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Mary Williams remembers.
"At last, the day arrived for me to start school. I had my new sixpenny case, from Woolworths. In it, was an apple for playtime. I reminded my mother frequently that she was to tell the mistress I was wearing my new boots. At last it was our turn to enter the mistress's office where I constantly nudged my mother and indicated the boots. At last, she said "Mary has new boots especially for today". They were duly admired. Then I was taken into the "baby" class to start what turned out to be a very happy school life.
"In my early days at school I hated to get it wrong. (I am still the same).
On arrival at school one day, I was horrified to find I did not have a slate rag. (Writing and sums were written with chalk, on a slate and a rag was essential). The said rag had to be held up in one hand and your handkerchief in the other at prayers (now called assembly).
What to do? I dashed into the toilet and tore a square out of the front of my petticoat it was plain green cotton with a lace edging.
All went well at school but when I got home, it was a different matter. My mother was furious. The "slate rag" was washed, then, sewn in again. I had to wear it for months, presumably to teach me that clothes were expensive and had to be looked after, carefully.
How I hated that petticoat"
In times of hardship.
"In the early 1930s when food was short some children went hungry. We were very fortunate in that my grandfather had an allotment, father's friend had a market garden, a cousin had a butcher's shop where we could get marrow bones for broth, and an uncle who was a railway linesman on the Carlisle route did a spot of poaching in his lunch hour.
One day my brother and I noticed children asking workers from the new Power Station if they had any " bait" left, and were given a newspaper parcel, which, when opened, seemed to be sandwiches. We stationed ourselves in a strategic position, "asked" and received a parcel, which proved to contain a jam sandwich - not of interest to us at all. Next minute we both received a sharp smack on the bottom, and were frog-marched home, by a very irate grandmother. Who lectured us all the way on how fortunate we were in always having enough to eat without any need to beg in the street - no treats for us that day from grandmother."
Flying Kites
Outdoor games were played in cycles-top and whip, marbles, skipping ropes, but when it came to kites my brothers and I were always sent up the road to ask Mr Clark to make us one with the instruction “don’t forget to ask nicely and�? DON’T FORGET TO SAY PLEASE.�?
We were always told to come back the next day and bring one string (saved from one old tattered kite).
The next kite was always ready- a cross made with two straight pieces of stick and part of the wooden hoop of a butter barrel was used to make a rounded top, the construction was carefully covered with newspaper skilfully glued on then a tail string with newspaper bows all the way down- wonderful Mr Clark would then send us over to the park to play fly it.
Sometimes he called us back and added some more tailing-perfect. Flying the kite usually kept us busy during the school holidays.