Derek Cook

Surname

Cook

Forename

Derek

Date of recording

May 2015

Year of birth

1938

Place of Birth

Ipswich

Occupation

Retired. Was in Menswear. Director O and C Butcher

Fathers occupation

Menswear retailer

Present Address

Aldeburgh

Location Interview

Aldeburgh

Interviewer

Summary

David Robertson

Duration

86 Mins

No of tracks: 8

Track 1          Introduction      
​Track 2   Early childhood  School  Health
Born 23 January 1938.  Christened All Saints Church Ipswich. lived in 3 Bed semi near Broom Hill park. Primary School in Orford Street, Ipswich.  Missed a lot of early schooling due to 4 operations for a hernia and treatment to correct a squint. To Ipswich School. Sports and swimming successes. At home roamed free in the park and old clay pits. Memories of rationing.  In 1951 moved to Aldeburgh for father’s new job managing O&C Butcher’s Outfitters Shop. Lived in 3 Bed semi next door to the shop, which was also a grocers. Derek now 13 his sister was 3.  Summer spent at Uncle’s farm and Derek became interested in being a farmer.
 
Track 3          Leiston School  - Helping with Lifeboats, Fishermen and Farmers.
Derek moved from Ipswich School to Leiston Grammar School  where the education syllabus was very different. As a result of the mismatch  Derek was put back two years and had a tough struggle to catch up but became Captain of Athletics. He left  in 1956  aged 18 with ‘O’ levels only.  He earned pocket money helping  fishermen on Aldeburgh beach and  earned ‘brass ‘tickets’  helping with the Lifeboat. At harvest time he worked on a farm at Leiston for 2/6 an hour. After school he was called up for National Service training with the Suffolk Regiment at Bury St.Edmunds. Led by Sgt John (Ringo) Watson assisted by Corporal Sergeant! .    Derek was due to be posted to Cyprus but  unfortunately was switched to Cambridge.
 
Track 4   Army service  - Framlingham College  -  Start of career in menswear
Billet problem sorted by RSM. Spent 21months with Cambridge MT section learnt a lot about vehicle maintenance, the Fens and  night driving. Left as a Lance Corporal. Much later when Derek’s sons were at Framlingham College former Sgt. John Watson was employed as groundsman and i/c Cadet Corps and Derek heard about his early Army career in Palestine and in the Israeli army and his return to prison in the UK. He then returned to the Suffolk Regiment just before Derek started National Service.After National Service Derek wanted to go into farming but was put off by careers adviser.  In 1951, when his father joined O&C Butcher the firm had three grocery shops and a menswear shop  in Aldeburgh and a menswear shop in in Sudbury ( taken in case of being evacuated from Aldeburgh during WW2). Father suggested trying menswear business. So he spent some months at  O&C Butcher, and had formal training in London at the College for Distributive Trades. Course included placements with retailers Collets and Daks Simpsons in Piccadilly but as a trainee was not paid. Stiff white collar was required.
 
Track 5          Development  of O&C Butcher business
Simpsons gave him good experience of high business standards and quality window displays.. Moved back to work with Father at O&C Butchers They gradually changed and built up the clothing business. Gradually dropping workwear and moving up market. bringing in well known brands so as to cater for visitors as well as locals. Meanwhile the grocery businesses were suffering from competition from supermarkets and he last one - next door to the clothing shop - closed in1966. In 1934 the main shop had been extended back and the arcade built and in 1966 further extended by the addition of the former grocery shop. At the same time the Sudbury business was closed.
 
Track 6          Business in Aldeburgh    The Festival
Trading cycle and the changes resulting from visitors being around most of the year; peaking in Spring,Summer and early Autumn. Most trade in the town is focused on visitors resulting in a the loss of basic services shops.Only two traders names from the 50’s remain, O&C Butcher and Baggots Newsagent.  70’s. The Aldeburgh Festival in June provided a boost to trade At the end of the festival Benjamin Britten always visited the shop to see how the business had done. One time Derek loaned Ben his dinner suit for an honorary degree ceremony.  The social strata in the town gradually changed over the years but during this time one of  the more adventurous shop displays of upside down shirts provoked a resident to complain.
 
Track 7          Life and times at O&C Butcher
 Parcel string was to be untied, never cut. “there’s no knot that can’t be undone”. Derek’s sister was trained in display and from the 1970s looked after window displays. Many elaborate themes. Entering display competitions produced corny classics from Bonsoir nightwear and a large Teddybear and the slogan “Don’t go to bed Teddy bare’ and later for Halloween ’It’s never a nightmare in Bonsoir Nightware’! Another win in a competition led to a trip for two to Finland and another time tea at the Finnish Embassy. These produced lots of local media coverage. They were becoming a destination shop. And of course Aldeburgh became a destination town.
 
Track 8          Local character    Fish selling   Reflections
In the 1950’s Laurie Baggot  sold fresh vegetables and fish off a barrow in the High Street. He lived in a shed on the allotments. Liked a drink. . Article in Picture Post about his range of hats for every type of weather.
 In the past the Fisherman’s Guild which controlled prices of all fish. Most went to London on the train not much sold on the beach. . Better prices selling lobster and crabs to Holland. So Guild  disbanded. Closing of the railway had little effect on the town. At one time WH Smith had a shop at the station. and O&C Butcher had a grocery nearby. Enjoyed  48 years in Aldeburgh. Always looking ahead, especially when sourcing next season’s ranges. Today about 10 months ordering lead time. British suppliers were overcome by overseas competition. Firstly from the Far East, then Portugal and Spain, then Eastern Europe.  So no ‘Buy British fortnights now. In 50 years time manufacturing may come back but only if the skills are preserved. For example In shoe trade ‘a clicker’ - leather cutter -will take two to three years to train.

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