| Description | An interview with Kenneth HUGHES, a married man with one daughter, who is a retired Medical scientist/tour guide, born in Birmingham and now living in Birmingham. Kenneth HUGHES’s father was a Art metal-worker, born in England and his mother a Cleaner, catering assistant born in England. In the interview, he talks about …
'Kenneth Hughes M52255/2/133 Logged by Helen Butcher
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I was born in 1928, in Birmingham, in Ladywood. Browning Street
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“My father was called Jim. Everyone insisted that his name was James, but at his christening the Vicar said I christen you James Hughes and his mother shouted out it’s not James it’s Jim, so of course from then on his name was Jim.”
Father was an art metal worker. Talks about his work. He worked in the Jewellery Quarter.
Doesn’t remember childhood memories of brother. Brother was ill all the time.
Mother was a cleaner.
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Talks about their house. Ladywood back-to-back house. Many relatives lived in the same road.
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1937, 8 years old. Wash days very big part of lives. Four wash houses shared between 12 houses. Explains what wash days were like. What he had to do.
2:09 Got on well with neighbours, very close community.
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Describes the street he used to live on (Browning Street)
Talks about horse and carts
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Talks about when horses died in the street.
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Describes walking into town along the canals. Timber yards. Barges. The Crescent. Passed Georgian buildings - one was turned into the Crescent Theatre.
Collecting coal in Brindley Place.
2:42 Talks about Broad Street. Busy street. Talks about shopping with mother.
3:40 Describes some shops on Broad Street. Lee Longlands.
We Shall Have Rain- joke shop.
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Describes more shops
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Bingley Hall. Went to exhibitions. Cattle show. Appreciation of theatre from parents.
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King Alfred’s Place. The Hungry Man - hostel.
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Centenary Square. Being a paperboy in that area of Birmingham.
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Edmunds Street. Registry Office. Fletcher's Walk gets its name from the publican of a local pub.
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School. (St Barnabas) school days were coming up to the outbreak of the war. 1939 school closed, had to have lessons in a café.
1:57 Passed the 11+. King Edward's Grammar School, Five Ways.
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Not many people from Ladywood went to Grammar school. Regarded as a bit of a snob. Talks about schoolteachers.
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War time experiences. 12 years old. Talks about air raids.
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Talking about earning money as a paperboy. Birmingham, Edgbaston. After school in the evening did a greengrocer's round.
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Qualifications at school. Wanted to have a medical career.
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Enrolled in St John's Ambulance. Talks about this. Met a nurse at the hospital who he eventually married.
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Didn’t get the grades for medical school. Accepted onto a microbiology course. End of first year left University and entered the forces.
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National Service. Went down to Aldershot. Good experience.
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After National Service. First job, Selly Oak Hospital. Good experiences. Spent five years there until 1955. Got married in 1952. Talks briefly about wife. Married at St. Wulstan's Church. Talks about wedding.
2:54 Talks about NHS. Discusses what he used to do in his job at the hospital.
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1955 A job came up in Dudley Road Hospital. Moved to Dudley Road. Retired in 1988. Changes in the health service. 1971 new pathology lab.
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Long shifts in the hospital. Education changes. Problems.
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Mixtures of races now working in pathology.
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Lived in Tiverton Road for 10 years until 1962. Enjoyed living there.
0:51 1962 wife fell pregnant. Decided to move into another house. Gibbins Road.
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Daughter attended to St Mary’s School. Talks about roller-skating.
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Talks about daughter’s education.
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Continues to talk about daughter’s career. Changes in the area where he lives.
Life after he retired. Talks about becoming a Birmingham tour guide. Giving talks on local history.
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Likes the changes that have happened in Birmingham.
ENDS
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1978 became a magistrate retired when he was 70. Talks about changes in this area.
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Handsworth Riots. Poll tax, most depressing time as life as a magistrate.
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Political views.
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Going away for the weekend. Licky Hills. Camping on a farm nearly every weekend.
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Talks more about daughter roller-skating and ice-skating. When the ring they went to closed they set up a club at the Oldbury Sports Centre teaching deprived children how to skate. Great satisfaction from this.
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1971 approached to write a career book. |