[speaker001:] eighteen ninety seven, in 's yard which was at in Derbyshire.
[speaker002:] And what what caused your move to you to move to Nottingham?
[Ada:] Well Dad he did some drinking. He was on the police blacklist. He got that way, if he wasn't drunk on the days he should have been summonsed they used to trip him up. And as I said he gets blacklisted and he left Derbyshire and come down to Nottingham to work. Comes out of Newcastle pit day. Chap named Bob he was the under manager. It was one of 's pits at the time. Of course sold into. The A C collieries. Well they had those Newcastle that was going towards Marketplace. That was an old that was one of those little old pits. Well now it's all now. Erm well he worked at Newcastle until the seam of coal went through and them at pit worked worked it out that
[speaker002:] Mm.
[Ada:] part, So Newcastle was closed down.
[speaker002:] When would this be.
[Ada:] Ooh. About nineteen hundred and ten. Nineteen hundred and nine to nineteen hundred and ten I think it was. When that pit was closed down. It used to be you know, on the left hand side.
[speaker002:] Was this down at was it?
[Ada:] Yeah just just past. Now there's all all those houses been built. I noticed when i went by on Sunday, that all those houses have been built, right the way down to the, as you go on er p on erm on what's the name of the place where they first er the first lot of.
[speaker002:] is it??
[Ada:] No it's er you know as you go down Road? You pass you pass er the capital past two more roads, streets and you come to this one as goes right the way through into Street at. one part of it. Now I just trying to think what the other the name of the other one was. Runs on to Road from Street.
[speaker002:] I can't think.
[Ada:] There's a there's the b recreation ground on one corner. You know
[speaker002:] Mm.
[Ada:] [break in recording] to er me dad went and to I think pit to work. Well he worked there and when I was we'd left er Road, we'd been up to up up to Terrace. That was next door next door to the baker's, 's. From there we went into c into er I went to and then we come down into Terrace.
[speaker002:] So you moved all round.
[Ada:] All around that way.
[speaker002:] And Street was the place you first
[Ada:] Street start. Then st and then e erm Terrace and we went into er er somewhere. Been there. From there we come into Terrace. Terrace.
[speaker002:] Mm. Do you remember much about in those days?
[Ada:] Ooh yes. Er more houses to what there is now you know. All round Street and that way. I went to the school on Street. And er you all you always went round the boulevard to another road, another street went there and Street went down here. Well on that junction there was a Catholic School, Saint 's I think it was. I was there for so long. Well afterwards we got this house at Mill on er Road.. Well that there was a cobbler's shop, and then the sweet shop. Then there was our house. Then Ted 's Blacksmiths shop was on the r corner. That was Street. Now it's Avenue, goes right the way round. Er Mary Jane 's sandpit us was not very far from where I we where Road School. We used to go across there and we used to go and the hacking away at his. And you used to see you dad'll you you more blisters dad get for when he was chopping this lot. Of course his mother kept a place just across road on Road away from the er away from Road, just a bit further on the road towards towards Mill. And that was where the stables was. We went rating ratting there with ferrets and dogs. And there were some rats in those days. Now they look as if lean and built a Where Pit was, built built close there. And I think they put another bid bridge on for t over the now. But that just by where the bridge comes over the top, there used to be a a field belonging to 's. Which was at the at the time. We used to walk through there to to to Saint 's see. And you used to leave N Pit on your left hand side. Well when when we went there in there in nin in eighteen ninety four, in er in about ni eighteen ninety eight, they had a snow. Er about ninet O O nineteen hundred and eight. They were on strike there. The collieries used to there used to be a wall from the right to the chapel that was at even now in the same place. We used to walk through at back of that chapel right across Neddy 's fields, right up through Wood.
[speaker002:] Do you remember do you remember anything about this strike? Was it Pit was on strike?
[Ada:] Well it was the Collier Comp com Company
[speaker002:] Mm.
[Ada:] like, they were on you used to get about five bob a week. That's all they got off the union at that time of the day. Of course they helped one another. If one had got thruppence he could go in the pub and [LAUGHTER] get [] get stop in there nearly for nearly The pubs used to open at six o'clock you know till eleven o'clock at night.
[speaker002:] Were a lot of the colliers boozers like you dad?
[Ada:] Well th you know the arms as it is now at? It has a licence till three o'clock. That was only pub that was allowed to keep open till This is af this is after the er licence come in like closing them up and opening in afternoon. They can open at certain times and don't close till three o'clock. That was for the for the men to have a drink if they want one. Or s Pit was about the first one I seen w that had the that had baths pit head baths in this corner.
[speaker002:] But that was a bit later wasn't it? Was that
[Ada:] That was n that'd be er about nineteen thirty. When they got them. Of course I was working there in nineteen thirty three. But in between that we e we were dad was w going by train from wh to to to. That used to cost one and six a week, for six days, there and back. Mind you it were like all wooden compartment. C they used to call them the horse boxes. But er when I as soon as I was fourteen I walked to and started working next day. I walked from Mill to to get that job. Mind you they brought me back.
[speaker002:] Who brought you back?
[Ada:] In well it were done you know one fellow get on with that. Mind you I had a ticket I had a weekly cos.
[speaker002:] Mm. And how much were you you earning when you started?
[Ada:] When I first started I were getting fourteen shilling a day. That was when I was fourteen. And getting nearly as much as a man got in some.
[speaker002:] That was, that must have been a lot of money.
[Ada:] Mm?
[speaker002:] That was quite a lot of money then wasn't it?
[Ada:] Oh it was a lot of money was.
[speaker002:] Mm.
[Ada:] Well when I left there, and joined the army, I was getting twenty seven shillings a week. I used to give my mother the lot, she used to give me a shilling back. And if I had anything left at Monday, she used to borrow it, forget to give it me back and [LAUGHTER] []. I could always ask me mother if I wanted anything.
[speaker002:] Mm. How much was your a father earning at this time?
[Ada:] Oh about seven and six a shift.
[speaker002:] So I mean
[Ada:] That was top price.
[speaker002:] Before you started work were the family fairly poorly off then?
[Ada:] Well I was selling papers when I was ten years old ten years old. In Nottingham. And we used to be selling them at midnight. Well after so long, they brought the brought those passes out for all news boys to have them. Well when i I had that used to cost sixpence, but you'd got to be properly dressed afore you went I tell you. That's how I got that corduroy suit. Trousers, coat, shoes and stockings. [LAUGHTER]. When I when I when I finished from papers and er started w other I went into in a into er 's bottle washing.
[speaker002:] Was this while you were still at school?
[Ada:] That was er that while we was still at school. Used to go and feed the pigs. [LAUGHTER] Bottle washing and bottling, helping with the bottling. Now they erm emigrated to Australia. And Jack took over. He come from the he was in the post office at er top of top side of Ave just top side Avenue. Well he had it. I didn't like the was. Mind you in between that I'd been working on the fa farm farm. and tater picking. We used to get a shilling a day for that.
[speaker002:] And how often how much work could you get on a farm then?
[Ada:] Eh?
[speaker002:] How much work would you get on the farm? How many days a week?
[Ada:] Well I used to go about everyday. Mind you you went early in the morning and come home late in the afternoon. Some of the farmers were working till nearly midnight when it was harvest time you know.
[speaker002:] Would this be still while you were at school?
[Ada:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] Would you be wagging the day off school then?
[Ada:] Well when I was thirteen I supposed to be having b bad trouble and I went to doctor's and instead of knocking off school at waiting till I was fourteen, I'd finished at thirteen. I didn't bother going to school again, I just didn't. And I'd been to top standard as it was then it was standard seven, and as the er you know now they let when the when they've somebody in so long they let them walk about and come home and all so That time of day you got to you'd got to pass examins and exams and such like as that. And er of course as I tell you, I finished when I was thirteen years old and I was on this er bottle washing stunt and o one chap as lived next door to us, back at er at Road he got me his this job on the farm. I went er Turnip singling and then er one day they got to go hay making and of course I cou I had naught naught to do then. But I walked in one day and he says, You'd ge better bugger off home, he says,. [LAUGHTER]. That was one form finished. Next day I started another form they were doing bird scaring, you know, scaring the birds on the fields. That was all round Squire 's place at. I'd been in and the east fields at. You used to get a bob a day for that. What did I tell you, I'd have finished off, bottle washing then then I got this when I was fourteen I walked to and got there. Well the first job they had there was clip I was on cl down below on in the pits. There were no training you needed for this that and the other, you went down. And the the they give me as light a job as they can you know. They used to have a clipped get the clips to hang them on the wagon, another bloke took clip off. Well the clip is about like that see, two sheets like that with a hoo hoop there and a handle here. The handle is up when you hold it and you hook the hoop, you hang it on bottom of the wagon. Underneath the clip it's like a that fitted on the. Well when he'd cl er hooked it on the wagon, he puts that clip on, and he press down that arrow. That grips the rope, takes the wagon along in the one at a time. [cough] When I'd been there so long, next thing was clipping on. That was taking the clips off and clipping the wagons on. Stop so long in the pit bottom like that that is.
[speaker002:] Mm. How were the clips transported? Were they did pit ponies pull the pull the wagons?
[Ada:] No. They those wagons were sent up and then the wago the pit ponies at the far e far end of the pit. You see that were end of the The rope was what we call a endless loop. It used to run round, right around and same as your escalators do now. It works a way round see. They take the empties to the end and bring the full ones this road. And you get so much time taking the strips one running them down. And I got the job of going up Then they sent me up knocking th knocking the wagons off. And putting coals on at the far end.
[speaker002:] What did you have to do for this job? What what did you do for this job? What did you do did did you say?
[Ada:] Well after after after doing the clipping wagons on, I went the other end er cl er knocking clips off. Well as I told you at you used to clip them that damn short and we when I was knocking them off, I had to keep dodging down, let the wag and keep knock clips off and chuck the one side and then the wagons came down They went down the hill like that, and then up here there was a hook line to stop them. As that com they c them coming like the they did, you'd no time to. Course two deputies sat up at er back end at that end there. of course and I back. Mind you I'd I'd been running er ru running the tail route, that's another route as you meet on er goes onto a gate on the left hand side where you got wagons about eight wagons, put it put them back, fasten this rope at the back. And the line they're running down like that. They're going they're going some too I tell you you'd got to keep your head down. used to take them down, run them in one gate, and next day you go a bit further on. Alright after you you perhaps took wagons down and put into that place where you and find the old ones in that room where your wagons are you see. And that's how it worked. like er a motor e electric motor, that wagon up. And some in tail room. That's instead of er clipping them on, they used to b instead of clipping them on the back you used to rope at front and one at back see. And it's drawing the wagon you've got control right the way through. Well with the others, it used to have to brake, if it were going too fast, you had to brake up a bit. Put the brakes on. [cough] When you get too much when you'd been er a little bit longer, you'd perhaps go ganging. That with the ponies. And we used to have a box lamp. [cough] And that was fi filled with with. I don't mind telling you you used to get some gl glasses broke. Mind you in those pits in in it was a safe pit. You know we we had we had the candle lights or these box lamps. And we kept of course they carried er safety lamp to test for g er for any gas at all. [cough] After after that after he this deputy had clouted me and I clouted back at him, and they put me er suspe suspending me for a for weeks you see the mana er the manager, I says, I'm not I'm not stopping. So I went and left I got a job at which that was one of 's.
[speaker002:] Whereabouts was?
[Ada:] Why it lay down er just down the road as you turned down to it used to be across the fields. Well it's a place you couldn't it was practically ste stopped in the fields. Of course dad worked at the other pit, that was where he lived. It was er what they called a tunnel pit. A a we had to walk down, but he used to when he was younger he used to break break the ice up formed in, before they could run down. And when I when we went to, I was I was running a four lad for another fellow. We used to one at a time. And that pla that pit got flooded out.
[speaker002:] Mm. Running a four lad? What what did you what did you have to do?
[Ada:] Mm?
[speaker002:] Being a four lad what did you have to do? What was your job as a four lad?
[Ada:] Just opening doors and let getting in the front letting it come by with th h ho horse and that see.
[speaker002:] So it was transporting coal in and out of the pit? It was transporting the wagons?
[Ada:] No transporting it on to the main road so they can took took it to the pit bot. They didn't have a endless loop cos I don't think they'd keep one going. It was always got too much water to deal with.
[speaker002:] Mm.
[Ada:] A lot of the men, had come from this pit where dad worked. So as soon as er I walked they they said, Eh up. That was what they used to call me dad. They knew cos these were the chaps that used to live at. And they were working at this Pit. It's just afore you get to.
[speaker002:] Mm.
[Ada:] Between er and. But nearer. Well when we when we got flooded out, I went and saw the man the manager at at. And er he told me I could start and if I could relieved from the other pit, so I went and saw the under-manager at, and I says, Aye, he says, you can go. So I started at. Er the the boss the manager his name was Bob. He had he short tongued or something he was very [LAUGHTER] []. He was er you know, he used to stammer a lot. I we had a under-manager come, he come from somewhere down Staffordshire way and y you you've talked about Tweedledum and Tweedledee, they used to call him Biffy he was just like like one of them. Well at I worked I worked on then until I was se seventeen.
[speaker002:] What job did you do at?
[Ada:] Er ganging an and that. Gan er ganging taking coal from you know,fr taking wagons from the main room, going into stalls different stalls.
[speaker002:] Now what what sort of hours would you work? What sort of hours would you work at?
[Ada:] Eight hour a day. Started at seven, stop at three.... And of course for quite a while we were from. Aye till I were till I was about fifteen and we we went to live at. Well everything it's the D H Lawrence about now. But er it were ne we ne we never thought of him,. time. It's all round the buildings as it was then, you know houses all ba all built, all just in see where me mother lives, it was like there were three bedrooms and erm and a back room and a front room, and a basement room, so that you could. You went from Street, if you went downstairs and come out the back road and cut across the square you were in Street.
[speaker002:] How how many were there in the family at the time? How many people lived in the house?
[Ada:] It were me, me dad, me dad and mother, me I'd got two I'd got er one brother and two sisters. At the fir that was the first though. That's before I went in the army. While I was here that's what just what happened, I joined that army when I was seventeen and three month old. Of course you you had to tell them eighteen. And er me and another fellow from we went to joined up there. We we got this cheap and we had to catch a tai train next day at nine o'clock, going to Newcastle. Into the into the No into Northumberland Northumberland Barracks. one were the one was for the artillery and one was for the infantry.
[speaker002:] And which were you in?
[Ada:] We were in the artillery.
[speaker002:] This is in nineteen fifteen is it?
[Ada:] Yes. Well I tell you rough, the food was rough, I was never lucky enough to get into into any billet same as some of them got. I was in barracks each time. We came from Newcastle to Northamptonshire. And it was going in the farm there. best butter and pi tins of pineapple you'd be surprised. Well after we had a good time there for so long then there was transferred down to Aldershot. Then you end u then you was you were really in the army. You had to run when we got there we hadn't got any equipment you know, so we used to get out at night, if you hadn't got your ga bandolier on you got pulled up, the red caps pulled you up, wanted to know what was the matter with you. Of course we'd got good excuse. But if you if you hadn't got properly dressed, you couldn't go out. Well of course from there, they took us down to Southampton. had about half a day about there, waiting for boat to take us across to France. And I'd er went to er we went to You can get you used to get apples. You know everything was just the same as it is here. We went through there. Into er into some other places and owt, and had about I had about about two months. Then they'd they'd bunged us in the train and sent us down to Marseilles. So it was supposed to be going into. We're stopped in Marseilles for about a month. Had a good time there. And then of course onto the boat. A a And what I I might tell you, I've never been sea sick only once, and that was after I think eating pork pies. Well I went all the way through went through to itself. Just before get L Lord Kinl Kitchener got torpedoed. We was in in er the end part of n about end of November in nineteen fifteen. So Georgie had his eighteenth birthday in. Well we were building roads up. When we went there there was only two roads. And we had to go in N R E fe fatigues. Making these roads. It were like liquid mud, poor old us as when you'd finished at nighttime you had all that to clean up. And of course the harness was what they call a harness, you know your buckles used to that over that and they were on. We had to keep that clean suppo And they were n you you was working about six days out of seven, I got one or two days extra for not having clean harness I could you hadn't got time to do it. Anyway, we and of course we gets up the line at the and then I got a touch of some sunstroke. I took I went to the doctor's and he gave me medicinal duty. I was number nines for you. My officer says, You lie down there, he says, till you're all right. I said then I said, Never go into a doctor something wrong. I said, Next time I go to see a doctor. As it hap as it happened they had to do two. I was taken into hospital and the er with er malaria and bronchitis. With one doctor, one nurse made me one of the doctors told me to get up. So I got up, but I was that s weak I had to sit down again and er the n the nurse that come in she said, You stop there till doctor comes. He come the next day and he took bled blood tests you've got paratyphoid, into another room. Into another shed. I used to sit another of these tent line. See them carrying them out with the Union Jack. I thought, Well I'm not going like that so the sis the sister she was Scotch the. The one thing she said, Sonny boy, she says, we're you've got one sure you're going back home to blighty. Well sent off wi after I'd been about beginning to be co you know, could e eat something, I had cups of tea, with a egg beat up that's what I used to get when you got typhoid. Well when we come when we co put on the boat they stop and drop me off up Malta. I had about a fortnight there. That was stretcher. Well I'd one come from Malta to England again, in nineteen sixteen and went on an old boat, they called it the Gurkha. And we er used to come through the Bay of Biscay at that time of the day. And that boat was rocking like this. and we'd got a little old fellow with us, you know, well built very not very big but broad as what he was long. And we said to him, Sit on stand on there, me and another fellow we were only two of us who wasn't sea sick. Me and anot another fellow. Eh, he says, she's not rocking, he said, When you see them lifeboats, he says, you know she's knocking them down. nearly did do. Anyway we landed in Southampton. The er Britannic that was one of the biggest boats at that time of the day, they're using as a hospital ship. It passed us at Gibraltar. And we got into M into Southampton when she was loading up again. By God it you've seen some ships you when you see them, they're something to look at. Well I had another I was in the er I got some much leave you know, then we had to come back to er at back of the er where it er. And when you used to go and on the on an another course driving. You know riding. Cos I was driver at at the time. And er there there was a major who'd only got one eye. He he had us all lined up after we'd been riding round and he started enquiring how long we'd been out of hospital. He said, How long you been out, I says, three month. down there he said, Don't come up again till out been out six month. Well I was so long in in the barracks, they packed me into garrison. And sent me down to down to er down to what's the name of the place now? I went into Hampshire round that way. And then I got another when it come to nineteen eighteen we got bombed out again. In March. But that there.
[speaker002:] Did you see much action then?
[Ada:] Mm?
[speaker002:] Did you did you fight at that time then? Did you fight this time?
[Ada:] No I was only garrison artillery on guns. Mind you we used to fire guns, I saw Cathedral knocked down, by Gerry. I've seen we'd been firing just observa observation beams they were sixty pounder guns. guns too. We were firing this damn thing, then they started banging us some,. From there they brought us back into back of the citadel. That was just before we started to be And we I finished up and me twenty first birthday in a place called and that was in Belgium but in between. And I couldn't buy a packet of Woodbines cos they could no shops, nothing. Couldn't get nothing. They left us behind and all the lots gone forward then, following Gerry into Germany. Well we stopped and we'd been there about a week, and all men that'd worked in the pits, they were fetching them. Mind you I was I was still on three years in in colours and and then I got nine years reserve to do after that. Anyway after about a week, all men as been worked in the pits, By the way I'd been down I'd been to the. Wi with the with the gas. You know, pick one up and he'd collared thus and taken me. I was down there er week before armistice was signed. I never sent up. And er then we come down down. Come through and that way on. That was in Christmas time. Just after me holi after me birthday. Anyway that's what that was the time when I was sea sick, when we come across the channel.
[speaker002:] When
[Ada:] We'd been drinking vin blanc and supping pork pies and and when we sat on the boat, sailor says, You'll not there long, you know, we sat on the bow er on the from of the boat. And he see you there, he said, You'll not be there long. We'd just come out of the harbour at Boulogne and a wave come. and we swallowed it. I'd been so good sea sick. Cos it just come up you know, and fetch the top. I didn't even same as they say going green or anything like that. And er I landed in er I landed in Eastwood in January in New Year.
[speaker002:] Which year was this? What year was this?
[Ada:] Nineteen eighteen. Er up to nine and in nineteen eighteen the end of nine the end of nineteen eighteen th it was. Well I tell I started back in in. I said to me mother when we start, Go to work Monday, holiday Tuesday, go to work Wednesday and holid and holiday Thursday and then Friday. I did. I went to work Monday and I couldn't get out come downstairs for the week I was that stiff. But the promises with work that we had when we went in the army, you j you'd be looked after We got the worst damn place anybody could. I had to walk three mile to work, Doubled up when you got so far down. You was boiling with sweat before you started work.
[speaker002:] Was this three miles inside the pit?
[Ada:] Underground.
[speaker002:] Yeah. From so from the pit head down to the face?
[Ada:] From from the from the pit bottom underground it was three mile to walk. And it were about that height. Now up about five or si about five foot up in height. You had to bend down when you's walking down.
[speaker002:] Would this be the top hard seam? You'd be working the top hard seam would you?
[Ada:] No this was. It was it was erm main to er to London. It was household coal you know, real good coal. top the hard coal was next shaft to what ours was. We the both together you could g you could go down either shaft, but you had three doors to come through from one pit to the other. And it we tried to open all three together sometimes you know. It used to cause a hell of a me a hell of a draft.... Well... I worked there... and then er... quite a bit I had to w they had me working on the main road. I u I went in one there was like a junction as come from Pit into. The towards th pit bottom like. I had to run them coals out and I tell you the they come over the top of and of course 's coming up here, 's coming down here and did meet there. And the office was just here. Of course the boss' d bosses were always there and he was a a right a right fellow you know, he was he he got blacklisted at, they couldn't stand him. one of them sort. He'd swear at you. And if you swore back at him, it was alright. He used to forget it.
[speaker002:] Do you remember his name?
[Ada:] Scott. He finished up at at at but he was the under-manager at. And that was er under John John was the manager and er... [cough]... I tell you Scott come and he started swearing at me and I says, I didn't m ask you for your bloody job, so next er next morning when they goes, he they had they had me walking the rope. I had to see as the wagons in the coals as it shifting, not falling off you see. When you were walking the rope, there's so many of you walki you walk so far t till you meet another fellow,h he goes on and you come back. And they do that all day long. S see that everything's going backwards and forwards. This particular day he comes round to me, he says, Take this lamp, he said, Bugger off down there, he says, and thou can the coal I'm coming. So I do and do his lamp job. It's just that that just how I I had to be. See if you if things weren't well he'd swear at you. Well if it wasn't your fault you'd swear back, which I did.... In fact before when I was tha when I was young I was I met th I were on night shift meself ganging. And the manager the un the the deputy met me he says, And I were just going down main road at nighttime as me dad were coming up. And this this deputy says, Oh alright George. I says, Aye, I says, Yes but look what th that look at this bloody thing. And that's as what I swore. You could lift his forelock up like that and you'd see his brain working. And me dad was walking that way. And he heard me. I didn't know till the next we er till the weekend and he made me know as I'd swore. He could swear but I hadn't got to do. Not and let him hear it. Of course he finished up in the pit w in with his eyesight. [recording ends]