Surname
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Smith
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Forename
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Victor
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Date of recording
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2008
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Year of birth
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1928
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Place of Birth
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Aldeburgh Snape
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Occupation
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Retired
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Fathers occupation
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Horseman
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Present Address
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Knodishall
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Location Interview
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Knodishall
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Interviewer
Summary |
John Hambley
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Duration
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105 Mins
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No of tracks: 3
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This recording consists of 3 tracks.
Track 1 [19 secs] Introduction by John Hambley interviewing Victor Smith on 20th February, 2008. Track 2 [39.04] Victor Smith was born in 1928 at Aldeburgh Nursing Home. He lived with his parents at Snape. Mentions his parents were married at Snape. Recalls his first memory of a sandy lane and remembers herds of cows walking along it early in the morning and at night. Remembers his mother always told him to be careful on the road because of the cows. Describes the farmland around the village. Recalls an early memory when he was about five years old, about 1933, when he watched tarmac laid down on the lane they lived on. Mentions that he was the eldest child in the family and he had three brothers. Mentions that his grandmother, Delilah Smith, was born in Iken and her maiden name was Chaston. Mentions that she was widowed at 49 and then set up a taxi business with his Dad and an uncle, she also took in lodgers. Remembers that she lived in a house called The Rosary in The Street next to the triangle and the Crown Inn. Mentions she also sold paraffin oil. Mentions that his grandfather worked at Leiston Works as an engineer and was the best steam hammer operator at Leiston. Mentions that during the slump in the 1930's his grandparents went to Bradford to work in a restaurant but eventually came home to the Rosary. Mentions that his grandfather bought the house next door for £150, and then bought the Long House which was three cottages into one to make a house. Remembers playing in the garden at his grandparents house. Remembers there was a well in each garden and in his grandparents garden the well was about 50-60 feet deep. Describes one occasion when he had gone to see a friend and his parents noticed that the door to the well was open and they searched for him everywhere and believed he had fallen down the well. Describes the 'telling off' he received from his father when he returned home. Describes his father working at the Cloisters, which were owned by a family called Nicholls who owned a tea plantation in India. Describes how Mr. Edward Nicholls bought the Cloisters in 1907 and then renovated it. Describes an archway with seating that was made of clinker. Mentions that he has photos of this. Mentions that his grandmother took in lodgers and that his father and one of the lodgers went for the same job that was advertised at the Maltings. Describes how his father became chauffeur for Mr. Nicholls, and later Miss Nichols and the lodger became a driver at the Maltings. The Nicholls family owned all the land round the village. Mentions that his mother's sister married Deeker Blowers. Describes an occasion when Miss Nicholls and her sister bought a landing craft and put it in the creek and how they used to swim from it. Remembers very happy holidays spent swimming in the creek. Describes shooting game during the war and he had the shooting rights on 45 acres. Used to shoot on foot and sometimes in a punt. Remembers that during the war Sudbourne and Iken Cliff were sealed off as this was used as an army training ground. Describes an incident one Sunday when he was shooting pheasants that had drifted over from the Orford estate and how the gamekeeper had spotted them and fired two shots over their heads as a warning not to shoot his pheasants. Describes another time when his punt was moored in the river by Iken Church and someone cut the rope and the punt drifted off down the river. Describes looking for the punt among the reeds and finally finding it near the Brick Dock. Remember returning to Snape in the punt with the tide. Mentions that Deeker Blower's father kept the Crown Inn for years. Mentions that Deeker Blower's son, Peter, was bought up by his (Victor's) granny and they became great friends. Mentions that he started shooting when he was fourteen years old. Describes the start of the war when he was only 11 years old. Describes how he joined the Home Guard when he was fourteen and trained every Wednesday night and Sunday morning. Describes how he became a cadet by lying about his age. Describes the Home Guard and that they were affiliated to a part of the army who trained them and that they got quite professional. Describes how they used to go out on escapades in army lorries from Snape Hall. Describes one time when they went to "attack" the Americans at Parham to test their defences. Describes harvesting with his grandparents at Valley Farm when he was about 8 or 9 years old, and how the children were allowed a day off school to help with the harvest. Mentions that his grandfather was horseman at Valley Farm. Remembers have tea under a tree and drinking out of an enamel cup and having sandwiches. Describes how the sheaves were built up and looked like buildings. Describes how the horses pulling the binder were changed over and given a rest. Remembers riding on the horses. Mentions that there was some poverty in Snape during those days and recalls some poor families living in the village and describes how on frosty mornings the children would come to school, "blue with the cold" and wore shorts and had no socks. Describes Snape Village and all the wonderful characters and how everyone clubbed together to help each other. Mentions that the villagers did not travel far outside the village. Track 3 [1.05.48] Mentions that there were about 600 to 700 people living in Snape and that it was lucky that Snape had an industrial complex in the village which kept most of the people in work. Describes how he was waiting for an apprenticeship with Reades of Aldeburgh and asked his uncles if there was any work going at the Maltings. Describes how he got a job as a 'back house boy' and helped in the garden and breaking up the coal. Mentions that there was a carpenter's shop and also a blacksmith's shop at the Maltings. Describes what went on at the Maltings and mentions huge Swannell sacks being mended for distribution on the barges. Mentions the railway and the steam engine which came down every day and the farmers would fill the trucks up with sugar beet etc. Mentions that Swannells owned the Maltings which was first run by Richard Garrett who owned Leiston Works. Describes the barges bringing coal up the river and carrying grain away back down the river 'coal up -grain away'. Also mentions that the barges occasionally got stuck on the mud. Mentions that he was 15 years old and living at The Cloisters during the war and did so for six years. Describes seeing doodlebugs during the war and describes an incident where his mother was standing by the bedroom window that there was a terrific crash and the glass fell in, luckily she had jumped out of the way. Describes another incident when he heard horses running down the road and went outside, it was about 8.00 in the morning and a doodlebug had come down and had hit a tree by Rookery Farm. Describes how the wall of the farmhouse had completely fallen down and you could see all the beds and rooms. Luckily no-one was killed although a few were badly injured. Describes how Reades of Aldeburgh rebuilt the farm house and it took about a year. Describes another incident when he heard a droning noise and went out into the courtyard. Describes how he looked up and saw a silver plane, a Dornier, and saw the bombs dropping out. Remembers cycling back to the Maltings and seeing a lot of mud on the road and the bombs had dropped into the side of the river bed and had not exploded. Describes how the bomb disposal team came and retrieved the detonators but were unable to remove the bombs. Describes how he used to start work at 6.00, helping in the garden, digging coal and mentions that the Maltings had a bowls club and he used to mow the green. Also mentions asparagus beds and some ponds that also had to be kept tidy. Mentions that he was paid £2.50 a week. Also mentions that his father was estate manager at the Cloisters and was paid £7.00 a week but got his accommodation rent free, so they were quite well off. Describes how he and his father would sometimes do decorating for people in the village. Describes an incident when the was a drought and only one working well in the village and that was on The Terrace. Describes how the well was about 66 feet deep and how they eventually managed to get the water out. Mentions that he paid his mother 30 shillings for his keep and tried to save the remaining £1.00. Remembers that in those days you could have a night out at the pub, buy and packet of cigarettes and a box of matches all for about 2/6, 12 ½ pence today. Also remembers buying about ten sweets for a halfpenny or a penny. Describes a group of 5 or 6 ladies that used to walk from Snape along Sailors' Path to the Aldeburgh laundry, about 4/5 miles, and home again a night. Mentions that there was not a lot of work for women in Snape and that some women went to London and worked 'in service'. Describes how people hardly ever went out of the village and on occasion remembers going for picnics on the river. Mentions fishing and catching eels. Describes swimming galas that took place just to the west of old Snape bridge. Mentions that tripods were erected that had a long pole and the boys would have pillow fights on these and try to knock each other off. He believed that the poles were also greased to make it more difficult. Remembers the galas finishing off with tea and sandwiches. Mentions that during the war Iken was used for army manoeuvres and remembers tanks going over Snape bridge which was quite a hump backed and narrow bridge in those days. Describes how a lot of the army lorries etc. went a different way, over a bailey bridge that was set up near the swimming area. Mentions that the bridge was mined in case the Germans invaded and it would then be blown up. Remembers an occasion when a parachute mine came down and destroyed a row of cottages. Mentions that one or two people were killed. Describes seeing the army of manoeuvres at Iken and also describes the large searchlight on the corner in Snape. Mentions that the German bombers used Friston Mill as a marker on their way to bomb Coventry. Remembers planes coming over from about 7.00 at night and all night long. Mentions that on the way back the German planes would dive down the machine gun Aldeburgh High Street. Describes how the fighter planes from Martlesham would fly up and tackle the German bombers. Describes a local character, a man named Daddy Brookes who lived at Saxmundham and use to walk to Snape along Sailors' Path, stopping for lunch at the golf club. Mentions that he used to stop and play billiards at the Snape Men's' Club, and remembers his beard and that he smoked a pipe. Mentions that these old characters were called tramps in those days but are now known as travellers. Describes an incident when a tramp, by the name of Peasenhall Jack who pushed an old pram full of old sacks, tins and bits and pieces, stopped outside their cottage and demanded money and food. Describes how he picked up his father's gun which was in the hall and pointed at the tramp and warned him off. Mentions swimming galas and sports days throughout the year. Describes how the river was a dangerous place and mentions a friend of his who was drowned. Describes how he used to go duck shooting with his dog. Describes how most people in the village had an allotment and remembers helping his uncles dig potatoes. Describes a shop in the village that had a counter which contained lots of little boxes, like little drawers full of sugar, tea etc. Describes how the sugar was weighed out and put into blue bags. Also mentions a butcher and the post office. Mentions that his granny and uncles used to kill one of their pigs once a year. Describes how the butcher would kill it and take half in payment. Mentions the pig could weigh as much as 18 stone. Describes his granny cutting pig into joints and chops and making sausages and pork cheeses. Describes these as scraps of pork and jelly in a basin. Remembers having feast when his uncles returned home from the war. Describes his large family, his granny having seven children. Remembers she used to stand on her doorstep and give him sausage rolls on his way home from school. Describes various characters who would go to the various public houses on a Saturday night and drink ale and sing and play musical instruments. Describes how they would always make a lot of noise going home at the end of the evening. Mentions he has a photo of a group outside the Crown. Describes his first car, a 1931 Singer which was maroon with yellow seats and yellow wheels. Describes going to the Hippodrome in Ipswich and rushing back to Snape for fish and chips and then going to the pub at the Maltings to sing. Here Mr. Smith tries to remember one of the songs and eventually sings one. Describes helping his father with a paper round, and remembers collecting the papers from Benhall and coming back to Snape via Friday Street Farm. Mentions a character called Chuffy Crane who tells a story about bombs dropping close by. |