Surname
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Bridges
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Forename
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Malcolm
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Date of recording
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Feb 2008
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Year of birth
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1932
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Place of Birth
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Aldeburgh
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Occupation
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Retired
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Fathers occupation
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Cowman
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Present Address
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Aldeburgh
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Location Interview
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Aldeburgh
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Interviewer
Summary |
Colin Fletcher
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Duration
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118 Mins
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No of tracks: 7
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This recording consists of 7 tracks.
Track 1 [.16 secs] Introduction by Colin Fletcher of interview with Malcolm Bridges at his home in Saxmundham Road, Aldeburgh on 26th February, 2008. Track 2 [35.31 mins] Malcolm Bridges was born at the Cottage Hospital in 1932. The hospital was located in the High Street, but later bombed. He spent his first 21 years at Marsh Hill, Hazelwood. Describes a very enjoyable childhood, playing on the common. Describes how he went to Aldeburgh School, but when this closed during the war, and most of the children were evacuated to Nottingham, he then went on to Friston School, leaving when he was 14 years old. Describes leaving school and working at a firm called Jacksons. (Possibly said it was at Bruisyard but it was a 28 mile round trip) riding his bike to work and getting the occasional lift from a fellow employee. Describes how he left after one year because the journey was too much. Describes how he then became a farm worker at Reeves in Friston. Describes how he left there after a slight disagreement with the farmer. Mentions he had two sisters, one living in Australia, now about 85/86 years old, and the other had since died. He also had a brother who has also died. Mentions that he married at 21 years of age and has been married for 56 years. Describes the house at Hazelwood as being a two up - four down, and all the cooking was done on a black Suffolk range, and the house was heated by fireplaces in most of the rooms. Describes how he father kept some pigs and chickens and how before the war his father used to drive the Royal Mail van. Describes how he used to go along with his father sometimes and was treated to a 1d. bag of chips. Describes how during the war food was rationed but they grew their own vegetables and had a few chickens, and he used to set snares for rabbits and his father used to shoot the occasional pheasant. Describes how to set a snare and skin a rabbit. Mentions that he sometimes sold rabbits to the soldiers who were billeted in town for 1/- or 1/6. Mentions that his father also occasionally slaughtered a pig and they cut it up and kept it in brine over the winter. Also mentions that as his father worked on a farm he was allowed an extra ration of cheese. Describes cooking on the range and mentions his mother was a very good cook. Describes how they did not use the range in the summer because it was heated by a fire so his mother cooked on a paraffin stove. Describes how flat irons worked. Describes having a bath in front of the fire, the water being heated by the copper in the wash house. Describes how in the winter they pots under the bed which were frozen hard in the mornings. Also describes the patterns the frost made on the inside of the windows. Describes a typical week-Monday, washday, Tuesday, ironing day, couldn't remember what they did on Wednesday but Thursday was Aldeburgh day. Describes how the family used to walk into Aldeburgh and his mother would order her meat and groceries which would then be delivered to their home. Mentions Chapmans the grocers. Describes how his mother did the washing by boiling up the copper and putting the 'whites' in with a 'blue bag'. Describes how she was very proud of her 'whites'. Describes the wooden mangle in the wash house and how clothes had to be carefully folded so the buttons were not broken going through the mangle. Mentions that his mother died when he was about 14 years old, and later, after he was married, his father had cancer and one of his sister's looked after him but she sold the house and moved away to Australia. Remembers his grandparents on his father's side lived at Great Glemham and his grandfather worked at Red House farm as a Bailiff. Describes how Linden Close looked before the houses were built, describing an orchard and sheds where chickens were kept. Mentions that there was also a brick works near Cragg Pit House and describes a black cottage where his grandfather lived, and thought that this was now known as Kiln Cottage. Mentions that his grandmother on his mother's side came from Walpole and worked at Belstead School before meeting his grandfather and getting married. Describes how as a child he would go down to the river with his sister and some friends to a place called sandy cove, which is also known as Little Japan. Describes how he spent many summers here playing and swimming and how they used to take their lunch along with them and stay all day. Mentions that during the war no-one was allowed on the beach at Aldeburgh. Mentions that his elder brother joined the Air Force during the war and was abroad for most of the time. Mentions that his childhood was very happy he "didn't have nothing" "didn't want nothing" but was happy . Describes how during the Spring he and some friends would go along the hedgerows looking for birds' nests and then returning and watching the eggs hatch. Describes how when he was about 9 or 10 he helped his father, who was a cowman at Chappell Barn, and remembers driving an old Fordson tractor. Mentions that he did not have many toys as a child, just a few farmyard toys. Describes one Christmas when he saw a wagon and two horses in the toy shop window (now the Cragg Sisters but then was Crisps) and he really wanted this. Describes how one day it had gone from the window and he was really upset, but then on Christmas morning he opened his present and there it was. Remembers it was made of lead. Describes how the house had no electricity and was lit by paraffin lamps and candles. Track 3 [ 14 secs] Introduction to second interview 29th February 2008. Track 4 [35.52] Describes listening to the radio which worked on accumulators which had to be charged up each week. Remembers taking them to the repeating station to be charged up for 6d. Remembers listening to the news but not many other programmes as it was too expensive. Describes the coach road from the Blackheath mansion, over the Saxmundham Road and the golf course to Leiston Road and ending up at the station. Remembers having whooping cough as a child and chicken pox at 21. Describes how ill he was, covered in spots and Dr. Robin came and could do nothing for him. Describes how in those days there were no telephones and if you needed a doctor you have either to get on a bike and cycle or perhaps go to one of the large houses where there was a telephone. Remembers that the Dr. Robin lived and had his surgery on the sea front near one of the lookout towers then moved to Park Road. Describes the 1953 flood. Remembers waking up one morning and looking out of the window and seeing water which came up to within a yard of the house. Remembers that all the marshes were flooded. Describes tank traps which were large ditches used to stop tanks. Remembers the soldiers being at the golf course during the war where they had a searchlight that looked out for enemy planes. Describes one incident where luckily the soldiers were out and an enemy plane came down and machine gunned the huts. Luckily no-one was killed. Remembers watching the soldiers on exercise and describes some of the exercises. Describes how the river was mined during the war, first with flat topped mines which the sea-gulls used to land on and get blown to pieces. These were then changed to the mines with spikes on. Describes how occasionally these would come adrift and on one occasion the brick dock jetty was blown up. Remembers the beginning of the war and describes how frightened people were as they did not know what was going to happen. Mentions that as he was a farm worker he was exempt from being called up. Describes another time when enemy planes machine gunned a drag line (a machine for digging ditches) . Remembers the sirens going off, one at the fire station and one at the top of the town steps. Describes how there were no shelter at Hazelwood, but a blast wall was built in front of the house and they would climb under the bed. Describes the end of the war. Remembers when he was a Friston School there were no shelters, just a trench dug out under a hedge, but recalls that it was only used perhaps twice. Remembers the school had three teachers, Miss Smith, Mary Horn and Mr Knights, the headmaster. Mr. Knights was also a JP and every Monday went to Saxmundham and Halesworth courts. Remembers Mr. Knights as being very strict and he had a large horse whip which had been cut off at one end. Describes ones occasion when two boys had run away from school and when they were brought back Mr. Knights laid them across the desk and whipped them. Remembers discipline as being very strict and also mentions that the strictest teacher was Mary Horn. Describes an occasion when a young girl was leaving the school that day and slapped Mary Horn round the face and ran home. Remembers this teacher used to make naughty pupils sit under her desk. Mentions that Miss Smith, who came all the way from Stowmarket, was the best teacher. Mentions that he never had the cane. Describes typical punishments as '100 lines', and writing out spelling 200 times. Describes riding his bike to school unless the weather was bad and he would walk. Mentions that they studied, reading, writing and arithmetic and had assemblies every day with prayers. He was 14 when he left. Mentions that not many pupils went on to further education, only those who had gone to grammar school. Remembers Peter and Richard Howard who went to the grammar school and then joined the police force. Mentions a youth club in a wooden hut next to Watson's garage, but he did not go. Mentions that he went to the cinema once or twice. Describes one occasion when he went to Ipswich on the train, this was his first every trip to Ipswich and he was 15 years old. Describes how he knew more people from Snape and Saxmundham than from Aldeburgh. Remembers dances at Orford, Saxmundham and the Jubilee Hall in Aldeburgh. Remembers a saying "love will draw you further than gunpowder will blow you". Describes meeting his wife by the cinema in Aldeburgh. Describes how she lived at Kelsale and he used to ride his bike over three times a week to see her. Describes one occasion when she said she wanted to go to Thorpeness Regatta and he took her and they managed to be standing right at the front but they were constantly being pushed and also bitten by mosquitoes and they never went again. Describes going to dances where they had live bands. Describes always wearing a shirt and tie and dark trousers. Describes how after three years of courting he asked her father if he could marry her. She was 18 and he was 21. Describes getting married at Kelsale Church by Canon Edwards and having a reception in the rooms at Kelsale. Remembers the Prevetts doing the catering at the reception for about £40 or £50 and the flowers cost about £7.50. Describes how they did not go on honeymoon as they could not afford it but instead stayed at the uncle and aunt's bungalow. Remembers that his friends his had gone into the bungalow and had sewn his pyjamas together and placed a bell under the bed. Mentions that he bought the house where he now lives for £750 in 1954. His weekly wage was £6-7 per week and he also mentioned that his wife did not work. Describes how his wife looked after the home and the money. Mentions that when his daughter left home his wife did get a job for two mornings a week working for Mrs. Good. Mentions that he did not get called up for National Service as farm workers were exempt. Describes working at Jacksons, Bruisyard and travelling to and from work. The bike ride would take about 1 ½ hours. Track 5 [3.05] Mentions working for Reeves at Friston for about one year and describes picking potatoes with the land girls. Describes leaving Reeves and going to work at Hill Farm with the Sommervilles, who also had Brick Kiln Farm and Church Farm. Describes helping out in the dairy and also helping George Barnes with the milk rounds, describes how the used to wash the empty bottles out. Track 6 [5:23] Describes working at Hall Farm, Aldeburgh where he stayed for about ten years and worked as a tractor driver. Mentions working on the marshes. Mentions the sluices at West Row Point and Corporation. Mentions that Hollands then bought the farm and he continued working there for another year. Describes how he left as Hollands had farms at Pettistree and Wickham Market and he felt that it was all too far to travel everyday. Mentions that Hollands had a dairy herd as well as pigs. Describes milking cows by hand. Describes leaving and starting work at the brickworks. Track 7 [37. 38 ] Describes the 1953 floods. Mentions cattle on the marshes who were swept into a thorn hedge and drowned. Remembers the river wall being repaired and mentions Tom Mann who was drowned while repairing the wall. Describes how the marshes were covered in gypsum, a by-product of pottery, bought up from Cornwall, which killed off the salt. The land was then renovated and reseeded. Remembers the flooding in the High Street by the Black Horse pub and remembers a lady called Gertie Knights being rescued and taken out of her house via the window. Mentions that after the flood the row of houses by the Black Horse could have been bought for £500 but no-one wanted them. Describes working at the brickworks and earning £1 a week more. Describes buying his first new car when he was 32. This was a Vauxhall Viva and cost £600. Mentions that you would get change from £1 for 4 gallons of petrol. Continues to describe the brickworks working from 7.30 in the morning to 5.00, going home for tea, and then returning to the brickworks to load coal into the cowl to bake the bricks overnight. Describes how the cowls had to be cleaned out after use and what a dirty job this was. Describes making breeze blocks with cinders from the cowl. Describes how the brickworks were modernised in the 1960's and how the bricks were no longer hand made. Describes how the bricks were made and how the clay was taken out of the ground. Describes a method of digging out the clay called 'caving'. Mentions that before modernisation the bricks were only made in summer as they dried outside and the clay was dug in the winter months. Mentions that after modernisation the bricks were dried inside a large shed and therefore could be made all-year round. Mentions that he earned extra money by gardening in his spare time. Describes how working the brickworks was easier after modernisation as you lit burners under the kilns and did not have to shovel coal. Remembers barges in the river going up to Snape and also coming to the Brick dock to collect bricks. Describes a track running from the brickworks to the jetty. Remembers Jumbo Ward, a river pilot, who used to guide the barges in the river, mentioned that Jumbo lived in a small red brick cottage at Iken. Describes how Jumbo used to ride his bike to Orford to get on the barge. Mentions that the clay for the brickworks now comes from Chillesford but he feels the quality is not the same. Describes how Bill Reade took over the brickworks and introduced many apprenticeship schemes, e.g. electricians, bricklayers, carpenters. Remembers the river freezing over one year when he was about 8 or 9 and Graham Goodson actually walking from one side to the other. Mentions that he has never been on the river. Describes how it has changed over the years and mentions Cob Island and how swans used to nest on it and now it has completely gone. Describes how many people used to use the river for duck shooting and mentions Dennis Jones, who was one of the best. Describes an incident at Barber's point where a man called Knights was drowned whilst duck shooting, his boat overturned and he got caught up in the sail. Describes how he thinks Aldeburgh has changed, especially since the war. Mentions that he has loved his life, had a good marriage and has been very happy, - and still is. |