At the age of ten I sold newspapers.

Mr Harry Bailey, 1918 (The following story, written by Mr Bailey, was given to me by his daughter).

One of my earliest memories I have is at the age of 4, I was playing in the High Street Irthlingborough, my home town, when a soldier came walking up the street. He surprised me by saying “Hello young Bailey!” he took me to my own house, for as you may have guessed by now: he was my father. From the age of 4 I spent a happy time, I had then my brothers, George and Fred, sisters Mabel and Ellen; there were four below me and four above. I started school at the age of 5, and remember showing off when my mother left me with the Headmistress, a Mrs Hardwick. Apart from us being poor, we were a very happy family. My father did like a glass of beer, but not until we were well shod and fed did he have one.

My days at the senior school were happy, except for one schoolmaster. My pals at this time were Sammy Whiteman (cousin), Ernie Bailey (cousin), Ernie Foster (cousin), Tommy Overton, Fred Bull and Bert Partridge, but I had lots of nice pals in those days, I could name at least a score, but they were the main ones. Sammy was a dare-devil and got us into a lot of trouble but we seemed to thrive on it. One day he came into school smothered in oatmeal. When asked how it got there, he said his mother threw the bowl at him, because she had broken her copper stick on him. I think that he deserved all he got, for he used to give his mother a hell of a life. She locked him in his bedroom on one of our Hospital Parade days and he hung out of the window with a sheet around his waist, because the window was parallel with the road the parade travelled on.

                At the age of ten I sold papers and delivered them, for which I got 3/6 per week. On Saturday nights I sold football papers and got 2d per dozen. I used to sell about 18 dozen, so I used to give my mother about 5/- each week, all told, but I used to have a lot for pictures. I used to buy myself a pair of socks about every two weeks. I was a devil with socks and used to get a good pair for 1/-. My sisters never seemed to have any money when it was time for pictures, and I used to treat them often – maybe they don’t remember this! I bought tacked fruit from Johnny Birds that shop is in our High Street. Fred worked at Featherstonhaughs, Victoria Street; Mabel, Express Works; Nell, the box factory. At the age of 14, I started to work at Bayes, Victoria Street. I used to have to start work at 6 in the morning, and so I would not be late, used to have a good wash at nights and put my collar and tie back on again to go to bed, but that only happened until dad found out, then the problem was solved, by him letting me wear one of his mufflers. At 14 I got my foot trapped in the lift, and had about 14 weeks on compensation at 12/6 a week, 2/6 better off than working, but the pain was worth all that. The big toe nail had to be removed, and Nurse Stanley, who was the nurse for Dr Gibb, started to cut it off with scissors, but this was more than I could stand so I had it off by gas, the Doctor said I would not want anything that night but I never felt more hungry and ate half a loaf. When I recovered from my injury I went to work at the Express, and when it came for me to have a rise, I had 2 weeks money and had the sack, it was the only time I would every have the sack in all of my working life! Within a day I went to work in Rushden and that firm went bankrupt.

                I was not very interested in girls at the time. We used to have lots of fun over at Finedon, the whole gang of us, but after a time we turned to Rushden. It was about this time that I met you. When I met you I thought you were destined for me. Your eyes used to fascinate me, you used to stare at me on purpose, they were grand eyes and to hide my embarrassment I used to say “Don’t stare at me owl eyes”. We used to go to the Co-op Hall, many times I would take you home after you had missed the last bus, but I did not care as there was something about you that seemed worth it!

                On Sept 1st 1934 (a day I shall never forget) we were married by the Rev Brooke-Hunt, at St Peter’s Church, Rushden. Glancing out of the corner of my eye I saw you walking down the aisle on the arm of your late father. You were dressed in a lovely pink gown and hat, and white gloves up to the elbow; you were all that I had pictured, and more. To me you were the most wonderful thing that ever happened to me.

                I trained at Preston, and my first posting was at Lake Vyrnwy, North Wales. The nearest town was 26 miles away, but it was lovely there, so peaceful and beautiful, the hills seemed to touch the sky and the lake was magnificent. The hotel on the hill had all sorts of people, and I took the well-known man trout fishing on the lake. He gave me half a dozen trout and 50 fags and we enjoyed the supper that night. There were eight of us there and we soon got to know the shepherds and the villagers. About a mile away, a farm house up the lakeside used to sell us eggs and butter and we lived like lords for a while. Josephine Hilary Kenworthy was the daughter of this man and was 12 years old. She was a decent sort of kid and used to treat us as her friends. When we went away, they gave us 50 fags each and a letter with the crest of the House of Lords on, wishing us goodbye as they had to hurry back to London. I moved from there to our depot at Pensarn and was there for about two weeks, then to Cleobury Mortimer, and while I was there, Gloria was born. I got ten days compassionate leave. You were in the front room when I arrived home, you hadn’t had an easy time. Dr Berry sold us his pram, so you were fixed up okay by the time I went back. Soon after my return to North Wales, I was moved to the Maltings, if ever there was a place made for pigs that’s the place, it’s the worse billet I had in 4 years and 4 months. I stayed there for a month, then moved to Mount Cap, where I was a camp runner (on a bike). I am hoping that someday I shall be home for good, just you and I and the three children. As this September night ends and the darkness falls, I close with love.