| Description | An interview with Carl CLEMENTS, a married man with two sons, who is a retired Carpet retailer, born in Birmingham and now living in Birmingham. Carl CLEMENTS’s father was a Copy Reader, Bham Post & Mail, born in England and his mother a Market Trader/shop-keeper/housewife born in England. In the interview, he talks about …
' Logged by Sonia Southern
01
I was born in 1929, at number 60 Alexander Road in Balsall Heath Birmingham.
13” His father was a copyreader and worked for the Evening Mail.
24” His mother was named Lily and she came from a large family, one of brothers died in the First World War, he was aged 23.
51” His first home…”We lived in many houses in Birmingham”. They moved house quite regularly.
2.00” The properties were mostly rental and he recalls the ‘divvy’ man or the ‘club’ man (which they called them in those days) coming to collect the rent.
3.59” Recalls every house having a name.
4.30” He describes how his mother had a stall in the market where she sold second hand goods.
5.06” His father worked nights at the Post and Mail, and his mother worked on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday.
5.45” He describes ‘Mops’, which were fairs that used to take place in Stratford.
6.40” The shop his Mother opened on Heathfield Road in King’s Heath and their move to All Saints Road in Kings Heath.
7.45” He attended Hebrew School in Saint Luke’s Road and then he moved to Colmore Road School when they moved to Vicarage Road. He stayed there right up until they moved out of Birmingham.
9.50” Who ran the family whilst his mother was running her stalls…
02
1.37” Describes how he hated his Hebrew School and that they used to discipline the children with a hard wooden rule, which had metal ends. He says there were lots of Jewish pupils around then and that there had been a huge Jewish community.
2.40” “But as we were growing up in those days”. Talks of the Jewish community and his Orthodox religion.
03
Non-Jewish kids used to shout abuse at the Jewish kids.
20” He used to attend a nightly school at Bristol Street in Birmingham City Centre.
04
24” His son is the treasurer of the Pershore Road Synagogue.
45” Prejudice faced when he was a child, he discussed running the gauntlet after school.
2.00” 1935-1937, he attended the Hebrew School and he had the position as milk monitor.
2.42” “We had many shops in Birmingham”. Tells of the shops in Birmingham…Acumen’s in Hurst Street, which was an Orthodox shop, there was Sharps the bakers and Gables in Bristol Street.
3.25” Unfortunately now in the year 2000 we only have one Orthodox butchers in Birmingham, when there used to be six or seven.
3.40” Children become educated and so the Jewish family changes when the children move away.
5.20” His two sons and their education.
6.50” 1941…His move to London when he was 14.
7.42” His parents split up when he was 14, both parents worked, but he recalls his mother paying all the bills and his father never having any money.
05
His father worked nights and slept in the day, his mother had an affair and his mother had a child from him, this was when they had moved to London in 1941.
06
“He came back to London and they got back together again”. His father got a job at the Radio Times and discusses the bombing at the Market Hall.
1.00” “And then we were evacuated”. Discusses his evacuation to Billy Button farm.
2.25” A recollection of his time at Sunday school.
07
Anecdote “There was Baggots on Bristol Street, which was a Jewish fish and chip shop”. There were never any Jewish restaurants in Birmingham.
1.08” Jewish social club which was raided by police, those who were caught gambling got fined two pounds.
2.53” Kosher butchers.
3.35” Jewish ceremonies at meal time, and festivities.
08
Family’s history of employment…his Grandfather worked in Saville Row in London.
3.10” Friends he made in London, where he made English friends.
4.13” 1943 “My first job was working for B.T.H”. Making the top part of anti-aircraft shells…and his second job at Stones electrical store, where he got the sack.
9.30” Meeting film maker Michael Balcon, and the location work that he got on sets of a number of films starring famous actors and actresses.
09
“I did a film called ‘I’ll Get You For This", at Shepherds Inn Studio with George Raft”. Carl played the part of a liftboy in the film.
2.25” Describes doing mime acts at Barmitzvahs and weddings.
3.34” 1947-49 “I got a letter to go to Collingdale”. Talks about the time he spent in the Air Force.
10
Concludes story.
11
“I missed something out, my time at Honeybourne”. Before he joined the Airforce…
12
…Continues … “I wasn’t doing much film work”. He ran away to Birmingham.
13
…Continues .. “A change of underwear and a few clothes that’s all I had got”. Got a job on a ferry.
2.20” Anecdote “We were next door to an Italian prisoner of war camp”. Talks about the Honeybourne open camp.
3.00” It was from there that I went back to London and joined the Air Force.
14
He did his “square-bashing as it was called at West Kirby”. He still has photographs of his time spent there.
15
“Then there was a directive that came through and all ex-air crews were going to be trained for air traffic control”. He talks about equipment x…a lesson in bomb making and moving to 202 MU.
1.19” He was sent on a course to Drury Lane theatre were he was lectured by Sir Richard Attenborough.
1.52” Story: “I said to her, I do an act”. Tells of doing regular shows and the compere was David Jacobs.
16
Came back to London after he was de-mobbed.
17
“And then I came to a wedding in Birmingham”. Talks about meeting his wife at that wedding.
50” Describes courting her for seven years.
18
17” “Would you come to a party with me?”. He tells of when he first asked his future wife out.
18
Continues story…
19
Continues story…
20
12” “There used to be a dance every Sunday night at the Synagogue in Blucher Street”. He finally asked her to dance.
1.30” His first job in Birmingham was at Cadburys.
21
19” He then delivered football coupons for Vernons pools.
27” “I went to work for a furnishing company in Town”. Tells of why he got the sack.
3.43” “I went to work for another chappie who owned a furniture shop”. Discusses the times he worked there.
22
1950 “ I went to work for a fellow called Bill Spears”
23
He bought a taxi.
24
“It belonged to the Stratford-upon-Avon Taxi Company”. Talks about the Austin 16 taxi, his mother-in-law hated it.
25
16” He went to work for G.K Portable Buildings making and selling garden sheds.
29” 1960 He worked for Harold Platnick, who founded Allied Carpets.
26
1956 “We were married the 20th June”. Talks about his wedding day.
45” They had a house built in Grove Avenue Moseley and his wife worked as a secretary.
27
His house cost £1500, which was a lot of money in those days. They both continued to work.
1.09” He set up his own company called Clements Carpet Centre in Yew Tree Lane in Yardley. They lived happily in Moseley and his eldest son Geoffrey was born there.
1.23” “After a time I took another shop on the Coventry Road” and then a Warehouse Unit in Town on Park Street…
28
His businesses were never successful but they had a comfortable life and his children were looked after.
30” They had an au pair to look after their children whilst he and Faye worked.
1.00” Anecdote “Does Miss Clements live there?”. His mother’s house moves to Bournemouth and Birmingham.
29
Talks of how he never thought that he would be driving a B.M.W or living in the home that he’s in now, which he brought for £5,000 and is now worth £250.000.
30
“It belongs to my wife and my son”. The decline of his business.
31
Continues....
32
“In Tysley, Rover car was in Tysley and within six months they all left”. Talks of all the large companies closing down.
33
Continues …This was in the early 1980s.
34
He felt sick as the company was going under.
35
He went to visit a liquidator, who advised him to go into liquidation.
36
He put the house into his son and his wife’s name and began paying back the bank.
37
He had built up a good reputation with his ex-associates. He then started up a small rug company in his garage.
38
Re-start.
39
Anecdote “I became a Mason”. Talks about meeting a friend at the Albany dance on New Years Eve and offering him the position as Mason.
2.27
Religion: what Judaism means to him now he lives in Birmingham.
40
“And then he joined two or three clubs for Jewish children”. Discusses his son’s barmitzvah and how he practises his religion.
41
Continues … “I decided not to work”
42
Continues … “My eldest son Geoffrey, when he had his barmitzvah done”.
43
15”“Both my children married Orthodox Jewish girls”. Describes his grandchildren.
1.19” There’s something about Jewish people, no matter where you go in the world one can recognise another”.
44
He says howJewish people have a wonderful language.
45
He says when you are a Mason, there is something about them that you instinctively know.
50” “We are not rich but we are comfortable and we are happy”.
46
“Everybody says I am a happy man”.
ENDS |