Grammar School - same problem. I think that, in my day, they would have found some way round it, after all he had been considered for a Cadetship and passed the written exam on the same subject. Through this he was deemed to have failed but I always thought it grossly unfair. As usual, he faced it with some courage and eventually obtained the necessary grade. At Halton, he also passed the Advanced Level GCE in maths which had been the root cause of his trouble at school, related to a sarcastic teacher. Betty and I attended the Passing-out parade and I made some attempt to persuade his officer to think again but I got nowhere. In the end I wrote to the Air Ministry.

In the meantime Michael had been going to the village school and in 1960 passed a scholarship to St Bede’s Grammar School. He did not like it as he was not academic and was only really interested in practical work. Helping him with homework was also difficult, particularly in maths where he was expected to use precise methods with which I was not familiar. I used much easier and direct methods.

Betty and Work

When we were established in Thornton, Betty thought of working again. She eventually took on the job of demonstrating knitting machines in a shop at the top of Church Bank, Bradford. Some time later the business moved to Swan Arcade (long since demolished). She was very clever with these machines and could design patterns as well as work on the machines. She became disillusioned with the owner of the shop and joined up with the husband of the lady who originally opened the Friendly Café in Thornton. They repaired and, I think, sold second hand machines which Betty demonstrated however this closed down when he and his wife moved south. Betty then joined Brown Muffs after a short stay in a shop near Hall Ings. At Brown Muffs, she worked for the Maintenance Engineer as a clerical assistant.

Neighbours

I should mention our immediate neighbours, the Brysons, who had bought "Rosedene" the house next door. They were grand people. Very much later they moved but I am still in touch. Years later Geoff Bryson employed Michael and then installed him in a garage of which more later.

Work

As regards work, by 1954/55 it had all gone pear shaped. Our General Manager, Percy Evans, was given three hours to clear his desk and John Longden was told that he was to move. It started really with the retirement of Lord Nelson who had handed over to his son. Representing him in the North was a man called Sheffield who was responsible for all General Managers, and Willy Hurton, already mentioned, who was in overall charge of production methods etc. A new General Manager, John Parker, a Cambridge Graduate, supported by the younger Nelson, was appointed at Bradford. Thus the hawks descended and the old ways were out. In Percy Evans, they had a very decent man. The trouble was that he had his own ways of how things should be run; he went to Brush Electric as a Director In getting rid of John Longden, they got rid of the best Production Engineer in English Electric; he went to Crompton Parkinson also as a Director. The main Production Superintendent also left as he was not prepared to put up with the interference from outsiders who had been put in by Sheffield to reorganise. My job was also made uncomfortable as the senior ND&P man from Preston, Mr Instone, was sent to Bradford to ensure that the expansion, which was due to take place, would be in line with Sheffield’s ideas. John Parker, the new General Manager really had no say. Jim Instone was supposed to represent Hurton but in fact was really working for Sheffield. At the time, Hurton was doing a lot of work in Canada opening a new factory. Whilst he was there Sheffield would come in and order me to do things, for instance put up another extension. Thus, I was very much a ping pong ball and tried to do what I thought was right. With Instone breathing down my neck this was difficult. We were not allowed to deal with our normal builders or steel erectors etc. Instead we had to use those specified by the Preston architect. At one point I was accused by Sheffield of doing something because I was afraid of Hurton and Hurton in turn accused me of doing something because I was afraid of Sheffield. This was grossly unfair particularly as they never consulted with each other.

Some useful work did get done. We organised a production line for Canberra actuators at our subsidiary factory at Carr Lane and tooled up the production of Canberra generators, the first of which was difficult to make. An improved one came later. The Canberra was being made at Preston in considerable quantities and we needed to keep up. A new office block was built to house Sales, Contracts, Accounts etc. The Works was given a complete facelift and all Departments rearranged. At this time ND&P was run down.

When all that was finished, I was moved for six months to work for John Parker to study various operations and ideas connected with improving same. In the six months I usually had two or three studies going on at the same time. On completion, each study was given a concise report and personal recommendation and submitted for consideration by the General Manager. Some he acted on some he didn’t. On all of them I made sure that I had the backing of the Departmental Managers and the Chief Accountant. This came to an end early in 1956. I was then asked to be the Production Superintendent of the Aircraft Equipment Division. This would have been alright but a young man, F Kingston, from Preston was given the job of Works Manager of that Department. This made me responsible to him and, being shop floor related, I had to start at 7.30 am. He wasn’t an experienced person so again it was unsatisfactory. It was at this time that I was found to have pernicious anaemia and was off work for a month. It was then decided that things were not going fast enough and a man from Preston, Cyril Brooksbank was brought over to give things a push. This upset Kingston who asked for a move back to Preston. While all these politics were going on, the rest of us had to do what we could to produce things and maintain targets; this wasn’t easy.

Brooksbank was an experienced man working, in effect, for Sheffield. His knowledge was more in the line of Progressing. He was a driver and a man who worked on the divide and rule principle; he was subsequently made Works Manager. There followed some uncomfortable years until he fell ill in the late 1960s. I didn’t like any of this period and made several attempts to jobs in other companies. Unfortunately no-one could match my pay or pension rights. As I have already said things had gone pear shaped but, for the moment, I’ll leave it there. Things did get better later.

The Aircraft Equipment Department was then split from the rest of the Works and we had our own General Manager, John Rivett, who was our ex Chief Engineer. We got on very well together with a good deal of mutual respect. He didn’t like Brooksbank very much. John had a quirky sense of humour. One day I was invited, with Betty, to attend at his house for a cheese and wine party. When we got there, all the Engineering, Sales, Contracts and Accounts Managers were there with their wives but I was the only representative from the Works side. I asked John where Brooksbank and others from the Works were; he just gave me a great big grin. Brooksbank found out of course and was fuming. Betty and I had a pleasant evening. John Rivett was later transferred, as General Manager, to Luton. He subsequently asked me to join him at Luton; I turned him down because this was 1963 and coincided with a very sad period of my life which is chronicled in the following pages.

Betty

Around the middle of 1962, Betty felt unwell but the doctor, having found nothing wrong, gave her indigestion medicine. This went on but she didn’t get any better and in June 1963 she was taken into the Bradford Royal Infirmary for observation. It was decided that they would operate as it was said that she had an ulcer.

The following is the last letter I wrote to Betty and the last letter she wrote to me:

Wednesday

Darling Bets,

As I cannot visit you tomorrow (Thursday) I thought that I would write to you. You had written such a nice letter to me; it touched me very deeply. I looked back over our years together and somehow it became crystal clear how much I love you and miss you.

You put it so much better than I can and I just pray for your quick recovery so that we can once more be together, enjoying the simple things which seem so much of our lives. Again you have said what they are, tea outside, the touch of hands and so on.

Well love, I am just going to find the dogs who incidentally are in fine fettle.  Mo is letting them out every day so that they can have a run.

Michael has gone to bed. He’s been very good and trying to help. Tomorrow he is doing the shopping including your two oranges.

There still aren’t many flowers out but the pinks might be out well enough to bring you some on Friday. They smell so nice.

The pot plants are doing alright. I planted the small geranium in our wall, but the Busy Lizzie and the large geranium are still indoors.

Cheerio My Bets - I do love you so. All my love, Jack.

Betty’s letter:

Saturday.

My Dear Jack, Michael, John.

By the time you get this I hope that the op’ will either be in progress or over. I also hope it will be a success. I’ve waited so long to be free of the pain etc. They say so little you don’t know what to expect, as usual we must just wait. The other lady is having her tube out today, so I should be presentable by Wednesday if I do as well! Then you visit me and we can start crossing days off the calendar, my goodness I don’t think I should have come in if I had known.

Sunday.

At last I can begin to think this time next week I shall be well on the way to recovery. I am so impatient to be well again. It seems so long since I felt like anything alive. I shall so enjoy my holiday, the thought of the sea, sand, you, the boys and dogs seems too good to be true. I shan’t have any money this year but that won’t have to matter, I’ll have to wait to be treated to ice cream by the wealthier members of the family!!! Just to be altogether again, I can think of nothing better. Perhaps Michael will be a little easier to live with, or I will, don’t know which. I know that I shall not sleep the first night home with thankfulness. I am so looking forward to going around the garden again too. It was a major effort before I came in here. Tea out on the front "patio" all those things will be so good again, after all I have always enjoyed our home. We’re a bit stick in the mud but we’ve been happy that way so that’s all that matters.

I hope there will be lots of strawberries at Bacton and that I shall be able to eat them; I hope for so much, but most of all that this op will clear all the trouble, it seems so hard to believe because I was not having any bother that way. I just can’t understand the whole affair; but just must believe what they say.

When I start to recover, I shall want some knitting I don’t know how we can work that out. I’ve two balls of white three-ply up in the attic on my work table. I shall have to think what I can do with it! There is also a little coat half knit of the same wool in my wool work box. I must get on my thinking cap during the next week. I am so pleased to be able to look forward at last. Nobody knows how miserable it has been just waiting despondently all this time. It’s been so horrible.

I must soon have some nail varnish. My nails are getting quite presentable now. I just wonder how long I can keep them that way. I am closing now. I shall be seeing you soon, for the last time before the big do. I’m not worried just wishful for a success. Cheerio, all my dearest love.

Betty

See "The Miracle" for what followed:

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Chapter 34

The Miracle

Betty, my wife and mother of our two sons died in hospital on July 2nd, 1963, one day before our 25th Wedding Anniversary. I hadn’t realised how ill she was until three days before she died. I was devastated. Some years before, she had lost her Engagement Ring on the beach at Hunstanton so, when she went into the hospital, I bought her a replacement. As she lay dying, Michael and I kissed her and I slipped the ring on her finger. Then she was gone. She was taken into the Sacred Heart Church at Thornton and a small service was said. The following day a Requiem Mass was said followed by the burial at Thornton Cemetery. After the funeral John, Michael and I went to Winchelsea where my Aunt Triss and Uncle Jack lived. We booked into a hotel where we tried to come to terms with our loss. On returning I went back to work, John back to his Station and Michael back to school. Michael and I went back to Winchelsea for our Summer holiday but had to come back after two or three days; I just couldn’t hack it. Life went on but only just.

One day, towards the end of August, I walked into the office of a friend of mine and asked him if I could sit down and talk as I felt that I wasn’t coping. Harry Hamilton was a caring sort of chap and after a while he told me that he and his wife were having a trip out, on the following Saturday, to the Spa Hotel at Ripon where they planned to have afternoon tea. He also told me that he was taking his lady clerk, Doreen, with him and asked whether I would like to join them. I said yes and what a momentous decision that turned out to be.

When I got to the hotel, they were already sitting at a table overlooking a huge area of lawn planted with beds of roses in full bloom. Lovely. They had broken the news to Doreen about half way to Ripon. A bit of a shock to her, but, as usual, she, with them, greeted me with that smile. After tea Harry suggested that we walk on the lawn. As we left the Conservatory where we had tea and stopped on the lawn, I took Doreen’s hand and we walked across the grass to what turned out to be our future. At that moment the cloak of despair, which had been weighing me down, dropped away. That was the miracle and we never looked back.

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Chapter 35

August 1963 - July 1979

I invited Doreen out the following Saturday and we went to somewhere like Knaresborough. In the glove compartment I left a lovely big peach for her. The next Saturday again a trip out and I put in a box of dark chocolates. It was a long time before I found out that she didn’t like peaches or dark chocolate. The third Saturday I left her two pairs of nylons. As it happened, it was her birthday. From then on we started to go out every day. As well as places such as Southport and Ilkley, we called in at the Scotts Arms at Sicklinghall where no-one would be likely to see us as, at that time, we had decided to keep it quiet at work. We succeeded in that until Christmas when we announced our engagement. It really was a case of love at first sight. Sometime before Christmas, however, I had been pulling the leg of one of my friends whilst sat in the Management Dining Room. He looked at me and quietly, without saying anything, passed me a card of the Scotts Arms! So someone did know but he never let on. That was Dr John Carr, our Works doctor. Our trips out also included Filey when we would also take Michael. I was careful to tell him about our caring for each other so I hope that he always felt a part. I also told Mo and Geoff Bryson who took to Doreen straight away and gave us their backing. It was on one trip to Filey that, sitting on the beach and Michael conveniently paddling, I told her that I loved her and asked her to marry me. She was momentarily stunned but realised that I was serious and so it was agreed. Another of our favourite places was the Red Café on the Harrogate road where we had some very good lunches.

About October we went to Petersfield for the weekend, taking Michael with us, to see her cousin Bill Carbine and his wife Margaret. At the time he was very ill with some form of cancer. They were both very nice people and before we left Bill said to me "Look after her". He died before we were married and we drove down to his funeral. I hope that he knows that I carried out his request as best as I could.

Doreen was a bit unsure when one day I took her to Leysholme Crescent to meet my Mother, Betty and George. She had no need to worry; they all greeted her and took to her at once. My Mum said quietly to me "She will really do for you". How right she was. We were also pleased to get support from John and Michael and felt very happy about that.

After Betty died, I started to take Michael to church on Sunday. One day, walking in the castle grounds at Knaresborough, I asked Doreen if she was a Catholic. The answer, of course, was yes so I finally decided on something that I had thought about for a long time; that was, to join the Catholic Church. This I did after six weeks instruction from Father Moverley. To say the least, the instruction was typical Father Moverley and unique. He was telling me to adopt a simple faith and not to worry about the complexities of the theories that confused so many people.

Christmas came and with the engagement ring on her finger everyone knew. We were given tremendous support by all except Brooksbank who thought that he knew better. I believe he was quite sincere in this and one day he got me in his office and expressed the view that I was on some sort of rebound and asked me to rethink. He even dragged me into John Mercer’s office and asked him why he didn’t knock some sense into me. John said: "Why should I, she seems very nice?". I broke into that conversation and made it quite clear that I loved her and was happy with the arrangements. Nothing more was said.

The Banns were read out by Father Moverley who said to the congregation "You know them, they go to the Bingo"! He had made Doreen blink when, on the first occasion that she had heard him preach at Christmas, he said: "They say it was a starlit night, how do they know it was a starlit night?" John and Maria were there and they were both looking at her reactions. Father Moverley was certainly different but he was a lovely priest. He would have loved the marriage to be conducted at the Sacred Heart but it was right that it was held at St. Mary’s where Doreen had been christened and confirmed, and where her Mother and Father were married.

We married on 30th March, 1964 which was Easter Monday. George Walker represented her father who had died many years before and John was my best man. I was proud that he accepted that job. Maria, John’s girlfriend, was Doreen’s bridesmaid. A lot of people attended the service, mostly Doreen’s friends who had previously given her a presentation at the St. Mary’s Union of Catholic Mothers. It was a very happy day and the start of a very happy marriage. Photographs were taken by George Walker’s son Richard. Father Cronin took the service; we saw quite a lot of him when he was transferred to Ripon. After church we went to the Stansfield Arms with the invited guests. After drinks we sat down to a very nice meal. Finally we drove home in a Rolls Royce that unfortunately developed a water leak such that steam was much in evidence. I believe that John and Maria took Mum, Betty and George home to Leeds in my Consul, which they then proceeded to pinch for the rest of the day. Afterwards, a friend of Doreen’s, Mary Backhouse said to me: "I know she is happy now". We had arranged to go to Margaret’s at Petersfield for our honeymoon, taking Michael with us. We had a pleasant holiday and it was lovely to have someone to cuddle up to at night. During the holiday, I changed the Consul for a Zephyr 6. While Doreen was looking at a Morris 1100, Michael and I were making arrangements for a test drive in the Ford. We did the test run and bought it on the spot, part exchanged for the Consul. We heard later that the Consul was stolen later that night. We went home to start our new life at "Oakroyd" which Doreen, like Betty before her, loved.

Back at work, things had sorted themselves out somewhat. Brooksbank had got rid of all the people he didn’t want, leaving me on the production side concentrating on control, buying and control records etc. John Mercer was the Chief Planner and Jig and Tool Designer. Brooksbank leant very heavily on him for technical matters although that didn’t always prove wise. I knew that dealing with Brooksbank was difficult so stood my ground on anything I felt was right (shades of Sheffield and Hurton), but he learned to trust me. It wasn’t easy though as in each Department he had an informant. I sacked the one I had for staying off sick when in fact he was exercising his greyhounds. As it happened, I had gone to the Carr Lane factory, which came under us for the manufacture of actuators, when I saw the man and his dogs! He was supposed to be in bed with ‘flu.

Instead of calling Brooksbank, Mr, I called him CB! He liked that as it made him feel important. This situation continued until 1969 when CB fell ill with throat cancer. While he was off, he was replaced by a man from outside named Alan Howland which changed everything. It was also the time when our Works were taken over by Lucas.

Reverting to Doreen and home life, early on we had hoped to have a child but this was not to be. I can remember being outside the Sacred Heart Church one Sunday when Edna, Maria’s Mum, said: "No baby yet then"? My reply embarrassed her because I said: "No, but it’s not for the want of trying"!

In the summer of 1964 I took Doreen and Michael to Petersfield to stay at Margaret’s, however, after a week she had to move so we moved into a hotel in Southsea. On the way back, the Zephyr started making noises in the transmission so we called in at a Main Ford Dealer in Leighton Buzzard. The foreman put it on a lift but couldn’t see anything. He was deaf so he decided to take it for a test drive, not with me but with Doreen. He couldn’t hear anything and she didn’t know what she was supposed to be listening to so nothing was found. Michael had been saying all along that it was the Prop Shaft bearing but no-one took any notice of a young lad. We got home alright but, of course, if we had listened to Michael we would have found out that he was right all along.

On 14th November, 1964, John and Maria were married at the Sacred Heart Church. That was a very happy occasion which unfortunately was soon overshadowed by the fact that John was posted to Aden in December.

In the Summer of 1965, with John away in Aden, Maria came with us to Southsea. It wasn’t Fawlty Towers but it did its best. We had a nice time but Doreen had to see the chap who ran the place about upsetting Maria with remarks about the food. After that, if she received a letter, he personally brought it to her.

For two years we rented a caravan at Primrose Valley, Filey from a cousin of Doreen’s. We were there when England won the World Cup against West Germany in 1966. In 1968/69 we booked a flat in Brooklands, Filey.

During the sixties and seventies Doreen took little jobs in the village. One was helping in the Friendly Café. It was there that she got friendly with Margaret, the girl who took over from Mrs Allwright. We went every week with her and her husband to ten pin bowling. We even bought shoes and considered buying a ball each, however, the place closed down so that stopped. Good fun while it lasted. None of us could beat Margaret. Her husband later died and she remarried to Brian Tingle.

For the moment, back to work. When Alan Howland took over, the first thing he did was to alter my working hours so that I reverted to starting at 8.30 am. He also encouraged the use of Christian Names. On top of that, resisting pressure from outside, he promoted me to Supplies Manager and gave me a decent increase in pay. This was in 1970. Based on his ideas we completely altered all the control systems. To get this started he got a number of people together and gave a paper which took about two hours to present. Two further sessions were given to more of the personnel by me. They were quite successful. I was responsible for all operations except where John Mercer held sway. Production improved in a much better atmosphere until 1974 when he was taken on by GEC as General Manager. He tried to have me transferred but, once again, they couldn’t match my pension rights. The new man was a Lucas man from Burnley, Jim Ramsey. He and I got on very well indeed, as I had with Alan Howland, and he made me his deputy in his absence. This suited me and the unions, who trusted me to be fair and impartial; they would only accept my word concerning priorities during overtime bans etc.

Doreen’s cousin Doris died in 1970. During her later years, Doreen had helped her and we went out with her and her man friend several times. She was Managing Director of an export firm so was fairly well off. She was from the rich side of Doreen’s family and in her Will she left Doreen £2000. With this Doreen bought me a new car, a gold Vauxhall Viva, and equipped our bedroom with all the fitted cupboards and tallboys. The rest she put into our joint account, buying nothing for herself, which was just typical.

On 22nd August 1970, Michael married Susan James at the Sacred Heart Church Thornton. As with Maria and John, they had a reception at "Oakroyd". They came on honeymoon with us to Brooklands, Filey where we all had a good time. At that time Michael was in the RAF but after the birth of his son, Paul, he bought himself out.

I think that here I ought to stop and record the births of my first three grandchildren, born to Maria and John:

Andrew John               - 23rd January 1967

Annette Marie             - 13 June 1968

Nicholas Anthony     - 24 November 1969

They were often here at "Oakroyd" and both Doreen and I enjoyed their visits. Being born so close together, they were great friends and still are.

One holiday in Filey, Doreen and I were talking to a waitress in the "Corner Café " and telling her that the flat in Brooklands was getting rather noisy so she introduced us to Mr & Mrs Brian Simms who had a house in Hope Street and a flat at No 1 Raincliffe Avenue. Over many years we stayed in both but after they sold the property in Hope Street, always at Raincliffe Avenue. We would book it for three or four weeks each year and became great friends. Brian’s wife, Grace, died early on and in the Fisherman’s Church at Filey, Brian had a lovely stained glass window dedicated to her. It is worth recording the fact that not all people are greedy. The first year that we stayed at Raincliffe Avenue, the cost was £43 per week and in 1993, the last time we stayed, it was exactly the same! It catered for four people so we had many happy holidays there with George and Betty. Later on, after I retired, we also stayed in a flat run by a couple called Rollins. They used to have a lovely show of potted flowers in their yard and they used this show to collect money for charity.

Betty and I used to play a lot of tennis at Filey and Doreen played in the earlier days. In addition, we were all keen on putting and spent many happy hours playing.

Another grandson arrived, born to Michael and Sue, followed by a granddaughter:

Paul Michael - 29th March 1973

Sarah Jane - 2nd November 1977

By the time Sarah was born, Michael was working for Geoff Bryson.

In 1974, John was posted to Germany and, for a while, Maria and the children lived at "Oakroyd" and the children went to school in Thornton. Eventually, early in 1975, they got word to join up with John. I seem to remember that Doreen and Edna went to London to see them off.

John was posted to No 3(F) Squadron (Harriers) stationed at Wildenrath, a large camp with every facility. In 1975, we had the opportunity to stay with them under arrangements made by the RAF. We took a train down to Gatwick, staying at a Post House Hotel for a night. The next day we trooped on board a BAC 111 along with other service related families. Doreen was very excited as it had been one of her dreams to fly and now she had the opportunity. She wasn’t a bit nervous. I was because I wasn’t used to aircraft without airscrews. At one point she asked when we were taking off - in fact we were already airborne! She loved it and I was so pleased for her. John and Maria met us at Wildenrath when we landed. At the time he had an oldish BMW 2000 (HU 789B) in which he transported us to Erkelenz where they lived in a very nice flat. We thoroughly enjoyed that holiday, meeting their friends and sitting round the swimming pool when on camp. We went to Mass on camp. John took us on various trips including some into Holland. One trip we made was to Cochem on the River Mosel, during which time we stayed in a German Hotel on the River Rhein. The hotel was fine except for the trains shunting nearby and the barges going up and down the river. We also had trouble with the bill as they wouldn’t take a cheque and pretended not to understand English. The situation did get sorted eventually. In Cochem, I bought coffee and what a price it was; never mind, it was nice. Later we bought three bottles of wine and chips - much cheaper. I also bought a corkscrew made from the root of a grapevine; I still have it.

In 1976 we again went out to Germany, this time landing at RAF Bruggen although I cannot remember why. This time, John and Maria met us in the new Ford Cortina which, earlier in the year, they had come back to England to buy. They were still living at Erkelenz at the time. They had made arrangements to have a holiday in Austria at Mondsee. This meant a journey of approximately 550 miles each way. The luggage was in a small trailer and the seven of us fitted into the car (Doreen, me and the three children in the back).

The holiday in Austria was lovely and we were taken to various places, mostly places adjacent to huge lakes or "sees". Our favourite place was, I think, Hallstadt. It was there that John Maria and children went off on a cable car to some Ice Caves while Doreen and I looked around the small town. We had a nice cool lager at a roadside beer place. When we met up with the family by the lake, Doreen felt faint due to the heat. I soaked a handkerchief in water and splashed it all over her face and head. This brought her round and we then moved into the shade. Another time, going through a tunnel into Hallstadt, we came across a car park in a gap and found some Germans who had locked themselves out of their car. Andrew was just able to get his arm through one window and, while we pulled hard he managed to unlock the door.

Another place we visited was Gosausee. We did a dangerous thing there by walking right round the lake beginning on a narrow ledge on the edge of a nasty drop. John managed to hold onto Doreen but really we should never have attempted it. To make matters worse, none of us had walking shoes. In fact I only had slipper type shoes as I had managed to take along two left footed "bumpers". There was also Wolfgangsee, which was bounded with a beach and meadows full of lovely wild flowers. This was a good lake for swimming. We went to Mondsee to go to Mass. This was the church used in "The Sound of Music". After Mass we joined the crowd in the square for a drink. We thought that Austria was lovely and thoroughly enjoyed our holiday there.

On the journey home, John was pulled up for speeding. Having a trailer, the speed limit was 50 mph. He was fined 20 marks on the spot. Another time he was fined for taking a short cut down an "Anlieger Free" road (effectively a road with access for authorised vehicles only).

On our return to Erkelenz, we found that the family had to move into Married Quarters. This made it easier for the children as they went to school there. What amazed me was that there was so little integration with the local German population.

Back at work, since 1970, the Bradford factory had been closely connected with Hemel Hempstead. Regular meetings were held at Nottingham which was a half way point. We had to adopt several of their systems. I found a good friend in Bill Farmer who was the Company Supplies Manager. He had been a Spitfire pilot in the Battle of Britain. After I left, Bradford made Actuators at a new factory, the rest closed and moved to Hemel Hempstead. I had opted to work until I was 65. During the last six months I was given the job of Acting Works Manager of the Control Gear Department which, coincidentally, was my favourite department. This was arranged so that the new Supplies Manager could take over with me still available for advice, if required. This six months was the most enjoyable of my career. Pensions were based on the last two years salaries and Jim Ramsey saw to it that I was well looked after. Philip Simmons, the Personnel Manager, also gave me some good advice and was a great help. I was given a wonderful send off by all my friends and fellow workers at the Phoenix Park. Doreen was nicely included in the presentation and the Telegraph and Argus write-up included a photograph of Benny Lynch, the General Manager, presenting a television. A special cake was made and Doreen was presented with a bouquet of flowers.

Unfortunately my secretary, Gladys Rider, was unable to attend due to illness but my ex secretary, Kathleen Nicholson, who had retired, was. Another present I received was a painting done by an old friend of mine, Frank Siddle, who was our Development Superintendent who had previously retired. A sort of poem was written by one John Dace. It is reproduced overleaf.

JACK'S ALRIGHT

It's wonderful to see all you good people gathered here

With the wine and the compliments flowing

Mostly wanting to join in FJW’s retirement

But some making sure that he’s actually going.

 

Tales have been told for thousands of years

But many give out that ring

So here is the saga of FJW Turner

Or how to get from Jack to King

 

He hails from the South but don’t blame him for that

He’d never to put up with sweat, toil or grime

The lush fields of Kent have produced many great men

Though I can’t think of any at this moment in time

 

He’s a man of Kent born south of the Medway

And the further into this one delves

It’s a place where men are men and poor women

Just never had a moment to themselves

 

Jack was having his bath as usual one Friday night

Thinking it’s time I earned some money

As he felt for his loofah something struck him

And he said to himself "Isn’t nature funny"

 

A call came to him to head up to Yorkshire

And he responded with a minimum of fuss

He thought of Yorkshire Pudding and Tetley’s Bitter

And that they’re better at cricket than us

 

It was the merry month of May 1946

Jack arrived up North with hardly a sou

And he introduced himself to Bradford Phoenix Works

So the English Electric met her Waterloo

 

He started as a common or garden draughtsman

But the tales he told filled people with awe

How he’d fought through hell and high water

And helped Errol Flynn win the war

 

From a 1930 RAF Apprentice

1943 saw him Commissioned for his rights

He never flew with the few, but stuck to groundcrew

‘cause he’d vertigo and couldn’t stand heights.

 

Jack saw service in France and then West Africa

Helping repel Rommel’s desert campaign

Showing tenacity, cunning and persistence

The attributes of any Progress Man’s brain.

 

When Rommel threw in the towel and gave up the fight

He wasn’t beaten by Montgomery’s attacks

He admitted surrendering was the only way he could find

Of getting Jack Turner off his back.

 

He’ll be missed by Helen and Gladys

To them he’s been their Adam, a real beauty

For pinching two apples to give them each day

The nearest he’s got to being fruity.

 

He’s seen Development, been Superintendent and Production Controller

Before Supplies Manager became his final call

You could say he’s been a Jack of all trades

But at least he’s mastered them all.

 

Jack is respected and admired by his colleagues

His affection you don’t need to seek

In fact it became common knowledge

That Phil Simmons fell for him early this week.

 

 

He’s hoping to spend more time on the Golf Course

For this game Jack’s the scent of a beagle

But sadly the RSPCA want to interview him

For hitting two birdies and an eagle.

 

He’ll be able to relax with his brush and his easel

At painting he’s far from a dud

He ranks with LS Lowry and Constable

But with a name like Turner he ought to be good.

 

Jack’s dear wife Doreen is in total agreement

She lets out a cry that comes from the heart

And said "Yes spend more time with your painting"

The hall and kitchen need doing for a start.

 

So as Doreen and Jack start a new phase in their life

Here’s a wish from everyone here

To you both a happy and wonderful retirement

That will last for many a year.

Signed: John C Dace

A further contribution was made from the Sacred Heart Church as follows:

Pension or Allowance Book - Due on Sunday

Post Office of Payment - Sacred Heart Church Thornton

Payee’s Name - Mr J Turner

Address - LENDAHANDDOREEN

 

 Your first orders: - I order you to help Doreen with the household chores.

 

And now the end is near as you face the final curtain

My friend I’ll say it clear, I’ll state your case of which I’m certain

You’ve lived a life that’s full you’ve worked and toiled from Monday to Friday

And more, much more than this, you did it your way.

 

You’ve loved, you’ve laughed and cried but now you think it’s all ending

Just think again ‘cos I am sure the life ahead will be heart rending

Now you must plan your daily chores like washing up from Monday to Friday

And more, much more than this, you’ll do it Doreen’s way.

 

Regrets you’ve had a few but then again so have all here present

You did what you had to do like giving lifts to a local peasant

Please take heart, don’t be forlorn just think of me up early morn

But I’ll face it all and I’ll stand tall (all 4̋ feet) and do it my way

 

Yes there’ll be times I’m sure you’ll find, when you think you’ll lose your mind

But through it all when there is doubt, ring Father D. He’ll sort you out

And if he can’t then please remember, before the spring there comes December

So paint the hall and you’ll stand tall up the step ladder.

 

Author: Anon.

Thus ended my Working Career. The official date was 31 July 1979.

Top

Chapter 36

Odd Memories of My Life after the RAF

Betty being told by Mrs Fisher, the lady next door, at Leysholme Crescent of John’s method of going indoors on his return from school: he climbed up the fall pipe to the roof, walked to the end, dropped onto the kitchen roof and then into the back yard!

In a Departmental cricket match, with the opposing batsman 50 not out, and their side two behind, me bowling and knocking all the stumps down only for the umpire to indicate a no ball; the umpire was Wilf Wray and he worked for me! It was like the time all those years ago when Dad gave me out LBW at Victoria College, Alexandria.

Being invited to Mick Mascus’ house for tea and standing on a cake, which had just been made by his wife. The following day I took over from him.

Having the maintenance people and builders dig up a number of cranes, which had been designed by a high flyer who had been allocated to me. When in use, the cranes shuddered. They were set in about 7 feet of concrete. I covered up for the chap, whose name is not mentioned in this write-up, and who later became a General Manager.

Getting a 10/- raise for having the courage to get remarried! However, I had to pay for the party night beforehand.

The parties we all had at George and Betty’s house, particularly those at Christmas.

John’s magic tricks which left us all in hysterics. He was actually very good.

Michael’s remark that I could only get drunk on music.

The noise made by CB’s leg when he broke the Achilles tendon whilst playing inter departmental cricket. He came to work on crutches for several weeks.

The problem we had trying to discover who was leaving obscene notes on my secretary’s desk. We never found out despite the efforts of myself and our Security Officer to set a trap.

Putting a copy of Winston Churchill’s History of England on Cyril Brooksbank’s desk with certain pages marked telling how the Duke of Kent and the Earl of Warwick rode North during the Battle of the Roses to rescue Yorkshire from the Duke of Lancaster.

The parties we had at Christmas in the General Manager’s dining room.

Betty and me hauling her Ford Popular back from Selby in deep snow. Our tow rope broke just outside the garage which had just decided to make some tow ropes just in case. How lucky can you get? John and Michael were in the Pop.

Walter Nurnberg’s visit to take a number of Industrial type pictures of operations. I was asked to take him round to ensure cooperation from all the people concerned. He was certainly a class photographer. Afterwards he invited me to dinner at the Victoria Hotel. He also gave me some books he had produced. A Catholic German, he escaped from Germany in the thirties.

Hans Breitenbach, another German who worked in English Electric, who took Betty and me across Ilkley Moor from the opposite end; very bumpy! In the war he served as a Glider Pilot in the British Army. A brave chap and another Catholic.

Norman Mason, our Works Dentist, breaking a nut cracker when cracking a nut. He was an ex SAS man who had been in Colditz during the war and had a grip like a vice.

Walking home to "Oakroyd" from the works at Thornbury, once in fog and once in snow and finding a haven at the home of Mr & Mrs Raymond Garritt who were friends of ours from the Sacred Heart Church whom we saw every week.

The rather drunken do we were involved in at a Fireman’s Fest in Austria. This included an Oom-Pah band, beer and chips.

All the people who worked with and for me, too many to mention in this write up. I am grateful for the help and kindness shown to me over many years.

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Chapter 37

July 1979 - 1992

Recently I heard a song sung by the Adams Singers entitled something like "On Days Like These". It illustrated the joy I felt each day when walking out with and, in fact, being with, Doreen hand in hand, and going to bed with her at night. This would be best illustrated by a day on a trip we had to Boston in Lincolnshire. The sun was shining and the sky was blue; a really beautiful warm day. We sat on a seat in a walking precinct where a young man with a lovely voice was singing some golden oldies with background music as an accompaniment. We sat together holding hands and we were living in an aura of happiness; this is a day I shall always remember as did Doreen. We bought a tape and when I listen to it, my thoughts and memories go back to that Golden Day. We had many days like this.

I must go back to the beginning of my retirement and to more mundane things. Before I actually left work, I had started playing golf again. I joined both the Phoenix Park Golf Club at Thornbury and the Headley Golf Club at Thornton. I handed in three score cards at Phoenix, duly signed by a friend, Ted Binns, and was given a handicap of 24. By winning various competitions at both Phoenix and Headley within 2½ years I had reduced this to 14. I felt quite proud and enjoyed playing with the better players. Because of my age, I was dubbed "Tiger Jack". Then, in 1983, the powers that be decided to change the handicapping system and increased the maximum handicap to 28. I had a letter published in the September 1983 Edition of Golf Monthly which read as follows:

Re the letter in your July edition from J J Wilson, St. Andrews, headed Handicap Deterrent. I do not think that the discouragement from entering competitions is just confined to the better players. I would say that anyone who has worked hard to reduce their handicap would tend to play only the requisite minimum and then, as far as possible, in favourable weather.

I joined a club at the age of 65. Starting with a handicap of 24, I managed a gradual reduction over 2½ years to 14. I regarded this as an achievement. Engineering Drawings always nominate a tolerance on any dimension but, apparently, golfers must be perfect. Surely it would be better if the percentage was made on scores say +4 on Standard Scratch.

FJW Turner

Thornton, Bradford.

After the change, I never played in competitions with the same enthusiasm. Stableford competitions became a farce with people scoring in the mid 40s, and being won by 28 handicap men. When I stopped playing competitions my handicap was 17.2. Whilst on 16, which I was allocated under the new system, I played in a "Rabbits" League game. My opponent was a chap from the Bradford Club. Before we started, he said "This is a right Mickey Mouse course", to which I just grinned. On the first hole he went out of bounds, on the second he played the wrong ball and so it went on. I beat him 7 and 6 and he didn’t mention Mickey Mouse again! Eventually I stopped playing altogether at Phoenix and concentrated on Headley. Four of us played for some years before one went to live at Bridlington and promptly died within a fortnight. For a year after that, I could feel his shadow on my shoulder when I played. As we walked past the bottom of our garden towards the first green, Doreen would be on the patio waving a handkerchief and everyone waved back. We found a replacement for the chap who had gone to Bridlington but it was never quite the same. Derrick Spink had a heart attack and then Eric Kennelwell went virtually blind and then Doreen needed more attention so I resigned from the club in about 1997.

One competition I did enjoy was a Pro-Am held at Headley. Each team consisted of one Professional and two handicapped men with the Professional playing off scratch. The team in which I played did very well with the Professional winning overall and the team coming second. Another very enjoyable game was played at Filey. Derrick Spink and I teamed up to beat my son John and his friend Bill Hunter in a four ball.

During the holidays at Filey, I played with George on the Pitch and Putt course using sand wedge and a putter. I gave him a shot a hole. The only day that he had a chance to beat me, I needed a hole in one on No. 18. I did it with a perfect Sand Wedge shot. It was shame really because he had tried so hard. On more memorable game was played with Doreen over the 12 hole course at Sewerby Park in which she did very well. Each hole was about 100-140 yards. At the third it started to rain heavily. Everyone went off but not us; we plodded on to the end. Is it any wonder that I loved her?

Round about 1980 I gave the Viva to Maria and bought a one year old Fiat 131. During its life, Michael completely rebuilt it and did a wonderful job. That was followed by a Ford Sierra, bought from Jessica, Geoff Bryson’s daughter. By that time Michael was working at the garage at Clayton bought by Geoff. I part exchanged the Sierra for a Rover 214 SLi but finally gave up driving in 1999. I gave the Rover to my grandson Paul, Michael’s son. They had both looked after my cars for many years and saved me quite a lot of money. I didn’t renew my driving licence as my right eye was partially blind. I had started driving in 1934 so I had a good 65 years on the road.

The first Bowls Competition we were in was at the Thornton Gala in 1981. Doreen, Clifford Williams and I represented the Sacred Heart Church and won the cup. We were each presented with a commemorative medal. Father Mathew Dwyer was really pleased. In 1982 I joined the Thornton Veterans and started bowling with them in their second team. That year I won my first Club Competition which was the McBride Cup for novices. Doreen came along with other ladies making tea for everyone on match days. In 1985 she was called up to the stage, where we were doing the presentations after a Christmas Party meal, and given a trophy marked "Champion Tea Maker". Two of her friends also got awards. It was all good fun and the ladies were very pleased. Up to 1998 I had won in the region of 28 trophies which included a League Winner’s and one for Runner-up for a team cup match. In 1989 I won nothing at Thornton but won the Men’s Singles at Filey which was a "Flat Green" competition.

We spent a lot of time at Filey and I was invited to join the Filey Bowling Club by a friend, Eddie Chamberlain from whom I bought my set of Flat Green bowls. Flat Green bowls is a quite different variety from the "Crown Green" variety. We would have fun games in the afternoon but the club also played in a triples league. In this, four teams of three people, each with three bowls would play against the surrounding clubs. There were also friendly games and Club Competitions. Doreen was able to play and we got particularly friendly with people like George Cammish, Joe Thom and their respective wives. I am still in touch with Joe and others including Eddie Chamberlain’s wife Betty. Eddie, along with George and his wife have now died. I played my best when I was picked to ‘Skip’ ie. go last. I was a very poor lead player as it didn’t seem to suit my nature. I last played at Filey in 1993.

General

Our days and weeks over the years which followed my retirement were happy and relaxed. Just ordinary and, I suppose, routine but it was what we wanted from life. To be together without any working responsibilities, trips to town, gardening, meals out and, of course, holidays. A few problems cropped up, mostly connected with Michael and Sue. Some of it was related to money problems which needn’t have arisen and were sorted out after a discussion which resulted in Sue holding most of the purse. Sadly however, they were drifting apart. He left home one day and stayed at "Oakroyd" for one night then went back home. It didn’t help when it was found out that Sue was allergic to dogs. They had two lovely Pekes which they both loved. As soon as Sue’s allergy was discovered, he brought the dogs to "Oakroyd" but then managed to get them re-homed with people who accepted them both. On top of this, Mick was a workaholic with his life centred on cars. He was a brilliant mechanic. Eventually they sort of separated and he lived in a house in Thornton, however they still went out together!

John and his family, now back from Germany, bought a house in Cherry Willingham just outside Lincoln. This meant that they were able to visit here often. Doreen was a mother to all of them and took everything in her stride. She was very fond of them all.

Most weekends we went to Leeds to visit my sister Betty and her husband George. In the early years they used to holiday by touring in coaches but later they joined us at Filey. They always had a "Do" at Christmas and for a period spent Christmas at "Oakroyd".

Decorating was easy for me as Doreen always liked to do the ceilings which wasn’t my favourite job. We had a good laugh when together we papered a ceiling. Doreen ended up with bits of sticky paper all over her fingers. We only tried it twice. It was fortunate, as it turned out, that in 1992/93 I decorated the whole house, including cellars, from top to bottom.

Doreen was lucky in two raffles. She won a sunshine roof for my car but it wouldn’t fit a Fiat 131 so they gave her £40 instead. She also won lunch for two at the Ring-O-Bells, Thornton. This resulted in us having Sunday Lunch quite often at the Ring.

We were regulars at Church. After Father Moverley retired, Father Dwyer took over and

we became great friends. After ten years, he was asked to move to Brighouse and he literally cried on the altar. I am still in touch with him. He had to retire after a serious illness. Others followed including a very good priest who left to get married. Another, Father Mike Walsh attracted people from all areas to the Sacred Heart such that each Sunday the Church was full; sometimes there was standing room only. Unfortunately he suffered from some form of nervous disorder consisting of a nervous tic and had to take on a less arduous job.

Doreen was actively involved with the Thornton Association of the Elderly. This was a committee of volunteers who did their best to visit people over the age of 65 living alone. There were about 250 in the Thornton area indicating the degree of loneliness. I ended up as Chairman with Marjory Widdop acting as Secretary. It was a case of the old helping the aged as all the volunteers were more than 60! Each Christmas we collected money via jumble sales, cake stalls and collection boxes and gave all the 250 people a Co-op voucher for about £2.50. At one point I was Treasurer as well as Chairman. Doreen went around all the pubs and shops to collect the boxes. When Marjorie died we closed down and gave half the money to Manorlands and half to St. Gemma’s. One of our helpers, Joyce Hester, ended her days in St. Gemma’s. She had been a good friend and loyal helper.

Early on we had fun watching horse racing on television. We picked our horses and Doreen would go to the bookmaker and put on each way bets. Not much money was bet but we ended up with more than we put on. Later we stopped doing that and just picked a number each. I always had number 1 and Doreen had number 2. These were simple but good things.

About 1983 I went to play golf at Phoenix and couldn’t do my usual pee at my favourite bush. I ended up in hospital where I had a prostate operation. The following year it was a hernia operation. I soon got over both.

Of course gardening had to go on all the time. In 1979 I brought two trees home from work; a Fir for me and a Larch for Doreen. They grew to a huge size. I have had the fir tree shortened so that I can see the top third of Doreen’s Larch. This work was done by my gardener Paul who climbed up inside the tree to do the job.

Also in 1979 I bought a hi-fi and enjoyed the many records which we bought together. As I have already said, Michael said the music could make me drunk; it can also make me feel like crying; memories!

I had better record the weddings of our grandchildren.

The first was "Wait for Me" Nicholas to Karen Mulrooney on 2nd July 1994.

Second was Andrew to Mary Mulrooney on 14th September 1996.

Third was Paul to Sally on 4th October 1997.

Finally Annette to Clive Thomas on 23rd June 2000.

This leaves Sarah who, at this time, is developing a career as a Research Scientist having obtained a 1st Class Honours Degree in Patho-biology at Reading University.

The following Great Grandchildren have been born; Charlotte Ann, 21st November 1995, Curtis John, 12th June 1997 and Connor David, 25th November 1998 were born to Nick and Karen and are a lovely family. Joe Andrew was born to Andrew and Mary on 30th December 2000. They are all smashing. Holly, 4th April 2001 was born to Paul and Sally; she is a sweet little girl.

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Chapter 38

Days out and Holidays

Doreen and I enjoyed eating out on simple meals. Our favourites in Bradford were Jacksons and Pratts. It was at Pratts that we got to know Elizabeth Dawson, our gardener’s mother which of course lead to us employing Paul. Later on, due to circumstances, we went to Asa Nicholson’s at Denholme Gate.

We went on several days out with the Veterans. One I remember with regret was to Blackpool in about 1983. I needed a toilet and found one in the bus park. It was the dirtiest and smelliest place I have ever been in. The seats on the parade faced inwards instead of towards the sea. This combined with the garish shops and smell of fish and chips really put me off. The trouble was that I made it an unhappy day for Doreen which wasn’t fair and is something I regret. We had lunch in Lewis’ overlooking the sea where I strung out the meal for about two hours. Doreen didn’t complain but I knew that she felt miserable. We always made a joke of it afterwards and, needless to say, we never went to Blackpool again. It wasn’t fair of me and I really don’t know what got into me that day. We enjoyed all the other days out to Morecambe, Windermere, Skegness and Southport to name a few.

Throughout the years, we had holidays at Filey which became our second home. We also started holidaying with Saga. The first time was to Canterbury University with Betty and George. This was good but the University is at the top of St. Edmund’s Hill. The second year we went to Southsea College where the accommodation was disappointing. One year we went to Dundee University with Betty and George and then back to Canterbury again, this time staying at Christ’s College. We went there at least three times, staying 14 days each time. Betty and George only stayed a week at each place as a result of which, we palled up with other people. Knowing Canterbury as I do, I was able to show them places they would not otherwise have found. They were happy holidays and all the travelling was by train and well organised.

Our local Darby and Joan (D&J) Club also arranged holidays. The first we went on was a very good one to Torquay. The hotel was on top of the hill with about 200 steps to reach the bottom. We overcame that problem by finding a hotel by the sea which served meals; this meant that we could stay down in that area all day climbing back up to our hotel for the evening meal. One day we decided to play bowls; firstly our shoes were not flat enough so we had to play in bare feet; secondly we each had four bowls each but not one matched; all were different weights and sizes which made it very difficult to remember which was whose on the count up. Later, on a trip to Paignton, we were interviewed by a Council Representative to whom we reported the curious bowls. On our return to Thornton, the Torbay Council rang us about it.

Then came our holiday with the D&J at Fawlty Towers in Skegness. On our arrival, there was only a 16-year-old girl to greet us. The manager was asleep in one of the guest bedrooms, drunk. Really the hotel was ideal for us having a large ballroom, bars etc. but the organisation was terrible. There was only one key to each room with no master. I shut the door one night after taking out a film in our room and found out that the only way in was via the window. At breakfast we had to serve ourselves and at times the chef didn’t get up in time. At dinner the young waitress would stand at the kitchen door and yell out at the top of her voice: "Who wants soup?" Nothing was really clean, a chair fell to bits when someone sat on it and the razor points didn’t work. It was so bad that we enjoyed overcoming the difficulties. I have some good slides showing quite a good part of that holiday. Another D&J holiday, to a different hotel in Skegness was not quite as bad but was on similar lines. They ran Bingo one night and I won two left handed gardening gloves! At the same place, the fish and chips were delivered from the local fish and chip shop! As a result of this, the Mellors and us found a very good Bed and Breakfast establishment. This was excellent and we went there for three years running for a fortnight each time. We couldn’t go after that because John Mellor fell ill and later died. When we went to Skegness we would call in on John and Maria who lived at Cherry Willingham, just outside Lincoln. We also had a very good holiday at Cherry Willingham with John and his family when the children were quite young; we went to Sutton-on-Sea, where I, as usual, acted the idiot. We made a sand castle with a moat into which I put some pebbles which I called the slaves. One of the lads wanted to go to thetoilet so I told him to pee on the slaves which produced much laughter. The last holiday which we had at Skegness was OK. It was run by the Thornton Methodists.

Their holidays were always good. One went to Newquay so we were able to call in at "Redcap" where John and Maria had moved in 1984. Over the years we went to Oban, Bannockburn, Pitlochry, Cymbran, Woolacombe and Bournemouth (twice). These were all coach holidays and a good time was had by all. We went to Newquay by train at least twice. On one occasion, whilst there, I passed out at breakfast. Calls were made to the ambulance and talk of heart attacks prevailed. Whilst all that was going on, I came to and finished my breakfast - it was too good to miss. They took me to hospital and I passed out again, however they couldn’t find anything wrong with me so eventually they put me in a wheelchair and John pushed me out. The trouble was that the door would not open so I got out of the wheelchair and opened the door to let John through.

Everyone fell about laughing! Typical me I suppose. I felt under the weather for a couple of days but was fit enough to play John at golf on Thursday. Very kindly, Paul Kennedy, Maria’s brother, volunteered to bring back our luggage so that all I had to carry was my putter! I never found out what was wrong but the doctor did eventually change my blood pressure pills. The old ones had side effects but whether they had anything to do with it, I am not sure.

The preceding words do not really illustrate the happiness that Doreen and I shared over these years. What amazes me is how quickly it all went and how much I have missed out but I have tried to give some idea of the lighter side of our life together. Why did it have to go so fast? This was a sentiment echoed in a song which George Burns took to Number 1 "I wish I were 18 again".

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Chapter 39

1993 - 2000 (The Beginning of the End)

The following pages will be difficult to write so I make no apologies if they’re muddled.

I shall have to go back to the last holiday in Canterbury where we had made friends with Bill and Pat McKay who came from Aberdeen. One night we were looking at a floodlit Weavers in Canterbury High Street. Walking along Pat said "If I didn’t know better, I would say Doreen, that you have had too much to drink - you are all over the place walking". Normally we walked hand in hand but, at that moment, we were not. When we got home, Doreen went to the doctor and had to see a consultant. Up to that point she had a spot of Angina and also an arthritic hand for which she wore a splint, however this walking problem was different. It turned out that she had hereditary Ataxia which was not curable and could get worse in the years to come. It didn’t help with anything that followed.

We come to 1993. We had a good Summer and were on holiday at Filey in September living in a flat owned by Jimmy Harrison and family when a policeman called and told us that my son Michael had been found dead in bed. He was a diabetic. It was 30th September and we went straight home. A simple funeral service, as he would have wished, was held in the Sacred Heart Church. His ashes now lie in Betty’s grave in Thornton Cemetery. It was the point, I think, at which both Betty Ritchie and Michael’s wife Sue, were affected emotionally and did not get over it. More of that later.

Doreen and I went to Bournemouth with the Methodists in October and on one day we went to Swanage. As we got there, Doreen started talking funnily and her eyes were rolling. While two people looked after her in a shelter, I phoned for an ambulance. Within ten minutes it had arrived and she was laid in the back of it being given oxygen. The crew had warned the ferry to stay until they arrived. She was taken on the ferry and I wondered what she would have said had she known she was on water. She was afraid of water and the only boat she would go on was the ferry to the Isle of Wight. She said that, as she could see both Southsea and the Isle of Wight at the same time, that was OK. There was a reception waiting for us at Poole Hospital in the form of a doctor and three nurses. She was given various tests and was slowly coming around. The doctor told her that she would have to stay in hospital for observation. "Oh no" said Doreen, "I’m on holiday so I’d like to go back to the hotel". They reluctantly agreed so back we went in a car provided. When we walked into the hotel dining room for dinner, everyone gasped. Until the Friday, she stayed quietly in the hotel grounds. The return journey to Bradford was a bit dicey and near to Leicester we were stuck in a traffic jam. However we finally made it home and, on the following Monday, saw the doctor. A few days later, as she was getting ready for bed, she suffered another stroke and was rushed to the Bradford Royal Infirmary (BRI). This stroke affected her right side leaving her arm and leg useless. She came round to an extent and was given physiotherapy. Mr Newton, the Consultant, referred her to Mr Vowden, a Surgical Consultant. He saw both of us and said, after she had received a dye scan, that he was willing to operate. He told us, however, that there was only a 50/50 chance of success. We had already discussed this and told him that we understood this and that he should go ahead. She was then transferred to the Surgical Ward. It was a shame that the operation was nearly, but not quite, successful. Mr Vowden was upset that she had another stroke during the operation. He had the Sister phone me straight away. When I saw her, she was helpless but, after a day or two, she began to come to with her leg recovering first.

At home, I was preparing for her to come home. I had a local joiner make and install a hand rail on the left side of the staircase. The DSS also helped by arranging a bath lift lent me a wheelchair and gave me handles which I fitted to various locations to enable her to balance. Doreen was brought home to see how she would cope and, being satisfied, she was allowed to come home just before Christmas. She managed with the handrail but we thought it would be easier to have a stairlift. This I ordered through the Council. I had to pay for it but they agreed to maintain it on the understanding that when I was finished with it, I would give it to the Council. A neighbour helped by putting a stainless steel handrail on the right side of the stairs.

And so she came home Christmas 1993 amid much rejoicing. Whilst she was in the BRI, she had won £500 with a Premium Bond which a friend had given her years before. She also won the Ward 5 food hamper in a raffle. It was huge. Life was different but it went on. For the first six months she was taken by car to St. Luke’s hospital for physiotherapy. This we continued for another year funded privately. In addition, the doctor visited regularly. Her friend Hilda Smith came every Thursday so that I could play bowls and both Jenny Butterfield and Margaret Goulding paid her regular visits. At this time she could just about walk as long as she could get hold of something en route. Thus she was just able to get up the outside steps and go to places like Asa Nicholson’s. We couldn’t go to church but, instead, Vincent Crolla came every Friday to give us Communion. Latterley, after Vincent suffered a stroke, either John Buffham, Mary Heseltine or Moira Ridewood attended.

I must just break off and record the happenings with Betty and George Ritchie. One day Betty said to me: "I’ve lost my get up and go". She certainly had and in 1994 they made one last trip to Filey after which it was downhill all the way. Betty was getting forgetful and only wanted to sit around watching television. Poor old George thought that she had got careless, and I know that she told the doctor: "I don’t think George likes me anymore". Sad really but George did get to realise that she had a problem. They struggled on even when she became incontinent. Unfortunately she was also feeling sick all the time and eventually she was sent to the Leeds Infirmary. I went to see her every Friday while

Margaret and Terry Goulding looked after Doreen. The Infirmary didn’t seem to be very specific about what was wrong with Betty and she was getting more and more confused. George himself was having trouble with a toe which had to be removed at a later date. By that time, Betty had been put into the care of Hopton Court Care Home in Armley. The trouble there seemed to me to be a lack of stimulation for the patients most of whom were confused. Just for the moment I will leave their story.

Doreen and I muddled along until 1997 during which time Doreen had scalded her tummy trying to make a cup of tea. This took quite some time to heal. In 1997 she had, what the doctor who attended her, called a slight heart attack. Various treatments and tests were carried out and finally she was allowed home after being passed by the physiotherapist in the use of a wheeled zimmer. She was also supplied with a commode which, fortunately, she did not have to use very often. But, and there was a but, she was still ill with a chest infection and she was taken into the BRI where they cleared a lot of water that had collected on her chest. After a week, she came home again but could no longer walk except with the zimmer or my arm. At the BRI they had given her heart an echo scan but no-one ever told me what they discovered. After she came out, she told me that she did not believe that she would ever be coming home again which made me feel like crying. Her courage was awesome. We continued like that until about March 2000 when she developed a chest infection. For the first time ever, she had to stay in bed on the doctor’s orders. For a time we thought that she would never get downstairs again but, having contemplated making a self contained flat upstairs, I had another thought, what about a second wheelchair? The one she had was too heavy for me to lift up and down the stairs so I bought a lightweight one which we used upstairs whilst the heavy one was used downstairs.

When bowls started in April, Jenny looked after Doreen on Thursdays as Hilda had moved to Shipley. She also made us pies and stews with dumplings.

I found that, using the lightweight chair, I was still able to get her into the bath seat. She was so grateful that, at times, I wanted to cry.

Through all these years she was so cheerful and maintained that lovely smile of welcome. Wendy Appleton, one of the neighbours said to me recently, and I use her words: "She had that wonderful capability of making people she met feel special". I felt honoured to be able to help.

In the meantime, George had his toe removed but was not really well, whilst Betty had gone right into herself. I saw her in September 2000 and she didn’t recognise me. George was now unable to visit due to his own state. It should be said that during this whole period in George and Betty’s life, tremendous help was given by neighbours Mr and Mrs Steve Strachan.

George died on 27th September 2000 and Betty died on 11th October 2000. Both funerals were held at Rawdon Crematorium.

At George’s funeral service, an address was given by the Reverend Canon Robert Lunnon who is the husband of George’s niece Pam.

The address below was given by my son John at Betty’s funeral. I was proud of him. He did it very well.

I have reproduced it all despite the fact that some of it is a direct repeat of what I have already written:

BETTY RITCHIE - 24th September 1916 to 11th October 2000

All of you here today will have your own memories of Betty, as a Sister, Aunt, Great-Aunt, Friend, Neighbour or Carer. My own memory is of two people, Betty and George, together for 60 years and living in their own home for more than 50.

Betty was brought up in an Armed Service atmosphere living with her parents and brother in various Army Camps, the most interesting being the time she spent in Egypt. It was really, therefore, no surprise that she fell in love with an RAF man who was a friend of her brother. They married in 1938. She was just 21.

She was a lovely homemaker and did everything possible to create a happy atmosphere both at home and with all the people she met.

Although she was a trained dressmaker, her real interest was the home and activities she engaged in. She started playing tennis at the age of 14 and played her last game at the age of 70.

Unfortunately she had no children but was a most wonderful Aunt to her brother's children and their offspring; the same with her husband's relations and their offspring. They all loved her.

I can only speak from my own personal experiences, but both my brother and I spent many happy hours in and around Number 51 and both sets of our children were always made most welcome.

Part of her home making activities included hours spent in the garden and walking many miles. The favourite walks were at Filey where she spent many happy days every year.

Her interest in the RAF was almost an obsession and she spent a lot of time collecting articles, photographs etc. and carefully making up a collection which was both happy and sad. This is illustrated by two poems which she was fond of.

The first (and happy) was called:

A Lady of Courage - Our Final Year

This was to be our last year together although we weren’t to know it and it was an extremely difficult one for Doreen. At times she was in some pain and discomfort, however, through it all her spirit shone and there was always a smile of welcome for anyone who visited. It was a joy for her to see the children and she loved seeing the dogs. The last photograph we have, taken by Andrew, shows her and m