School years

Time as usual, moves on quickly and the time came when we had to leave Cobridge School and move onto a senior School, St. John’s  in Burslem, and a further rung up the ladder to adult life.

As new pupils to the senior School we were expected to undergo the initiation ceremony devised by the older boys. It went like this: a low wall about 3ft 6" high, on the far side of the wall dozens of milk bottles had been smashed. The bigger boys would get the arms and legs of the newcomer and throw him over wall onto the glass. In all the years I was there I never saw anyone injured, I think it was more by good luck than judgement.

St. John's church school

Each morning, at assembly, hands, shoes and finger nails were all inspected. Also a check was made to see if you had a clean handkerchief woe betide anyone who was found without one. This would bring swift retribution.

The teaches names I remember well:

Mr Burgess (Headmaster), Mr Tavener( Maths), Mr Fulward (Woodwork), Mrs Barrett (Music), Mr Cowell (English) Miss Holding (Sewing).

The worst was Mr Fulward, the woodwork teacher, who, other than the subject he taught, was not a very good teacher. He would often throw a piece of wood at a pupil. On two occasions, they caused quite an upset, hitting a pupil on the head. The second time, much to our amusement, he missed the pupil and the wood went through the glass partition into the next class. It was only by good luck that no-one was cut by flying glass. Mr Cowell was one of the old fashioned teachers: short, fat with a bald head and hair growing from his ears. He always carried a full length cane and was not averse to using it.

His female counterpart was the  needlework teacher, Miss Holding, who was the same traditional tutor. She also looked very stern, had two plaited hair buns, one over each ear. Sadly they will all have passed away now as they were quite old when I was a boy, over some fifty years ago.

I did see the music teacher Mrs. Barrett, very many years ago in Hanley, although at School she was the youngest member of the staff, the ravages of time had taken their toll, she looked quite old and frail, unfortunately she was not able remember me, so proving that the old saying “once seen never forgotten” is not true.

The School had a small allotment on which the School grew vegetables, The children’s favourite was a small white turnip which tasted very hot when eaten raw and, as soon as any became ready to eat, they were soon disposed of. We paid a halfpenny (old money) for two. It seems quite strange thinking back at children eating raw vegetables instead of chocolate and sweets, but I guess because they were not readily available might, have been one of the reasons these turnips were so popular. No chance now a days, Crisps, Pop, Sweets, and Chocolate are the norm, along with the other junk food.

Leaving school

All too soon, at the tender age of fourteen, I left School and set about seeking my fortune in the big outside world.

My first step was the careers officer at Burslem. Because of my respiratory condition only a limited number of jobs were available, so I commenced my working life as an apprentice Dental Technician for a Dentist, John Kearns, of Furlong Lane, Burslem, at the princely sum of 7/6d the equivalent to 37½p in today's money, and that was for a working week of 48 hours. I stayed at that job until 1960, some 14 years, when my first son Paul was born.

By then I had served my seven years apprenticeship. Even though I was then a fully qualified Dental Technician, my wage was still only £6 12s, as we now had another mouth to feed and my wife also had to finish work, I had to ask my employer for an increase in my wages, only to be told I had bought the child into the world, it was my responsibility to look after it.

Changing jobs

I was forced to look elsewhere for employment and found a job as a salesman for Alex Sloan (Hugh Wyllie) of Pall Mall, opposite the Theatre Royal, for £10.00 per week, a big increase in my weekly pay, also a company van. I stayed with the company for a period of 12 years during which time my second son Adrian was born, (1965). Unfortunately I had to end my employment with them because of ill health. Anyone who wants to see life at its most basic only needs to become a salesman selling to the general public on the local housing estates.

At the time the government were running a new scheme which was devised to help people to he rehabilitated, who were not 100% fit, back to employment. I spent almost three months there then was forced to leave as three months was the maximum training period allowed. So, along with the rest of our intake, we had to sign on the dole, as no vacancy could he found for any of us.

I was lucky, I found a job on my own with the "House Of Holland" Campbell place, Stoke and stayed with the company for five years, having been the manager for four of them. Disappointingly, the lease expired, and as no suitable premises could be found, the shop was forced to close.

For the next eighteen months, I worked in the Central Stores at the City General Hospital. After a further spell in hospital, once again I was forced to end my employment as I was continually picking up infections from handling containers in the stores that came from all the local hospital. I then commenced work in the stock control office at “Service Engineers” Leek Road, Cobridge, yet again after about eighteen months, I was taken seriously ill at work and spent several months in and out of hospital. I was finally told my working days were over and finished work in April 1980 at the age of forty seven.