Doris and Bob LING |
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Surname
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Ling
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Forename
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Doris and Bob
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Date of recording
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July 2008
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Year of birth
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1923 (Bob) 1920 (Doris)
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Place of Birth
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Slaughden
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Occupation
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Retired
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Fathers occupation
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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
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Heather Mabey
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Duration
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64 Mins
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No of Tracks: 7
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This recording consists of 7 tracks.
Track 1 [10 mins] 22.7.08 Doris starts the tape describing where she was born at the Slaughden end of Aldeburgh, near the river, in Walford Cottages. Describes cottage as having kitchen, front room, two bedrooms and an attic. There were 13 children, 8 girls and 5 boys. Describes how her grandfather a fisherman, who lived at Thorpeness, died and her grandma saying that she wouldn't live the month out also came to live with them. She actually lived on for another 19 years. Doris recalled that she had a lovely childhood with Mum and Grandma. Describes how the boys slept in the attic and the girls in one bedroom with Grandma sleeping in a single bed at the foot of the girls bed. The girls sleeping 3 to a bed. Describes how she always slept in the middle between two sisters which was warm in the winter but very hot in the summer. Describes her father as being the groundsman at the tennis courts in Park Road, Aldeburgh. Short description of Doris and her sister helping their father clean the tennis courts after school using pole with sacks tied to them and walking up and down the courts, which had a red surface that showed all the footprints, and the sacked erased all the footprints. Describes how she resented the children who had played tennis and were sitting on the verandah eating ginger biscuits and drinking ginger beer while they were cleaning the courts. Describes how when she was 13 years old, she and her friend, Milly, would collect dirty washing in a large truck during the their lunch hour and take it to Thorpe Green Laundry on a Monday and collect the clean washing on Thursday and return it. Describes how her father had been a Regimental Sergeant Major and every Sunday all the family's shoes were set out on an old table in the back shed and Doris and her siblings had to clean them properly. Their father checking them over and if they were not clean between the sole and the heel then they would have to be cleaned again. Describes how her mother did not work as she had to look after the family. There was always a hot meal and her mother was a wonderful cook. Describes how her father who was a RSM in the First World War had his leg blown off on the Somme. Describes how he was in Roehampton Hospital for two years and in those days the mother received no extra help to raise the children. Describes how her father also whilst being a groundsman, mended tennis rackets. He managed very well as he had an artificial leg. Describes how she left school at 14 and would have liked a job with her sisters at the laundry at Aldeburgh Lodge Boys School as the hours were 8 - 6 and afterwards would have been able to walk along Aldeburgh High Street seeing what 'talent' there was about. But there was no job. She then had to get a job in service so her mother went for an interview on her behalf but the mother would not let Doris work there because she had seen a mouse running across the floor. Describes how she got a job first in Lee Road then in The Terrace. Describes how she was the only maid and wore a blue uniform in the morning and black with a lace cap in the afternoon and evening. Describes how she had all her meals in the kitchen and that she was very lonely and unhappy. She lived in. Describes how she had Tuesday afternoons, 2-4 off and was allowed time off on Wednesdays to go to the cinema with her sister, Olive, but this was not very often as her sister was more interested in boys. Describes how on her half day she would go home and clean and wash the dishes for her mother. Track 2 10 mins It was a hard life. Describes how she went to work in the North Laundry where there were more men and girls working and the hours were 8-6 and she was able to go out in the evenings. Describes how she went to dances in the Jubilee Hall and also at Snape. Describes how she wanted to go to the dances at Snape but her mother would not let her go. Describes how her brother came home from the Grenadier Guards and told her he would talk the mother round and take her to the dance in a taxi. Describes how they had tickets to buy clothes and had to pay 1 shilling a week and how she went along to Mr Atkinson in the High Street to buy a dress, but she owed too much on her ticket and he wouldn't sell her one, but she persuaded him and eventually bought a little black dress. Describes how she went to the greengrocers, Mr. Hallis, and bought a 3d bunch of violets for her waist, and had a marcell wave in her hair and a Californian poppy behind her ear. Describes how she thought she looked very sophisticated. Describes how she went to the dance in a taxi and that she had never been in a taxi before. Describes how she met who lied to her and told her he was 18 years old, but he was only 15 years, Doris was 18. Describes how they started dating. Describes how the war came and how she was terrified that Bob would join the navy and meet a wren so she asked Bob to marry her. Describes how he thought his mother would not like that so Doris got on her bike and rode to Snape and asked Bob's mother but she said no. Describes how she told her own mother about wanting to get engaged, but did not tell her mother Bob's age. Describes how they eventually got engaged and had a party but Bob's mother not too pleased so Doris wore her engagement ring in Aldeburgh and put it in Bob's pocket when the were in Snape. Describes how she again asked Bob's mother if they could get married but she asked them to wait until after the war. Describes how they eventually got married at Aldeburgh Church on 12th April, 1941, before he was called up. Describes how they rented a cottage at The Warren, Snape on a farm called New England, it was a semi-detached bungalow. Track 3 9 mins Describes how they rented it from the farmer, Peter Blowers, at a cost of 1s 6d a week and how they cleaned it up and painted it with green distemper. Describes how Bob had saved £55 and bought some furniture from Ashfords in Saxmundham. Describes how the bungalow looked across the Maltings to Iken Church. Describes how Bob was called up and trained at H.M.S.Ganges where the training consisted knots, semaphore, climbing up the 180' mast. Describes a swimming test where the trainees had to jump into a swimming pool with a duck suit on and they wall sank to the bottom of the pool at first but swam a couple of lengths and passed.. Describes how he tried to volunteer for Patrol based at Lowestoft but was unsuccessful and eventually was posted onto a minesweeper in the Atlantic. Doris describes how lonely and miserable she was. Describes how she had four jobs, (this was actually after the war) one in the school kitchens preparing the veg, one in Mrs. Irvings two houses then she would go back the school and make custard, wash up and scrub the kitchen before coming home. Describes how they had two children, Stephen born in November 1942 and Tony in 1944. Doris describes how she followed Bob around the country, when he was in the navy, staying in various lodgings and when most people were trying to stay in the safe areas she always seemed to be in the dangerous areas. Bob describes how he was demobbed in 1946. Doris describes how the family were staying in lodging in Leith and the landlord's son dropped a pan of boiling water over Tony's head and back. Describes how the doctors said that there was no chance of Tony surviving. Bob describes his son as looking like a skinned rabbit. Describes how Tony was admitted into Yorkhill Hospital, Glasgow and given a salt bath to clean the skin. Track 4 9 mins Describes how Tony was there for a year during which he caught Measles and scratched his skin grafts and they had to be done again. Doris describes how she 'picked Bob up' and how they returned to Snape. Describes how Bob returned to work at the Maltings, as did he father, grandfather and great grandfather. Describes how jobs were kept open for the returning troops. Describes how they moved from The Warren to The Terrace at Snape and rented a cottage which they eventually bought for £240 which had recently been sold for £240,000. Describes how Stephen passed the 11 plus and went to Grammar School in Leiston. Describes how many soldiers in Suffolk fought the Japanese and were very badly treated. Describes how after the war, the men returned to their jobs. Bob describes working at the Maltings where they turned raw barley into malt for beer, this was known as the germination process, the main customers being Adnams and Cobbolds. Describes how hard the work was carrying large loads of malt (a comb?) continuously, compares it to taking his 'O' levels the 'A' levels being carrying the barley (16 stone) from the barge to Maltings. Describes how the company was liquidated in 1965 and 70 men were out of work. Describes how there was not much work around as the farm were becoming automated Track 5 Doris and Bob then describe how they became grave diggers, Bob had been grave digging part time already. Describes how Doris persuades Bob and Bob telling Doris 'that was a dead end job!'. Describes how they had a van with beds and a cooker inside and they moved around the county. Describes a book they had written 'Talking with Bob and Doris' a recollection of East Suffolk Life. They both describe the job as lovely and that they met lots of people and enjoyed 'having a yarn'. Describes how they were paid by the churchyards as they went along. Describes how they had a contract with the Co-op funeral directors in Ipswich, Bob Read. Briefly described the premises as having a chapel of rest and a room where the embalming was done. Describes how there was a coffin factory at Nacton Road. Track 6 9 min Describes how it was very hard work and once they had to dig two graves, Doris getting on a Lambretta which they kept in the back of the van and going off to Shotley where the ground was nice a sandy and easy to dig whereas Bob had to go to out to the country where the ground was hard. Doris describes how she performed an 'after sales service' for the graves by removing the dead flowers and levelling off the graves. Describes one grave they dug in Coddenham where they had gone down 8-9 feet, the ground being chalky and very hard so they filled it up with water (presumably to soften the chalk) but the water was still there the next day and they had a very difficult job digging the grave. Describes how they were paid £5 to dig a single grave and £5.10shillings for a double. Describes how Ernie Raynor, the milkman asked Bob to do a milk round and Bob describes how he started the milk round the week the currency became metric and everyone was confused. Describes how he did the milk round for 3 months. Describes how a concert hall was being renovated at Snape and how the Queen came to open it. Describes a fire and the concert hall burning down. Describes how he took a job to look after it and eventually was asked by Stephen Rice, General Manager, to become concert hall manager. Describes how Benjamin Britten asked them if they would like to live in a flat on the east side looking over the marshes. Describes how Benjamin Britten was always popping in for a chat and gossip. Bob and Doris describe how they took the job for 6 months and stayed for 20 years. Describes how Benjamin Britten came to them the night before his operation and told them all about it as he did not want them to read about it in the paper. Describes how BB was hoping his Alvis motor car could be adapted so that he could still use it. Describes how BB died. Describes how BB wanted to buried on the reed beds but this was not consecrated ground. Bob and Doris then describe how they dug the grave at Aldeburgh church, attaching reeds to canvas and lining the grave. Track 7 9 mins Describes how when the coffin was laid the reeds fell and covered the coffin so BB had part of his wish. Describes how there are photos and t.v. footage. Describes how they were often at the Red House for parties and they entertained all sort of musical people, youngsters from the Britten Pears school at their flat. Describes how many of these people still keep in touch today. Describes how they had special seats at the concert hall on the top landing so that they could make a quick exit in case they were needed. Describes a visit by the Queen Mother in 1979 and that she had to have an extra block under her seat so that she could see. Describes how in 1980 they were invited to Buckingham Palace to celebrate the Queen Mother's 80th birthday and that they have photos. Describes how the Festival went through a rough time money wise and how Sir Frank Mayfield was looking for premises to hold the Public Inquiry on Sizewell B and thought the Maltings was just right. Describes how the money paid by the enquiry (Doris thought the Inquiry cost £25 million) for the use of the Maltings got the company out of debt. Describes how the concerts still went on during the weekends. Doris describes an incident after the first week of the Inquiry when she was checking the rooms at the end of the day and for 'safety reasons' pulled all the plugs out. Oh Dear. Describes how the officials were not too happy and had to start again on the Monday. Describes how they retired in 1989 and had a letter from Princess Margaret of Hesse begging them not to leave. Describes how they bought some land in Aldeburgh and had a bungalow built, and that they still send donations to Yorkhill hospital. Describes hat a lovely life they had had and they are very happy. |