| Description | An interview with May HARKIN, a widow woman with two sons, one daughter, who is a retirednursing auxiliary/housewife, born in BIRMINGHAM and now living in Birmingham. May HARKIN’s father was a General labourer, born in England and her mother a Housewife born in England. In the interview, she talks about …
'MS2255/2/120 HARKIN, May logged by Bernadette Shortt
01
My maiden name was Tubb.
Early childhood memory – 1928 I was 6 we were renting out a lodging.
My mother died in August 1928.
40” Recounts mother’s funeral
1.10 – Had to live with neighbours because my home conditions were not suitable. Would have preferred to stay with father.
1.50 Domestic chores – collecting dinner, water, wasn’t allowed to light the fire.
Relationship with her father – Father lived in the Rowton House, Alcester Street, Digbeth. Very shy of my Dad, told him a lie and never did it again: “I had letter from school for being top of the class told my Dad it was a letter about having a dirty head . . .. went he read it (shrieks) he knocked me flying.”
3.55 – We lived in Vaughton Street Highgate.
4.00 – Spent a lot of my childhood around St. Anne’s Catholic Church, watching May processions with my Dad watching all the girls in their white dresses go past . . .. My Dad said: “I know my wench you’ll be a Mary yet!” I always had the love of the church, I always believed in prayer because it made me feel less lonely when I missed my mum.
02
Attended St. Alban's Church of England Church till the age of 14. I used to visit the Church of Englandn nuns near the Highgate Hotel Moseley Road, because I was lonely, I used to help them with their sewing.
Cook Shop – Granny Arlington’s, marvellous cook, who lived across the road, paid her threepence for a meal. Trays of meat and potato pies. I used to clean all the tins for her.
3.30 Description of pubs in Highgate.
03
Description of father – He had a lonely life, mother had died when she was 33.
50” Living with the neighbours – Always got on well with the mothers, I was always looking for a mother. Father paid seven shillings a week to the neighbours for my keep.
2.30 – School days – Very good scholar, mental arithmetic, story about school and the word “perhaps”.
3.30 Would have had a free scholarship for King Edward,s Girls Grammar School, Camp Hill. Story about taking letter about scholarship to my father . . .. Knocked on window of the pub to call my father . . . gave him the letter and he said
“ I don’t know my wench if I could afford all the books and the clothes” . . . it wasn’t mentioned again.
04
Description of father
1.20 - I left school in 1935 aged 14.
First job at toffee factory, Tyseley earning 18 shillings a week. 14 shillings would be spent each week on my lodgings. I had four shillings to spend, used to go to the Kent Street public baths, Marks & Spencer clothing club. If I couldn’t afford the fare I would walk to work. I have tried to teach my children not to get into debt, be honest, no lies.
2.50 – Description of Kent Street public baths - full of steam . . . I didn’t own a towel . . .. . You would have a hard towel, horrible. You had to leave the towel and they would give you carbolic soap. When I had money I would buy a deluxe soap. They were harsh baths, and the water was ever so hard and the steam. That was the only way you could keep clean.
05
Working life – I worked at Bradleys before I got married.
Loved music and especially Irish dancing at the Tower Ballroom and Brighton Road Moseley.
Meeting husband – Met him on the day that the war broke out, I was with 2 Belfast girls, I thought my husband would go for Molly because she was very attractive. We got the bus home together . . .. It started from there. Went out with him for a year and 5 months.
3.40 - Used to go to a St.Peter’s Catholic Church on Broad Street every Tuesday night for Benediction. I loved it. I was having instructions to join the church.
06
I was always very worried about having to admit that I never had a home, it's always left a mark on me . . .the lonely life I led.
35” Husband came from Northern Ireland, he came to Birmingham in 1937.
Talks about Irish nun Sister Teresa.
2.20 – Going to see father about getting married – story . . .. Had to go and see father sitting up in Highgate Park on a bench can you imagine how I felt (sighs) I wanted to doe, I felt so ashamed.
2.50 – My father wasn’t keen on Irish men, frightened to tell him about getting married.
4.10 – Park bench story continued – my husband said, “I have come to tell you that I want to marry your daughter” . . .. My father said “well you’d better go and get on with it.”
07
Getting married – Moving into a house – Moved in and out of different houses because of the blitz. 19 Grosvenor Street West
2.45 – Bradshaw’s Warehouse – You paid so much money into a club, then you would get a 30-shilling voucher, and then I would buy things for the house with the money
3.45 – I was so happy, I couldn’t believe that I had got a house. Every time I used to open the door it was bubbling in me that I had a little house.
08
Husband's work – He earned enough so that I couldn’t stay at home.
1.15 – early years of marriage - I got married on 12th April 1941, my first child Terence was born on 19th March the following year.
1.30 – Describes having baby at Queen Elizabeth.
2.20 – Became upset that Terence would have no family (story)
3.00 – Birth of second child Michael gave birth to him at home, 7th December. Had a little girl, Margaret 4 years later.
09
Describing time in hospital when baby Margaret was due at Sorrento Nursing Home Moseley. Awful experience. I was only 28 at the time.
1.20 – Husband’s brother Bill lived with us for 8 years, helped care for the children.
1.30 – Showed little affection toward my father, always afraid.
1.50 - Back to wedding day, story about kissing father on my wedding day.
2.30 – Wedding day – no family in the church.
10
Early memories of Birmingham – Father used to take me up to the Bullring on a Sunday. We used to go into a herb beer shop till the pubs opened. I was allowed a herb beer.
40” Bullring – Catholic Society used to be there talking to people. It was full of Irish and Italian people and we all got on well.
1.31 – Bullring was full of stalls, especially fresh fruit, baskets of flowers. An old lady selling penny carrier bags.
2.05 – Top of the Bullring was a very select confectionery shop, which had a machine in the window with all the toffee going round.
2.25 – Bullring – The Blackshirts used to be there on a Sunday . . .. Performers . . . it was a meeting place for everybody. This was in 1938.
3.09 – Around Nelson’s statue there was a cup where you could have a nice drink.
3.30 – Description of the rag market – throwing the crockery and plates in the air.
3.50 – Used to go to dances at St. Michael’s
4.45 - St. Patrick’s Day in Birmingham – joyous day.
11
Birmingham Pub Bombings – put an end to the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, I nearly lost my daughter-in-law in that.
50” Daughter-in-law had just started a new job in a new hotel. They gave the firemen sandwiches and tea all night long. They were putting legs in blue bags and arms in red bags she said it was awful.
1.50 – Effect of bombing on Irish community -
2.20 – Irish people were ignored at the Austin.
12
In 1935 worked at Granny Field’s shop in the summer and in school lunch hours, washing all the fish to keep the flies on them, putting out newspapers.
1.10 - Her daughter, Rosa Pickering, owned a fish shop in Darwin Street, used to get a penny for washing the potatoes.
2.30 – Darwin picture house – Watching Jack Buchanan in Viennese Nights. Story about hiding under the seat so I could watch it again . . .. Father found out!
4.00 – Description of interiors of Darwin Picture house
4.45 – Sunday school – Mission hall opposite Rowton House.
13
Father used to bring me “The Young Soldier” Salvation Army magazine.
40” Father introducing me to my new mother, I just ran away. It was never mentioned again. He never married her though,
2.00 – Being a mother – Couldn’t have any more than 3 children because of the risk of brain damage.
3.00 – Moved from Ladywood to Northfield in May 1948 because of poor living conditions.
14
Brother-in-law taking me to the picture house, Lexham Street, Ladywood, known as the “flee pit” because it was so old.
2.30 - Getting furniture for the new house.
2.50 – Attends St.Bridget’s Catholic Church now.
3.40 – Worked in hospital as an auxiliary nurse bathing, changing patients even though I wasn’t trained.
15
I now have 5 granddaughters, 2 grandsons, 3 great granddaughters and 2 great grandsons.
40”After moving to Northfield my husband worked at BKL Factory centre.
1.20 – Holidays in Ireland
2.20 – Husband’s illness. Story.
16
Husband’s death – story.
ENDS |