| Description | An interview with Ann Walker, a married woman with one son, one daughter, who is a Funeral administrator, born in Birmingham and now living in Birmingham. Ann Walker’s father was a Tool setter, born in Ireland and her mother a Factory worker/cleaner/delivered milk & post born in Wales. In the interview, she talks about …
'ANN WALKER MS2255/2/126 Logged by Lorraine Blakemore
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My name is Ann Walker…I was born in 1947 on the 30th May. Father, who was Irish, came to England just before the Second World War. Met Ann’s mother whilst repairing roof tiles. Married within a year. Moved from lodgings in Washwood Heath to a rented house in Small Heath.
2.05 Details the neighbourliness of the area and the time. Particular reference to Irish neighbour.
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Further stories about the neighbour. [Technical problem with sound]
03
Describes an elderly neighbour who was fond of cats.
18” I had this strong ambition to play the piano….In order to do that I had to run all her messages and she promised me she would teach me how to play it…..The one day she finally said…got all this music out….and she thumped away on this piano, half the keys were dead…I have never felt so disillusioned…There were cats crawling all over the piano, over me…
1.40 Story about father helping this elderly neighbour remove her dead cat from the room.
3.11 Describes the shops in her street and the system of paying for goods.
04
Continued.
50” Standards of living and the family house.
05
Story about father tending to the garden and keeping chickens.
57” The garden in Winter.
06
Discusses mother’s conversion to Catholicism.
53” We went to the Holy Family Catholic School on the Coventry Road in Small Heath…. Praises the school.
1.37 I then went on to the Holy Rosary in Saltley at the age of 11…. Reflects on her academic ability.
07
Describes the headmistress at Holy Rosary and the encouragement she received from her.
53” And of course all the high flyers became school prefects…. Story about her role as a prefect.
2.15 With most girls in those days you either wanted to be a hairdresser or you wanted to work in an office….I left school at the age of 15…in 1961. Story about interview with Copycat in Hurst Street.
4.09 All the girls were older than me, the height of fashion…I did feel a very young child…going from being a prefect and having some power to then…running up the road for Mars Bars for the office girls….I felt quite insulted….
4.38 Story about meeting her husband at work.
08
Continued.
1.13 Moved from Copycat after two and a half years. Briefly details her subsequent jobs.
1.52 Married at 19. Worked for Inland Revenue for 7 years. Had first child at 23 and daughter at 26.
2.18 Similar background to her husband but difference in family size.
3.33 Story about meeting her husband’s parents.
4.28 One day, Maurice did say to me, “Is it true that the Catholic Church doesn’t approve of any kind of family planning?”….And I was so naïve I didn’t have any idea….
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25” Family disapproval at sexual relations before marriage. If I’d not just got pregnant, but slept with someone, there would have been a lot of trouble. My father…said he would simply show me the door….We were courting for 3 years…and we didn’t sleep together…. Contrasts with young people today.
1.57 Concedes that one or two girls did get pregnant at the time.
2.15 Story about a work colleague booking a holiday under a married pseudonym.
3.01 The day I got married I didn’t know anything really…. Story about first night of marriage.
10
Embarrassed at entire family assembling to wish them well on their honeymoon to Cornwall.
2.20 Hadn’t experienced many proper holidays. Mostly day excursions.
3.35 Maisonette that they were supposed to move into was behind schedule, so moved in with husband’s parents. Enjoyed housework, but felt restricted in the home.
11
Disappointed that mother-in law did all the washing.
51” No plans to have children immediately. Maurice used to say no we can’t afford it. We can’t live on one wage. Every year he used to say, we’ll review the situation next year. And of course, when I told my colleagues this at work, they thought it was hilarious, as if I was going and standing in front of my boss…
2.03 Married 5 years before Jonathan was born.
2.21 There was no problem whatsoever about obtaining contraception if you were Catholic…It was my aunt who mentioned to me….you ought to go to the family planning association….on Coventry Road….This was in 1966…. Details the contraception used.
12
Details finances during first job.
3.21 Earned £13 for a 42 hour week when working at Inland Revenue.
13
Had first automatic washing machine in 1972.
1.22 Describes typical evening at home.
Appliances used in the home.
3.41 Assumed she would give up work when first child was born because there were no childminding facilities.
14
Details temporary work at Cadburys.
1.07 Had second child. Ann’s mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Elaborates on the symptoms and warning signs.
15
Continued.
Father died at 69. Discusses his last years after wife died.
16 Describes how the housekeeping money was distributed. Buying their first car.
1.45 In the 1980s Ann bought herself a new car.
2.20 In 1991 worked as a civil servant at Birmingham County Court. Difficulties with parking in the city centre forced her to use public transport. However, this proved to be even more inconvenient.
3.43 Changes at work: They were taking on lots of casual staff, people who hadn’t, in fact, got any rights….When they take casual people on for a year they…can be sacked at a moment’s notice…and that is what they wanted, a passive workforce….
17
Daughter suggested a career change at the Co-Op in Northfield.
18
Worked part-time after having the children. Important to be independent.
50” Worked for two and a half years at a doctor’s surgery as a receptionist.
19
12 people were taken on to work at the Law Courts.
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Throughout all of my working life I’ve been a union member….Until I moved to the Law Courts where I became very disillusioned with them….as far as salaries went, working conditions, Health and Safety….How her attitiude is changing again and she may rejoin in her present post.
1.42 The Unions today are nothing like they were years ago….I didn’t like the middle years during the 70s….Elaborates on how her political affiliations changed.
22
Story about joining her present post.
2.16 My title is funeral arranger….Families come in to me and most times they don’t know what is the first step… Describes her role in detail.
23
The premises have their own Chapel of Rest. Describes how the bodies are arranged.
24
I am Catholic….I went for about a year sort of doubting….My husband is non-Catholic, but he encouraged me to go to confession so I could go to Communion and Mass…. Story about going to confession.
1.18 Regrets not sending her children to a Catholic school. Feels that they haven’t had a faith instilled into them.
1.57 I do go to Mass, but not every Sunday….I’m not one of these people who go with their best hat on and feel they’ve got a right to be there….I don’t go to Confession at all now….I talk to God in my mind privately and pray to him….
3.23 I’m very broad-minded, I respect anyone for their religion….
4.02 Religious faiths in the Northfield area.
25
How the Minister is very tolerant of other faiths and attitude to conducting funerals.
26
Not much contact with non-Christian faiths, but sensitive to their needs.
1.13 As a child there didn’t seem to be many black people at all….As a child I didn’t feel surprised or shocked….We’ve all got a right to live on this planet….
27
We live in Mavis Road, Northfield…we moved from Selly Oak and in those days it was like moving out into the country….in 1968…. Reflects on how the area has changed. Worries about how she would shop and get about when older.
2.45 Hasn’t visited The City Centre for about 12 months. Positive memories of the old Birmingham.
ENDS. |