Bulldog Spirit Chapter 2 Leading to Hitler

RUNAWAY

At this point, my life with Aunt Lou and her husband was getting harder and harder to take. So the decision was made, I must run away, anything must be better than this. I would walk to Leicester, continue with my job of work, sleeping and eating would be in the lap of the Gods, at least until a weeks wage was in my pocket, then I must save for accommodation and life would go on from there. That was my idea. One evening I set off, arriving in Leicester during the hours of darkness, but I must sleep so that working tomorrow would not be a problem, but where? I searched around and fortunately in someone’s back garden there was an old motorcycle and sidecar, the sidecar would be ideal. I was just settling down to fall asleep, when a torchlight beam picked me up, it was the policeman on patrol duty. I was escorted back to the police station, asked to turn out my pockets and it appears that having a few pennies in my pocket made it that I was not a vagrant but I was kept in the station over-night. A cup of tea and then a sandwich, I was then allowed to attend my place of work. Unfortunately at lunch -time Aunt Lou was outside the factory and was in tears and moaning. I had to promise to return to Coalville and was even given the bus fare, so we were back to square one, what could I do? I’m only human.

By the age of 16yrs I found work at a factory in Coalville, what a relief that was, and the money was slightly improved (not that I saw much of it). By the age of 17yrs my money increased and so did my pocket money. At this point, another small but amusing episode. I was now at the age where young women were taking my eye, but what did I do about it? Quite a clever little fellow, I had just the idea. I decided to take ballroom dancing lessons. Everything was fine, I got my diplomas for the foxtrot, the rumba, the waltz, the tango and quickstep. The next stage was to arrange to attend a Saturday Night Six Penny Hop, plenty of girls would be attending that. So I put on my best suit, combed my hair, I arrived, eyed around the hall, ‘ah she looks quite nice’, wandered over to the lady in question, ‘May I have the pleasure of the next dance?’ She rises and accepts the invitation. Whatever that dance happened to be I do not remember, but the young lady could not dance. What a disillusionment! Never mind we get over these things. For the following dances I found one of the girl pupils that went to the same school of dancing, that was fine but she was not really my type, so that was my first and last dance. The Good Lord had other ideas for me, and I was regularly joined by a young lady who lived in a street near by, she was employed at the same factory and she was of the same age. She was very nice and it was pleasant talking to her and she had a nice figure and eventually I noticed what beautiful eyes she had, large and dark brown, they spoke volumes. I always said ‘They would fetch a duck off water’. There did seem to be a mutual attraction so we made a date, just to go for a walk, then a bike ride until we began to realise that our lives were to be shared.

I was nearing 19rs now, what prospects had I? I could see none. My sweetheart did not know what we should do either, (her name is Hilda). At this rate we would never save enough money to marry and set up home, so something had to be done. I had work experience now and was proving to be a natural with mechanical devices and very positive in my approach. I applied and obtained a job in Derby, my mechanical experience and ability demanded quite a reasonable wage. Of course to work in Derby meant that I had to live in Derby and I was fortunate to obtain what they called ‘lodgings’. These were with a Mrs Smith in Barlow street in Derby (Barlow street is not there now, it was just off the London Road). Mrs Smith was a different proposition to Aunt Lou, she was a big woman both in build and in temperament, a proper sergeant major!. She charged a pound a week lodgings plus one shilling for my washing, bed, breakfast and evening meal included (wouldn’t call it dinner though). After the evening meal you had to go out until 10pm, then you came in and went to bed and no smoking upstairs. I did have the odd packet of Park Drive by now. So we come to the end of the working week, which is Saturday 12noon. Out came the bike and off I set to cycle the 17miles to Coalville. I still had a bed at Aunt Lou’s every Saturday night but I would be with my sweetheart, Hilda, every available moment, but not spending much money for wewere both trying hard to save. We occasionally visited the cinema on a Saturday night but of course Sunday evening came quickly and around 7pm out came the bike, I had to cycle back and be with Mrs Smith and in bed by 10pm. This mode of living continued until both Hilda and I were approaching our 21st birthdays. We had saved really hard but our combined capitol would be struggling to reach a couple of hundred. We became engaged (just a simple little ring) and the wedding was planned for Easter Saturday, April 8th, 1939. I spent my evenings searching Derby for the bare essentials of a home but they had got to be the best. Another little smile for you here.

During this period, Jay’s Furniture situated on The Spot at Derby was trying to create an attraction to the store by running a competition in the main showroom. In the showroom window, a large 6ft diameter clock face, that measured a mile, and in front of it was a racing bike on rollers. The first prize for the fastest mile was either a bedroom suite or a dining room suite. They required you to change into black racing tights before you entered the shop window and the competition was during the peak shopping hours. My legs must be fairly fit, the amount of cycling I do, or so I thought. ‘No-one knows me, let’s have a go’, so I did. When I mounted that cycle every ounce of energy came to bear on those pedals to the extent that when the bell rang to indicate the end of the mile, I dismounted and fell flat on the floor. I didn’t win, I was two seconds behind the winner.

During our engagement I was very fortunate in purchasing a second hand B.S.A., double gents, trevelock geared, tandem cycle, on which we spent many happy hours together. For instance, on our honeymoon, on Easter Sunday we spent the day at Donnington Park racetrack, it was motor cycle racing and the side-car events were most thrilling.

On the August Bank Holiday we decided to cycle (on the tandem) to Skegness, Lincolshire, I don’t think we had the full approval of Hilda’s Mother, nevertheless we set off on the 106 mile journey. Travelling through the night, by mid morning we were searching for accommodation amongst all the boarding houses, Hilda down one side of the street and I the other. Most places were full as it was August Bank Holiday but eventually someone opened the door to me, I said I was looking for separate accommodation for myself and my young lady. She said ‘You can have a room but you must share with another couple’. I couldn’t see any harm in that so paid a 5 shillings deposit, I was jubilant and shouted to Hilda, ‘We’re in sweetheart’. When I told Hilda what the conditions were she said you can fetch your 5 shillings back. So we had to cycle the 106 miles back to Coalville. When I was back at Aunt Lou’s I went to bed and slept for two whole days.

HOME-MAKING AND MARRIAGE

Having searched every street in Derby for furniture I came to the conclusion that a small shop on the London Road, Brooks Furnishers, had the best quality at the lowest prices. My choice was made, a bedroom suite and a dining room suite, just the bare essentials for ourhome. I will add one small point here, all those lonely hours I spent wandering around Derby were not completely wasted, I realised that knowledge and education should have been more important in my life. So I read and studied and the library was visited often. Please remember that I was very lonely, it was not as it is today, I could not just pick up the phone and have a word with my sweetheart, I had to wait for Saturday afternoon. But time does not stand still and April 8th 1939 arrived. Hilda and I were joined in Holy Matrimony at St. Peter’s Church, Bardon Hill near Coalville in Leicestershire. They were both so happy, God had given them each other. There was one more difficulty to overcome, they were required to provide marriage lines to Derby Corporation housing department to be entered on the waiting list for accommodation. Having done this there was a six week wait for allocation of accommodation. I can hear someone say ‘Did they not have a honeymoon?’. Yes we did, three days spent with an Uncle and Aunt in Burton on Trent in Staffordshire.

It was soon back down to earth, I had to return to Mrs Smith and Hilda had to go back to Coalville for six weeks. Finally the great day did come, we were allocated number 18, Lord Street, Derby, be it ever so humble, they were together at last. Our own little heaven. Please forgive me if actual dates cannot be given for it was a long time ago but we would have moved into our own little home in early June 1939. Money was fairly short but happiness for us was in abundance, remember that in my childhood years I had not really known love, (I did now and it was returned in equal measure).

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