JEAN SMITH

Surname

Smith

Forename

Jean

Date of recording

2008

Year of birth

1946

Place of Birth

Burgh

Occupation

Cleaner

Fathers occupation

MAchine operator

Present Address

Sutton, Woodbridge

Location Interview

Sutton

Interviewer

Summary

Direen Bartlett

Duration

46 Mins

No of tracks: 1

This recording consists of 1 track.  

Track 1 [46:34 mins]  
Jean Smith was born in 1946 at Burgh, near Hasketon.  In the interview she describes her childhood and working in the Tea Rooms in Church Street Woodbridge and later at Girdlestones Melton Hill.  She lives at 6 The Walk, Main Road, Sutton.

Jean recalls her early memories, living in a very small house in Burgh which was at the end of a terrace.  Describes moving to East Lane, Ufford with her siblings, a twin sister, two more sisters and a brother, although they did not all live at home together.  Describes her father working nights at Cranes at Ipswich and used to ride his bike to work.  Mentions that her mother did 'silver service' at a large house in Burgh and also knitted lots of hats, scarves, gloves and socks for the army.  Describes her grandparents and an aunt and uncle lived nearby.   Mentions that her uncle was a bricklayer and her auntie worked at a mushroom factory in Bredfield.   Describes playing various games and remembers her grandfather flying a large black kite in the garden at Burgh.  Remembers climbing lots of trees, playing in the fields and watching the trains go by.  Describes collecting acorns and selling them to the farmers for the pigs and making a bit of money.  Describes her childhood as being very happy.  Briefly describes birthdays and making paper chains at Christmas.  Describes going to Ufford School and mentions a teacher, Mrs. Dee, remembers having school dinners.  Remembers listening to the radio at home and having to get accumulators from down the road.  Remembers playing cards, riding bikes and going on outings to Felixstowe by bus.  Describes there being two grocery shops in Ufford and also remembers a man delivering the milk and another who used to sell groceries from a van, believes he came from Tysons in Woodbridge.  Describes her home which was heated by a big coal fuelled range.  It had an outside toilet and remembers having baths in front of the copper.  Describes her mother doing the washing in the copper and in the sink and remembers having a mangle.  Describes  going to Wickham Market School by bus when she was  11 years old and mentions that her favourite lesson was PE. and remembers wearing blue knickers and a white t-shirt.  Describes leaving school at 15 and going to work in the Deben tea rooms on Church Street.  Describes this as being a restaurant snack bar as well as a cafe.  Describes how she used to work in the kitchens and also describes how much she liked serving the customers.  Her  hours of work were 8.30 to 5.30 with an hour for lunch, which was sometimes provided.  Describes travelling to work by bus.  Describes leaving the tea rooms and going to work at Girdlestones.  Describes her work here as a machine operator and working the same hours as before but occasionally working overtime until 9.00 in the evening.  Remembers going on work's outings to the theatre in London and having a good time.  Describes walking downtown for lunch usually at  Bill's cafe.  Describes going to the pictures and meeting friends in cafes and going for long walks.  Remembers sports day at school  and mentions running and sack races.  Mentions that she was in the Brownies for a short time.  Mentions that her brother is a milkman and her sister now lives in Lowestoft.  Describes meeting her husband who lived opposite her sister at Butley, getting married in 1975 at Ufford Church.  Describes leaving work and having her children, Tina and Robert and then becoming a childminder for people at the base (Bentwaters).  She now is a cleaner for various people.  Describes changed in the village now.
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