ORAL HISTORY - ALDEBURGH VOICES
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  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Interviews
    • A - C >
      • Ronnie Ashford
      • Gillian Bailey
      • Janet Barnes
      • Felicity Bissett
      • Deeker Blowers
      • Brian Boulton
      • Malcolm Bridges
      • Bob Burns
      • Jim Cadbury-Brown
      • Pat Cable
      • Cliff Caley
      • Joan Carter
      • Agatha Cartwright
      • Alan Cartwright
      • Doris Chapman
      • Nancy Clarke
      • Derek Cook
      • Celia Cooney
      • Sam Cordle
      • Clive Curtis
    • D - G >
      • Peg Davies
      • Pansy Ehlert
      • Derek Filby
      • Lee Firman
      • Joan Fish
      • Colin Fletcher
      • Jake Forman
      • Dean Fryer
      • Dudley Fryer
      • Bill Gallant
      • Wilfrid George
      • Pam Goodchild
      • Edward Greenwell
    • H - L >
      • Doris Hallas
      • Susan Harrison
      • Nigel Hartley
      • Clifton Heath
      • Dulcie Hill
      • Dudley Holland
      • Glyn Hollister
      • Betty Horrex
      • Trevor Hughes
      • Geoffrey Hunting
      • Derek Jeffs
      • Pauline Kerridge
      • Mary King
      • Stella Knights
      • Doris Bob Ling
      • Roderick Linsell
      • GRANT LOHOAR
      • Pat Lord
      • John Lovett
    • M - S >
      • Barbara Maddocks
      • Richard Marson
      • Nina Maskell
      • Shirley Mower
      • Tony Moore
      • Dick Murphy
      • Dennis Pegg
      • Michael Pritt
      • Bill Roberts
      • Richard Roberts
      • Elizabeth Roney
      • Vernon Rose
      • Ivy Sharman
      • GORDON SIMPKIN
      • Alan Smith
      • Jean Smith
      • Maurice Smith
      • Victor Smith
      • Michael Stagg
    • T - Z >
      • Ian Tait
      • Rita Thomson
      • Rosemary Unwin
      • Jumbo Ward
      • Ron Ward
      • IVAN WATLING
      • George Watson
      • Betty Webster
      • Dorothy Whately-Smith
      • Terry Wightman
      • Eric Williamson
      • Michael Wilson
      • John Wright
  • USING THE SITE

BETTY HORREX

Picture
Surname
Horrex
Forename
Betty
Date of recording
5/6/2008
Year of birth
1926
Place of Birth
Aldeburgh
Occupation
Retired
Fathers occupation
Grocer
Present Address
Aldeburgh
Location Interview
Aldeburgh
Interviewer

Summary

R Marson
Duration
40 Mins
Track 1 (6mins)
Description of family and early years, schooling and swimming in river
Track 2 (11 mins)


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Track 3 (19 mins)

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Track 4 (11mins)
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Details of family owned business, O C Butchers, schooling in Colchester and Aldeburgh. Evacuation, secretarial school, travel, trains and food office
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Rationing. Amusements during the war, cinema and dances. Brief description of war in Aldeburgh. 
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Aldeburgh Festival English Opera at Jubilee Hall. Meeting husband and brief history of husband.
 
 
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TRANSCRIPT
This recording consists of four tracks.  

Track 1[ 10 mins]

Born  1926 at 243 High Street, Granville House.  Brief description of parents,  father was a grocer, grandfather lived in Burgh, a farmer who moved to Aldeburgh to start up grocers shop.  Mother (nee Butcher)  was a Ward who ran the East Suffolk  Hotel.  Her maternal grandfather was a Job Master. He owned Colward  (family home on the Terrace) and BH gives a brief description of the land.  Description of school, first kindergarten at the back of Baptist Chapel  run by Gertie Constance and onto Leiston Grammar  School.   Mentioned she was very young to go to Grammar School 8/9 years.  Travelled there by bus. Description of growing up, swimming in sea, mentioned beach huts and brief description of who owned them.   

Track 2 [10 mins]

Family grew quite prosperous with three shops (South End Stores)  Butchers Outfitters and grocers at 40  Victoria Road .  Description of uncle's work history and apprenticeship.  During the war grandmother ran the shop as sons went off to war.  1957 father gave up grocers, took partner into outfitters, Reg Cooke. In 1960 the brother Eric Cooke took over.    Described how trade dropped off during the war with perhaps only about 700 people left in Aldeburgh.  Described how she went to school in Colchester and  was then  moved to a convent in Aldeburgh as Colchester was Garrison town and may be bombed. Eventually evacuated to Paignton in Devon..  Came back in 1942.  Description of parents being air raid wardens.  Description of returning and taking secretarial course in Ipswich, taking the train from Aldeburgh to Ipswich.  Brief description of trains to Liverpool Street from Aldeburgh.  Description of Secretarial school.  Described her job in Aldeburgh at the Food Office (food was rationed) with Bob and Josephine Rainsford.  Described how they had to count out the coupons.

Description of rations for children and expectant mothers i.e. orange juice and cod liver oil.  

Track 3[10 mins]  

1951 end of sweet rationing.  Description of what was rationed. Description of  amusements throughout the was, cinema twice a week, dances.  Mentioned quite a few soldiers in Aldeburgh.  Described where they were billeted. BH used to sell flags and remembers the soldiers billeted in Alde House Lane and Garrett House. Description of bombs falling and where she took cover in food office behind cupboard.  Remembers going to lunch and bomb falling.  Describes how  a Miss Dale was locked in her house (now Richard Keane's office).  Also someone locked in fridge at Hill Farm Dairy.  Remembers devastation and bodies.   Mentioned people killed, Nancy Witcher, Mary Walsh, Bert Knight the postman, Post Office bombed.  Description of other bombs falling on golf course. Description of meeting husband in 1949. BH  Lived in Camberley and taught at boarding school for boys.  Described how she  was general dogsbody and cooked breakfast.  Remembers boy who was very good at drawing trains.  Retired from there and caught mumps and came back to Aldeburgh.  Described working at the Wentworth as a receptionist 1946-1948.  Met and became friends with Elizabeth Sweeting and became her secretary.  Described how she then got involved with Aldeburgh Festival and English Opera in 1949.  Described visits to Copenhagen and Oslo.  Describes organizing journeys from Liverpool  Street to Harwich, looking after luggage

Track 4 [10 mins]  

Brief description of being stopped and searched.   Anne Wood, Ben  Porter (Could be Peter)  Eric Crosier.  Described early days of English Opera at Jubilee Hall.  Lets Make an Opera 1951.  Described how she met her husband at Conservative Committee.  Described  wedding at Woodbridge Register Office.  Brief mention of Peggy Somerville and her paintings in Camberley, mentions gypsy caravans.  Description of husband born in 1899.  Described how he tried to join up for WW1 at only 15 years, but later succeeded in 1917 joining the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and subsequently Royal Air Force.  Son born in 1954.  Described how husband died and she received no pension as she was second wife.  Described changes in Aldeburgh since 1930's.  Brief description of class culture.  Describes people now as much nicer.


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