| Description | An interview with Lindsey SADLER, a divorced woman with one son, one daughter, who is a Retired, after variety of jobs, born in Birmingham and now living in Halesowen. Lindsey SADLER’s father was a Military, Royal Engineers, born in ENGLAND and her mother a Clerk born in ENGLAND. In the interview, she talks about …
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Born in Dudley Road Hospital in May 1940
Family bombed out of house in Eastwood Road, were renting a house in Kings Heath.
22” Describes early memories of sitting in pram eating rusks and running around the garden with a bottle in her mouth etc.
57” Memories of “Nan” dressmaking and baking to make ends meet.
1.26” Came from a Jewish family. Describes memories of family, living with mother and “Aunt Fay”. Mother had her when she 18. Father was a lieutenant and was away fighting in the war.
1.49” Nice descriptive anecdote about father having a “Handlebar moustache”.
Didn’t see him very often as he only came home on leave. He was made a Captain.
2.19” Father was always called “The Captain” by people but his name was Lewis Brookstein. States that her name was Lindsay Jillian Brookstein. Says “Jillian with a J”.
2.30” Describes having a “Strange childhood”. Was an only child and so didn’t have many other children to play with. Did have a couple of cousins. Describes them.
2.59” Used to spend most of the time with her grandmother. Sentimental anecdote about being like “A little old lady”.
3.13” Describes mother working full time as a secretary and aunt working in the offices of Broomhall greengrocers.
3.31” Story describing first experience of eating a banana. Threw it onto the fire because it wasn’t juicy. Everyone was horrified because they were so hard to get hold of during the war.
4.10” Describes rationing in the war and how they were not too badly affected by it, aunt kept chickens.
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Started school at three years. Went to a private school in a Victorian house opposite where she lived in Alcester Road South, Kings Heath.
13” Describes layout of schoolroom and quality of education. Subjects taught etc. Learnt French aged 4.
1.34” School owned at the time by a Major Davis and a lady named Mrs Briggs. Believes now that they were co-habiting.
1.55” Continues describing quality of education, individual attention etc. By the time she left school at 8 years, she was already in advance of children who went to state school.
2.20” 1948, aged 8. Began Colmore Road Junior School and had to be held back for a couple of years until the other children had caught up.
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3” Description of Anderson Shelter – didn’t use it because of stagnant water. Still has nightmares about it. Instead, when the air raid sirens went, used to go into the pantry. Brief description of pantry. “Nanny used to take me into the pantry…”
34” Story about Mickey Mouse gas mask. “Hanging up in there was my Mickey Mouse gas mask but I wouldn’t use it because I was frightened to have anything over my face…”
54” Aunt Fay in car accident with fractured skull. Description of going to the hospital and seeing what she looked like. She had a metal plate in her head.
2.23” Describes visiting Aunt Ada. Description of swinging her cat around by its tail.
3.29” 1943 Half-sister born (Wendy). “In 1943 something really traumatic happened in my life…” Describes how her mother pretended that she was just looking after the child, and she didn’t find out until later that it was her half-sister. Does not know what became of Wendy.
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Continues. A lady came to take Wendy away when she was about six weeks old. 3” “Young as I was, I loved that baby…” She never saw her again.
34” Story about going for a hot bath at the swimming baths, as a treat. “I can remember going with my Aunt Fay to hot baths at the swimming baths at Kings Heath…”
1.17” Description of lodgers. One lodger introduced her to the “Swallows and Amazons” books. Now a real “book worm”.
1.59” Visiting father.
2.49” Parcels from Aunt Maude in America.
3.20” Recalls a party she had when she was four.
4.07” Meeting father in Birmingham at the Theatre Royal.
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Continues
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Taken for inoculation at the Welfare Clinic, Kings Heath, aged 2/3. “I remember being taken for my inoculation…”
15” America had just entered war.
Describes how she remembers inoculation. Several anecdotes of how she remembers the day so well.
19” “And I remember it well because I was wearing a siren suit which I absolutely hated…”
33” Recalls terrible pains from inoculation.
44” Describes seeing black man. “As I came out of there I saw a black man, and I’d never seen a black man before…”
1.33” Poison toe, doctor’s visit. Before the days of antibiotics.
2.37” Rationing. Jewish hospitality to servicemen from local base and given favours in return. Did not find rationing too bad. Describes different lodgers and friends.
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Continues description of lodgers.
13” One lodger died during ambulance strike.
34” Summer 1945. Went to Bournemouth on holiday. Got lost on the beach.
3.05” After the war, father came home. Recollection of mother and father arguing and father hitting mother’s face. Father went away, they got divorced – although divorces were very difficult to get in those days.
4.36” Description of childhood days as a Jew– going to the Synagogue.
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Continues with description of childhood.
40” Account of mother remarrying and of dislike of stepfather. Frightened of him.
2.28” Sharing bedroom with grandmother. Description of bedroom.
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1949 - Mother remarries. Further description of this and events following this. Half-brother, Alan.
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1950 Moved to flat in Sparkbrook. Describes being beaten by stepfather.
1.02” “…I was still only a child and I feel that I had it quite tough really…” Describes all the chores she had to do at such a young age. If things weren’t done properly used to get “good hidings”.
1.25” Can’t remember much about the area.
1.49” 1951 Family went to live in Bartley Green. School experiences.
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Continues
1.51” Made to polish floor after school. Done correctly or stepfather would beat her.
2.36” School experiences.
3.44” Experiences of pop music. Interviewed David Hughes and other stars for school magazine.
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Continues
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Descriptions of grandfather and his barbers shop.
1.50” Descriptions of Grandmother, ran away from home to Grandmothers.
4.54” “Sex wasn’t discussed when I was a child really…” Account of sex education received.
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Continues
30” Gave up trying at school – found it boring.
1.10” First job when left school as a short-hand typist.
1.18” 1955 Took RSA exams in shorthand typing, passed, aged 15.
2.08” “We also learned ‘Esperanto’…that was meant to be the international language of the future. I don’t know what’s happened to it, but I can still tell you what the time is in Esperanto…” (She asks time in Esperanto).
4.18” “Part-time job in cinema in 1955. Three nights a week after school.
4.49” Describes meeting husband-to-be aged 14.
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Continues
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7” Turned 15 in 1955. Left school and got a job as a junior shorthand typist and worked in a Solicitors office and then temp agency.
1.46” Husband (Don) proposed in a letter. Said he would commit suicide if she didn’t marry him. Agreed to marry him, but still only aged 15.
4.15” Left home at 15. Moved into a house with a young widow and her small child.
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Account of moving into house.
51” Aged 16. Asked mother permission to get married.
2.55” Needed father’s death certificate and mother’s permission to get married.
3.55” Went to visit father’s widow to get death certificate, discovered that she had two half sisters.
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41” Got married, aged 16 at the registry office in Birmingham.
4.17” Decided to try for a baby. Account of “French letters” etc.
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Told to find somewhere else to live when landlady discovered she was pregnant.
1.30” Replied to an advert for a ‘live-in’ couple. The house turned out to be owned by Patrick Malloy, who was later involved in the Carl Bridgewater murder. Descriptions of Patrick Malloy.
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Moved to a new house in Edgbaston, then to Harborne.
1.08” December 1957 aged 17, had baby (Grant) at Lordswood Road hospital. In labour for 36 hours.
3.22” Went to work as a bus conductress at the same garage Don worked at as a bus driver.
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4” Saved deposit for first house in Edgbaston Road Smethwick. Describes house. “The house only cost £1400”
1.23” Rented out rooms in house, became pregnant with daughter.
3.21” 1961 –Husband’s drink-drive accident. Not illegal then to drink and drive or not wear a seatbelt.
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Continues with description of accident.
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Not able to trust husband after accident.
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1963 Moved house to Halesowen, went to work servicing washing machines.
39” Describes different jobs taken over the years.
1.29” Marriage not working out. Husband had another car crash, temper became worse.
2.15” 1975 Halesowen College. A Level Literature, Grade A. Describes how husband didn’t like what she had done with her life. Began beating her badly. Said she wanted a divorce.
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Re-housed by Birmingham City Council.
1.14” During the 1980s. Daughter got married, had children. One child died before his fourth birthday (had heart problems). Son got married and also had children.
2.40” Took retirement after ill health, began to represent many different causes, active member of the Labour party.
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Continues
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Describes how she was reunited with her Cousin Sylvia and met half-sisters, discusses other family she has now found.
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Continues
3.39” “I think I’ve finally grown into myself…” Talks about how she has finally stopped just trying to please other people.
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11” “I just feel complete these days”
ENDS |