The Philadelphian (Part Seven)

This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Bill Ross of the ‘Action Desk — Sheffield’ Team on behalf of Mary Gray, and has been added to the site with the her permission. Mrs. Gray fully understands the site's terms and conditions.
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I went to work at 2 pm as it was payday. All February, we had severe frost and heavy snow. All the gas pipes froze, so we couldn’t work anywhere and I had to go and sign on the dole. I had to claim for a wife and a five-hour-old child. She was so nice and good, we decided that she needed a brother. Lo and behold, she got one on my birthday, 18th September, 1948. The intentions were that he should be born like his sister, in the front room, but complications set in, so Mary was rushed off to the City General (now Northern General) hospital, but Mary still said it was nothing, but I missed Manchester v United at Bramall Lane. Also, Leo and Francis Doyle were nearly as concerned as me. After this, we had our ups and downs; a lot of downs as you will read as you go along.

I had a full year on the sick at £2 — 9s —0d a week sick pay for a wife and two children. How Mary survived, I don’t know. The trouble started with the in-laws; not enough money coming in. Mary went back to work and I did my best at home, despite plenty of nagging from the in-laws, but I stuck it for Mary’s sake. . We managed to go on holiday to Ireland. The fare was only £6 — 2s- 9d. I once stayed with Catherine and Michael and spent a week in Belfast hospital. I’ve been in and out of hospitals here and at the Leeds Army Hospital.

Mary came all the way to Leeds to see me. She could ill afford it, but she did it. It must have been love. I loved her of course and I was glad to see her. The only good thing to come from Leeds was an iron board that I made while I was there.

I went back to Lee’s again, to the job in the warehouse. It was a wage packet, better than sick pay. During the in-law trouble, we moved to Retford. Mary’s brother got us in with a relation of his. It was a right dump, infested with rats and flies; next door to a farm, so as you can imagine, it was worse than Ireland in the old days.

I got a job at Retford, in a railway yard, breaking up wagons. I had to cycle about 6 miles every morning. On Sundays, we got a lift on a truck. The Sunday pay boosted our wages (which were very low) quite a bit.

Eventually, my in laws came to visit us, loaded with goodies. They talked us into going back to Sheffield, but I only did it for the sakes of Mary and the kids. I would have been all right, but I gave in.

We went back and stayed in Sheffield until 266 came up and that’s where we stayed by our two selves. Five years after moving in here (1957), Andrew was born. Where he came from, I don’t know. Mary had a real rough time, but she survived as she always did on such occasions, and effectively, she’s still got me to carry. I’m of no help, I can’t even help myself. I went through Malta, Arnhem and didn’t even get a scratch. I keep saying to myself, God looked after me and I don’t know why. I never was a pal of his, so I have been doing my suffering since 1949 when I started with arthritis, which led to me having long periods off work. How Mary managed with that, I don’t know. Most of this time I was working at Lee’s; other firms would have dumped me, but I was there until I took voluntary redundancy. That was because I had just started with my present complaint (always moaning aren’t I?), which was in 1980. I’d already had about 9 months off sick with pay (or a fraction of full pay). The first time, there was a new union rule. What a pity I didn’t get it for all the other time I had been off. I was able to get about right up to about 1984. I used to go for long walks, all the way into town and around the parks and woods. Now, I ride up to the toilet.

Mary and I managed to get away a few times, we went to Malta and Holland a couple of times, and to Jersey to a caravan site and I managed to get to Ireland too, with Andrew, Julia and Mary. It was a surprise when Catherine arrived too, but it was great to see her. I enjoyed things the best I could, but I was glad to get back home, it was some journey.

There’s not much more I can say, except to thank my family for being so concerned. I am nearly 74 and I have had a good life despite my ups and downs; it just annoys me now because I am not able to ‘muck in’. I have a lovely family: wife Mary, daughter Catherine, sons Michael and Andrew and their wives and children, and not forgetting our great grandchildren. I shall knock off now; I hope it all makes sense, excuse the spelling and whatever mistakes there are. Who said I’d never get this done?
Mary, look after them all..........X X X X X

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Other parts to this story can be found at:

Part One: A5719331

Part Two: A5719421

Part Three: A5719494

Part Four: A5719656

Part Five: A5719719

Part Six: A5719791

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Pr-BR

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