JOHN WRIGHT
Surname
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Wright
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Forename
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John
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Date of recording
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2008
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Year of birth
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19
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Place of Birth
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Friston Mill
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Occupation
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Reired engineer
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Fathers occupation
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Miller
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Present Address
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Aldringham
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Location Interview
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Aldringham
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Interviewer
Summary |
Lynda Simmonds
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Duration
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82 Mins
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No of tracks: 3
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This recording consists of 3 tracks.
Track 1 [27 secs] Introduction. John Wright born at Friston Mill and now living at Holywood, Leiston Road, Aldringham. Track 2 [67.55 secs] Describes his family owning and working Friston Mill, which had been in he family for generations together with mills at Saxmundham, Blaxhall and Butley. Mentions that the family were related to Sir Joshua Reynolds. Mentions he was an only child and stayed at Friston Mill often with his aunt and uncle and a cousin. Describes going to live at Aldringham when he was about 3 years old. Describes attending Aldringham School and then Leiston School leaving at 14 years. Mentions that he was not very good at spelling but always came top of the class at maths. Describes getting an apprenticeship at Garrett's just before the war where he was trained as an engineer working on steam engines. Describes that during the war he worked on guns and munitions and as he was very good at designing and making things he was able to help the army and later the navy with various items of equipment. Describes meeting a chap at work, who was probably in his 70's, and mentioned taking a dip in the river Alde at Pettits Hard. This man used to sail boats down to the hard and beach them for cleaning. Mentions that this man had a photo taken from Snape Bridge and this showed 14 Thames Sailing Barges moored up at the Maltings. The barges took hay, straw etc. down to London to feed the horses and bought back horse manure to fertilise the fields. Mentions that he has probably sailed all the East Anglian rivers except the Medway. Describes that at low water you can see lots of jetties in the rivers Alde and Ore which is where the barges used to moor up, although now they are all wrecked and falling apart. Mentions that he won an award while working at Garrett's for being the top apprentice. Describes leaving Garrett's and getting a job at Sizewell A as an engineer and stayed there until he retired. He was a reactor technician. Describes how he was given a free hand to design and plan the equipment. Mentions that when he left he was given an award of £20,000 by the Directors and as he had worked a further 3 years into his retirement and had lost his lump sum payment from the Government, the Directors also awarded him a special pension which he still receives. Describes learning to sail and row with his mother on the mere at Thorpeness when he was about three years old. Mentions that she was a matron in Ipswich. Remembers sailing at Aldeburgh when he was 7 or 8 years old. Remembers staying at Friston Mill with his cousin and cycling down to Pettits Hard where there was a sandy bay and they would swim. Remembers going to Orford to get oysters for his uncle from the Pinneys. Describes that after the war he saw this old boat, a bit of a wreck, in the mud at Iken and managed to buy it, bringing it back to Slaughden and restoring it. He managed to modernise an old engine and spent many hours cruising around the coast. Describes how there was a group of young likeminded men and they used to crew each others boats and have great fun. Describes Slaughden Quay and remembers the workshops there, the Cables, Wards, Woods and Taylor's. Mentions Jumbo Ward , a river pilot, who hired out boats, (in those days people hired boats rather than owned them). Describes the houses at Slaughden and the latter years how the sea would come in the back door and then the river would come in the front door. Remembers helping a man named Stanley Ashton (could be Ronald Ashton) who moved from Slaughden into the town. Describes how the remains of Slaughden were washed into the sea during the mid 1930's, when there were three very high tides. Remembers Jumbo Ward selling his business to Fred Cable who later sold it to Russell Upson in the 60's and it is now run by his son Brian, in partnership with John Andrews. Remembers there being a tea shed at Slaughden, run by one of the wives, but could not remember any details. Describes the ferry that used to go from Upson's Yard across to the other side. Describes how sometimes the people that were ferried over would go for a walk and forget the time and when they arrived back the ferryman had gone home. Describes that as his boat was moored nearby he was often called upon to row people back to the Aldeburgh side. Describes one incident when an elderly lady called to him from the Sudbourne side and told him her husband had collapsed. Describes how he managed to get the man into his dingy and across the river and called upon a lady driving her car to help get the man to the local Police Station where help could be obtained. Describes how the man and his wife were taken to the Police Station and given a cup of tea and as he was much better, taken home by taxi. Briefly discusses the possibility of there being a new ferry across from Upson's Yard. Describes the old ferry as being a 12 foot rowing boat that took people and their bicycles across. [27 mins 46 secs] Starts to describe the river from the 'top'. Mentions that he thinks the river is double the size now from before the war, thinks that West Row has doubled in size. Describes how he used to lay his own moorings and the river bed was mostly mud, now Brian Upson lays the moorings and says that the river bed it all shingle. Starts describing the river from Langham Bridge which is 2-3 miles inland from Snape. Describes the river as being very pretty with meadows on each side and perfect for picnics. Remembers the railway bridge at Snape and how you had to be careful of the tide as at high water there was only about 1 foot between bridge and river. Mentions he has a photo of an engine on the bridge. Describes how a sluice has been built at Snape now and you can no longer take your boat past Snape. Mentions that there was a smuggler's house at Snape but was not sure where. Remembers as a small boy going to Snape with his uncle and supplying them with feed for the horses, and seeing many Thames Barges being loaded up. Describes the river going down from Snape and where the river turns calls it a 'bite'. Describes a river wall by the fields behind Snape, and then describes where the river swings back it causes an eddy in the water and has dug out a deep hole. This is known as Woof's Hole. Describes how this was named after a young boy who drowned there. Apparently he was a Snape boy who was doing an old trick where you put a nail or something sharp on the end of a stick and walk along at low water and spear flat fish lying on the bottom. Whether he did not realise there was a hole there or whether he slipped no one knows, but he was drowned. Describes hat there was also a diving board clamped onto the bank and also on the other side a hut where the Snape School children came to learn to swim. Mentions that this has all gone now. Mentions that the swirling water also undermined the river wall and it later collapsed flooding the fields. This has never been repaired. Describes how the river flowed both sides of the wall and eventually the whole wall collapsed. Continues to describe the river mentioning Pettit's Hard, a small sandy bay which had elm trees round it. Mentions the bay was good for swimming but it is covered with mud now. Describes a hole near Iken Cliff and tells a story about a barge going aground here and Jumbo Ward, who was piloting it and lived nearby, agreed to return in the morning to float it off on the high tide. Describes how when Jumbo returned the following morning the barge had floated off and had been carried into the hole and was stuck fast. Describes how it was there 2 or 3 days before they tried to get it out how eventually it floated out by itself. Describes a barge Quay at Iken where the barges used to unload for the farms. Mentions there was also a lime kiln at Iken. Continues to describe the river Alde mentioning Upper Oaks, Lower Oaks, Upper Troublesome point, Lower Troublesome point, Church Reach by the vicarage, all the way to Pettit's Hard. This was a dock at Pettit's farm, the daughters owning the laundry in the Mill at Fort Green. Continues to describe the river from Church Reach, Short Reach to East Mansion Reach and mentions Priory Creak which goes up to Snape Priory. Mentions how the saltings have eroded way and now there is only mud left. Describes how some boats were left here just before the war and because people were not allowed to come to Iken during the war as it was used to training soldiers, the boats rotted away. Mentions that the river was mined during the war and the soldiers did not keep a map of where they put them, but when the river froze a lot of the mines were blown up. (53 mins) Remembers that after the war some mines were trawled up in fishing nets. Describes one instance where a mine was trawled up and taken to Slaughden Quay where the bomb disposal team then took it over to the marshes and blew it up by pouring a can of petrol over it. Continues describing the river from Ham Creak and mentions that people used to dig lug worms up here for fishing and would sometimes dig 100 at a time. Describes Little Japan and mentions a stream that runs into it and also describes a small jetty. Continues on down the river and mentions Barber's Point, Colliers Hole, and Colliers Reach all the way down to the Brick Dock and remembers the barges docking here opposite Cob Island. Describes how Cob Island does not exist any more but remembers there being a causeway and the farmer putting his sheep on there for the summer months. Continues describing the river and mentions Stanny Creak, West Row Reach, and Chapman's. Remembers during the war the soldiers who were training at Iken were brought down the river to Slaughden Quay so that they could pop into town and have a drink or two. Mentions the old boat the Ionia at Slaughden and remembers when she was burnt as she became unsafe. Describes Slaughden Quay which he says has not altered much. Remembers the Three Mariners Public House as a bit of a wreck. Describes the ferry from the Sudbourne side of the river to Slaughden Quay. Continues along the river towards the Martello Tower and describes the 'horse' - a hard which comes into the river and believes this to be a natural hard and that was why they built the Martello Tower there as the hard seems to go into the sea as well. Remembers playing cricket with his father by the Martello Tower. Continues along the river to Home Reach and mentions that he believes this is the first place the sea will probably breakthrough. Track 3 [14.43] Describes saltings each side of the river and mentions the sluice on the west side. Continues describing the river and mentions Orford Upper Reach, and mentions the barges used to unload here near the wireless station. Describes Orford Quay on one side the Orford Ness Quay on the other side. Mentions that Orford Quay goes back many hundreds of years and has not changed much. Mentions a small creak on Lower Reach on the north side, Stoney Hitch, but it has barbed wire across it now. Then on to the inside of Havergate Island where there are three reaches, Upper Gulls, Middle Gulls and Lower Gulls, leading to Abraham's Bosom. Describes this as being a good anchorage and mentions he has stayed here overnight very safely. Mentions Butley Creak, now Butley river and describes the river up to Butley Mill. Describes how the river dries out a low water. Remembers that barges used to travel up this river but do not do so any more as it is too shallow. Describes how he spent many nights in his yacht in the Butley River. Continues on describing the river Ore picking up at Abraham's Bosom where the Butley River joins the main river. Mentions that before the war barges used to dock here and load up with shingle. Mentions that it is now a bird sanctuary. Remembers seeing the first avocet when they returned to Havergate Island. The far end Havergate Island is called Dove Point and the main channel then goes past Hollesley towards Shingle Street, with saltings on one side and a shingle bank from Orford Ness on the other. Remembers he used to trawl for fish here sometimes. Mentions a small creak on the west side, but cannot remember the name but recalls there is a small bridge at Shingle Street which goes over it. Describes the entrance to the river at Shingle Street being much better now as it is buoyed by Trinity House. Remembers sometimes having to get the pilot, who lived in the coastguard cottages at Shingle Street to bring boats in. Describes one instance where he was taking a yacht round to Woodbridge and had arrived at Shingle Street early, the tide not being fully high. Mentions that the pilot, Eric Andrews, was fishing and John helped pull the line in. Remembers there being 32 hooks and 27 skate. Describes how he took some of the skate with him to Woodbridge and gave them to the boys at the boat yard. Describes fishing at Shingle Street and sometimes getting lobsters. Describes how the shingle entrance to the river moves and recalled once it had moved half a mile to the south and then it came back again. Describes how the shingle at Shingle Street was mined and sent to London on the barges. |