Looking for work

Looking for a job

Looking for a job.wma

2.43 minutes

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My mother said, 'What you going to do?'. So I said, oh, I said I think I'll be a hairdresser. 'Cos you see, no way... I never thought about going in an office because it wasn't very well paid you know in them days, the office kids only got about 10/- (50p) I think. I said, oh I'll be hairdresser. Well there was a lady hairdresser in Shilton but she wanted paying to take me in and there weren't a lot of scope then, I should have had to gone Leicester and my mum said no way were I going Leicester, so I had a month where I didn't go to work did I, because I didn't want to go work.

So some lady, I mean, I could smack her really, she said, 'You got any work?', so I said 'No', we hadn't been after any, so she says Bradbury's the hosiery want girls. So my mum done no more than turns round and takes me up there - 'cos you went with them then you know, like little dogs, see, what they told you, you'd go - so I went with her. 'Oh yes, yes, we'll set you on, start on Monday'. I didn't say to her I didn't want to go Mam, I'm not going, I went.

Q: Did you want to say that?

Yes, yes, I didn't want to go at all, I didn't like it at all, but I got on and, of course I wasn't over-strong, and I got on and I was earning about 36/- (1.80p) which was good 'cos my dad's farm labourers were only getting that.

Q: A week?

A week. 'Cos they put me on... I only had 10/- (50p) for start but when they put me on my own time, you see I was with a lot of older women, I earnt 36/-, mind you they were earning £2 or £2 odd. So I was doing alright, but they hadn't got no work, so of course I was having half days and days off, so when it come to going to work I didn't want to go did I, 'cos I didn't really enjoy it, I only enjoyed the money. So one of my mam's friends, her husband was a pattern cutter down at Eatough's and Forman.

Q: Is that Shilton?

Shilton, yes. So she said, 'Ain't you at work?', so I said, 'No, I've got no work'. So she says why don't you let me ask my husband to get you a job. So I said, 'Oh, would he?'. I was 17 nearly then, so of course he got me a job and I never looked back from there, never lost any time, got on a machine, soon got going and earnt the money, and I went back and forward to there until I was about 59 and then you see they used to retire you at 60.

You can hear more of this tape on request. Contact the Records Office and quote Accession Number 000298 Collection Number WF/005/HO3.

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