FINAL THOUGHTS
ABOUT KNOTTINGLEY
MAURICE HAIGH
I must
state at the outset of this, my third account of recollections, that my
wife is not as keen as myself in nostalgia. On a personal note I find
thinking of years past affords me with a cloak of comfort against the
mindless vandalism and violence we read and see so much of these days.
Much of this is attributed to a minority of our younger generation, as
experienced by the loyal team of workers who constantly try to maintain
the old Town Hall. It is a building held very dear in the hearts of old
Knottla' folk who, like me, share warm memories of happy times spent
inside so once again, no apology for nostalgia.
My thoughts
turn to my friends from Croft Avenue, namely Kenny Burdin, Richard
Rhodes, Richard Birch, and Ralph Pogmore. We all spent happy days going
down to the Willow Garth past Dole Bank. That was a great playground for
young lads where, from the willow trees, we were able to cut wood to
make a strong-bow. The trees also supplied us with good straight arrows
and Robin Hood and his men were truly born. The Garth abounded
with tall reeds and if you cut and shaped the willow branches, it was
possible to braid the rushes through the structure and produce a fine
hut to sit in. In those days many birds visited our Garth, there
were Blue Tits, Jays, Owls, Thrushes, Blackbirds, Wrens and Bullfinches,
not many of these species do you see today. Onward from here we
had a pleasant walk towards Beal and the Fishing Plank a very solid
thick plank across a wide stream. Once when walking I found a German
leaflet in the bottom of the hedgerow apparently dropped by a German
plane, but why over Knottingley?, he must have been off his
course.
When we
were down by Dole Bank we would help the lock keeper, Bill Doubtfire, to
open the lock gates by winding the gears operating the water level and
then putting our backs against the gate arms and pushing them open. He
always appreciated our help and he was a very pleasant man.
Down at the
bottom of the croft were some small brick built air raid shelters and
these provided a place to play and have fun, If those shelters could
talk what stories they would tell, but not I, my tales are to remain
untold. I suppose being young during the war we found it all
exciting but we did not experience the blitz like London, Portsmouth,
Southampton, Hull, and Liverpool people did. Our war was Vera Lynn and
war films.
My school
life started in 1940 at the National Church School and I remember crying
for my mother the best part of the day. They had underground
shelters beneath the playground and when sirens were sounded we went
down an iron ladder and sat on wooden seats. Many people from Aire
Street made use of these shelters. I stayed but a few weeks here
before moving to Chapel Street school. I remember particularly in
the main hall there were a row of cot type beds and we used to be put in
these for a sleep during the day, great Eh! My next move was to
the Weeland Road boarding School. The head of school, Mr Treadgold was a
man of small stature with dark rimmed glasses but to us his pupils he
was Tarzan. I think we we all terrified of him and to this day I
do not know why but his school was always touble free. I stayed
here until 1945 and then made my final move to Ropewalk Senior School
where Mr Leonard Luke was the Headteacher and a very fine one he
was. His passion for poetry knew no bounds and often he would
enter into any classroom without little regard for the lesson in
progress and give an impassioned reading of the Fighting Temmera and
Playup, Playup and play the game quotations. He was very much
admired by staff and pupils. Mr. Billbrough was the art
teacher while Mr. Barton taught science. He in fact was a relative
but he did not acknowledge the fact. His Mother was my Great Aunt
Annie. Mrs. McMichael was my form teacher and a keen one she was
too. There was also Bull Coward, Proddy France, Dot Wilson, Mary Wilson
and Miss Lang. It was at this school that I learned the Valitta
and the Barn dances. We had dance evenings a few times and brought
sandwiches to eat. We also, I think, had our first girl crushes!
Online
readers will smile at these names if they were at school when I was
there. Mr. Jessop joined the staff after his release from the
services. One of his duties was R.E. but you could soon sidetrack
him and have him tell tales of his time in the service. After a
couple of years at Ropewalk School he courted and married Mary Wilson.
About this time there was a Camp in North Yorkshire called Beuleu Park.
It was a adventure type of place with activities such as walking, rock
climbing and so on. All schools were offered places for pupils who
had parents with the money to send them. I was fortunate in some
way that my mother was a widow and I was able to go free of
charge. We lived in wood dormitories and had meals in a large
central building in ablution blocks. We bathed and washed and
after ablutions you were lined up to have your throat sprayed with antiseptic
spray.
I left
School in 1950 aged 15 and started work at Bagley's glassworks as a yard
lad. Our boss was Charlie Walshaw and he made us work hard but he was
also fair with you. Our job required us to unload boxes from the
lorries and supply them to the sorters for refilling. I then moved
to The Press and Blow Machine as a taker-in and I know a lot of Knottla
lads will know what I mean. The machine made the 5lb sweet jars
and I carried them to the ovens for baking one at a time, and bloody
hell did they make my legs ache. On the night shift at 15 years
old when we stopped to have our sandwiches we sat near to the furnace
and I often fell asleep and refused to start work. After a few
sharp kicks from Nommie Rhodes the gatherer I would be persuaded to
resume. Later I worked on the Monish Machine again taking
in. This was a faster producer of bottles so we worked 1 hour on
and 1/2 hour off. John Horton ran this operation and when he gave
an order you jumped and did it. Sonny Swales was the man in charge
of the sorters and his office was located next to one of the large
chimneys. During the war Bagley's received an allowance of cigarettes
for the workers and my mother would send me to queue for her Woodbines.
Sometimes I got them other times I was not so lucky. My half sister
Irene worked in the office for him, so we had a little help. I
worked here until I was 18 years old.
The
following paragraphs will apply to many Knottla' lads of my generation.
I enlisted
for National Service with the local labour exchange situated on Racca
Green. The Building is still there today. I attended a Medical
Centre on Woodhouse Lane, Leeds for a medical and was enlisted with the
R.A.S.C. as driver 22915083. After my training at Blenheim
Barracks which lasted three months I took embarkation leave for two
weeks and armed with a railway warrant I travelled to Borden Camp,
Hampshire. The old Barrack Blocks were built in the First World War and
were heated with wood burning stoves. Thousands upon thousands have
passed through this camp.
I spent
Xmas 1953 here and on Christmas morning at the lovely hour of 6.30am. we
were awakened by the Staff Sergeants bringing round a large tea urn from
which they served tea. At lunch time we were given a choice of a
lunch menu which in fact was a good one. The lunch was served to all
ranks by the commissioned Officers. Later after we had eaten, the
Officers entertained us with poetry readings, songs, jokes and stories
of army life. We were later transported to Harwich Port and
embarked on one of the troopships sailing to the Hook of Holland.
Many of the lads will remember The Wansbeck, The Vienna, and The Empress
Pakistan. Then we endured a full days train journey to a small
German village called Fallingbostell. Although only a small
village it housed a large garrison of troops from the 4th Royal Tank
Regiment, The Queens Bays, Reme and the Rasc. My CO on arrival was
Major Horrocks but he left and was replaced with Major GCH Morant who
had previously commanded Indian Regiments and had played polo a
lot. After some discussion with the Tank Regiment CO it was agreed
that he could stable two horses there so long as he provided a groom. I
was elected to take care of the horses so in addition to driving 3 ton
Trucks I was also a groom and for this extra service I was paid 2 pounds
a month.
Upon
leaving the army in 1955 I still lived at Anchor Yard and worked around
Knottingley. I met a Pontefract girl, Kathleen Clarkson, in 1955
and we were married and I left to live with her family in Tanshelf,
Pontefract. I have never forgotten my roots and I think myself
fortunate that I did not see the demolishing of a great community and
history.
Maurice Haigh
Also by Maurice Haigh
Memories of Knottingley
More Memories of Knottingley
Conclusions of Knottingley
Second World War Knottingley