| Description | An interview with Susan HUGHES, a married woman with two sons, three daughters, who is a retired machine operator,pub manager., born in Ireland (Dublin) and now living in Birmingham. Susan HUGHES’s father was a Demolition foreman, born in Ireland and her mother a Machine operator born in Ireland. In the interview, she talks about …
'HUGHES, Susan MS2255/2/137 Logged by Simon Cotterill
01
Born in Dublin, 1938. Mother brought her to Birmingham in early 1940s to look for her father.
1.25 Her father was 'shocked and horrified' to see them.
1.44 Father and his brother were killed in a demolition accident.
Talks of her mother working in a bomb factory during the work.
02
Being educated in Ireland and England after war. Differences between Catholic and English schools. Nuns teaching in Ireland were cruel.
26" ' What you couldn't learn was beaten into you '.
English schools were exciting. Attended St. Anne's School, Allcock Street.
03
Lived on Stratford Road.
32" 'Everywhere was the remnants of the war'
Talks about areas that were bombed and her love for Birmingham.
1.08 'Would never live anywhere else in the world'
Talks about The Bullring at Christmas. Having to share toilets with other families.
3.00 Her home was used as a half-way house by her mother's large family who came from Ireland to look for work.
04
Everyone she knew was English, old, and set in their ways.
1.05" 'Friday night everybody would be out with their jugs'. No bottled beer. People took jugs to be filled at the outdoor.
1.40 Could leave doors open. 'Who wanted to rob nothing'.
05
Mother always worked at Harrison's, Bradford Street.
1.04 Mother's health began to fail in her forties.
Visited Dr. Barrows at surgery on Farm Road. Dr. Barrows was a very manly woman and a proud Communist. She appeared very threatening and was always arguing with mother.
06
55" When to school at St. Michael's, Milk Street - visited her mum at Harrison's. Workers gave her pennies. The security man was an ex-solider who used to wear his medals.
07
False Start
08
Started St. Michael's Secondary School in 1949, aged 11. Lovely teachers.
29" Mostly Irish children. There weren't many English Catholics.
1.50 Everybody loved Welsh teacher Mr. Jones. He read them classics on rainy Friday afternoons and looked like Michael Wilding.
Developed love of reading.
3.16 Didn't have many school friends. They lived in Irish areas, Aston and Small Heath.
09
St. Michael's was 'lovely building inside, naff outside'. Always had school dinners.
45" Could smell dinners cooking during lessons.
1.05 Headmaster was Mr. McCoy. Big man. Taught Maths. Was frightened into getting Maths correct.
Discipline was strict. Could not sit 11 plus. 'Catholic schools needed to prove they could do it'.
3.00 Went to Ireland every school holiday, reluctantly.
10
Religion. Had to go to Catholic School.
25" Mother's best friend was Protestant. When friend married, Catholic priest tells her she can't go into a Protestant church for the wedding.
11
Left school in 1953. Began work at Trade Looseleaf, Bradford Street. There for 2 years. Poorly paid.
12
Aged 17 moved to Harrison's as a machine operator. Better pay.
20" Met Husband Des at a ballroom. Des was very Irish.
1.20 'Wages Friday. Town Saturday morning. Bought stilettos, tweed skirt and black top. Hair up. Out Saturday night'
Mum used to worry about meeting Teddy boys.
1.40 'All boys were Teddy boys, if they had something about them'.
Most music was ballroom. Everyone could jive. Dancehalls served tea and orange squash.
3.10 Des wasn't Teddy boy. Couldn't jive. Introduced Irish social scene. 2 dances every Sunday in Aston.
13
Went to the Shamrock Sunday afternoon, and the Burlington Sunday evening with Des. Dancing with friends on Tuesday and Thursday. Casino on Saturday.
34" 'Generation of dancers'.
Only trouble was at the Shamrock. Very vicious bouncers. Irish men were very drunk.
14
Des was heavy drinker. Often went to bookies. Was very funny. Went to pictures at the News Theatre, Station Street. Laurel and Hardy, Three Stooges etc. Hated that Des laughed so loudly.
1.09 'Most people used to neck in the theatres. He didn't'.
15
20" Espresso bars on New Street were the big thing. Des hated them and had glass of milk.
50" 'It was the bee's knees if you went to the Expressos'.
Going out for meals wasn't the done thing. Had to avoid cracks in road when wearing stilettos.
16
1956- moved from Harrison's to work with friend at Serck Radiators. Brilliant money.
1958- married Des. Work began to dry up. Things began to change. Didn't understand why. Union membership grew.
17
Wanted flat with Des before getting married. Finding flat was very hard for Irish.
20" 'because you're Irish you're Catholic and because you're Catholic you're gonna have a baby'. No one wanted tenant with baby. Eventually got one in Kyslake Street.
1.25 Three months before wedding Des is put on short time at work. Move back in with Mother and her new husband.
1.39 In 1959 had first child.
2.20 Got very ill with chorea. Lots of time sedated in hospital.
18
Spent a lot of time at Loveday Street hospital.
36" 1st baby was a girl (Betty). Des used to sing 'Thank Heaven for Little Girls' in pubs.
19
Had used compensation from father's accident for deposit on house in Aston.
50" After three months Doctor said she could leave hospital but had to be supervised. Moved back into her mother's. Very happy to leave Aston.
2.10" Fell pregnant again. No one else was happy about it. Moved back to Aston.
Des' hours cut. Moved back to Sparkbrook.
3.30 "Everybody should live on the Stratford Road".
1966 - fell pregnant with fifth child.
20
Problems of raising five children. Des working for the Commandos - Male cleaning work, mainly in car firms.
21
Working at Hawley’s Bakery, Moseley Road in evenings.
2.00 Des looking after children.
2.30 Giving children Catholic upbringing.
3.00 Not having much time for religion. 'Always telling you what to do'.
3.35 Raising money for a Catholic Church and school.
22
22" Children travelling to St. Catherine's School.
Changing them to St. Martin's School went it was built.
23
Children's sense of nationality.
50" Quite proud to be second generation Irish.
24
Birmingham Pub Bombings.
15" 'ashamed to be Irish'
50" Union at work wanting rid of Irish. 'Couldn't blame them'.
25
False Start
26
1966 - working at Joseph Lucas, Shirley.
1975 - Equal Pay Act.
2.00 'I was gonna get man's wages !'.
1975 - Tried to get mortgage for new house.
3.10 'You don't get mortgages on what the wife earns'.
4.00 1979 - Mrs. Thatcher comes in. Voluntary redundancy.
4.50 Getting first pub - The General Woolf, Aston University.
27
Always wanting to be a barmaid.
50" Women's rights greatly improving.
1.28 Cooking student's food.
1.34 'They only had money for booze'.
28
1983 - Moved to the Eagle and Ton, New Canal Street.
29" Aston Science Park built.
Irish coddles. Punks.
29
1990 - Moved to work in the Hippodrome Theatre Bar.
24" 'Realised ordinary people went to the ballet and the opera'.
Arts.
30
1991 - Took over The Fighting Cocks, Moseley.
30" Customers taking drugs. Didn't know how to stop them.
31
Police surveillance gets drugs off premises.
32
False Start
33
Moved to The Hiker, Chelmsley Wood. Drug Problems. Phone threats.
1.09 Left licensing trade.
1.36 Council cleaning work.
34
1997 - Caught pneumonia. Went to Spain. Got ill. Spanish hospital. Illnesses.
2.15 'NHS is the most brilliant thing'.
Life before the national health service. Politics.
35
NHS
56" Being working class.
36
Changes in Sparkhill and Sparkbrook. Asian majority - new vibrance.
1.02 Buildings knocked down.
1.50 'Only real changes was the colour of the people'.
Take-aways. Fabric shops. Foreign foods.
37
Discovering Indian food.
25" Going to Uncle's, Stoney Lane.
Changes to Birmingham City Centre.
2.25 'This is the third time we've been in a mess'.
38
Going to South Birmingham College when retired. Did GCSE's and 'A' levels.
1.39 'Never too old for education'.
ENDS |